diff --git a/include/xfs_mount.h b/include/xfs_mount.h
index 4e4da5bc4fa..07f9e33b8b2 100644
--- a/include/xfs_mount.h
+++ b/include/xfs_mount.h
@@ -333,6 +333,18 @@ struct xfs_defer_drain { /* empty */ };
 static inline void xfs_perag_intent_hold(struct xfs_perag *pag) {}
 static inline void xfs_perag_intent_rele(struct xfs_perag *pag) {}
 
+struct xfs_rtgroup;
+
+#define xfs_rtgroup_intent_get(mp, rgno) \
+	xfs_rtgroup_get((mp), xfs_rtb_to_rgno((mp), (rgno)))
+#define xfs_rtgroup_intent_put(rtg)		xfs_rtgroup_put(rtg)
+
+static inline void xfs_rtgroup_intent_hold(struct xfs_rtgroup *rtg) { }
+static inline void xfs_rtgroup_intent_rele(struct xfs_rtgroup *rtg) { }
+
+#define xfs_drain_free(dr)		((void)0)
+#define xfs_drain_init(dr)		((void)0)
+
 static inline void libxfs_buftarg_drain(struct xfs_buftarg *btp)
 {
 	cache_purge(btp->bcache);
diff --git a/libxfs/defer_item.c b/libxfs/defer_item.c
index a82d23c17cf..e7270d02c4b 100644
--- a/libxfs/defer_item.c
+++ b/libxfs/defer_item.c
@@ -88,11 +88,8 @@ xfs_extent_free_defer_add(
 	struct xfs_mount		*mp = tp->t_mountp;
 
 	if (xfs_efi_is_realtime(xefi)) {
-		xfs_rgnumber_t		rgno;
-
-		rgno = xfs_rtb_to_rgno(mp, xefi->xefi_startblock);
-		xefi->xefi_rtg = xfs_rtgroup_get(mp, rgno);
-
+		xefi->xefi_rtg = xfs_rtgroup_intent_get(mp,
+						xefi->xefi_startblock);
 		*dfpp = xfs_defer_add(tp, &xefi->xefi_list,
 				&xfs_rtextent_free_defer_type);
 		return;
@@ -204,7 +201,7 @@ xfs_rtextent_free_cancel_item(
 {
 	struct xfs_extent_free_item	*xefi = xefi_entry(item);
 
-	xfs_rtgroup_put(xefi->xefi_rtg);
+	xfs_rtgroup_intent_put(xefi->xefi_rtg);
 	kmem_cache_free(xfs_extfree_item_cache, xefi);
 }
 
@@ -338,13 +335,12 @@ xfs_rmap_defer_add(
 	 * section updates.
 	 */
 	if (ri->ri_realtime) {
-		xfs_rgnumber_t	rgno;
-
-		rgno = xfs_rtb_to_rgno(mp, ri->ri_bmap.br_startblock);
-		ri->ri_rtg = xfs_rtgroup_get(mp, rgno);
+		ri->ri_rtg = xfs_rtgroup_intent_get(mp,
+						ri->ri_bmap.br_startblock);
 		xfs_defer_add(tp, &ri->ri_list, &xfs_rtrmap_update_defer_type);
 	} else {
-		ri->ri_pag = xfs_perag_intent_get(mp, ri->ri_bmap.br_startblock);
+		ri->ri_pag = xfs_perag_intent_get(mp,
+						ri->ri_bmap.br_startblock);
 		xfs_defer_add(tp, &ri->ri_list, &xfs_rmap_update_defer_type);
 	}
 }
@@ -445,7 +441,7 @@ xfs_rtrmap_update_cancel_item(
 {
 	struct xfs_rmap_intent		*ri = ri_entry(item);
 
-	xfs_rtgroup_put(ri->ri_rtg);
+	xfs_rtgroup_intent_put(ri->ri_rtg);
 	kmem_cache_free(xfs_rmap_intent_cache, ri);
 }
 
@@ -656,10 +652,8 @@ xfs_bmap_update_get_group(
 {
 	if (xfs_ifork_is_realtime(bi->bi_owner, bi->bi_whichfork)) {
 		if (xfs_has_rtgroups(mp)) {
-			xfs_rgnumber_t	rgno;
-
-			rgno = xfs_rtb_to_rgno(mp, bi->bi_bmap.br_startblock);
-			bi->bi_rtg = xfs_rtgroup_get(mp, rgno);
+			bi->bi_rtg = xfs_rtgroup_intent_get(mp,
+						bi->bi_bmap.br_startblock);
 		} else {
 			bi->bi_rtg = NULL;
 		}
@@ -695,8 +689,9 @@ xfs_bmap_update_put_group(
 	struct xfs_bmap_intent	*bi)
 {
 	if (xfs_ifork_is_realtime(bi->bi_owner, bi->bi_whichfork)) {
-		if (xfs_has_rtgroups(bi->bi_owner->i_mount))
-			xfs_rtgroup_put(bi->bi_rtg);
+		if (xfs_has_rtgroups(bi->bi_owner->i_mount)) {
+			xfs_rtgroup_intent_put(bi->bi_rtg);
+		}
 		return;
 	}
 
diff --git a/libxfs/xfs_rtgroup.c b/libxfs/xfs_rtgroup.c
index 449cd57cf9e..1acf98f8c7e 100644
--- a/libxfs/xfs_rtgroup.c
+++ b/libxfs/xfs_rtgroup.c
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ xfs_initialize_rtgroups(
 		/* Place kernel structure only init below this point. */
 		spin_lock_init(&rtg->rtg_state_lock);
 		init_waitqueue_head(&rtg->rtg_active_wq);
+		xfs_defer_drain_init(&rtg->rtg_intents_drain);
 #endif /* __KERNEL__ */
 
 		/* Active ref owned by mount indicates rtgroup is online. */
@@ -213,6 +214,7 @@ xfs_free_rtgroups(
 		spin_unlock(&mp->m_rtgroup_lock);
 		ASSERT(rtg);
 		XFS_IS_CORRUPT(mp, atomic_read(&rtg->rtg_ref) != 0);
+		xfs_defer_drain_free(&rtg->rtg_intents_drain);
 
 		/* drop the mount's active reference */
 		xfs_rtgroup_rele(rtg);
diff --git a/libxfs/xfs_rtgroup.h b/libxfs/xfs_rtgroup.h
index 559a5135820..9487c2e0047 100644
--- a/libxfs/xfs_rtgroup.h
+++ b/libxfs/xfs_rtgroup.h
@@ -39,6 +39,15 @@ struct xfs_rtgroup {
 #ifdef __KERNEL__
 	/* -- kernel only structures below this line -- */
 	spinlock_t		rtg_state_lock;
+
+	/*
+	 * We use xfs_drain to track the number of deferred log intent items
+	 * that have been queued (but not yet processed) so that waiters (e.g.
+	 * scrub) will not lock resources when other threads are in the middle
+	 * of processing a chain of intent items only to find momentary
+	 * inconsistencies.
+	 */
+	struct xfs_defer_drain	rtg_intents_drain;
 #endif /* __KERNEL__ */
 };
 
