diff --git a/e2fsck/e2fsck.8.in b/e2fsck/e2fsck.8.in
index f5ed758..43ee063 100644
--- a/e2fsck/e2fsck.8.in
+++ b/e2fsck/e2fsck.8.in
@@ -207,6 +207,18 @@ option may prevent you from further manual data recovery.
 .BI nodiscard
 Do not attempt to discard free blocks and unused inode blocks. This option is
 exactly the opposite of discard option. This is set as default.
+.TP
+.BI strict_csums
+Verify each metadata object's checksum before checking anything other fields
+in the metadata object.  If the verification fails, offer to clear the item,
+also before checking any of the other fields.  This option causes e2fsck to
+favor throwing away broken objects over trying to salvage them.
+.TP
+.BI no_strict_csums
+Perform all regular checks of a metadata object and only verify the checksum if
+no problems were found.  This option causes e2fsck to try to salvage slightly
+damaged metadata objects, at the cost of spending processing time on recovering
+data.  This is set as the default.
 .RE
 .TP
 .B \-f
diff --git a/e2fsck/e2fsck.conf.5.in b/e2fsck/e2fsck.conf.5.in
index 9ebfbbf..a8219a8 100644
--- a/e2fsck/e2fsck.conf.5.in
+++ b/e2fsck/e2fsck.conf.5.in
@@ -222,6 +222,26 @@ If this boolean relation is true, e2fsck will run as if the option
 .B -v
 is always specified.  This will cause e2fsck to print some additional
 information at the end of each full file system check.
+.TP
+.I strict_csums
+If this boolean relation is true, e2fsck will run as if
+.B -E strict_csums
+is set.  This causes e2fsck to verify each metadata object's checksum before
+checking anything other fields in the metadata object.  If the verification
+fails, offer to clear the item, also before checking any of the other fields.
+This option causes e2fsck to favor throwing away broken objects over trying to
+salvage them.
+.IP
+If the boolean relation is false, e2fsck will run as if
+.B -E no_strict_csums
+is set.  In this case, e2fsck will perform all regular checks of a metadata
+object and only verify the checksum if no problems were found.  This option
+causes e2fsck to try to salvage slightly damaged metadata objects, at the cost
+of spending processing time on recovering data.
+.IP
+The default is for e2fsck to behave as if
+.B -E no_strict_csums
+is set.
 .SH THE [problems] STANZA
 Each tag in the
 .I [problems] 
diff --git a/e2fsck/e2fsck.h b/e2fsck/e2fsck.h
index dbd6ea8..d7a7be9 100644
--- a/e2fsck/e2fsck.h
+++ b/e2fsck/e2fsck.h
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ struct resource_track {
 #define E2F_OPT_FRAGCHECK	0x0800
 #define E2F_OPT_JOURNAL_ONLY	0x1000 /* only replay the journal */
 #define E2F_OPT_DISCARD		0x2000
+#define E2F_OPT_CSUM_FIRST	0x4000
 
 /*
  * E2fsck flags
diff --git a/e2fsck/problem.c b/e2fsck/problem.c
index 7f0ad6c..0999399 100644
--- a/e2fsck/problem.c
+++ b/e2fsck/problem.c
@@ -970,7 +970,7 @@ static struct e2fsck_problem problem_table[] = {
 	/* inode checksum does not match inode */
 	{ PR_1_INODE_CSUM_INVALID,
 	  N_("@i %i checksum does not match @i.  "),
-	  PROMPT_CLEAR, PR_PREEN_OK },
+	  PROMPT_CLEAR, PR_PREEN_OK | PR_INITIAL_CSUM },
 
 	/* inode passes checks, but checksum does not match inode */
 	{ PR_1_INODE_ONLY_CSUM_INVALID,
@@ -981,7 +981,7 @@ static struct e2fsck_problem problem_table[] = {
 	{ PR_1_EXTENT_CSUM_INVALID,
 	  N_("@i %i extent block checksum does not match extent\n\t(logical @b "
 	     "%c, @n physical @b %b, len %N)\n"),
-	  PROMPT_CLEAR, 0 },
+	  PROMPT_CLEAR, PR_INITIAL_CSUM },
 
