diff --git a/virt/kvm/arm/arch_timer.c b/virt/kvm/arm/arch_timer.c
index 70268c0bec79..70f4c30918eb 100644
--- a/virt/kvm/arm/arch_timer.c
+++ b/virt/kvm/arm/arch_timer.c
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ static struct timecounter *timecounter;
 static unsigned int host_vtimer_irq;
 static u32 host_vtimer_irq_flags;
 
+static DEFINE_STATIC_KEY_FALSE(has_gic_active_state);
+
 static const struct kvm_irq_level default_ptimer_irq = {
 	.irq	= 30,
 	.level	= 1,
@@ -56,6 +58,12 @@ u64 kvm_phys_timer_read(void)
 	return timecounter->cc->read(timecounter->cc);
 }
 
+static inline bool userspace_irqchip(struct kvm *kvm)
+{
+	return static_branch_unlikely(&userspace_irqchip_in_use) &&
+		unlikely(!irqchip_in_kernel(kvm));
+}
+
 static void soft_timer_start(struct hrtimer *hrt, u64 ns)
 {
 	hrtimer_start(hrt, ktime_add_ns(ktime_get(), ns),
@@ -69,25 +77,6 @@ static void soft_timer_cancel(struct hrtimer *hrt, struct work_struct *work)
 		cancel_work_sync(work);
 }
 
-static void kvm_vtimer_update_mask_user(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
-{
-	struct arch_timer_context *vtimer = vcpu_vtimer(vcpu);
-
-	/*
-	 * When using a userspace irqchip with the architected timers, we must
-	 * prevent continuously exiting from the guest, and therefore mask the
-	 * physical interrupt by disabling it on the host interrupt controller
-	 * when the virtual level is high, such that the guest can make
-	 * forward progress.  Once we detect the output level being
-	 * de-asserted, we unmask the interrupt again so that we exit from the
-	 * guest when the timer fires.
-	 */
-	if (vtimer->irq.level)
-		disable_percpu_irq(host_vtimer_irq);
-	else
-		enable_percpu_irq(host_vtimer_irq, 0);
-}
-
 static irqreturn_t kvm_arch_timer_handler(int irq, void *dev_id)
 {
 	struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu = *(struct kvm_vcpu **)dev_id;
@@ -106,9 +95,9 @@ static irqreturn_t kvm_arch_timer_handler(int irq, void *dev_id)
 	if (kvm_timer_should_fire(vtimer))
 		kvm_timer_update_irq(vcpu, true, vtimer);
 
-	if (static_branch_unlikely(&userspace_irqchip_in_use) &&
-	    unlikely(!irqchip_in_kernel(vcpu->kvm)))
-		kvm_vtimer_update_mask_user(vcpu);
+	if (userspace_irqchip(vcpu->kvm) &&
+	    !static_branch_unlikely(&has_gic_active_state))
+		disable_percpu_irq(host_vtimer_irq);
 
 	return IRQ_HANDLED;
 }
@@ -290,8 +279,7 @@ static void kvm_timer_update_irq(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, bool new_level,
 	trace_kvm_timer_update_irq(vcpu->vcpu_id, timer_ctx->irq.irq,
 				   timer_ctx->irq.level);
 
-	if (!static_branch_unlikely(&userspace_irqchip_in_use) ||
-	    likely(irqchip_in_kernel(vcpu->kvm))) {
+	if (!userspace_irqchip(vcpu->kvm)) {
 		ret = kvm_vgic_inject_irq(vcpu->kvm, vcpu->vcpu_id,
 					  timer_ctx->irq.irq,
 					  timer_ctx->irq.level,
@@ -350,12 +338,6 @@ static void kvm_timer_update_state(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 	phys_timer_emulate(vcpu);
 }
 
-static void __timer_snapshot_state(struct arch_timer_context *timer)
-{
-	timer->cnt_ctl = read_sysreg_el0(cntv_ctl);
-	timer->cnt_cval = read_sysreg_el0(cntv_cval);
-}
-
 static void vtimer_save_state(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 {
 	struct arch_timer_cpu *timer = &vcpu->arch.timer_cpu;
@@ -367,8 +349,10 @@ static void vtimer_save_state(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 	if (!vtimer->loaded)
 		goto out;
 
-	if (timer->enabled)
-		__timer_snapshot_state(vtimer);
+	if (timer->enabled) {
+		vtimer->cnt_ctl = read_sysreg_el0(cntv_ctl);
+		vtimer->cnt_cval = read_sysreg_el0(cntv_cval);
+	}
 
