diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_gt_requests.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_gt_requests.c
index 353809ac2754..a0112ba08ca7 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_gt_requests.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_gt_requests.c
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ long intel_gt_retire_requests_timeout(struct intel_gt *gt, long timeout)
 		}
 
 		intel_timeline_get(tl);
-		GEM_BUG_ON(!tl->active_count);
-		tl->active_count++; /* pin the list element */
+		GEM_BUG_ON(!atomic_read(&tl->active_count));
+		atomic_inc(&tl->active_count); /* pin the list element */
 		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&timelines->lock, flags);
 
 		if (timeout > 0) {
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ long intel_gt_retire_requests_timeout(struct intel_gt *gt, long timeout)
 
 		/* Resume iteration after dropping lock */
 		list_safe_reset_next(tl, tn, link);
-		if (!--tl->active_count)
+		if (atomic_dec_and_test(&tl->active_count))
 			list_del(&tl->link);
 		else
 			active_count += !!rcu_access_pointer(tl->last_request.fence);
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ long intel_gt_retire_requests_timeout(struct intel_gt *gt, long timeout)
 
 		/* Defer the final release to after the spinlock */
 		if (refcount_dec_and_test(&tl->kref.refcount)) {
-			GEM_BUG_ON(tl->active_count);
+			GEM_BUG_ON(atomic_read(&tl->active_count));
 			list_add(&tl->link, &free);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_timeline.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_timeline.c
index 14ad10acd548..839de6b9aa24 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_timeline.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_timeline.c
@@ -339,15 +339,33 @@ void intel_timeline_enter(struct intel_timeline *tl)
 	struct intel_gt_timelines *timelines = &tl->gt->timelines;
 	unsigned long flags;
 
+	/*
+	 * Pretend we are serialised by the timeline->mutex.
+	 *
+	 * While generally true, there are a few exceptions to the rule
+	 * for the engine->kernel_context being used to manage power
+	 * transitions. As the engine_park may be called from under any
+	 * timeline, it uses the power mutex as a global serialisation
+	 * lock to prevent any other request entering its timeline.
+	 *
+	 * The rule is generally tl->mutex, otherwise engine->wakeref.mutex.
+	 *
+	 * However, intel_gt_retire_request() does not know which engine
+	 * it is retiring along and so cannot partake in the engine-pm
+	 * barrier, and there we use the tl->active_count as a means to
+	 * pin the timeline in the active_list while the locks are dropped.
+	 * Ergo, as that is outside of the engine-pm barrier, we need to
+	 * use atomic to manipulate tl->active_count.
+	 */
 	lockdep_assert_held(&tl->mutex);
-
 	GEM_BUG_ON(!atomic_read(&tl->pin_count));
-	if (tl->active_count++)
+
+	if (atomic_add_unless(&tl->active_count, 1, 0))
 		return;
-	GEM_BUG_ON(!tl->active_count); /* overflow? */
 
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&timelines->lock, flags);
-	list_add(&tl->link, &timelines->active_list);
+	if (!atomic_fetch_inc(&tl->active_count))
+		list_add_tail(&tl->link, &timelines->active_list);
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&timelines->lock, flags);
 }
 
@@ -356,14 +374,16 @@ void intel_timeline_exit(struct intel_timeline *tl)
 	struct intel_gt_timelines *timelines = &tl->gt->timelines;
 	unsigned long flags;
 
+	/* See intel_timeline_enter() */
 	lockdep_assert_held(&tl->mutex);
 
-	GEM_BUG_ON(!tl->active_count);
-	if (--tl->active_count)
+	GEM_BUG_ON(!atomic_read(&tl->active_count));
+	if (atomic_add_unless(&tl->active_count, -1, 1))
 		return;
 
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&timelines->lock, flags);
-	list_del(&tl->link);
+	if (atomic_dec_and_test(&tl->active_count))
+		list_del(&tl->link);
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&timelines->lock, flags);
 
 	/*
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_timeline_types.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_timeline_types.h
index 98d9ee166379..5244615ed1cb 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_timeline_types.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/intel_timeline_types.h
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ struct intel_timeline {
 	 * from the intel_context caller plus internal atomicity.
 	 */
 	atomic_t pin_count;
-	unsigned int active_count;
+	atomic_t active_count;
 
 	const u32 *hwsp_seqno;
 	struct i915_vma *hwsp_ggtt;