diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/fs.c b/fs/bcachefs/fs.c
index 646b74494a3f..e0ffe4648bb8 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/fs.c
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/fs.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "journal.h"
 #include "keylist.h"
 #include "quota.h"
+#include "rebalance.h"
 #include "snapshot.h"
 #include "super.h"
 #include "xattr.h"
@@ -89,10 +90,25 @@ int __must_check bch2_write_inode(struct bch_fs *c,
 retry:
 	bch2_trans_begin(trans);
 
-	ret   = bch2_inode_peek(trans, &iter, &inode_u, inode_inum(inode),
-				BTREE_ITER_intent) ?:
-		(set ? set(trans, inode, &inode_u, p) : 0) ?:
-		bch2_inode_write(trans, &iter, &inode_u) ?:
+	ret = bch2_inode_peek(trans, &iter, &inode_u, inode_inum(inode), BTREE_ITER_intent);
+	if (ret)
+		goto err;
+
+	struct bch_extent_rebalance old_r = bch2_inode_rebalance_opts_get(c, &inode_u);
+
+	ret = (set ? set(trans, inode, &inode_u, p) : 0);
+	if (ret)
+		goto err;
+
+	struct bch_extent_rebalance new_r = bch2_inode_rebalance_opts_get(c, &inode_u);
+
+	if (memcmp(&old_r, &new_r, sizeof(new_r))) {
+		ret = bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan_trans(trans, inode_u.bi_inum);
+		if (ret)
+			goto err;
+	}
+
+	ret   = bch2_inode_write(trans, &iter, &inode_u) ?:
 		bch2_trans_commit(trans, NULL, NULL, BCH_TRANS_COMMIT_no_enospc);
 
 	/*
@@ -101,7 +117,7 @@ retry:
 	 */
 	if (!ret)
 		bch2_inode_update_after_write(trans, inode, &inode_u, fields);
-
+err:
 	bch2_trans_iter_exit(trans, &iter);
 
 	if (bch2_err_matches(ret, BCH_ERR_transaction_restart))
diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/inode.h b/fs/bcachefs/inode.h
index bdeb6be76038..f52336cb298f 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/inode.h
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/inode.h
@@ -262,6 +262,14 @@ void bch2_inode_opts_get(struct bch_io_opts *, struct bch_fs *,
 			 struct bch_inode_unpacked *);
 int bch2_inum_opts_get(struct btree_trans*, subvol_inum, struct bch_io_opts *);
 
+static inline struct bch_extent_rebalance
+bch2_inode_rebalance_opts_get(struct bch_fs *c, struct bch_inode_unpacked *inode)
+{
+	struct bch_io_opts io_opts;
+	bch2_inode_opts_get(&io_opts, c, inode);
+	return io_opts_to_rebalance_opts(&io_opts);
+}
+
 int bch2_inode_rm_snapshot(struct btree_trans *, u64, u32);
 int bch2_delete_dead_inodes(struct bch_fs *);
 
diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/rebalance.c b/fs/bcachefs/rebalance.c
index d8cb346ac138..926b9d5eba45 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/rebalance.c
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/rebalance.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ static const char * const bch2_rebalance_state_strs[] = {
 #undef x
 };
 
-static int __bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan(struct btree_trans *trans, u64 inum)
+int bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan_trans(struct btree_trans *trans, u64 inum)
 {
 	struct btree_iter iter;
 	struct bkey_s_c k;
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ int bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan(struct bch_fs *c, u64 inum)
 	int ret = bch2_trans_commit_do(c, NULL, NULL,
 				       BCH_TRANS_COMMIT_no_enospc|
 				       BCH_TRANS_COMMIT_lazy_rw,
-			    __bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan(trans, inum));
+			    bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan_trans(trans, inum));
 	rebalance_wakeup(c);
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/rebalance.h b/fs/bcachefs/rebalance.h
index 28a52638f16c..791649c04ff5 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/rebalance.h
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/rebalance.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 #include "rebalance_types.h"
 
+int bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan_trans(struct btree_trans *, u64);
 int bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan(struct bch_fs *, u64 inum);
 int bch2_set_fs_needs_rebalance(struct bch_fs *);
 
diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/xattr.c b/fs/bcachefs/xattr.c
index bf3c6bb50495..ed418a747cdd 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/xattr.c
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/xattr.c
@@ -565,13 +565,6 @@ static int bch2_xattr_bcachefs_set(const struct xattr_handler *handler,
 	ret = bch2_write_inode(c, inode, inode_opt_set_fn, &s, 0);
 err:
 	mutex_unlock(&inode->ei_update_lock);
-
-	if (value &&
-	    (opt_id == Opt_background_target ||
-	     opt_id == Opt_background_compression ||
-	     (opt_id == Opt_compression && !inode_opt_get(c, &inode->ei_inode, background_compression))))
-		bch2_set_rebalance_needs_scan(c, inode->ei_inode.bi_inum);
-
 err_class_exit:
 	return bch2_err_class(ret);
 }