diff --git a/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_alloc.c b/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_alloc.c
--- a/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_alloc.c
+++ b/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_alloc.c
@@ -3330,7 +3330,7 @@
 			break;
 		ip = VTOI(vp);
 		ip->i_nlink += cmd.size;
-		DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, ip->i_nlink);
+		DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, ip->i_nlink);
 		ip->i_effnlink += cmd.size;
 		UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE | IN_MODIFIED);
 		error = ffs_update(vp, 1);
diff --git a/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_softdep.c b/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_softdep.c
--- a/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_softdep.c
+++ b/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_softdep.c
@@ -10046,7 +10046,7 @@
 		KASSERT(ip->i_nlink >= 0, ("handle_workitem_remove: file ino "
 		    "%ju negative i_nlink %d", (intmax_t)ip->i_number,
 		    ip->i_nlink));
-		DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, ip->i_nlink);
+		DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, ip->i_nlink);
 		UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 		if (ip->i_nlink < ip->i_effnlink)
 			panic("handle_workitem_remove: bad file delta");
@@ -10069,7 +10069,7 @@
 	ip->i_nlink -= 2;
 	KASSERT(ip->i_nlink >= 0, ("handle_workitem_remove: directory ino "
 	    "%ju negative i_nlink %d", (intmax_t)ip->i_number, ip->i_nlink));
-	DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, ip->i_nlink);
+	DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, ip->i_nlink);
 	UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 	if (ip->i_nlink < ip->i_effnlink)
 		panic("handle_workitem_remove: bad dir delta");
diff --git a/sys/ufs/ufs/dinode.h b/sys/ufs/ufs/dinode.h
--- a/sys/ufs/ufs/dinode.h
+++ b/sys/ufs/ufs/dinode.h
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
 
 struct ufs2_dinode {
 	uint16_t	di_mode;	/*   0: IFMT, permissions; see below. */
-	int16_t		di_nlink;	/*   2: File link count. */
+	uint16_t	di_nlink;	/*   2: File link count. */
 	uint32_t	di_uid;		/*   4: File owner. */
 	uint32_t	di_gid;		/*   8: File group. */
 	uint32_t	di_blksize;	/*  12: Inode blocksize. */
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@
  */
 struct ufs1_dinode {
 	uint16_t	di_mode;	/*   0: IFMT, permissions; see below. */
-	int16_t		di_nlink;	/*   2: File link count. */
+	uint16_t	di_nlink;	/*   2: File link count. */
 	union {
 		uint32_t di_freelink;	/*   4: SUJ: Next unlinked inode. */
 		uint32_t di_dirdepth;	/*   4: IFDIR: depth from root dir */
@@ -208,6 +208,6 @@
 	uint64_t	di_modrev;	/* 120: i_modrev for NFSv4 */
 };
 
-#define	UFS_LINK_MAX	32767
+#define	UFS_LINK_MAX	65500	/* leave a few spare for special values */
 
 #endif /* _UFS_UFS_DINODE_H_ */
diff --git a/sys/ufs/ufs/inode.h b/sys/ufs/ufs/inode.h
--- a/sys/ufs/ufs/inode.h
+++ b/sys/ufs/ufs/inode.h
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@
 
 	ino_t	  i_number;	/* The identity of the inode. */
 	uint32_t  i_flag;	/* flags, see below */
-	int	  i_effnlink;	/* i_nlink when I/O completes */
+	int32_t	  i_effnlink;	/* i_nlink when I/O completes */
 
 	/*
 	 * Side effects; used during directory lookup.
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@
 	uint32_t i_flags;	/* Status flags (chflags). */
 	uint32_t i_uid;		/* File owner. */
 	uint32_t i_gid;		/* File group. */
-	int16_t  i_nlink;	/* File link count. */
+	int32_t  i_nlink;	/* File link count. */
 	uint16_t i_mode;	/* IFMT, permissions; see below. */
 };
 /*
@@ -242,6 +242,12 @@
 	else							\
 		(ip)->i_din2->d##field = (val); 		\
 	} while (0)
+#define	DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, val) do {					\
+	KASSERT(ip->i_nlink >= 0, ("%s:%d %s(): setting negative "	\
+	    "nlink value %d for inode %jd\n", __FILE__, __LINE__,	\
+	    __FUNCTION__, (ip)->i_nlink, (ip)->i_number));		\
+	DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, val);					\
+	} while (0)
 
