diff --git a/xen/arch/x86/mm/shadow/common.c b/xen/arch/x86/mm/shadow/common.c
index 72f57180e7..49d9e06b67 100644
--- a/xen/arch/x86/mm/shadow/common.c
+++ b/xen/arch/x86/mm/shadow/common.c
@@ -3486,7 +3486,7 @@ int shadow_track_dirty_vram(struct domain *d,
     int flush_tlb = 0;
     unsigned long i;
     p2m_type_t t;
-    struct sh_dirty_vram *dirty_vram = d->arch.hvm_domain.dirty_vram;
+    struct sh_dirty_vram *dirty_vram;
     struct p2m_domain *p2m = p2m_get_hostp2m(d);
 
     if ( end_pfn < begin_pfn || end_pfn > p2m->max_mapped_pfn + 1 )
@@ -3496,6 +3496,8 @@ int shadow_track_dirty_vram(struct domain *d,
     p2m_lock(p2m_get_hostp2m(d));
     paging_lock(d);
 
+    dirty_vram = d->arch.hvm_domain.dirty_vram;
+
     if ( dirty_vram && (!nr ||
              ( begin_pfn != dirty_vram->begin_pfn
             || end_pfn   != dirty_vram->end_pfn )) )
diff --git a/xen/include/asm-x86/hvm/domain.h b/xen/include/asm-x86/hvm/domain.h
index 27b3de50dc..863b097060 100644
--- a/xen/include/asm-x86/hvm/domain.h
+++ b/xen/include/asm-x86/hvm/domain.h
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ struct hvm_domain {
     /* Memory ranges with pinned cache attributes. */
     struct list_head       pinned_cacheattr_ranges;
 
-    /* VRAM dirty support. */
+    /* VRAM dirty support.  Protect with the domain paging lock. */
     struct sh_dirty_vram *dirty_vram;
 
     /* If one of vcpus of this domain is in no_fill_mode or