 	/*
 	 * Inode extent block passes checks, but checksum does not match
@@ -996,7 +996,7 @@ static struct e2fsck_problem problem_table[] = {
 	{ PR_1_EA_BLOCK_CSUM_INVALID,
 	  N_("Extended attribute @a @b %b checksum for @i %i does not "
 	     "match.  "),
-	  PROMPT_CLEAR, 0 },
+	  PROMPT_CLEAR, PR_INITIAL_CSUM },
 
 	/*
 	 * Extended attribute block passes checks, but checksum for inode does
@@ -1470,7 +1470,7 @@ static struct e2fsck_problem problem_table[] = {
 	/* leaf node fails checksum */
 	{ PR_2_LEAF_NODE_CSUM_INVALID,
 	  N_("@d @i %i, %B, offset %N: @d fails checksum\n"),
-	  PROMPT_SALVAGE, PR_PREEN_OK },
+	  PROMPT_SALVAGE, PR_PREEN_OK | PR_INITIAL_CSUM },
 
 	/* leaf node has no checksum */
 	{ PR_2_LEAF_NODE_MISSING_CSUM,
@@ -1944,6 +1944,16 @@ int fix_problem(e2fsck_t ctx, problem_t code, struct problem_context *pctx)
 		printf(_("Unhandled error code (0x%x)!\n"), code);
 		return 0;
 	}
+
+	/*
+	 * If there is a problem with the initial csum verification and the
+	 * user told e2fsck to verify csums /after/ checking everything else,
+	 * then don't "fix" anything.
+	 */
+	if ((ptr->flags & PR_INITIAL_CSUM) &&
+	    !(ctx->options & E2F_OPT_CSUM_FIRST))
+		return 0;
+
 	if (!(ptr->flags & PR_CONFIG)) {
 		char	key[9], *new_desc = NULL;
 
diff --git a/e2fsck/problemP.h b/e2fsck/problemP.h
index 7944cd6..a983598 100644
--- a/e2fsck/problemP.h
+++ b/e2fsck/problemP.h
@@ -44,3 +44,4 @@ struct latch_descr {
 #define PR_CONFIG	0x080000 /* This problem has been customized
 				    from the config file */
 #define PR_FORCE_NO	0x100000 /* Force the answer to be no */
+#define PR_INITIAL_CSUM	0x200000 /* User can ignore initial csum check */
diff --git a/e2fsck/unix.c b/e2fsck/unix.c
index b39383d..c6cdb49 100644
--- a/e2fsck/unix.c
+++ b/e2fsck/unix.c
@@ -692,6 +692,10 @@ static void parse_extended_opts(e2fsck_t ctx, const char *opts)
 			else
 				ctx->log_fn = string_copy(ctx, arg, 0);
 			continue;
+		} else if (strcmp(token, "strict_csums") == 0) {
+			ctx->options |= E2F_OPT_CSUM_FIRST;
+		} else if (strcmp(token, "no_strict_csums") == 0) {
+			ctx->options &= ~E2F_OPT_CSUM_FIRST;
 		} else {
 			fprintf(stderr, _("Unknown extended option: %s\n"),
 				token);
@@ -710,6 +714,8 @@ static void parse_extended_opts(e2fsck_t ctx, const char *opts)
 		fputs(("\tjournal_only\n"), stderr);
 		fputs(("\tdiscard\n"), stderr);
 		fputs(("\tnodiscard\n"), stderr);
+		fputs(("\tstrict_csums\n"), stderr);
+		fputs(("\tno_strict_csums\n"), stderr);
 		fputc('\n', stderr);
 		exit(1);
 	}
@@ -945,6 +951,11 @@ static errcode_t PRS(int argc, char *argv[], e2fsck_t *ret_ctx)
 	profile_set_syntax_err_cb(syntax_err_report);
 	profile_init(config_fn, &ctx->profile);
 
+	profile_get_boolean(ctx->profile, "options", "strict_csums", NULL,
+			    0, &c);
+	if (c)
+		ctx->options |= E2F_OPT_CSUM_FIRST;
+
 	profile_get_boolean(ctx->profile, "options", "report_time", 0, 0,
 			    &c);
 	if (c)
