diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/process.c b/arch/x86/kernel/process.c
index 4d46c52d9c05..5e17c3939dd1 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/process.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/process.c
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ int copy_thread(unsigned long clone_flags, unsigned long sp, unsigned long arg,
 #endif
 
 	/* Kernel thread ? */
-	if (unlikely(p->flags & (PF_KTHREAD | PF_IO_WORKER))) {
+	if (unlikely(p->flags & PF_KTHREAD)) {
 		memset(childregs, 0, sizeof(struct pt_regs));
 		kthread_frame_init(frame, sp, arg);
 		return 0;
@@ -178,6 +178,23 @@ int copy_thread(unsigned long clone_flags, unsigned long sp, unsigned long arg,
 	task_user_gs(p) = get_user_gs(current_pt_regs());
 #endif
 
+	if (unlikely(p->flags & PF_IO_WORKER)) {
+		/*
+		 * An IO thread is a user space thread, but it doesn't
+		 * return to ret_after_fork().
+		 *
+		 * In order to indicate that to tools like gdb,
+		 * we reset the stack and instruction pointers.
+		 *
+		 * It does the same kernel frame setup to return to a kernel
+		 * function that a kernel thread does.
+		 */
+		childregs->sp = 0;
+		childregs->ip = 0;
+		kthread_frame_init(frame, sp, arg);
+		return 0;
+	}
+
 	/* Set a new TLS for the child thread? */
 	if (clone_flags & CLONE_SETTLS)
 		ret = set_new_tls(p, tls);