diff --git a/sys/kern/vfs_lookup.c b/sys/kern/vfs_lookup.c
--- a/sys/kern/vfs_lookup.c
+++ b/sys/kern/vfs_lookup.c
@@ -422,10 +422,10 @@
 	cnp->cn_pnbuf = uma_zalloc(namei_zone, M_WAITOK);
 	if (ndp->ni_segflg == UIO_SYSSPACE) {
 		error = copystr(ndp->ni_dirp, cnp->cn_pnbuf, MAXPATHLEN,
-		    &ndp->ni_pathlen);
+		    &ndp->ni_orig_pathlen);
 	} else {
 		error = copyinstr(ndp->ni_dirp, cnp->cn_pnbuf, MAXPATHLEN,
-		    &ndp->ni_pathlen);
+		    &ndp->ni_orig_pathlen);
 	}
 
 	return (error);
@@ -606,11 +606,6 @@
 	MPASS(ndp->ni_startdir == NULL || ndp->ni_startdir->v_type == VDIR ||
 	    ndp->ni_startdir->v_type == VBAD);
 
-restart:
-	ndp->ni_lcf = 0;
-	ndp->ni_loopcnt = 0;
-	ndp->ni_vp = NULL;
-
 	error = namei_getpath(ndp);
 	if (__predict_false(error != 0)) {
 		namei_cleanup_cnp(cnp);
@@ -619,7 +614,12 @@
 		return (error);
 	}
 
+restart:
+	ndp->ni_lcf = 0;
+	ndp->ni_loopcnt = 0;
+	ndp->ni_vp = NULL;
 	cnp->cn_nameptr = cnp->cn_pnbuf;
+	ndp->ni_pathlen = ndp->ni_orig_pathlen;
 
 #ifdef KTRACE
 	if (KTRPOINT(td, KTR_NAMEI)) {
@@ -643,7 +643,6 @@
 			NDVALIDATE(ndp);
 		else if (__predict_false(pwd->pwd_adir != pwd->pwd_rdir &&
 		    (cnp->cn_flags & ISRESTARTED) == 0)) {
-			namei_cleanup_cnp(cnp);
 			NDRESTART(ndp);
 			goto restart;
 		}
@@ -693,7 +692,6 @@
 			    (cnp->cn_flags & ISRESTARTED) == 0)) {
 				nameicap_cleanup(ndp);
 				pwd_drop(pwd);
-				namei_cleanup_cnp(cnp);
 				NDRESTART(ndp);
 				goto restart;
 			} else
diff --git a/sys/sys/namei.h b/sys/sys/namei.h
--- a/sys/sys/namei.h
+++ b/sys/sys/namei.h
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@
 	 * Shared between namei and lookup/commit routines.
 	 */
 	u_short	ni_loopcnt;		/* count of symlinks encountered */
+	size_t	ni_orig_pathlen;	/* original chars in path */
 	size_t	ni_pathlen;		/* remaining chars in path */
 	char	*ni_next;		/* next location in pathname */
 	/*