diff --git a/drivers/md/md-cluster.c b/drivers/md/md-cluster.c
index 10e0c5381d01..c19e29cb73bf 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md-cluster.c
+++ b/drivers/md/md-cluster.c
@@ -362,9 +362,8 @@ static void __recover_slot(struct mddev *mddev, int slot)
 
 	set_bit(slot, &cinfo->recovery_map);
 	if (!cinfo->recovery_thread) {
-		cinfo->recovery_thread = md_register_thread(recover_bitmaps,
-				mddev, "recover");
-		if (!cinfo->recovery_thread) {
+		if (md_register_thread(&cinfo->recovery_thread, recover_bitmaps,
+				       mddev, "recover")) {
 			pr_warn("md-cluster: Could not create recovery thread\n");
 			return;
 		}
@@ -888,9 +887,9 @@ static int join(struct mddev *mddev, int nodes)
 		goto err;
 	}
 	/* Initiate the communication resources */
-	ret = -ENOMEM;
-	cinfo->recv_thread = md_register_thread(recv_daemon, mddev, "cluster_recv");
-	if (!cinfo->recv_thread) {
+	ret = md_register_thread(&cinfo->recv_thread, recv_daemon, mddev,
+				 "cluster_recv");
+	if (ret) {
 		pr_err("md-cluster: cannot allocate memory for recv_thread!\n");
 		goto err;
 	}
diff --git a/drivers/md/md-multipath.c b/drivers/md/md-multipath.c
index 66edf5e72bd6..ceec9e4b2a60 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md-multipath.c
+++ b/drivers/md/md-multipath.c
@@ -400,9 +400,9 @@ static int multipath_run (struct mddev *mddev)
 	if (ret)
 		goto out_free_conf;
 
-	mddev->thread = md_register_thread(multipathd, mddev,
-					   "multipath");
-	if (!mddev->thread)
+	ret = md_register_thread(&mddev->thread, multipathd, mddev,
+				 "multipath");
+	if (ret)
 		goto out_free_conf;
 
 	pr_info("multipath: array %s active with %d out of %d IO paths\n",
diff --git a/drivers/md/md.c b/drivers/md/md.c
index 8e1f7442ca1b..6a678b4c584e 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.c
+++ b/drivers/md/md.c
@@ -7929,29 +7929,32 @@ void md_wakeup_thread(struct md_thread *thread)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(md_wakeup_thread);
 
-struct md_thread *md_register_thread(void (*run) (struct md_thread *),
-		struct mddev *mddev, const char *name)
+int md_register_thread(struct md_thread **threadp,
+		       void (*run)(struct md_thread *),
+		       struct mddev *mddev, const char *name)
 {
 	struct md_thread *thread;
 
 	thread = kzalloc(sizeof(struct md_thread), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!thread)
-		return NULL;
+		return -ENOMEM;
 
 	init_waitqueue_head(&thread->wqueue);
 
 	thread->run = run;
 	thread->mddev = mddev;
 	thread->timeout = MAX_SCHEDULE_TIMEOUT;
-	thread->tsk = kthread_run(md_thread, thread,
-				  "%s_%s",
-				  mdname(thread->mddev),
-				  name);
+	thread->tsk = kthread_run(md_thread, thread, "%s_%s",
+				  mdname(thread->mddev), name);
 	if (IS_ERR(thread->tsk)) {
+		int err = PTR_ERR(thread->tsk);
+
 		kfree(thread);
-		return NULL;
+		return err;
 	}
-	return thread;
+
+	*threadp = thread;
+	return 0;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(md_register_thread);
 
@@ -9232,10 +9235,8 @@ static void md_start_sync(struct work_struct *ws)
 {
 	struct mddev *mddev = container_of(ws, struct mddev, del_work);
 
-	mddev->sync_thread = md_register_thread(md_do_sync,
-						mddev,
-						"resync");
-	if (!mddev->sync_thread) {
+	if (md_register_thread(&mddev->sync_thread, md_do_sync, mddev,
+			       "resync")) {
 		pr_warn("%s: could not start resync thread...\n",
 			mdname(mddev));
 		/* leave the spares where they are, it shouldn't hurt */
diff --git a/drivers/md/md.h b/drivers/md/md.h
index 10d425a3daa3..d0cc4544893d 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.h
+++ b/drivers/md/md.h
@@ -735,10 +735,9 @@ extern int register_md_cluster_operations(struct md_cluster_operations *ops,
 extern int unregister_md_cluster_operations(void);
 extern int md_setup_cluster(struct mddev *mddev, int nodes);
 extern void md_cluster_stop(struct mddev *mddev);
-extern struct md_thread *md_register_thread(
-	void (*run)(struct md_thread *thread),
-	struct mddev *mddev,
-	const char *name);
+int md_register_thread(struct md_thread **threadp,
+		       void (*run)(struct md_thread *thread),
+		       struct mddev *mddev, const char *name);
 extern void md_unregister_thread(struct md_thread **threadp);
 extern void md_wakeup_thread(struct md_thread *thread);
 extern void md_check_recovery(struct mddev *mddev);
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid1.c b/drivers/md/raid1.c
index 68a9e2d9985b..1217c1db0a40 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid1.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid1.c
@@ -3083,9 +3083,8 @@ static struct r1conf *setup_conf(struct mddev *mddev)
 		}
 	}
 
