diff --git a/Documentation/driver-api/dma-buf.rst b/Documentation/driver-api/dma-buf.rst
index 622b8156d212..183e480d8cea 100644
--- a/Documentation/driver-api/dma-buf.rst
+++ b/Documentation/driver-api/dma-buf.rst
@@ -164,6 +164,12 @@ DMA Fence Signalling Annotations
 .. kernel-doc:: drivers/dma-buf/dma-fence.c
    :doc: fence signalling annotation
 
+DMA Fence Deadline Hints
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. kernel-doc:: drivers/dma-buf/dma-fence.c
+   :doc: deadline hints
+
 DMA Fences Functions Reference
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
diff --git a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-fence.c b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-fence.c
index 0de0482cd36e..f177c56269bb 100644
--- a/drivers/dma-buf/dma-fence.c
+++ b/drivers/dma-buf/dma-fence.c
@@ -912,6 +912,65 @@ dma_fence_wait_any_timeout(struct dma_fence **fences, uint32_t count,
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(dma_fence_wait_any_timeout);
 
+/**
+ * DOC: deadline hints
+ *
+ * In an ideal world, it would be possible to pipeline a workload sufficiently
+ * that a utilization based device frequency governor could arrive at a minimum
+ * frequency that meets the requirements of the use-case, in order to minimize
+ * power consumption.  But in the real world there are many workloads which
+ * defy this ideal.  For example, but not limited to:
+ *
+ * * Workloads that ping-pong between device and CPU, with alternating periods
+ *   of CPU waiting for device, and device waiting on CPU.  This can result in
+ *   devfreq and cpufreq seeing idle time in their respective domains and in
+ *   result reduce frequency.
+ *
+ * * Workloads that interact with a periodic time based deadline, such as double
+ *   buffered GPU rendering vs vblank sync'd page flipping.  In this scenario,
+ *   missing a vblank deadline results in an *increase* in idle time on the GPU
+ *   (since it has to wait an additional vblank period), sending a signal to
+ *   the GPU's devfreq to reduce frequency, when in fact the opposite is what is
+ *   needed.
+ *
+ * To this end, deadline hint(s) can be set on a &dma_fence via &dma_fence_set_deadline.
+ * The deadline hint provides a way for the waiting driver, or userspace, to
+ * convey an appropriate sense of urgency to the signaling driver.
+ *
+ * A deadline hint is given in absolute ktime (CLOCK_MONOTONIC for userspace
+ * facing APIs).  The time could either be some point in the future (such as
+ * the vblank based deadline for page-flipping, or the start of a compositor's
+ * composition cycle), or the current time to indicate an immediate deadline
+ * hint (Ie. forward progress cannot be made until this fence is signaled).
+ *
+ * Multiple deadlines may be set on a given fence, even in parallel.  See the
+ * documentation for &dma_fence_ops.set_deadline.
+ *
+ * The deadline hint is just that, a hint.  The driver that created the fence
+ * may react by increasing frequency, making different scheduling choices, etc.
+ * Or doing nothing at all.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * dma_fence_set_deadline - set desired fence-wait deadline hint
+ * @fence:    the fence that is to be waited on
+ * @deadline: the time by which the waiter hopes for the fence to be
+ *            signaled
+ *
+ * Give the fence signaler a hint about an upcoming deadline, such as
+ * vblank, by which point the waiter would prefer the fence to be
+ * signaled by.  This is intended to give feedback to the fence signaler
+ * to aid in power management decisions, such as boosting GPU frequency
+ * if a periodic vblank deadline is approaching but the fence is not
+ * yet signaled..
+ */
+void dma_fence_set_deadline(struct dma_fence *fence, ktime_t deadline)
+{
+	if (fence->ops->set_deadline && !dma_fence_is_signaled(fence))
+		fence->ops->set_deadline(fence, deadline);
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(dma_fence_set_deadline);
+
 /**
  * dma_fence_describe - Dump fence describtion into seq_file
  * @fence: the 6fence to describe
diff --git a/include/linux/dma-fence.h b/include/linux/dma-fence.h
index 775cdc0b4f24..d54b595a0fe0 100644
--- a/include/linux/dma-fence.h
+++ b/include/linux/dma-fence.h
@@ -257,6 +257,26 @@ struct dma_fence_ops {
 	 */
 	void (*timeline_value_str)(struct dma_fence *fence,
 				   char *str, int size);
+
+	/**
+	 * @set_deadline:
+	 *
+	 * Callback to allow a fence waiter to inform the fence signaler of
+	 * an upcoming deadline, such as vblank, by which point the waiter
+	 * would prefer the fence to be signaled by.  This is intended to
+	 * give feedback to the fence signaler to aid in power management
+	 * decisions, such as boosting GPU frequency.
+	 *
+	 * This is called without &dma_fence.lock held, it can be called
+	 * multiple times and from any context.  Locking is up to the callee
+	 * if it has some state to manage.  If multiple deadlines are set,
+	 * the expectation is to track the soonest one.  If the deadline is
+	 * before the current time, it should be interpreted as an immediate
+	 * deadline.
+	 *
+	 * This callback is optional.
+	 */
+	void (*set_deadline)(struct dma_fence *fence, ktime_t deadline);
 };
 
 void dma_fence_init(struct dma_fence *fence, const struct dma_fence_ops *ops,
@@ -583,6 +603,8 @@ static inline signed long dma_fence_wait(struct dma_fence *fence, bool intr)
 	return ret < 0 ? ret : 0;
 }
 
+void dma_fence_set_deadline(struct dma_fence *fence, ktime_t deadline);
+
 struct dma_fence *dma_fence_get_stub(void);
 struct dma_fence *dma_fence_allocate_private_stub(void);
 u64 dma_fence_context_alloc(unsigned num);
