diff --git a/kmod/src/alloc.c b/kmod/src/alloc.c
index a36387b7..8b5ac274 100644
--- a/kmod/src/alloc.c
+++ b/kmod/src/alloc.c
@@ -1572,12 +1572,10 @@ out:
  * call the caller's callback.  This assumes that the super it's reading
  * could be stale and will retry if it encounters stale blocks.
  */
-int scoutfs_alloc_foreach(struct super_block *sb,
-			  scoutfs_alloc_foreach_cb_t cb, void *arg)
+int scoutfs_alloc_foreach(struct super_block *sb, scoutfs_alloc_foreach_cb_t cb, void *arg)
 {
 	struct scoutfs_super_block *super = NULL;
-	struct scoutfs_block_ref stale_refs[2] = {{0,}};
-	struct scoutfs_block_ref refs[2] = {{0,}};
+	DECLARE_SAVED_REFS(saved);
 	int ret;
 
 	super = kmalloc(sizeof(struct scoutfs_super_block), GFP_NOFS);
@@ -1586,26 +1584,18 @@ int scoutfs_alloc_foreach(struct super_block *sb,
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-retry:
-	ret = scoutfs_read_super(sb, super);
-	if (ret < 0)
-		goto out;
+	do {
+		ret = scoutfs_read_super(sb, super);
+		if (ret < 0)
+			goto out;
 
-	refs[0] = super->logs_root.ref;
-	refs[1] = super->srch_root.ref;
+		ret = scoutfs_alloc_foreach_super(sb, super, cb, arg);
+
+		ret = scoutfs_block_check_stale(sb, ret, &saved, &super->logs_root.ref,
+						&super->srch_root.ref);
+	} while (ret == -ESTALE);
 
-	ret = scoutfs_alloc_foreach_super(sb, super, cb, arg);
 out:
-	if (ret == -ESTALE) {
-		if (memcmp(&stale_refs, &refs, sizeof(refs)) == 0) {
-			ret = -EIO;
-		} else {
-			BUILD_BUG_ON(sizeof(stale_refs) != sizeof(refs));
-			memcpy(stale_refs, refs, sizeof(stale_refs));
-			goto retry;
-		}
-	}
-
 	kfree(super);
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/kmod/src/counters.h b/kmod/src/counters.h
index f4111feb..378fcdc1 100644
--- a/kmod/src/counters.h
+++ b/kmod/src/counters.h
@@ -187,8 +187,6 @@
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(srch_search_retry_empty)			\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(srch_search_sorted)			\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(srch_search_sorted_block)		\
-	EXPAND_COUNTER(srch_search_stale_eio)			\
-	EXPAND_COUNTER(srch_search_stale_retry)			\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(srch_search_xattrs)			\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(srch_read_stale)				\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(statfs)					\
diff --git a/kmod/src/forest.c b/kmod/src/forest.c
index 37705c62..062d3713 100644
--- a/kmod/src/forest.c
+++ b/kmod/src/forest.c
@@ -78,11 +78,6 @@ struct forest_refs {
 	struct scoutfs_block_ref logs_ref;
 };
 
-/* initialize some refs that initially aren't equal */
-#define DECLARE_STALE_TRACKING_SUPER_REFS(a, b)		\
-	struct forest_refs a = {{cpu_to_le64(0),}};	\
-	struct forest_refs b = {{cpu_to_le64(1),}}
-
 struct forest_bloom_nrs {
 	unsigned int nrs[SCOUTFS_FOREST_BLOOM_NRS];
 };
@@ -136,11 +131,11 @@ static struct scoutfs_block *read_bloom_ref(struct super_block *sb, struct scout
 int scoutfs_forest_next_hint(struct super_block *sb, struct scoutfs_key *key,
 			     struct scoutfs_key *next)
 {
-	DECLARE_STALE_TRACKING_SUPER_REFS(prev_refs, refs);
 	struct scoutfs_net_roots roots;
 	struct scoutfs_btree_root item_root;
 	struct scoutfs_log_trees *lt;
 	SCOUTFS_BTREE_ITEM_REF(iref);
+	DECLARE_SAVED_REFS(saved);
 	struct scoutfs_key found;
 	struct scoutfs_key ltk;
 	bool checked_fs;
@@ -155,8 +150,6 @@ retry:
 		goto out;
 
 	trace_scoutfs_forest_using_roots(sb, &roots.fs_root, &roots.logs_root);
-	refs.fs_ref = roots.fs_root.ref;
-	refs.logs_ref = roots.logs_root.ref;
 
 	scoutfs_key_init_log_trees(&ltk, 0, 0);
 	checked_fs = false;
@@ -212,14 +205,10 @@ retry:
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (ret == -ESTALE) {
-		if (memcmp(&prev_refs, &refs, sizeof(refs)) == 0)
-			return -EIO;
-		prev_refs = refs;
+	ret = scoutfs_block_check_stale(sb, ret, &saved, &roots.fs_root.ref, &roots.logs_root.ref);
+	if (ret == -ESTALE)
 		goto retry;
-	}
 out:
-
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/kmod/src/srch.c b/kmod/src/srch.c
index b23fc6c2..2cb99b4c 100644
--- a/kmod/src/srch.c
+++ b/kmod/src/srch.c
@@ -861,7 +861,6 @@ int scoutfs_srch_search_xattrs(struct super_block *sb,
 			       struct scoutfs_srch_rb_root *sroot,
 			       u64 hash, u64 ino, u64 last_ino, bool *done)
 {
-	struct scoutfs_net_roots prev_roots;
 	struct scoutfs_net_roots roots;
 	struct scoutfs_srch_entry start;
 	struct scoutfs_srch_entry end;
@@ -869,6 +868,7 @@ int scoutfs_srch_search_xattrs(struct super_block *sb,
 	struct scoutfs_log_trees lt;
 	struct scoutfs_srch_file sfl;
 	SCOUTFS_BTREE_ITEM_REF(iref);
+	DECLARE_SAVED_REFS(saved);
 	struct scoutfs_key key;
 	unsigned long limit = SRCH_LIMIT;
 	int ret;
@@ -877,7 +877,6 @@ int scoutfs_srch_search_xattrs(struct super_block *sb,
 
 	*done = false;
 	srch_init_rb_root(sroot);
-	memset(&prev_roots, 0, sizeof(prev_roots));
 
 	start.hash = cpu_to_le64(hash);
 	start.ino = cpu_to_le64(ino);
@@ -892,7 +891,6 @@ retry:
 	ret = scoutfs_client_get_roots(sb, &roots);
 	if (ret)
 		goto out;
-	memset(&roots.fs_root, 0, sizeof(roots.fs_root));
 
 	end = final;
 
@@ -968,16 +966,10 @@ retry:
 	*done = sre_cmp(&end, &final) == 0;
 	ret = 0;
 out:
-	if (ret == -ESTALE) {
-		if (memcmp(&prev_roots, &roots, sizeof(roots)) == 0) {
-			scoutfs_inc_counter(sb, srch_search_stale_eio);
-			ret = -EIO;
-		} else {
-			scoutfs_inc_counter(sb, srch_search_stale_retry);
-			prev_roots = roots;
-			goto retry;
-		}
-	}
+	ret = scoutfs_block_check_stale(sb, ret, &saved, &roots.srch_root.ref,
+					&roots.logs_root.ref);
+	if (ret == -ESTALE)
+		goto retry;
 
 	return ret;
 }