-	err = -ENOMEM;
-	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid1d, mddev, "raid1");
-	if (!conf->thread)
+	err = md_register_thread(&conf->thread, raid1d, mddev, "raid1");
+	if (err)
 		goto abort;
 
 	return conf;
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid10.c b/drivers/md/raid10.c
index 6c66357f92f5..0171ba4f19b0 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid10.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid10.c
@@ -4077,9 +4077,8 @@ static struct r10conf *setup_conf(struct mddev *mddev)
 	init_waitqueue_head(&conf->wait_barrier);
 	atomic_set(&conf->nr_pending, 0);
 
-	err = -ENOMEM;
-	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid10d, mddev, "raid10");
-	if (!conf->thread)
+	err = md_register_thread(&conf->thread, raid10d, mddev, "raid10");
+	if (err)
 		goto out;
 
 	conf->mddev = mddev;
@@ -4273,9 +4272,8 @@ static int raid10_run(struct mddev *mddev)
 		clear_bit(MD_RECOVERY_CHECK, &mddev->recovery);
 		set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RESHAPE, &mddev->recovery);
 		set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery);
-		mddev->sync_thread = md_register_thread(md_do_sync, mddev,
-							"reshape");
-		if (!mddev->sync_thread)
+		if (md_register_thread(&mddev->sync_thread, md_do_sync, mddev,
+				       "reshape"))
 			goto out_free_conf;
 	}
 
@@ -4686,9 +4684,8 @@ static int raid10_start_reshape(struct mddev *mddev)
 	set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RESHAPE, &mddev->recovery);
 	set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery);
 
-	mddev->sync_thread = md_register_thread(md_do_sync, mddev,
-						"reshape");
-	if (!mddev->sync_thread) {
+	if (md_register_thread(&mddev->sync_thread, md_do_sync, mddev,
+			       "reshape")) {
 		ret = -EAGAIN;
 		goto abort;
 	}
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid5-cache.c b/drivers/md/raid5-cache.c
index 46182b955aef..0464d4d551fc 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid5-cache.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid5-cache.c
@@ -3121,9 +3121,8 @@ int r5l_init_log(struct r5conf *conf, struct md_rdev *rdev)
 	spin_lock_init(&log->tree_lock);
 	INIT_RADIX_TREE(&log->big_stripe_tree, GFP_NOWAIT | __GFP_NOWARN);
 
-	log->reclaim_thread = md_register_thread(r5l_reclaim_thread,
-						 log->rdev->mddev, "reclaim");
-	if (!log->reclaim_thread)
+	if (md_register_thread(&log->reclaim_thread, r5l_reclaim_thread,
+			       log->rdev->mddev, "reclaim"))
 		goto reclaim_thread;
 	log->reclaim_thread->timeout = R5C_RECLAIM_WAKEUP_INTERVAL;
 
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid5.c b/drivers/md/raid5.c
index 7b820b81d8c2..04b1093195d0 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid5.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid5.c
@@ -7665,11 +7665,10 @@ static struct r5conf *setup_conf(struct mddev *mddev)
 	}
 
 	sprintf(pers_name, "raid%d", mddev->new_level);
-	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid5d, mddev, pers_name);
-	if (!conf->thread) {
+	ret = md_register_thread(&conf->thread, raid5d, mddev, pers_name);
+	if (ret) {
 		pr_warn("md/raid:%s: couldn't allocate thread.\n",
 			mdname(mddev));
-		ret = -ENOMEM;
 		goto abort;
 	}
 
@@ -7989,9 +7988,8 @@ static int raid5_run(struct mddev *mddev)
 		clear_bit(MD_RECOVERY_CHECK, &mddev->recovery);
 		set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RESHAPE, &mddev->recovery);
 		set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery);
-		mddev->sync_thread = md_register_thread(md_do_sync, mddev,
-							"reshape");
-		if (!mddev->sync_thread)
+		if (md_register_thread(&mddev->sync_thread, md_do_sync, mddev,
+				       "reshape"))
 			goto abort;
 	}
 
@@ -8567,9 +8565,8 @@ static int raid5_start_reshape(struct mddev *mddev)
 	clear_bit(MD_RECOVERY_DONE, &mddev->recovery);
 	set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RESHAPE, &mddev->recovery);
 	set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery);
-	mddev->sync_thread = md_register_thread(md_do_sync, mddev,
-						"reshape");
-	if (!mddev->sync_thread) {
+	if (md_register_thread(&mddev->sync_thread, md_do_sync, mddev,
+			       "reshape")) {
 		mddev->recovery = 0;
 		spin_lock_irq(&conf->device_lock);
 		write_seqcount_begin(&conf->gen_lock);
