db_exc.cookie = 1;
        }
 
+       /* Finally, update the cached copy of the GuC's WQ head */
+       gc->wq_head = desc->head;
+
        kunmap_atomic(base);
        return ret;
 }
                             sizeof(desc) * client->ctx_index);
 }
 
-/* Get valid workqueue item and return it back to offset */
-static int guc_get_workqueue_space(struct i915_guc_client *gc, u32 *offset)
+int i915_guc_wq_check_space(struct i915_guc_client *gc)
 {
        struct guc_process_desc *desc;
        void *base;
        u32 size = sizeof(struct guc_wq_item);
        int ret = -ETIMEDOUT, timeout_counter = 200;
 
+       if (!gc)
+               return 0;
+
+       /* Quickly return if wq space is available since last time we cache the
+        * head position. */
+       if (CIRC_SPACE(gc->wq_tail, gc->wq_head, gc->wq_size) >= size)
+               return 0;
+
        base = kmap_atomic(i915_gem_object_get_page(gc->client_obj, 0));
        desc = base + gc->proc_desc_offset;
 
        while (timeout_counter-- > 0) {
-               if (CIRC_SPACE(gc->wq_tail, desc->head, gc->wq_size) >= size) {
-                       *offset = gc->wq_tail;
+               gc->wq_head = desc->head;
 
-                       /* advance the tail for next workqueue item */
-                       gc->wq_tail += size;
-                       gc->wq_tail &= gc->wq_size - 1;
-
-                       /* this will break the loop */
-                       timeout_counter = 0;
+               if (CIRC_SPACE(gc->wq_tail, gc->wq_head, gc->wq_size) >= size) {
                        ret = 0;
+                       break;
                }
 
                if (timeout_counter)
        enum intel_ring_id ring_id = rq->ring->id;
        struct guc_wq_item *wqi;
        void *base;
-       u32 tail, wq_len, wq_off = 0;
-       int ret;
+       u32 tail, wq_len, wq_off, space;
+
+       space = CIRC_SPACE(gc->wq_tail, gc->wq_head, gc->wq_size);
+       if (WARN_ON(space < sizeof(struct guc_wq_item)))
+               return -ENOSPC; /* shouldn't happen */
 
-       ret = guc_get_workqueue_space(gc, &wq_off);
-       if (ret)
-               return ret;
+       /* postincrement WQ tail for next time */
+       wq_off = gc->wq_tail;
+       gc->wq_tail += sizeof(struct guc_wq_item);
+       gc->wq_tail &= gc->wq_size - 1;
 
        /* For now workqueue item is 4 DWs; workqueue buffer is 2 pages. So we
         * should not have the case where structure wqi is across page, neither