diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h b/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
index 843877e017e1..1784e50eb857 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/bcache.h
@@ -323,12 +323,6 @@ struct cached_dev {
 	struct bch_ratelimit	writeback_rate;
 	struct delayed_work	writeback_rate_update;
 
-	/*
-	 * Internal to the writeback code, so read_dirty() can keep track of
-	 * where it's at.
-	 */
-	sector_t		last_read;
-
 	/* Limit number of writeback bios in flight */
 	struct semaphore	in_flight;
 	struct task_struct	*writeback_thread;
diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/writeback.c b/drivers/md/bcache/writeback.c
index f3d680c907ae..6975003454d9 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/writeback.c
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/writeback.c
@@ -251,7 +251,9 @@ static void read_dirty_submit(struct closure *cl)
 static void read_dirty(struct cached_dev *dc)
 {
 	unsigned delay = 0;
-	struct keybuf_key *w;
+	struct keybuf_key *next, *keys[MAX_WRITEBACKS_IN_PASS], *w;
+	size_t size;
+	int nk, i;
 	struct dirty_io *io;
 	struct closure cl;
 
@@ -262,45 +264,87 @@ static void read_dirty(struct cached_dev *dc)
 	 * mempools.
 	 */
 
-	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
-
-		w = bch_keybuf_next(&dc->writeback_keys);
-		if (!w)
-			break;
-
-		BUG_ON(ptr_stale(dc->disk.c, &w->key, 0));
-
-		if (KEY_START(&w->key) != dc->last_read ||
-		    jiffies_to_msecs(delay) > 50)
-			while (!kthread_should_stop() && delay)
-				delay = schedule_timeout_interruptible(delay);
-
-		dc->last_read	= KEY_OFFSET(&w->key);
-
-		io = kzalloc(sizeof(struct dirty_io) + sizeof(struct bio_vec)
-			     * DIV_ROUND_UP(KEY_SIZE(&w->key), PAGE_SECTORS),
-			     GFP_KERNEL);
-		if (!io)
-			goto err;
-
-		w->private	= io;
-		io->dc		= dc;
-
-		dirty_init(w);
-		bio_set_op_attrs(&io->bio, REQ_OP_READ, 0);
-		io->bio.bi_iter.bi_sector = PTR_OFFSET(&w->key, 0);
-		bio_set_dev(&io->bio, PTR_CACHE(dc->disk.c, &w->key, 0)->bdev);
-		io->bio.bi_end_io	= read_dirty_endio;
-
-		if (bio_alloc_pages(&io->bio, GFP_KERNEL))
-			goto err_free;
-
-		trace_bcache_writeback(&w->key);
+	next = bch_keybuf_next(&dc->writeback_keys);
+
+	while (!kthread_should_stop() && next) {
+		size = 0;
+		nk = 0;
+
+		do {
+			BUG_ON(ptr_stale(dc->disk.c, &next->key, 0));
+
+			/*
+			 * Don't combine too many operations, even if they
+			 * are all small.
+			 */
+			if (nk >= MAX_WRITEBACKS_IN_PASS)
+				break;
+
+			/*
+			 * If the current operation is very large, don't
+			 * further combine operations.
+			 */
+			if (size >= MAX_WRITESIZE_IN_PASS)
+				break;
+
+			/*
+			 * Operations are only eligible to be combined
+			 * if they are contiguous.
+			 *
+			 * TODO: add a heuristic willing to fire a
+			 * certain amount of non-contiguous IO per pass,
+			 * so that we can benefit from backing device
+			 * command queueing.
+			 */
+			if ((nk != 0) && bkey_cmp(&keys[nk-1]->key,
+						&START_KEY(&next->key)))
+				break;
+
+			size += KEY_SIZE(&next->key);
+			keys[nk++] = next;
+		} while ((next = bch_keybuf_next(&dc->writeback_keys)));
+
+		/* Now we have gathered a set of 1..5 keys to write back. */
+		for (i = 0; i < nk; i++) {
+			w = keys[i];
+
+			io = kzalloc(sizeof(struct dirty_io) +
+				     sizeof(struct bio_vec) *
+				     DIV_ROUND_UP(KEY_SIZE(&w->key), PAGE_SECTORS),
+				     GFP_KERNEL);
+			if (!io)
+				goto err;
+
+			w->private	= io;
+			io->dc		= dc;
+
+			dirty_init(w);
+			bio_set_op_attrs(&io->bio, REQ_OP_READ, 0);
+			io->bio.bi_iter.bi_sector = PTR_OFFSET(&w->key, 0);
+			bio_set_dev(&io->bio,
+				    PTR_CACHE(dc->disk.c, &w->key, 0)->bdev);
+			io->bio.bi_end_io	= read_dirty_endio;
+
+			if (bio_alloc_pages(&io->bio, GFP_KERNEL))
+				goto err_free;
+
+			trace_bcache_writeback(&w->key);
+
+			down(&dc->in_flight);
+
+			/* We've acquired a semaphore for the maximum
+			 * simultaneous number of writebacks; from here
+			 * everything happens asynchronously.
+			 */
+			closure_call(&io->cl, read_dirty_submit, NULL, &cl);
+		}
 
-		down(&dc->in_flight);
-		closure_call(&io->cl, read_dirty_submit, NULL, &cl);
+		delay = writeback_delay(dc, size);
 
-		delay = writeback_delay(dc, KEY_SIZE(&w->key));
+		while (!kthread_should_stop() && delay) {
+			schedule_timeout_interruptible(delay);
+			delay = writeback_delay(dc, 0);
+		}
 	}
 
 	if (0) {
diff --git a/drivers/md/bcache/writeback.h b/drivers/md/bcache/writeback.h
index a9e3ffb4b03c..6d26927267f8 100644
--- a/drivers/md/bcache/writeback.h
+++ b/drivers/md/bcache/writeback.h
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
 #define CUTOFF_WRITEBACK	40
 #define CUTOFF_WRITEBACK_SYNC	70
 
+#define MAX_WRITEBACKS_IN_PASS  5
+#define MAX_WRITESIZE_IN_PASS   5000	/* *512b */
+
 static inline uint64_t bcache_dev_sectors_dirty(struct bcache_device *d)
 {
 	uint64_t i, ret = 0;
