diff --git a/src/client/dfuse/dfuse.h b/src/client/dfuse/dfuse.h
index ab14572fa1f..45e9ab47d5f 100644
--- a/src/client/dfuse/dfuse.h
+++ b/src/client/dfuse/dfuse.h
@@ -1189,6 +1189,12 @@ ival_drop_inode(struct dfuse_inode_entry *inode);
 int
 ival_update_inode(struct dfuse_inode_entry *inode, double timeout);
 
+/* Queue an on-demand dentry invalidation (parent/name) to be issued from the invalidation thread.
+ * ie_drop, if non-NULL, is a reference that is released after the invalidation has been issued.
+ */
+int
+dfuse_mark_inval_entry(fuse_ino_t parent, const char *name, struct dfuse_inode_entry *ie_drop);
+
 int
 ival_init(struct dfuse_info *dfuse_info);
 
diff --git a/src/client/dfuse/inval.c b/src/client/dfuse/inval.c
index 3ddcc052d86..505c6ecc862 100644
--- a/src/client/dfuse/inval.c
+++ b/src/client/dfuse/inval.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /**
  * (C) Copyright 2016-2024 Intel Corporation.
+ * (C) Copyright 2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
  * (C) Copyright 2025 Google LLC
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent
@@ -91,10 +92,24 @@ struct dfuse_time_entry {
 /* Core data structure, maintains a list of struct dfuse_time_entry lists */
 struct dfuse_ival {
 	d_list_t             time_entry_list;
+	struct dfuse_info   *dfuse_info;
 	struct fuse_session *session;
 	bool                 session_dead;
 };
 
+/* A single on-demand dentry invalidation request.  Request handlers running on the fixed worker
+ * pool enqueue these rather than calling fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry() directly, as that
+ * blocks acquiring the parent's kernel i_rwsem, which may be held by a client waiting on the same
+ * worker pool - deadlocking it.  The dedicated invalidation thread drains the queue instead.
+ */
+struct dfuse_inval_item {
+	d_list_t                  link;
+	fuse_ino_t                parent;
+	char                      name[NAME_MAX + 1];
+	/* Optional inode reference to drop once the invalidation has completed, or NULL */
+	struct dfuse_inode_entry *ie_drop;
+};
+
 /* The core data from struct dfuse_inode_entry.  No additional inode references are held on inodes
  * because of there place on invalidate lists, rather inodes are removed from any list on close.
  * Therefore once a decision is made to evict an inode then a copy of the data is needed as once
@@ -119,6 +134,9 @@ static pthread_t         ival_thread;
 static sem_t             ival_sem;
 static struct dfuse_ival ival_data;
 
+/* On-demand invalidation queue, protected by ival_lock and drained by the invalidation thread */
+static d_list_t          ival_queue;
+
 /* Eviction loop, run periodically in it's own thread
  *
  * Returns true if there is more work to do.  If false then *sleep_time is set in seconds.
@@ -200,6 +218,69 @@ ival_loop(int *sleep_time)
 	return (idx == EVICT_COUNT);
 }
 
+/* Queue a dentry invalidation for the invalidation thread.  Takes ownership of ie_drop, which is
+ * released after the invalidation has been issued.  On failure ie_drop is not touched.
+ */
+int
+dfuse_mark_inval_entry(fuse_ino_t parent, const char *name, struct dfuse_inode_entry *ie_drop)
+{
+	struct dfuse_inval_item *item;
+
+	D_ALLOC_PTR(item);
+	if (item == NULL)
+		return ENOMEM;
+
+	item->parent  = parent;
+	item->ie_drop = ie_drop;
+	strncpy(item->name, name, NAME_MAX);
+	item->name[NAME_MAX] = '\0';
+
+	D_MUTEX_LOCK(&ival_lock);
+	d_list_add_tail(&item->link, &ival_queue);
+	D_MUTEX_UNLOCK(&ival_lock);
+
+	sem_post(&ival_sem);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/* Drain the on-demand invalidation queue.  Runs on the invalidation thread so the blocking
+ * fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry() call is issued off the worker pool that services /dev/fuse.
+ * Once shutdown has begun (ival_stop) items are freed without issuing notifies, as the worker pool
+ * is gone by then and a notify could block the thread indefinitely.
+ */
+static void
+ival_drain_queue(void)
+{
+	struct dfuse_inval_item *item;
+	d_list_t                 drain;
+
+	D_INIT_LIST_HEAD(&drain);
+
+	/* Move the whole queue out under a single lock, then process without holding it. */
+	D_MUTEX_LOCK(&ival_lock);
+	d_list_splice_init(&ival_queue, &drain);
+	D_MUTEX_UNLOCK(&ival_lock);
+
+	while ((item = d_list_pop_entry(&drain, struct dfuse_inval_item, link)) != NULL) {
+		if (!ival_stop && !ival_data.session_dead) {
+			int rc;
+
+			rc = fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry(ival_data.session, item->parent,
+							      item->name,
+							      strnlen(item->name, NAME_MAX));
+			if (rc && rc != -ENOENT && rc != -EBADF)
+				DHS_ERROR(&ival_data, -rc, "notify_inval_entry() failed");
+			if (rc == -EBADF)
+				ival_data.session_dead = true;
+		}
+
+		if (item->ie_drop)
+			dfuse_inode_decref(ival_data.dfuse_info, item->ie_drop);
+		D_FREE(item);
+	}
+}
+
 /* Main loop for eviction thread.  Spins until ready for exit waking after one second and iterates
  * over all newly expired dentries.
  */
@@ -218,8 +299,10 @@ ival_thread_fn(void *arg)
 
