+bool
+xfs_buf_item_put(
+	struct xfs_buf_log_item	*bip)

Any reason to not have this above the caller?  Also a little
top of function comment explaining this helper might be nice.

+	/*
+	 * We dropped the last ref and must free the item if clean or aborted.
+	 * If the bli is dirty and non-aborted, the buffer was clean in the
+	 * transaction but still awaiting writeback from previous changes. In
+	 * that case, the bli is freed on buffer writeback completion.
+	 */
+	aborted = test_bit(XFS_LI_ABORTED, &lip->li_flags) ||
+		  XFS_FORCED_SHUTDOWN(lip->li_mountp);
+	dirty = bip->bli_flags & XFS_BLI_DIRTY;
+	if (dirty && !aborted)
+		return false;
+
+	/*
+	 * The bli is aborted or clean. An aborted item may be in the AIL
+	 * regardless of dirty state.  For example, consider an aborted
+	 * transaction that invalidated a dirty bli and cleared the dirty
+	 * state.
+	 */
+	if (aborted)
+		xfs_trans_ail_remove(lip, SHUTDOWN_LOG_IO_ERROR);

Hmm, why not:

	if (test_bit(XFS_LI_ABORTED, &lip->li_flags) ||
	    XFS_FORCED_SHUTDOWN(lip->li_mountp))
		xfs_trans_ail_remove(lip, SHUTDOWN_LOG_IO_ERROR);
	else if (dirty)
		return false;