diff --git a/fs/erofs/compress.h b/fs/erofs/compress.h
index 279933e007d2..7cc5841577b2 100644
--- a/fs/erofs/compress.h
+++ b/fs/erofs/compress.h
@@ -11,13 +11,12 @@
 struct z_erofs_decompress_req {
 	struct super_block *sb;
 	struct page **in, **out;
-
 	unsigned short pageofs_in, pageofs_out;
 	unsigned int inputsize, outputsize;
 
-	/* indicate the algorithm will be used for decompression */
-	unsigned int alg;
+	unsigned int alg;       /* the algorithm for decompression */
 	bool inplace_io, partial_decoding, fillgaps;
+	gfp_t gfp;      /* allocation flags for extra temporary buffers */
 };
 
 struct z_erofs_decompressor {
diff --git a/fs/erofs/decompressor.c b/fs/erofs/decompressor.c
index 072ef6a66823..d4cee95af14c 100644
--- a/fs/erofs/decompressor.c
+++ b/fs/erofs/decompressor.c
@@ -111,8 +111,9 @@ static int z_erofs_lz4_prepare_dstpages(struct z_erofs_lz4_decompress_ctx *ctx,
 			victim = availables[--top];
 			get_page(victim);
 		} else {
-			victim = erofs_allocpage(pagepool,
-						 GFP_KERNEL | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+			victim = erofs_allocpage(pagepool, rq->gfp);
+			if (!victim)
+				return -ENOMEM;
 			set_page_private(victim, Z_EROFS_SHORTLIVED_PAGE);
 		}
 		rq->out[i] = victim;
diff --git a/fs/erofs/decompressor_deflate.c b/fs/erofs/decompressor_deflate.c
index 4a64a9c91dd3..b98872058abe 100644
--- a/fs/erofs/decompressor_deflate.c
+++ b/fs/erofs/decompressor_deflate.c
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ int z_erofs_load_deflate_config(struct super_block *sb,
 }
 
 int z_erofs_deflate_decompress(struct z_erofs_decompress_req *rq,
-			       struct page **pagepool)
+			       struct page **pgpl)
 {
 	const unsigned int nrpages_out =
 		PAGE_ALIGN(rq->pageofs_out + rq->outputsize) >> PAGE_SHIFT;
@@ -158,8 +158,12 @@ int z_erofs_deflate_decompress(struct z_erofs_decompress_req *rq,
 			strm->z.avail_out = min_t(u32, outsz, PAGE_SIZE - pofs);
 			outsz -= strm->z.avail_out;
 			if (!rq->out[no]) {
-				rq->out[no] = erofs_allocpage(pagepool,
-						GFP_KERNEL | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+				rq->out[no] = erofs_allocpage(pgpl, rq->gfp);
+				if (!rq->out[no]) {
+					kout = NULL;
+					err = -ENOMEM;
+					break;
+				}
 				set_page_private(rq->out[no],
 						 Z_EROFS_SHORTLIVED_PAGE);
 			}
@@ -211,8 +215,11 @@ int z_erofs_deflate_decompress(struct z_erofs_decompress_req *rq,
 
 			DBG_BUGON(erofs_page_is_managed(EROFS_SB(sb),
 							rq->in[j]));
-			tmppage = erofs_allocpage(pagepool,
-						  GFP_KERNEL | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+			tmppage = erofs_allocpage(pgpl, rq->gfp);
+			if (!tmppage) {
+				err = -ENOMEM;
+				goto failed;
+			}
 			set_page_private(tmppage, Z_EROFS_SHORTLIVED_PAGE);
 			copy_highpage(tmppage, rq->in[j]);
 			rq->in[j] = tmppage;
@@ -230,7 +237,7 @@ int z_erofs_deflate_decompress(struct z_erofs_decompress_req *rq,
 			break;
 		}
 	}
-
+failed:
 	if (zlib_inflateEnd(&strm->z) != Z_OK && !err)
 		err = -EIO;
 	if (kout)
diff --git a/fs/erofs/decompressor_lzma.c b/fs/erofs/decompressor_lzma.c
index 2dd14f99c1dc..6ca357d83cfa 100644
--- a/fs/erofs/decompressor_lzma.c
+++ b/fs/erofs/decompressor_lzma.c
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ int z_erofs_load_lzma_config(struct super_block *sb,
 }
 
 int z_erofs_lzma_decompress(struct z_erofs_decompress_req *rq,
-			    struct page **pagepool)
+			    struct page **pgpl)
 {
 	const unsigned int nrpages_out =
 		PAGE_ALIGN(rq->pageofs_out + rq->outputsize) >> PAGE_SHIFT;
@@ -215,8 +215,11 @@ int z_erofs_lzma_decompress(struct z_erofs_decompress_req *rq,
 						   PAGE_SIZE - pageofs);
 			outlen -= strm->buf.out_size;
 			if (!rq->out[no] && rq->fillgaps) {	/* deduped */
-				rq->out[no] = erofs_allocpage(pagepool,
-						GFP_KERNEL | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+				rq->out[no] = erofs_allocpage(pgpl, rq->gfp);
+				if (!rq->out[no]) {
+					err = -ENOMEM;
+					break;
+				}
 				set_page_private(rq->out[no],
 						 Z_EROFS_SHORTLIVED_PAGE);
 			}
@@ -258,8 +261,11 @@ int z_erofs_lzma_decompress(struct z_erofs_decompress_req *rq,
 