 		rc = sem_timedwait(&ival_sem, &ts);
 		if (rc == 0) {
-			if (ival_stop)
+			if (ival_stop) {
+				ival_drain_queue();
 				return NULL;
+			}
 		} else {
 			rc = errno;
 
@@ -227,6 +310,8 @@ ival_thread_fn(void *arg)
 				DS_ERROR(rc, "sem_wait");
 		}
 
+		ival_drain_queue();
+
 		while (ival_loop(&sleep_time))
 			;
 		if (sleep_time < 2)
@@ -266,7 +351,9 @@ ival_init(struct dfuse_info *dfuse_info)
 
 	DFUSE_TRA_UP(&ival_data, dfuse_info, "invalidator");
 
+	ival_data.dfuse_info = dfuse_info;
 	D_INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ival_data.time_entry_list);
+	D_INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ival_queue);
 
 	rc = sem_init(&ival_sem, 0, 0);
 	if (rc != 0)
@@ -320,6 +407,16 @@ void
 ival_fini()
 {
 	struct dfuse_time_entry *dte, *dtep;
+	struct dfuse_inval_item *item;
+
+	/* Free any invalidation requests that were never issued.  Any inode references held by
+	 * queued items are released here.
+	 */
+	while ((item = d_list_pop_entry(&ival_queue, struct dfuse_inval_item, link)) != NULL) {
+		if (item->ie_drop)
+			dfuse_inode_decref(ival_data.dfuse_info, item->ie_drop);
+		D_FREE(item);
+	}
 
 	/* Walk the list, oldest first */
 	d_list_for_each_entry_safe(dte, dtep, &ival_data.time_entry_list, dte_list) {
diff --git a/src/client/dfuse/ops/lookup.c b/src/client/dfuse/ops/lookup.c
index 1f1f25201b9..606008849c6 100644
--- a/src/client/dfuse/ops/lookup.c
+++ b/src/client/dfuse/ops/lookup.c
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /**
  * (C) Copyright 2016-2024 Intel Corporation.
- * (C) Copyright 2025 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
+ * (C) Copyright 2025-2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent
  */
@@ -163,10 +163,9 @@ dfuse_reply_entry(struct dfuse_info *dfuse_info, struct dfuse_inode_entry *ie,
 	if (wipe_parent == 0)
 		return;
 
-	rc = fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry(dfuse_info->di_session, wipe_parent, wipe_name,
-					      strnlen(wipe_name, NAME_MAX));
-	if (rc && rc != -ENOENT)
-		DS_ERROR(-rc, "inval_entry() failed");
+	rc = dfuse_mark_inval_entry(wipe_parent, wipe_name, NULL);
+	if (rc)
+		DS_ERROR(rc, "dfuse_mark_inval_entry() failed");
 
 	return;
 out_err:
diff --git a/src/client/dfuse/ops/open.c b/src/client/dfuse/ops/open.c
index 5a5f7d3494e..580bef13a8a 100644
--- a/src/client/dfuse/ops/open.c
+++ b/src/client/dfuse/ops/open.c
@@ -242,12 +242,11 @@ dfuse_cb_release(fuse_req_t req, fuse_ino_t ino, struct fuse_file_info *fi)
 		dfuse_inode_decref(dfuse_info, oh->doh_parent_dir);
 	}
 	if (ie) {
-		rc = fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry(dfuse_info->di_session, ie->ie_parent,
-						      ie->ie_name, strnlen(ie->ie_name, NAME_MAX));
-
-		if (rc != 0 && rc != -ENOENT)
-			DHS_ERROR(ie, -rc, "inval_entry() error");
-		dfuse_inode_decref(dfuse_info, ie);
+		rc = dfuse_mark_inval_entry(ie->ie_parent, ie->ie_name, ie);
+		if (rc) {
+			DHS_ERROR(ie, rc, "dfuse_mark_inval_entry() failed");
+			dfuse_inode_decref(dfuse_info, ie);
+		}
 	}
 	dfuse_oh_free(dfuse_info, oh);
 }
diff --git a/src/client/dfuse/ops/opendir.c b/src/client/dfuse/ops/opendir.c
index 60d1e6ab4d5..dc80b04664d 100644
--- a/src/client/dfuse/ops/opendir.c
+++ b/src/client/dfuse/ops/opendir.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /**
  * (C) Copyright 2016-2024 Intel Corporation.
+ * (C) Copyright 2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent
  */
@@ -83,12 +84,11 @@ dfuse_cb_releasedir(fuse_req_t req, struct dfuse_inode_entry *ino, struct fuse_f
 	if (ie) {
 		int rc;
 
