REQ_F_DONT_REISSUE_BIT,
        REQ_F_CREDS_BIT,
        REQ_F_REFCOUNT_BIT,
+       REQ_F_ARM_LTIMEOUT_BIT,
        /* keep async read/write and isreg together and in order */
        REQ_F_NOWAIT_READ_BIT,
        REQ_F_NOWAIT_WRITE_BIT,
        REQ_F_CREDS             = BIT(REQ_F_CREDS_BIT),
        /* skip refcounting if not set */
        REQ_F_REFCOUNT          = BIT(REQ_F_REFCOUNT_BIT),
+       /* there is a linked timeout that has to be armed */
+       REQ_F_ARM_LTIMEOUT      = BIT(REQ_F_ARM_LTIMEOUT_BIT),
 };
 
 struct async_poll {
 
 static struct io_kiocb *__io_prep_linked_timeout(struct io_kiocb *req)
 {
-       struct io_kiocb *nxt = req->link;
-
-       if (req->flags & REQ_F_LINK_TIMEOUT)
-               return NULL;
+       req->flags &= ~REQ_F_ARM_LTIMEOUT;
+       req->flags |= REQ_F_LINK_TIMEOUT;
 
        /* linked timeouts should have two refs once prep'ed */
        io_req_set_refcount(req);
-       __io_req_set_refcount(nxt, 2);
-
-       nxt->timeout.head = req;
-       req->flags |= REQ_F_LINK_TIMEOUT;
-       return nxt;
+       __io_req_set_refcount(req->link, 2);
+       return req->link;
 }
 
 static inline struct io_kiocb *io_prep_linked_timeout(struct io_kiocb *req)
 {
-       if (likely(!req->link || req->link->opcode != IORING_OP_LINK_TIMEOUT))
+       if (likely(!(req->flags & REQ_F_ARM_LTIMEOUT)))
                return NULL;
        return __io_prep_linked_timeout(req);
 }
                        return -EINVAL;
                if (link->last->opcode == IORING_OP_LINK_TIMEOUT)
                        return -EINVAL;
+               req->timeout.head = link->last;
+               link->last->flags |= REQ_F_ARM_LTIMEOUT;
        }
        return 0;
 }