--- 4545d59442431e33d7d64e2f98c8f9d1a403780b
+++ f29d8d70884d7fb2e170983bf0e551b02740f617
@@ -2122,8 +2122,8 @@ int mpol_parse_str(char *str, struct mem
 			char *rest = nodelist;
 			while (isdigit(*rest))
 				rest++;
-			if (!*rest)
-				err = 0;
+			if (*rest)
+				goto out;
 		}
 		break;
 	case MPOL_INTERLEAVE:
@@ -2132,7 +2132,6 @@ int mpol_parse_str(char *str, struct mem
 		 */
 		if (!nodelist)
 			nodes = node_states[N_HIGH_MEMORY];
-		err = 0;
 		break;
 	case MPOL_LOCAL:
 		/*
@@ -2142,11 +2141,19 @@ int mpol_parse_str(char *str, struct mem
 			goto out;
 		mode = MPOL_PREFERRED;
 		break;
-
-	/*
-	 * case MPOL_BIND:    mpol_new() enforces non-empty nodemask.
-	 * case MPOL_DEFAULT: mpol_new() enforces empty nodemask, ignores flags.
-	 */
+	case MPOL_DEFAULT:
+		/*
+		 * Insist on a empty nodelist
+		 */
+		if (!nodelist)
+			err = 0;
+		goto out;
+	case MPOL_BIND:
+		/*
+		 * Insist on a nodelist
+		 */
+		if (!nodelist)
+			goto out;
 	}
 
 	mode_flags = 0;
@@ -2160,13 +2167,14 @@ int mpol_parse_str(char *str, struct mem
 		else if (!strcmp(flags, "relative"))
 			mode_flags |= MPOL_F_RELATIVE_NODES;
 		else
-			err = 1;
+			goto out;
 	}
 
 	new = mpol_new(mode, mode_flags, &nodes);
 	if (IS_ERR(new))
-		err = 1;
-	else {
+		goto out;
+
+	{
 		int ret;
 		NODEMASK_SCRATCH(scratch);
 		if (scratch) {
@@ -2177,13 +2185,15 @@ int mpol_parse_str(char *str, struct mem
 			ret = -ENOMEM;
 		NODEMASK_SCRATCH_FREE(scratch);
 		if (ret) {
-			err = 1;
 			mpol_put(new);
-		} else if (no_context) {
-			/* save for contextualization */
-			new->w.user_nodemask = nodes;
+			goto out;
 		}
 	}
+	err = 0;
+	if (no_context) {
+		/* save for contextualization */
+		new->w.user_nodemask = nodes;
+	}
 
 out:
 	/* Restore string for error message */