-		rc = fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry(dfuse_info->di_session, ie->ie_parent,
-						      ie->ie_name, strnlen(ie->ie_name, NAME_MAX));
-
-		if (rc != 0 && rc != -ENOENT)
-			DHS_ERROR(ie, -rc, "inval_entry() error");
-		dfuse_inode_decref(dfuse_info, ie);
+		rc = dfuse_mark_inval_entry(ie->ie_parent, ie->ie_name, ie);
+		if (rc) {
+			DHS_ERROR(ie, rc, "dfuse_mark_inval_entry() failed");
+			dfuse_inode_decref(dfuse_info, ie);
+		}
 	}
 	dfuse_oh_free(dfuse_info, oh);
 };
diff --git a/src/client/dfuse/ops/rename.c b/src/client/dfuse/ops/rename.c
index fcf95b82466..96fef8e2b8f 100644
--- a/src/client/dfuse/ops/rename.c
+++ b/src/client/dfuse/ops/rename.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /**
  * (C) Copyright 2016-2023 Intel Corporation.
+ * (C) Copyright 2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent
  */
@@ -34,11 +35,9 @@ dfuse_oid_moved(struct dfuse_info *dfuse_info, daos_obj_id_t *oid, struct dfuse_
 		(strncmp(ie->ie_name, name, NAME_MAX) != 0)) {
 		DFUSE_TRA_DEBUG(ie, "Invalidating old name");
 
-		rc = fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry(dfuse_info->di_session, ie->ie_parent,
-						      ie->ie_name, strnlen(ie->ie_name, NAME_MAX));
-
-		if (rc && rc != -ENOENT)
-			DFUSE_TRA_ERROR(ie, "inval_entry() returned: %d (%s)", rc, strerror(-rc));
+		rc = dfuse_mark_inval_entry(ie->ie_parent, ie->ie_name, NULL);
+		if (rc)
+			DFUSE_TRA_ERROR(ie, "dfuse_mark_inval_entry() failed: %d", rc);
 	}
 
 	/* Update the inode entry data */
diff --git a/src/client/dfuse/ops/setxattr.c b/src/client/dfuse/ops/setxattr.c
index e50c010b377..7682e9af1d4 100644
--- a/src/client/dfuse/ops/setxattr.c
+++ b/src/client/dfuse/ops/setxattr.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /**
  * (C) Copyright 2019-2022 Intel Corporation.
+ * (C) Copyright 2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent
  */
@@ -47,21 +48,16 @@ dfuse_cb_setxattr(fuse_req_t req, struct dfuse_inode_entry *inode,
 	rc = dfs_setxattr(inode->ie_dfs->dfs_ns, inode->ie_obj, name, value, size, flags);
 	if (rc == 0) {
 		/* Optionally remove the dentry to force a new lookup on access.
-		 * If the xattr is to set a UNS entry point, and dentry_dir
-		 * caching is enabled then invalidate the dentry here, to force
-		 * a lookup which will check the xattr and return the linked
-		 * container.  The fuse header says this potentially deadlocks
-		 * however it does appear to work, and calling this after the
-		 * reply will introduce a race condition that future lookups
-		 * will be skipped.
+		 * If the xattr is to set a UNS entry point, and dentry_dir caching is enabled then
+		 * invalidate the dentry to force a lookup which will check the xattr and return the
+		 * linked container.  The invalidation is queued to the invalidation thread rather
+		 * than issued here as fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry() blocks on kernel inode
+		 * locks that may be held by a client waiting on this worker pool, deadlocking it.
 		 */
 		if (duns_attr && inode->ie_dfs->dfc_dentry_dir_timeout > 0) {
-			struct dfuse_info *dfuse_info = fuse_req_userdata(req);
-
-			rc = fuse_lowlevel_notify_inval_entry(dfuse_info->di_session,
-							      inode->ie_parent, inode->ie_name,
-							      strnlen(inode->ie_name, NAME_MAX));
-			DFUSE_TRA_INFO(inode, "inval_entry() rc is %d", rc);
+			rc = dfuse_mark_inval_entry(inode->ie_parent, inode->ie_name, NULL);
+			if (rc)
+				DHS_ERROR(inode, rc, "dfuse_mark_inval_entry() failed");
 		}
 		DFUSE_REPLY_ZERO(inode, req);
 		return;