diff --git a/kmod/src/dir.c b/kmod/src/dir.c
index 12cc263f..469f49f5 100644
--- a/kmod/src/dir.c
+++ b/kmod/src/dir.c
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include <linux/uio.h>
 #include <linux/xattr.h>
 #include <linux/namei.h>
+#include <linux/mm.h>
 
 #include "format.h"
 #include "file.h"
@@ -449,67 +450,114 @@ static int scoutfs_readdir(struct file *file, struct dir_context *ctx)
 	struct scoutfs_dirent *dent = NULL;
 	struct scoutfs_key last_key;
 	struct scoutfs_key key;
-	int name_len;
-	u64 pos;
+	struct page *page = NULL;
+	void *data = NULL;
+	int *name_len;
+	u64 page_pos;
 	int ret;
+	int complete = 0;
+	int i, j;
 
 	if (!dir_emit_dots(file, ctx))
 		return 0;
 
-	dent = alloc_dirent(SCOUTFS_NAME_LEN);
-	if (!dent) {
+	page = alloc_page(GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!page)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	}
+	data = page_address(page);
 
 	init_dirent_key(&last_key, SCOUTFS_READDIR_TYPE, scoutfs_ino(inode),
 			SCOUTFS_DIRENT_LAST_POS, 0);
 
+	/*
+	 * lock and fetch dirent items, until the page no longer fits
+	 * a max size dirent (288b). Then unlock and dir_emit the ones
+	 * we stored in the page.
+	 *
+	 * We store the name_len first (4b) and then the dirent. page_pos
+	 * is maintained to keep progress. Once done fetching keys, we mark
+	 * complete. The second iteration will stop once it reachs the count
+	 * from the first iteration.
+	 *
+	 * If the dirents are ~20b size, we should get about 50-100 in a
+	 * single page.
+	 */
+cont:
 	ret = scoutfs_lock_inode(sb, SCOUTFS_LOCK_READ, 0, inode, &dir_lock);
 	if (ret)
-		goto out;
+		goto out_page;
 
-	for (;;) {
+	page_pos = 0;
+
+	for (i = 0; page_pos + sizeof(int) + dirent_bytes(SCOUTFS_NAME_LEN) < PAGE_SIZE; i++) {
 		init_dirent_key(&key, SCOUTFS_READDIR_TYPE, scoutfs_ino(inode),
 				ctx->pos, 0);
 
+		dent = (struct scoutfs_dirent *)(data + page_pos + sizeof(int));
+		name_len = (int *)(data + page_pos);
+
 		ret = scoutfs_item_next(sb, &key, &last_key, dent,
 					dirent_bytes(SCOUTFS_NAME_LEN),
 					dir_lock);
 		if (ret < 0) {
-			if (ret == -ENOENT)
+			if (ret == -ENOENT) {
 				ret = 0;
-			break;
+				complete = 1;
+				break;
+			}
+			goto out_unlock;
 		}
 
-		name_len = ret - sizeof(struct scoutfs_dirent);
-		if (name_len < 1 || name_len > SCOUTFS_NAME_LEN) {
+		*name_len = ret - sizeof(struct scoutfs_dirent);
+		if (*name_len < 1 || *name_len > SCOUTFS_NAME_LEN) {
 			scoutfs_corruption(sb, SC_DIRENT_READDIR_NAME_LEN,
 					   corrupt_dirent_readdir_name_len,
 					   "dir_ino %llu pos %llu key "SK_FMT" len %d",
 					   scoutfs_ino(inode),
 					   ctx->pos,
-					   SK_ARG(&key), name_len);
+					   SK_ARG(&key), *name_len);
 			ret = -EIO;
-			goto out;
+			goto out_unlock;
 		}
 
-		pos = le64_to_cpu(key.skd_major);
-		ctx->pos = pos;
+		ctx->pos = le64_to_cpu(dent->pos) + 1;
 
-		if (!dir_emit(ctx, dent->name, name_len,
+		page_pos += dirent_bytes(*name_len) + sizeof(int);
+	}
+
+	scoutfs_unlock(sb, dir_lock, SCOUTFS_LOCK_READ);
+
+	page_pos = 0;
+
+	for (j = 0; j < i; j++) {
+		dent = (struct scoutfs_dirent *)(data + page_pos + sizeof(int));
+		name_len = (int *)(data + page_pos);
+
+		ctx->pos = le64_to_cpu(dent->pos);
+		if (!dir_emit(ctx, dent->name, *name_len,
 				le64_to_cpu(dent->ino),
 				dentry_type(dent->type))) {
 			ret = 0;
-			break;
+			goto out_page;
 		}
 
-		ctx->pos = pos + 1;
+		ctx->pos = le64_to_cpu(dent->pos) + 1;
+
+		page_pos += dirent_bytes(*name_len) + sizeof(int);
 	}
 
-out:
-	scoutfs_unlock(sb, dir_lock, SCOUTFS_LOCK_READ);
+	/* repeat */
+	if (complete == 0)
+		goto cont;
+	ret = 0;
 
-	kfree(dent);
+	goto out_page;
+
+out_unlock:
+	scoutfs_unlock(sb, dir_lock, SCOUTFS_LOCK_READ);
+out_page:
+	if (page)
+		__free_page(page);
 	return ret;
 }