diff --git a/fs/nilfs2/segment.c b/fs/nilfs2/segment.c
index 0ca3110d638689..871ec35ea8e8a1 100644
--- a/fs/nilfs2/segment.c
+++ b/fs/nilfs2/segment.c
@@ -1812,6 +1812,9 @@ static void nilfs_segctor_abort_construction(struct nilfs_sc_info *sci,
 	nilfs_abort_logs(&logs, ret ? : err);
 
 	list_splice_tail_init(&sci->sc_segbufs, &logs);
+	if (list_empty(&logs))
+		return; /* if the first segment buffer preparation failed */
+
 	nilfs_cancel_segusage(&logs, nilfs->ns_sufile);
 	nilfs_free_incomplete_logs(&logs, nilfs);
 
@@ -2056,7 +2059,7 @@ static int nilfs_segctor_do_construct(struct nilfs_sc_info *sci, int mode)
 
 		err = nilfs_segctor_begin_construction(sci, nilfs);
 		if (unlikely(err))
-			goto out;
+			goto failed;
 
 		/* Update time stamp */
 		sci->sc_seg_ctime = ktime_get_real_seconds();
@@ -2120,10 +2123,9 @@ static int nilfs_segctor_do_construct(struct nilfs_sc_info *sci, int mode)
 	return err;
 
  failed_to_write:
-	if (sci->sc_stage.flags & NILFS_CF_IFILE_STARTED)
-		nilfs_redirty_inodes(&sci->sc_dirty_files);
-
  failed:
+	if (mode == SC_LSEG_SR && nilfs_sc_cstage_get(sci) >= NILFS_ST_IFILE)
+		nilfs_redirty_inodes(&sci->sc_dirty_files);
 	if (nilfs_doing_gc())
 		nilfs_redirty_inodes(&sci->sc_gc_inodes);
 	nilfs_segctor_abort_construction(sci, nilfs, err);