diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/dir.c b/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
index 116f542..ab65e98 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
@@ -1314,10 +1314,6 @@ static int ovl_create_tmpfile(struct file *file, struct dentry *dentry,
 	int flags = file->f_flags | OVL_OPEN_FLAGS;
 	int err;
 
-	err = ovl_copy_up(dentry->d_parent);
-	if (err)
-		return err;
-
 	old_cred = ovl_override_creds(dentry->d_sb);
 	err = ovl_setup_cred_for_create(dentry, inode, mode, old_cred);
 	if (err)
@@ -1360,6 +1356,10 @@ static int ovl_tmpfile(struct mnt_idmap *idmap, struct inode *dir,
 	if (!OVL_FS(dentry->d_sb)->tmpfile)
 		return -EOPNOTSUPP;
 
+	err = ovl_copy_up(dentry->d_parent);
+	if (err)
+		return err;
+
 	err = ovl_want_write(dentry);
 	if (err)
 		return err;
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/export.c b/fs/overlayfs/export.c
index 0634090..5868cb2 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/export.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/export.c
@@ -181,6 +181,10 @@ static int ovl_check_encode_origin(struct dentry *dentry)
 	struct ovl_fs *ofs = OVL_FS(dentry->d_sb);
 	bool decodable = ofs->config.nfs_export;
 
+	/* No upper layer? */
+	if (!ovl_upper_mnt(ofs))
+		return 1;
+
 	/* Lower file handle for non-upper non-decodable */
 	if (!ovl_dentry_upper(dentry) && !decodable)
 		return 1;
@@ -209,7 +213,7 @@ static int ovl_check_encode_origin(struct dentry *dentry)
 	 * ovl_connect_layer() will try to make origin's layer "connected" by
 	 * copying up a "connectable" ancestor.
 	 */
-	if (d_is_dir(dentry) && ovl_upper_mnt(ofs) && decodable)
+	if (d_is_dir(dentry) && decodable)
 		return ovl_connect_layer(dentry);
 
 	/* Lower file handle for indexed and non-upper dir/non-dir */