 			DBG_BUGON(erofs_page_is_managed(EROFS_SB(rq->sb),
 							rq->in[j]));
-			tmppage = erofs_allocpage(pagepool,
-						  GFP_KERNEL | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+			tmppage = erofs_allocpage(pgpl, rq->gfp);
+			if (!tmppage) {
+				err = -ENOMEM;
+				goto failed;
+			}
 			set_page_private(tmppage, Z_EROFS_SHORTLIVED_PAGE);
 			copy_highpage(tmppage, rq->in[j]);
 			rq->in[j] = tmppage;
@@ -277,6 +283,7 @@ int z_erofs_lzma_decompress(struct z_erofs_decompress_req *rq,
 			break;
 		}
 	}
+failed:
 	if (no < nrpages_out && strm->buf.out)
 		kunmap(rq->out[no]);
 	if (ni < nrpages_in)
diff --git a/fs/erofs/zdata.c b/fs/erofs/zdata.c
index c1c77166b30f..1d0fdc145fd6 100644
--- a/fs/erofs/zdata.c
+++ b/fs/erofs/zdata.c
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ struct z_erofs_pcluster {
 	/* L: indicate several pageofs_outs or not */
 	bool multibases;
 
+	/* L: whether extra buffer allocations are best-effort */
+	bool besteffort;
+
 	/* A: compressed bvecs (can be cached or inplaced pages) */
 	struct z_erofs_bvec compressed_bvecs[];
 };
@@ -960,7 +963,7 @@ static int z_erofs_read_fragment(struct super_block *sb, struct page *page,
 }
 
 static int z_erofs_do_read_page(struct z_erofs_decompress_frontend *fe,
-				struct page *page)
+				struct page *page, bool ra)
 {
 	struct inode *const inode = fe->inode;
 	struct erofs_map_blocks *const map = &fe->map;
@@ -1010,6 +1013,7 @@ static int z_erofs_do_read_page(struct z_erofs_decompress_frontend *fe,
 		err = z_erofs_pcluster_begin(fe);
 		if (err)
 			goto out;
+		fe->pcl->besteffort |= !ra;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -1276,7 +1280,11 @@ static int z_erofs_decompress_pcluster(struct z_erofs_decompress_backend *be,
 					.inplace_io = overlapped,
 					.partial_decoding = pcl->partial,
 					.fillgaps = pcl->multibases,
+					.gfp = pcl->besteffort ?
+						GFP_KERNEL | __GFP_NOFAIL :
+						GFP_NOWAIT | __GFP_NORETRY
 				 }, be->pagepool);
+	pcl->besteffort = false;
 
 	/* must handle all compressed pages before actual file pages */
 	if (z_erofs_is_inline_pcluster(pcl)) {
@@ -1787,7 +1795,7 @@ static void z_erofs_pcluster_readmore(struct z_erofs_decompress_frontend *f,
 			if (PageUptodate(page))
 				unlock_page(page);
 			else
-				(void)z_erofs_do_read_page(f, page);
+				(void)z_erofs_do_read_page(f, page, !!rac);
 			put_page(page);
 		}
 
@@ -1808,7 +1816,7 @@ static int z_erofs_read_folio(struct file *file, struct folio *folio)
 	f.headoffset = (erofs_off_t)folio->index << PAGE_SHIFT;
 
 	z_erofs_pcluster_readmore(&f, NULL, true);
-	err = z_erofs_do_read_page(&f, &folio->page);
+	err = z_erofs_do_read_page(&f, &folio->page, false);
 	z_erofs_pcluster_readmore(&f, NULL, false);
 	z_erofs_pcluster_end(&f);
 
@@ -1849,7 +1857,7 @@ static void z_erofs_readahead(struct readahead_control *rac)
 		folio = head;
 		head = folio_get_private(folio);
 
-		err = z_erofs_do_read_page(&f, &folio->page);
+		err = z_erofs_do_read_page(&f, &folio->page, true);
 		if (err && err != -EINTR)
 			erofs_err(inode->i_sb, "readahead error at folio %lu @ nid %llu",
 				  folio->index, EROFS_I(inode)->nid);