 	/* Disable the virtual timer */
 	write_sysreg_el0(0, cntv_ctl);
@@ -460,23 +444,43 @@ static void set_cntvoff(u64 cntvoff)
 	kvm_call_hyp(__kvm_timer_set_cntvoff, low, high);
 }
 
-static void kvm_timer_vcpu_load_vgic(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
+static inline void set_vtimer_irq_phys_active(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, bool active)
+{
+	int r;
+	r = irq_set_irqchip_state(host_vtimer_irq, IRQCHIP_STATE_ACTIVE, active);
+	WARN_ON(r);
+}
+
+static void kvm_timer_vcpu_load_gic(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 {
 	struct arch_timer_context *vtimer = vcpu_vtimer(vcpu);
 	bool phys_active;
-	int ret;
 
-	phys_active = kvm_vgic_map_is_active(vcpu, vtimer->irq.irq);
-
-	ret = irq_set_irqchip_state(host_vtimer_irq,
-				    IRQCHIP_STATE_ACTIVE,
-				    phys_active);
-	WARN_ON(ret);
+	if (irqchip_in_kernel(vcpu->kvm))
+		phys_active = kvm_vgic_map_is_active(vcpu, vtimer->irq.irq);
+	else
+		phys_active = vtimer->irq.level;
+	set_vtimer_irq_phys_active(vcpu, phys_active);
 }
 
-static void kvm_timer_vcpu_load_user(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
+static void kvm_timer_vcpu_load_nogic(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 {
-	kvm_vtimer_update_mask_user(vcpu);
+	struct arch_timer_context *vtimer = vcpu_vtimer(vcpu);
+
+	/*
+	 * When using a userspace irqchip with the architected timers and a
+	 * host interrupt controller that doesn't support an active state, we
+	 * must still prevent continuously exiting from the guest, and
+	 * therefore mask the physical interrupt by disabling it on the host
+	 * interrupt controller when the virtual level is high, such that the
+	 * guest can make forward progress.  Once we detect the output level
+	 * being de-asserted, we unmask the interrupt again so that we exit
+	 * from the guest when the timer fires.
+	 */
+	if (vtimer->irq.level)
+		disable_percpu_irq(host_vtimer_irq);
+	else
+		enable_percpu_irq(host_vtimer_irq, host_vtimer_irq_flags);
 }
 
 void kvm_timer_vcpu_load(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
@@ -487,10 +491,10 @@ void kvm_timer_vcpu_load(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 	if (unlikely(!timer->enabled))
 		return;
 
-	if (unlikely(!irqchip_in_kernel(vcpu->kvm)))
-		kvm_timer_vcpu_load_user(vcpu);
+	if (static_branch_likely(&has_gic_active_state))
+		kvm_timer_vcpu_load_gic(vcpu);
 	else
-		kvm_timer_vcpu_load_vgic(vcpu);
+		kvm_timer_vcpu_load_nogic(vcpu);
 
 	set_cntvoff(vtimer->cntvoff);
 
@@ -555,18 +559,24 @@ static void unmask_vtimer_irq_user(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 {
 	struct arch_timer_context *vtimer = vcpu_vtimer(vcpu);
 
-	if (unlikely(!irqchip_in_kernel(vcpu->kvm))) {
-		__timer_snapshot_state(vtimer);
-		if (!kvm_timer_should_fire(vtimer)) {
-			kvm_timer_update_irq(vcpu, false, vtimer);
-			kvm_vtimer_update_mask_user(vcpu);
-		}
+	if (!kvm_timer_should_fire(vtimer)) {
+		kvm_timer_update_irq(vcpu, false, vtimer);
+		if (static_branch_likely(&has_gic_active_state))
+			set_vtimer_irq_phys_active(vcpu, false);
+		else
+			enable_percpu_irq(host_vtimer_irq, host_vtimer_irq_flags);
 	}
 }
 
 void kvm_timer_sync_hwstate(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
 {
-	unmask_vtimer_irq_user(vcpu);
+	struct arch_timer_cpu *timer = &vcpu->arch.timer_cpu;
+
+	if (unlikely(!timer->enabled))
+		return;
+
+	if (unlikely(!irqchip_in_kernel(vcpu->kvm)))
+		unmask_vtimer_irq_user(vcpu);
 }
 
 int kvm_timer_vcpu_reset(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
@@ -753,6 +763,8 @@ int kvm_timer_hyp_init(bool has_gic)
 			kvm_err("kvm_arch_timer: error setting vcpu affinity\n");
 			goto out_free_irq;
 		}
+
+		static_branch_enable(&has_gic_active_state);
 	}
 
 	kvm_info("virtual timer IRQ%d\n", host_vtimer_irq);
