diff --git a/fs/open.c b/fs/open.c
index 4401a73d4032..4478adcc4f3a 100644
--- a/fs/open.c
+++ b/fs/open.c
@@ -1196,13 +1196,21 @@ inline int build_open_flags(const struct open_how *how, struct open_flags *op)
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * In order to ensure programs get explicit errors when trying to use
-	 * O_TMPFILE on old kernels, O_TMPFILE is implemented such that it
-	 * looks like (O_DIRECTORY|O_RDWR & ~O_CREAT) to old kernels. But we
-	 * have to require userspace to explicitly set it.
+	 * Block bugs where O_DIRECTORY | O_CREAT created regular files.
+	 * Note, that blocking O_DIRECTORY | O_CREAT here also protects
+	 * O_TMPFILE below which requires O_DIRECTORY being raised.
 	 */
+	if ((flags & (O_DIRECTORY | O_CREAT)) == (O_DIRECTORY | O_CREAT))
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	/* Now handle the creative implementation of O_TMPFILE. */
 	if (flags & __O_TMPFILE) {
-		if ((flags & O_TMPFILE_MASK) != O_TMPFILE)
+		/*
+		 * In order to ensure programs get explicit errors when trying
+		 * to use O_TMPFILE on old kernels we enforce that O_DIRECTORY
+		 * is raised alongside __O_TMPFILE.
+		 */
+		if (!(flags & O_DIRECTORY))
 			return -EINVAL;
 		if (!(acc_mode & MAY_WRITE))
 			return -EINVAL;
diff --git a/include/uapi/asm-generic/fcntl.h b/include/uapi/asm-generic/fcntl.h
index 1ecdb911add8..80f37a0d40d7 100644
--- a/include/uapi/asm-generic/fcntl.h
+++ b/include/uapi/asm-generic/fcntl.h
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@
 
 /* a horrid kludge trying to make sure that this will fail on old kernels */
 #define O_TMPFILE (__O_TMPFILE | O_DIRECTORY)
-#define O_TMPFILE_MASK (__O_TMPFILE | O_DIRECTORY | O_CREAT)      
 
 #ifndef O_NDELAY
 #define O_NDELAY	O_NONBLOCK
diff --git a/tools/include/uapi/asm-generic/fcntl.h b/tools/include/uapi/asm-generic/fcntl.h
index b02c8e0f4057..1c7a0f6632c0 100644
--- a/tools/include/uapi/asm-generic/fcntl.h
+++ b/tools/include/uapi/asm-generic/fcntl.h
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@
 
 /* a horrid kludge trying to make sure that this will fail on old kernels */
 #define O_TMPFILE (__O_TMPFILE | O_DIRECTORY)
-#define O_TMPFILE_MASK (__O_TMPFILE | O_DIRECTORY | O_CREAT)      
 
 #ifndef O_NDELAY
 #define O_NDELAY	O_NONBLOCK