diff --git a/libxfs/libxfs_api_defs.h b/libxfs/libxfs_api_defs.h
index a51c14a27..ee9794782 100644
--- a/libxfs/libxfs_api_defs.h
+++ b/libxfs/libxfs_api_defs.h
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@
 #define xfs_inode_from_disk		libxfs_inode_from_disk
 #define xfs_inode_from_disk_ts		libxfs_inode_from_disk_ts
 #define xfs_inode_hasattr		libxfs_inode_hasattr
+#define xfs_inode_init			libxfs_inode_init
 #define xfs_inode_to_disk		libxfs_inode_to_disk
 #define xfs_inode_validate_cowextsize	libxfs_inode_validate_cowextsize
 #define xfs_inode_validate_extsize	libxfs_inode_validate_extsize
diff --git a/repair/phase6.c b/repair/phase6.c
index 85f122ec7..2c4f23010 100644
--- a/repair/phase6.c
+++ b/repair/phase6.c
@@ -447,20 +447,31 @@ res_failed(
 		do_error(_("xfs_trans_reserve returned %d\n"), err);
 }
 
-static inline void
-reset_inode_fields(struct xfs_inode *ip)
+/*
+ * Forcibly reinitialize a file that is a child of the superblock and has a
+ * statically defined inumber.  These files are the root of a directory tree or
+ * the realtime free space inodes.  The inode must not otherwise be in use; the
+ * data fork must be empty, and the attr fork will be reset.
+ */
+static void
+reset_sbroot_ino(
+	struct xfs_trans	*tp,
+	umode_t			mode,
+	struct xfs_inode	*ip)
 {
-	ip->i_projid = 0;
-	ip->i_disk_size = 0;
-	ip->i_nblocks = 0;
-	ip->i_extsize = 0;
-	ip->i_cowextsize = 0;
-	ip->i_flushiter = 0;
+	struct xfs_icreate_args	args = {
+		.idmap		= libxfs_nop_idmap,
+		.mode		= mode,
+		/* Root directories cannot be linked to a parent. */
+		.flags		= XFS_ICREATE_UNLINKABLE,
+	};
+
+	/* Erase the attr fork since libxfs_inode_init won't do it for us. */
 	ip->i_forkoff = 0;
-	ip->i_diflags = 0;
-	ip->i_diflags2 = 0;
-	ip->i_crtime.tv_sec = 0;
-	ip->i_crtime.tv_nsec = 0;
+	libxfs_ifork_zap_attr(ip);
+
+	libxfs_trans_ijoin(tp, ip, 0);
+	libxfs_inode_init(tp, &args, ip);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -474,7 +485,6 @@ mk_rbmino(xfs_mount_t *mp)
 	int		error;
 	xfs_fileoff_t	bno;
 	xfs_bmbt_irec_t	map[XFS_BMAP_MAX_NMAP];
-	int		times;
 	uint		blocks;
 
 	/*
@@ -491,34 +501,9 @@ mk_rbmino(xfs_mount_t *mp)
 			error);
 	}
 
-	reset_inode_fields(ip);
-
-	VFS_I(ip)->i_mode = S_IFREG;
-	ip->i_df.if_format = XFS_DINODE_FMT_EXTENTS;
-	libxfs_ifork_zap_attr(ip);
-
-	set_nlink(VFS_I(ip), 1);	/* account for sb ptr */
-
-	times = XFS_ICHGTIME_CHG | XFS_ICHGTIME_MOD;
-	if (xfs_has_v3inodes(mp)) {
-		VFS_I(ip)->i_version = 1;
-		ip->i_diflags2 = 0;
-		times |= XFS_ICHGTIME_CREATE;
-	}
-	libxfs_trans_ichgtime(tp, ip, times);
-
-	/*
-	 * now the ifork
-	 */
-	ip->i_df.if_bytes = 0;
-	ip->i_df.if_data = NULL;
-
+	/* Reset the realtime bitmap inode. */
+	reset_sbroot_ino(tp, S_IFREG, ip);
 	ip->i_disk_size = mp->m_sb.sb_rbmblocks * mp->m_sb.sb_blocksize;
-
-	/*
-	 * commit changes
-	 */
-	libxfs_trans_ijoin(tp, ip, 0);
 	libxfs_trans_log_inode(tp, ip, XFS_ILOG_CORE);
 	error = -libxfs_trans_commit(tp);
 	if (error)
@@ -729,7 +714,6 @@ mk_rsumino(xfs_mount_t *mp)
 	int		nsumblocks;
 	xfs_fileoff_t	bno;
 	xfs_bmbt_irec_t	map[XFS_BMAP_MAX_NMAP];
-	int		times;
 	uint		blocks;
 
