diff --git a/fs/namei.c b/fs/namei.c
index 6721c5f7e9d5..6938d20aa73a 100644
--- a/fs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/namei.c
@@ -3396,22 +3396,17 @@ static int do_last(struct nameidata *nd,
 	if (unlikely(error < 0))
 		return error;
 
-	/*
-	 * create/update audit record if it already exists.
-	 */
-	audit_inode(nd->name, path.dentry, 0);
-
-	if (unlikely((open_flag & (O_EXCL | O_CREAT)) == (O_EXCL | O_CREAT))) {
-		path_to_nameidata(&path, nd);
-		return -EEXIST;
-	}
-
 	seq = 0;	/* out of RCU mode, so the value doesn't matter */
 	inode = d_backing_inode(path.dentry);
 finish_lookup:
 	error = step_into(nd, &path, 0, inode, seq);
 	if (unlikely(error))
 		return error;
+
+	if (unlikely((open_flag & (O_EXCL | O_CREAT)) == (O_EXCL | O_CREAT))) {
+		audit_inode(nd->name, nd->path.dentry, 0);
+		return -EEXIST;
+	}
 finish_open:
 	/* Why this, you ask?  _Now_ we might have grown LOOKUP_JUMPED... */
 	error = complete_walk(nd);
diff --git a/fs/open.c b/fs/open.c
index 0788b3715731..e5227cd533f4 100644
--- a/fs/open.c
+++ b/fs/open.c
@@ -1049,8 +1049,10 @@ inline int build_open_flags(const struct open_how *how, struct open_flags *op)
 
 	if (flags & O_CREAT) {
 		op->intent |= LOOKUP_CREATE;
-		if (flags & O_EXCL)
+		if (flags & O_EXCL) {
 			op->intent |= LOOKUP_EXCL;
+			flags |= O_NOFOLLOW;
+		}
 	}
 
 	if (flags & O_DIRECTORY)