diff --git a/kernel/rcutree.c b/kernel/rcutree.c
index 7e59ffb3d0ba..ba06207b1dd3 100644
--- a/kernel/rcutree.c
+++ b/kernel/rcutree.c
@@ -84,9 +84,32 @@ DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct rcu_data, rcu_bh_data);
 
 static struct rcu_state *rcu_state;
 
+/*
+ * The rcu_scheduler_active variable transitions from zero to one just
+ * before the first task is spawned.  So when this variable is zero, RCU
+ * can assume that there is but one task, allowing RCU to (for example)
+ * optimized synchronize_sched() to a simple barrier().  When this variable
+ * is one, RCU must actually do all the hard work required to detect real
+ * grace periods.  This variable is also used to suppress boot-time false
+ * positives from lockdep-RCU error checking.
+ */
 int rcu_scheduler_active __read_mostly;
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(rcu_scheduler_active);
 
+/*
+ * The rcu_scheduler_fully_active variable transitions from zero to one
+ * during the early_initcall() processing, which is after the scheduler
+ * is capable of creating new tasks.  So RCU processing (for example,
+ * creating tasks for RCU priority boosting) must be delayed until after
+ * rcu_scheduler_fully_active transitions from zero to one.  We also
+ * currently delay invocation of any RCU callbacks until after this point.
+ *
+ * It might later prove better for people registering RCU callbacks during
+ * early boot to take responsibility for these callbacks, but one step at
+ * a time.
+ */
+static int rcu_scheduler_fully_active __read_mostly;
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_RCU_BOOST
 
 /*
@@ -98,7 +121,6 @@ DEFINE_PER_CPU(unsigned int, rcu_cpu_kthread_status);
 DEFINE_PER_CPU(int, rcu_cpu_kthread_cpu);
 DEFINE_PER_CPU(unsigned int, rcu_cpu_kthread_loops);
 DEFINE_PER_CPU(char, rcu_cpu_has_work);
-static char rcu_kthreads_spawnable;
 
 #endif /* #ifdef CONFIG_RCU_BOOST */
 
@@ -1467,6 +1489,8 @@ static void rcu_process_callbacks(struct softirq_action *unused)
  */
 static void invoke_rcu_callbacks(struct rcu_state *rsp, struct rcu_data *rdp)
 {
+	if (unlikely(!ACCESS_ONCE(rcu_scheduler_fully_active)))
+		return;
 	if (likely(!rsp->boost)) {
 		rcu_do_batch(rsp, rdp);
 		return;
diff --git a/kernel/rcutree_plugin.h b/kernel/rcutree_plugin.h
index 14dc7dd00902..75113cb7c4fb 100644
--- a/kernel/rcutree_plugin.h
+++ b/kernel/rcutree_plugin.h
@@ -1532,7 +1532,7 @@ static int __cpuinit rcu_spawn_one_cpu_kthread(int cpu)
 	struct sched_param sp;
 	struct task_struct *t;
 
-	if (!rcu_kthreads_spawnable ||
+	if (!rcu_scheduler_fully_active ||
 	    per_cpu(rcu_cpu_kthread_task, cpu) != NULL)
 		return 0;
 	t = kthread_create(rcu_cpu_kthread, (void *)(long)cpu, "rcuc%d", cpu);
@@ -1639,7 +1639,7 @@ static int __cpuinit rcu_spawn_one_node_kthread(struct rcu_state *rsp,
 	struct sched_param sp;
 	struct task_struct *t;
 
-	if (!rcu_kthreads_spawnable ||
+	if (!rcu_scheduler_fully_active ||
 	    rnp->qsmaskinit == 0)
 		return 0;
 	if (rnp->node_kthread_task == NULL) {
@@ -1665,7 +1665,7 @@ static int __init rcu_spawn_kthreads(void)
 	int cpu;
 	struct rcu_node *rnp;
 
-	rcu_kthreads_spawnable = 1;
+	rcu_scheduler_fully_active = 1;
 	for_each_possible_cpu(cpu) {
 		per_cpu(rcu_cpu_has_work, cpu) = 0;
 		if (cpu_online(cpu))
@@ -1687,7 +1687,7 @@ static void __cpuinit rcu_prepare_kthreads(int cpu)
 	struct rcu_node *rnp = rdp->mynode;
 
 	/* Fire up the incoming CPU's kthread and leaf rcu_node kthread. */
-	if (rcu_kthreads_spawnable) {
+	if (rcu_scheduler_fully_active) {
 		(void)rcu_spawn_one_cpu_kthread(cpu);
 		if (rnp->node_kthread_task == NULL)
 			(void)rcu_spawn_one_node_kthread(rcu_state, rnp);
@@ -1726,6 +1726,13 @@ static void rcu_cpu_kthread_setrt(int cpu, int to_rt)
 {
 }
 
+static int __init rcu_scheduler_really_started(void)
+{
+	rcu_scheduler_fully_active = 1;
+	return 0;
+}
+early_initcall(rcu_scheduler_really_started);
+
 static void __cpuinit rcu_prepare_kthreads(int cpu)
 {
 }