diff --git a/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt b/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
index 95ccbe6d79ce6..b4ad97f10b8e6 100644
--- a/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
+++ b/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
@@ -376,8 +376,8 @@ max_map_count:
 
 This file contains the maximum number of memory map areas a process
 may have. Memory map areas are used as a side-effect of calling
-malloc, directly by mmap and mprotect, and also when loading shared
-libraries.
+malloc, directly by mmap, mprotect, and madvise, and also when loading
+shared libraries.
 
 While most applications need less than a thousand maps, certain
 programs, particularly malloc debuggers, may consume lots of them,
diff --git a/Documentation/vm/ksm.txt b/Documentation/vm/ksm.txt
index 0c64a81d68083..6b0ca7feb1357 100644
--- a/Documentation/vm/ksm.txt
+++ b/Documentation/vm/ksm.txt
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ the range for whenever the KSM daemon is started; even if the range
 cannot contain any pages which KSM could actually merge; even if
 MADV_UNMERGEABLE is applied to a range which was never MADV_MERGEABLE.
 
+If a region of memory must be split into at least one new MADV_MERGEABLE
+or MADV_UNMERGEABLE region, the madvise may return ENOMEM if the process
+will exceed vm.max_map_count (see Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt).
+
 Like other madvise calls, they are intended for use on mapped areas of
 the user address space: they will report ENOMEM if the specified range
 includes unmapped gaps (though working on the intervening mapped areas),
diff --git a/include/linux/mm.h b/include/linux/mm.h
index c6fcba1d1ae55..ed233b002e33b 100644
--- a/include/linux/mm.h
+++ b/include/linux/mm.h
@@ -2041,8 +2041,10 @@ extern struct vm_area_struct *vma_merge(struct mm_struct *,
 	unsigned long vm_flags, struct anon_vma *, struct file *, pgoff_t,
 	struct mempolicy *, struct vm_userfaultfd_ctx);
 extern struct anon_vma *find_mergeable_anon_vma(struct vm_area_struct *);
-extern int split_vma(struct mm_struct *,
-	struct vm_area_struct *, unsigned long addr, int new_below);
+extern int __split_vma(struct mm_struct *, struct vm_area_struct *,
+	unsigned long addr, int new_below);
+extern int split_vma(struct mm_struct *, struct vm_area_struct *,
+	unsigned long addr, int new_below);
 extern int insert_vm_struct(struct mm_struct *, struct vm_area_struct *);
 extern void __vma_link_rb(struct mm_struct *, struct vm_area_struct *,
 	struct rb_node **, struct rb_node *);
diff --git a/mm/madvise.c b/mm/madvise.c
index 0012071a6e502..11fc65f81ecd0 100644
--- a/mm/madvise.c
+++ b/mm/madvise.c
@@ -92,14 +92,28 @@ static long madvise_behavior(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 	case MADV_MERGEABLE:
 	case MADV_UNMERGEABLE:
 		error = ksm_madvise(vma, start, end, behavior, &new_flags);
-		if (error)
+		if (error) {
+			/*
+			 * madvise() returns EAGAIN if kernel resources, such as
+			 * slab, are temporarily unavailable.
+			 */
+			if (error == -ENOMEM)
+				error = -EAGAIN;
 			goto out;
+		}
 		break;
 	case MADV_HUGEPAGE:
 	case MADV_NOHUGEPAGE:
 		error = hugepage_madvise(vma, &new_flags, behavior);
-		if (error)
+		if (error) {
+			/*
+			 * madvise() returns EAGAIN if kernel resources, such as
+			 * slab, are temporarily unavailable.
+			 */
+			if (error == -ENOMEM)
+				error = -EAGAIN;
 			goto out;
+		}
 		break;
 	}
 
@@ -120,15 +134,37 @@ static long madvise_behavior(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 	*prev = vma;
 
 	if (start != vma->vm_start) {
-		error = split_vma(mm, vma, start, 1);
-		if (error)
+		if (unlikely(mm->map_count >= sysctl_max_map_count)) {
+			error = -ENOMEM;
 			goto out;
+		}
+		error = __split_vma(mm, vma, start, 1);
+		if (error) {
+			/*
+			 * madvise() returns EAGAIN if kernel resources, such as
+			 * slab, are temporarily unavailable.
+			 */
+			if (error == -ENOMEM)
+				error = -EAGAIN;
+			goto out;
+		}
 	}
 
 	if (end != vma->vm_end) {
-		error = split_vma(mm, vma, end, 0);
-		if (error)
+		if (unlikely(mm->map_count >= sysctl_max_map_count)) {
+			error = -ENOMEM;
+			goto out;
+		}
+		error = __split_vma(mm, vma, end, 0);
+		if (error) {
+			/*
+			 * madvise() returns EAGAIN if kernel resources, such as
+			 * slab, are temporarily unavailable.
+			 */
+			if (error == -ENOMEM)
+				error = -EAGAIN;
 			goto out;
+		}
 	}
 
 success:
@@ -136,10 +172,7 @@ static long madvise_behavior(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 	 * vm_flags is protected by the mmap_sem held in write mode.
 	 */
 	vma->vm_flags = new_flags;
-
 out:
-	if (error == -ENOMEM)
-		error = -EAGAIN;
 	return error;
 }
 
diff --git a/mm/mmap.c b/mm/mmap.c
index 1cec28d205832..499b988b1639a 100644
--- a/mm/mmap.c
+++ b/mm/mmap.c
@@ -2499,11 +2499,11 @@ detach_vmas_to_be_unmapped(struct mm_struct *mm, struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 }
 
 /*
- * __split_vma() bypasses sysctl_max_map_count checking.  We use this on the
- * munmap path where it doesn't make sense to fail.
+ * __split_vma() bypasses sysctl_max_map_count checking.  We use this where it
+ * has already been checked or doesn't make sense to fail.
  */
-static int __split_vma(struct mm_struct *mm, struct vm_area_struct *vma,
-	      unsigned long addr, int new_below)
+int __split_vma(struct mm_struct *mm, struct vm_area_struct *vma,
+		unsigned long addr, int new_below)
 {
 	struct vm_area_struct *new;
 	int err;