 	/*
@@ -746,34 +730,9 @@ mk_rsumino(xfs_mount_t *mp)
 			error);
 	}
 
-	reset_inode_fields(ip);
-
-	VFS_I(ip)->i_mode = S_IFREG;
-	ip->i_df.if_format = XFS_DINODE_FMT_EXTENTS;
-	libxfs_ifork_zap_attr(ip);
-
-	set_nlink(VFS_I(ip), 1);	/* account for sb ptr */
-
-	times = XFS_ICHGTIME_CHG | XFS_ICHGTIME_MOD;
-	if (xfs_has_v3inodes(mp)) {
-		VFS_I(ip)->i_version = 1;
-		ip->i_diflags2 = 0;
-		times |= XFS_ICHGTIME_CREATE;
-	}
-	libxfs_trans_ichgtime(tp, ip, times);
-
-	/*
-	 * now the ifork
-	 */
-	ip->i_df.if_bytes = 0;
-	ip->i_df.if_data = NULL;
-
+	/* Reset the rt summary inode. */
+	reset_sbroot_ino(tp, S_IFREG, ip);
 	ip->i_disk_size = mp->m_rsumsize;
-
-	/*
-	 * commit changes
-	 */
-	libxfs_trans_ijoin(tp, ip, 0);
 	libxfs_trans_log_inode(tp, ip, XFS_ILOG_CORE);
 	error = -libxfs_trans_commit(tp);
 	if (error)
@@ -829,7 +788,6 @@ mk_root_dir(xfs_mount_t *mp)
 	int		error;
 	const mode_t	mode = 0755;
 	ino_tree_node_t	*irec;
-	int		times;
 
 	ip = NULL;
 	i = -libxfs_trans_alloc(mp, &M_RES(mp)->tr_ichange, 10, 0, 0, &tp);
@@ -841,37 +799,8 @@ mk_root_dir(xfs_mount_t *mp)
 		do_error(_("could not iget root inode -- error - %d\n"), error);
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * take care of the core since we didn't call the libxfs ialloc function
-	 * (comment changed to avoid tangling xfs/437)
-	 */
-	reset_inode_fields(ip);
-
-	VFS_I(ip)->i_mode = mode|S_IFDIR;
-	ip->i_df.if_format = XFS_DINODE_FMT_EXTENTS;
-	libxfs_ifork_zap_attr(ip);
-
-	set_nlink(VFS_I(ip), 2);	/* account for . and .. */
-
-	times = XFS_ICHGTIME_CHG | XFS_ICHGTIME_MOD;
-	if (xfs_has_v3inodes(mp)) {
-		VFS_I(ip)->i_version = 1;
-		ip->i_diflags2 = 0;
-		times |= XFS_ICHGTIME_CREATE;
-	}
-	libxfs_trans_ichgtime(tp, ip, times);
-	libxfs_trans_ijoin(tp, ip, 0);
-	libxfs_trans_log_inode(tp, ip, XFS_ILOG_CORE);
-
-	/*
-	 * now the ifork
-	 */
-	ip->i_df.if_bytes = 0;
-	ip->i_df.if_data = NULL;
-
-	/*
-	 * initialize the directory
-	 */
+	/* Reset the root directory. */
+	reset_sbroot_ino(tp, mode | S_IFDIR, ip);
 	libxfs_dir_init(tp, ip, ip);
 
 	error = -libxfs_trans_commit(tp);
