diff --git a/fs/f2fs/inode.c b/fs/f2fs/inode.c
index 8c4eafe9ffac..cd1e9168bdf7 100644
--- a/fs/f2fs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/f2fs/inode.c
@@ -294,6 +294,16 @@ static bool sanity_check_inode(struct inode *inode, struct folio *node_folio)
 		return false;
 	}
 
+	if (unlikely(inode->i_nlink == 0)) {
+		f2fs_warn(F2FS_I_SB(inode), "%s: inode (ino=%lx) has zero i_nlink",
+			  __func__, inode->i_ino);
+		return false;
+	} else if (unlikely(S_ISDIR(inode->i_mode && inode->i_nlink == 1))) {
+		f2fs_warn(F2FS_I_SB(inode), "%s: directory inode (ino=%lx) has a single i_nlink",
+			  __func__, inode->i_ino);
+		return false;
+	}
+
 	if (f2fs_has_extra_attr(inode)) {
 		if (!f2fs_sb_has_extra_attr(sbi)) {
 			f2fs_warn(sbi, "%s: inode (ino=%lx) is with extra_attr, but extra_attr feature is off",
diff --git a/fs/f2fs/namei.c b/fs/f2fs/namei.c
index b882771e4699..4029477b20d7 100644
--- a/fs/f2fs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/f2fs/namei.c
@@ -502,14 +502,6 @@ static struct dentry *f2fs_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-	if (inode->i_nlink == 0) {
-		f2fs_warn(F2FS_I_SB(inode), "%s: inode (ino=%lx) has zero i_nlink",
-			  __func__, inode->i_ino);
-		err = -EFSCORRUPTED;
-		set_sbi_flag(F2FS_I_SB(inode), SBI_NEED_FSCK);
-		goto out_iput;
-	}
-
 	if (IS_ENCRYPTED(dir) &&
 	    (S_ISDIR(inode->i_mode) || S_ISLNK(inode->i_mode)) &&
 	    !fscrypt_has_permitted_context(dir, inode)) {
@@ -751,6 +743,12 @@ static int f2fs_rmdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
 {
 	struct inode *inode = d_inode(dentry);
 
+	if (unlikely(inode->i_nlink == 1)) {
+		f2fs_warn(F2FS_I_SB(inode), "%s: directory inode (ino=%lx) has a single i_nlink",
+			  __func__, inode->i_ino);
+		return -EFSCORRUPTED;
+	}
+
 	if (f2fs_empty_dir(inode))
 		return f2fs_unlink(dir, dentry);
 	return -ENOTEMPTY;