diff --git a/fs/open.c b/fs/open.c
index 4d7537ae59df..3aaaad47d9ca 100644
--- a/fs/open.c
+++ b/fs/open.c
@@ -993,12 +993,20 @@ inline struct open_how build_open_how(int flags, umode_t mode)
 
 inline int build_open_flags(const struct open_how *how, struct open_flags *op)
 {
-	int flags = how->flags;
+	u64 flags = how->flags;
+	u64 strip = FMODE_NONOTIFY | O_CLOEXEC;
 	int lookup_flags = 0;
 	int acc_mode = ACC_MODE(flags);
 
-	/* Must never be set by userspace */
-	flags &= ~(FMODE_NONOTIFY | O_CLOEXEC);
+	BUILD_BUG_ON_MSG(upper_32_bits(VALID_OPEN_FLAGS),
+			 "struct open_flags doesn't yet handle flags > 32 bits");
+
+	/*
+	 * Strip flags that either shouldn't be set by userspace like
+	 * FMODE_NONOTIFY or that aren't relevant in determining struct
+	 * open_flags like O_CLOEXEC.
+	 */
+	flags &= ~strip;
 
 	/*
 	 * Older syscalls implicitly clear all of the invalid flags or argument