 #define	IS_SNAPSHOT(ip)		((ip)->i_flags & SF_SNAPSHOT)
 #define	IS_UFS(vp)		((vp)->v_data != NULL)
diff --git a/sys/ufs/ufs/ufs_lookup.c b/sys/ufs/ufs/ufs_lookup.c
--- a/sys/ufs/ufs/ufs_lookup.c
+++ b/sys/ufs/ufs/ufs_lookup.c
@@ -1121,7 +1121,7 @@
 			softdep_setup_unlink(dp, ip);
 		} else {
 			ip->i_nlink--;
-			DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, ip->i_nlink);
+			DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, ip->i_nlink);
 			UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 		}
 	}
@@ -1137,7 +1137,7 @@
 				softdep_change_linkcnt(ip);
 			} else {
 				ip->i_nlink++;
-				DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, ip->i_nlink);
+				DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, ip->i_nlink);
 				UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 			}
 		}
@@ -1241,7 +1241,7 @@
 		softdep_setup_unlink(dp, oip);
 	} else {
 		oip->i_nlink--;
-		DIP_SET(oip, i_nlink, oip->i_nlink);
+		DIP_SET_NLINK(oip, oip->i_nlink);
 		UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(oip, IN_CHANGE);
 	}
 
@@ -1258,7 +1258,7 @@
 			softdep_change_linkcnt(oip);
 		} else {
 			oip->i_nlink++;
-			DIP_SET(oip, i_nlink, oip->i_nlink);
+			DIP_SET_NLINK(oip, oip->i_nlink);
 			UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(oip, IN_CHANGE);
 		}
 		return (error);
diff --git a/sys/ufs/ufs/ufs_vnops.c b/sys/ufs/ufs/ufs_vnops.c
--- a/sys/ufs/ufs/ufs_vnops.c
+++ b/sys/ufs/ufs/ufs_vnops.c
@@ -1131,7 +1131,7 @@
 
 	ip->i_effnlink++;
 	ip->i_nlink++;
-	DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, ip->i_nlink);
+	DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, ip->i_nlink);
 	UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 	if (DOINGSOFTDEP(vp))
 		softdep_setup_link(VTOI(tdvp), ip);
@@ -1144,7 +1144,7 @@
 	if (error) {
 		ip->i_effnlink--;
 		ip->i_nlink--;
-		DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, ip->i_nlink);
+		DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, ip->i_nlink);
 		UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 		if (DOINGSOFTDEP(vp))
 			softdep_revert_link(VTOI(tdvp), ip);
@@ -1526,7 +1526,7 @@
 	 */
 	fip->i_effnlink++;
 	fip->i_nlink++;
-	DIP_SET(fip, i_nlink, fip->i_nlink);
+	DIP_SET_NLINK(fip, fip->i_nlink);
 	UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(fip, IN_CHANGE);
 	if (DOINGSOFTDEP(fvp))
 		softdep_setup_link(tdp, fip);
@@ -1555,7 +1555,7 @@
 			if (tdp->i_nlink >= UFS_LINK_MAX) {
 				fip->i_effnlink--;
 				fip->i_nlink--;
-				DIP_SET(fip, i_nlink, fip->i_nlink);
+				DIP_SET_NLINK(fip, fip->i_nlink);
 				UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(fip, IN_CHANGE);
 				if (DOINGSOFTDEP(fvp))
 					softdep_revert_link(tdp, fip);
@@ -1678,11 +1678,11 @@
 			 */
 			if (!newparent) {
 				tdp->i_nlink--;
-				DIP_SET(tdp, i_nlink, tdp->i_nlink);
+				DIP_SET_NLINK(tdp, tdp->i_nlink);
 				UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(tdp, IN_CHANGE);
 			}
 			tip->i_nlink--;
-			DIP_SET(tip, i_nlink, tip->i_nlink);
+			DIP_SET_NLINK(tip, tip->i_nlink);
 			UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(tip, IN_CHANGE);
 		}
 	}
@@ -1717,7 +1717,7 @@
 		if (tip == NULL) {
 			tdp->i_effnlink++;
 			tdp->i_nlink++;
-			DIP_SET(tdp, i_nlink, tdp->i_nlink);
+			DIP_SET_NLINK(tdp, tdp->i_nlink);
 			UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(tdp, IN_CHANGE);
 			if (DOINGSOFTDEP(tdvp))
 				softdep_setup_dotdot_link(tdp, fip);
@@ -1780,7 +1780,7 @@
 bad:
 	fip->i_effnlink--;
 	fip->i_nlink--;
-	DIP_SET(fip, i_nlink, fip->i_nlink);
+	DIP_SET_NLINK(fip, fip->i_nlink);
 	UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(fip, IN_CHANGE);
 	if (DOINGSOFTDEP(fvp))
 		softdep_revert_link(tdp, fip);
@@ -2120,7 +2120,7 @@
 	tvp->v_type = VDIR;	/* Rest init'd in getnewvnode(). */
 	ip->i_effnlink = 2;
 	ip->i_nlink = 2;
-	DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, 2);
+	DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, 2);
 	DIP_SET(ip, i_dirdepth, DIP(dp,i_dirdepth) + 1);
 
