diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/client.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/client.h
index 28f1078a42ac..e3b96e3df7da 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/client.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/client.h
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ struct nvkm_client {
 };
 
 int  nvkm_client_new(const char *name, u64 device, const char *cfg,
-		     const char *dbg, struct nvkm_client **);
+		     const char *dbg,
+		     int (*)(const void *, u32, const void *, u32),
+		     struct nvkm_client **);
 
 int nvkm_client_notify_new(struct nvkm_object *, struct nvkm_event *,
 			   void *data, u32 size);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_nvif.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_nvif.c
index 69341a65dc42..b3f29b1ce9ea 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_nvif.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_nvif.c
@@ -103,16 +103,8 @@ static int
 nvkm_client_driver_init(const char *name, u64 device, const char *cfg,
 			const char *dbg, void **ppriv)
 {
-	struct nvkm_client *client;
-	int ret;
-
-	ret = nvkm_client_new(name, device, cfg, dbg, &client);
-	*ppriv = client;
-	if (ret)
-		return ret;
-
-	client->ntfy = nvkm_client_ntfy;
-	return 0;
+	return nvkm_client_new(name, device, cfg, dbg, nvkm_client_ntfy,
+			       (struct nvkm_client **)ppriv);
 }
 
 const struct nvif_driver
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/client.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/client.c
index 3cde975816f3..4e2730cb1fec 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/client.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/client.c
@@ -238,7 +238,9 @@ nvkm_client = {
 
 int
 nvkm_client_new(const char *name, u64 device, const char *cfg,
-		const char *dbg, struct nvkm_client **pclient)
+		const char *dbg,
+		int (*ntfy)(const void *, u32, const void *, u32),
+		struct nvkm_client **pclient)
 {
 	struct nvkm_oclass oclass = { .base = nvkm_uclient_sclass };
 	struct nvkm_client *client;
@@ -252,5 +254,6 @@ nvkm_client_new(const char *name, u64 device, const char *cfg,
 	client->device = device;
 	client->debug = nvkm_dbgopt(dbg, "CLIENT");
 	client->objroot = RB_ROOT;
+	client->ntfy = ntfy;
 	return 0;
 }