diff --git a/qa/workunits/fs/misc/rstats.sh b/qa/workunits/fs/misc/rstats.sh
index e6b3eddf287e8..951cd274df7d5 100755
--- a/qa/workunits/fs/misc/rstats.sh
+++ b/qa/workunits/fs/misc/rstats.sh
@@ -75,6 +75,11 @@ touch d1/d2/f3 # create new file
 wait_until_changed rctime
 check_rctime
 
+old_value=`getfattr --only-value -n ceph.dir.rctime .`
+setfattr -n "ceph.dir.rctime" -v `date -d 'now+1hour' +%s` .
+wait_until_changed rctime
+check_rctime
+
 cd ..
 rm -rf rstats_testdir
 echo OK
diff --git a/src/client/Client.cc b/src/client/Client.cc
index 86e01944f2e6b..2298d0074678b 100644
--- a/src/client/Client.cc
+++ b/src/client/Client.cc
@@ -12918,7 +12918,13 @@ const Client::VXattr Client::_dir_vxattrs[] = {
   XATTR_NAME_CEPH(dir, rsubdirs, VXATTR_RSTAT),
   XATTR_NAME_CEPH(dir, rsnaps, VXATTR_RSTAT),
   XATTR_NAME_CEPH(dir, rbytes, VXATTR_RSTAT),
-  XATTR_NAME_CEPH(dir, rctime, VXATTR_RSTAT),
+  {
+    name: "ceph.dir.rctime",
+    getxattr_cb: &Client::_vxattrcb_dir_rctime,
+    readonly: false,
+    exists_cb: NULL,
+    flags: VXATTR_RSTAT,
+  },
   {
     name: "ceph.quota",
     getxattr_cb: &Client::_vxattrcb_quota,
diff --git a/src/mds/Server.cc b/src/mds/Server.cc
index b0113d73fb50f..86b73b27ef97f 100644
--- a/src/mds/Server.cc
+++ b/src/mds/Server.cc
@@ -5324,6 +5324,21 @@ bool Server::xlock_policylock(MDRequestRef& mdr, CInode *in, bool want_layout, b
   return true;
 }
 
+bool Server::wrlock_nestlock(MDRequestRef& mdr, CInode *in)
+{
+  if (mdr->locking_state & MutationImpl::ALL_LOCKED)
+    return true;
+
+  MutationImpl::LockOpVec lov;
+  lov.add_wrlock(&in->nestlock);
+
+  if (!mds->locker->acquire_locks(mdr, lov))
+    return false;
+
+  mdr->locking_state |= MutationImpl::ALL_LOCKED;
+  return true;
+}
+
 CInode* Server::try_get_auth_inode(MDRequestRef& mdr, inodeno_t ino)
 {
   CInode *in = mdcache->get_inode(ino);
@@ -5861,6 +5876,34 @@ void Server::handle_set_vxattr(MDRequestRef& mdr, CInode *cur)
     auto pi = cur->project_inode(mdr);
     cur->setxattr_ephemeral_dist(val);
     pip = pi.inode.get();
+  } else if (name == "ceph.dir.rctime") {
+    if (!cur->is_dir()) {
+      respond_to_request(mdr, -EINVAL);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    uint64_t sec, nsec = 0;
+    try {
+      if (auto pos = value.find('.', 0); pos != string::npos) {
+        sec  = boost::lexical_cast<uint64_t>(value.substr(0, pos));
+        nsec = boost::lexical_cast<uint64_t>(value.substr(pos+1));
+      } else {
+        sec = boost::lexical_cast<uint64_t>(value);
+      }
+    } catch (boost::bad_lexical_cast const&) {
+      dout(10) << "bad vxattr value, unable to parse utime_t for " << name << dendl;
+      respond_to_request(mdr, -EINVAL);
+      return;
+    }
+    utime_t val(sec, nsec);
+
+    if (!wrlock_nestlock(mdr, cur))
+      return;
+
+    auto pi = cur->project_inode(mdr);
+    pi.inode->rstat.rctime = val;
+    mdr->no_early_reply = true;
+    pip = pi.inode.get();
   } else {
     dout(10) << " unknown vxattr " << name << dendl;
     respond_to_request(mdr, -CEPHFS_EINVAL);
diff --git a/src/mds/Server.h b/src/mds/Server.h
index 76f38717c7265..b0d5161b10c36 100644
--- a/src/mds/Server.h
+++ b/src/mds/Server.h
@@ -206,6 +206,7 @@ class Server {
 
   bool xlock_policylock(MDRequestRef& mdr, CInode *in,
 			bool want_layout=false, bool xlock_snaplock=false);
+  bool wrlock_nestlock(MDRequestRef& mdr, CInode *in);
   CInode* try_get_auth_inode(MDRequestRef& mdr, inodeno_t ino);
   void handle_client_setattr(MDRequestRef& mdr);
   void handle_client_setlayout(MDRequestRef& mdr);
@@ -418,7 +419,8 @@ class Server {
            xattr_name == "ceph.dir.subvolume" ||
            xattr_name == "ceph.dir.pin" ||
            xattr_name == "ceph.dir.pin.random" ||
-           xattr_name == "ceph.dir.pin.distributed";
+           xattr_name == "ceph.dir.pin.distributed" ||
+           xattr_name == "ceph.dir.rctime";
   }
 
   static bool is_allowed_ceph_xattr(std::string_view xattr_name) {