diff --git a/kmod/src/alloc.c b/kmod/src/alloc.c
index 0284150e..a36387b7 100644
--- a/kmod/src/alloc.c
+++ b/kmod/src/alloc.c
@@ -892,12 +892,11 @@ static int find_zone_extent(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_alloc_root *r
  * -ENOENT is returned if we run out of extents in the source tree
  * before moving the total.
  *
- * If meta_reserved is non-zero then -EINPROGRESS can be returned if the
- * current meta allocator's avail blocks or room for freed blocks would
- * have fallen under the reserved amount.  The could have been
- * successfully dirtied in this case but the number of blocks moved is
- * not returned.  The caller is expected to deal with the partial
- * progress by commiting the dirty trees and examining the resulting
+ * If meta_budget is non-zero then -EINPROGRESS can be returned if the
+ * the caller's budget is consumed in the allocator during this call
+ * (though not necessarily by us, we don't have per-thread tracking of
+ * allocator consumption :/).  The call can still have made progress and
+ * caller is expected commit the dirty trees and examining the resulting
  * modified trees to see if they need to continue moving extents.
  *
  * The caller can specify that extents in the source tree should first
@@ -914,7 +913,7 @@ int scoutfs_alloc_move(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_alloc *alloc,
 		       struct scoutfs_block_writer *wri,
 		       struct scoutfs_alloc_root *dst,
 		       struct scoutfs_alloc_root *src, u64 total,
-		       __le64 *exclusive, __le64 *vacant, u64 zone_blocks, u64 meta_reserved)
+		       __le64 *exclusive, __le64 *vacant, u64 zone_blocks, u64 meta_budget)
 {
 	struct alloc_ext_args args = {
 		.alloc = alloc,
@@ -922,6 +921,8 @@ int scoutfs_alloc_move(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_alloc *alloc,
 	};
 	struct scoutfs_extent found;
 	struct scoutfs_extent ext;
+	u32 avail_start = 0;
+	u32 freed_start = 0;
 	u64 moved = 0;
 	u64 count;
 	int ret = 0;
@@ -932,6 +933,9 @@ int scoutfs_alloc_move(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_alloc *alloc,
 		vacant = NULL;
 	}
 
+	if (meta_budget != 0)
+		scoutfs_alloc_meta_remaining(alloc, &avail_start, &freed_start);
+
 	while (moved < total) {
 		count = total - moved;
 
@@ -964,10 +968,10 @@ int scoutfs_alloc_move(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_alloc *alloc,
 		if (ret < 0)
 			break;
 
-		if (meta_reserved != 0 &&
-		    scoutfs_alloc_meta_low(sb, alloc, meta_reserved +
-					   extent_mod_blocks(src->root.height) +
-					   extent_mod_blocks(dst->root.height))) {
+		if (meta_budget != 0 &&
+		    scoutfs_alloc_meta_low_since(alloc, avail_start, freed_start, meta_budget,
+						 extent_mod_blocks(src->root.height) +
+						 extent_mod_blocks(dst->root.height))) {
 			ret = -EINPROGRESS;
 			break;
 		}
diff --git a/kmod/src/alloc.h b/kmod/src/alloc.h
index 5e0d4ff3..4496802c 100644
--- a/kmod/src/alloc.h
+++ b/kmod/src/alloc.h
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ int scoutfs_alloc_move(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_alloc *alloc,
 		       struct scoutfs_block_writer *wri,
 		       struct scoutfs_alloc_root *dst,
 		       struct scoutfs_alloc_root *src, u64 total,
-		       __le64 *exclusive, __le64 *vacant, u64 zone_blocks, u64 meta_reserved);
+		       __le64 *exclusive, __le64 *vacant, u64 zone_blocks, u64 meta_budget);
 int scoutfs_alloc_insert(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_alloc *alloc,
 			 struct scoutfs_block_writer *wri, struct scoutfs_alloc_root *root,
 			 u64 start, u64 len);
diff --git a/kmod/src/server.c b/kmod/src/server.c
index 32e99ecd..17f38481 100644
--- a/kmod/src/server.c
+++ b/kmod/src/server.c
@@ -694,13 +694,13 @@ static int alloc_move_refill_zoned(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_alloc_
 
 static int alloc_move_empty(struct super_block *sb,
 			    struct scoutfs_alloc_root *dst,
-			    struct scoutfs_alloc_root *src, u64 meta_reserved)
+			    struct scoutfs_alloc_root *src, u64 meta_budget)
 {
 	DECLARE_SERVER_INFO(sb, server);
 
 	return scoutfs_alloc_move(sb, &server->alloc, &server->wri,
 				  dst, src, le64_to_cpu(src->total_len), NULL, NULL, 0,
-				  meta_reserved);
+				  meta_budget);
 }
 
 /*