diff --git a/net/mptcp/subflow.c b/net/mptcp/subflow.c
index c6ee81149829..ef3d037f984a 100644
--- a/net/mptcp/subflow.c
+++ b/net/mptcp/subflow.c
@@ -1011,21 +1011,11 @@ static bool subflow_check_data_avail(struct sock *ssk)
 
 		status = get_mapping_status(ssk, msk);
 		trace_subflow_check_data_avail(status, skb_peek(&ssk->sk_receive_queue));
-		if (status == MAPPING_INVALID) {
-			ssk->sk_err = EBADMSG;
-			goto fatal;
-		}
-		if (status == MAPPING_DUMMY) {
-			__mptcp_do_fallback(msk);
-			skb = skb_peek(&ssk->sk_receive_queue);
-			subflow->map_valid = 1;
-			subflow->map_seq = READ_ONCE(msk->ack_seq);
-			subflow->map_data_len = skb->len;
-			subflow->map_subflow_seq = tcp_sk(ssk)->copied_seq -
-						   subflow->ssn_offset;
-			subflow->data_avail = MPTCP_SUBFLOW_DATA_AVAIL;
-			return true;
-		}
+		if (unlikely(status == MAPPING_INVALID))
+			goto fallback;
+
+		if (unlikely(status == MAPPING_DUMMY))
+			goto fallback;
 
 		if (status != MAPPING_OK)
 			goto no_data;
@@ -1038,10 +1028,8 @@ static bool subflow_check_data_avail(struct sock *ssk)
 		 * MP_CAPABLE-based mapping
 		 */
 		if (unlikely(!READ_ONCE(msk->can_ack))) {
-			if (!subflow->mpc_map) {
-				ssk->sk_err = EBADMSG;
-				goto fatal;
-			}
+			if (!subflow->mpc_map)
+				goto fallback;
 			WRITE_ONCE(msk->remote_key, subflow->remote_key);
 			WRITE_ONCE(msk->ack_seq, subflow->map_seq);
 			WRITE_ONCE(msk->can_ack, true);
@@ -1069,17 +1057,31 @@ static bool subflow_check_data_avail(struct sock *ssk)
 no_data:
 	subflow_sched_work_if_closed(msk, ssk);
 	return false;
-fatal:
-	/* fatal protocol error, close the socket */
-	/* This barrier is coupled with smp_rmb() in tcp_poll() */
-	smp_wmb();
-	ssk->sk_error_report(ssk);
-	tcp_set_state(ssk, TCP_CLOSE);
-	subflow->reset_transient = 0;
-	subflow->reset_reason = MPTCP_RST_EMPTCP;
-	tcp_send_active_reset(ssk, GFP_ATOMIC);
-	subflow->data_avail = 0;
-	return false;
+
+fallback:
+	/* RFC 8684 section 3.7. */
+	if (subflow->mp_join || subflow->fully_established) {
+		/* fatal protocol error, close the socket.
+		 * subflow_error_report() will introduce the appropriate barriers
+		 */
+		ssk->sk_err = EBADMSG;
+		ssk->sk_error_report(ssk);
+		tcp_set_state(ssk, TCP_CLOSE);
+		subflow->reset_transient = 0;
+		subflow->reset_reason = MPTCP_RST_EMPTCP;
+		tcp_send_active_reset(ssk, GFP_ATOMIC);
+		subflow->data_avail = 0;
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	__mptcp_do_fallback(msk);
+	skb = skb_peek(&ssk->sk_receive_queue);
+	subflow->map_valid = 1;
+	subflow->map_seq = READ_ONCE(msk->ack_seq);
+	subflow->map_data_len = skb->len;
+	subflow->map_subflow_seq = tcp_sk(ssk)->copied_seq - subflow->ssn_offset;
+	subflow->data_avail = MPTCP_SUBFLOW_DATA_AVAIL;
+	return true;
 }
 
 bool mptcp_subflow_data_available(struct sock *sk)