 	if (cnp->cn_flags & ISWHITEOUT) {
@@ -2135,7 +2135,7 @@
 	 */
 	dp->i_effnlink++;
 	dp->i_nlink++;
-	DIP_SET(dp, i_nlink, dp->i_nlink);
+	DIP_SET_NLINK(dp, dp->i_nlink);
 	UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(dp, IN_CHANGE);
 	if (DOINGSOFTDEP(dvp))
 		softdep_setup_mkdir(dp, ip);
@@ -2226,7 +2226,7 @@
 	} else {
 		dp->i_effnlink--;
 		dp->i_nlink--;
-		DIP_SET(dp, i_nlink, dp->i_nlink);
+		DIP_SET_NLINK(dp, dp->i_nlink);
 		UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(dp, IN_CHANGE);
 		/*
 		 * No need to do an explicit VOP_TRUNCATE here, vrele will
@@ -2234,7 +2234,7 @@
 		 */
 		ip->i_effnlink = 0;
 		ip->i_nlink = 0;
-		DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, 0);
+		DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, 0);
 		UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 		if (DOINGSOFTDEP(tvp))
 			softdep_revert_mkdir(dp, ip);
@@ -2331,11 +2331,11 @@
 	 */
 	if (!DOINGSOFTDEP(vp)) {
 		dp->i_nlink--;
-		DIP_SET(dp, i_nlink, dp->i_nlink);
+		DIP_SET_NLINK(dp, dp->i_nlink);
 		UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(dp, IN_CHANGE);
 		error = UFS_UPDATE(dvp, 0);
 		ip->i_nlink--;
-		DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, ip->i_nlink);
+		DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, ip->i_nlink);
 		UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 	}
 	cache_vop_rmdir(dvp, vp);
@@ -2872,7 +2872,7 @@
 	tvp->v_type = IFTOVT(mode);	/* Rest init'd in getnewvnode(). */
 	ip->i_effnlink = 1;
 	ip->i_nlink = 1;
-	DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, 1);
+	DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, 1);
 	if (DOINGSOFTDEP(tvp))
 		softdep_setup_create(VTOI(dvp), ip);
 	if ((ip->i_mode & ISGID) && !groupmember(ip->i_gid, cnp->cn_cred) &&
@@ -2928,7 +2928,7 @@
 	 */
 	ip->i_effnlink = 0;
 	ip->i_nlink = 0;
-	DIP_SET(ip, i_nlink, 0);
+	DIP_SET_NLINK(ip, 0);
 	UFS_INODE_SET_FLAG(ip, IN_CHANGE);
 	if (DOINGSOFTDEP(tvp))
 		softdep_revert_create(VTOI(dvp), ip);