diff --git a/backend/local/local.go b/backend/local/local.go
index c625b4260..7f08be673 100644
--- a/backend/local/local.go
+++ b/backend/local/local.go
@@ -234,15 +234,16 @@ type Options struct {
 
 // Fs represents a local filesystem rooted at root
 type Fs struct {
-	name        string              // the name of the remote
-	root        string              // The root directory (OS path)
-	opt         Options             // parsed config options
-	features    *fs.Features        // optional features
-	dev         uint64              // device number of root node
-	precisionOk sync.Once           // Whether we need to read the precision
-	precision   time.Duration       // precision of local filesystem
-	warnedMu    sync.Mutex          // used for locking access to 'warned'.
-	warned      map[string]struct{} // whether we have warned about this string
+	name           string              // the name of the remote
+	root           string              // The root directory (OS path)
+	opt            Options             // parsed config options
+	features       *fs.Features        // optional features
+	dev            uint64              // device number of root node
+	precisionOk    sync.Once           // Whether we need to read the precision
+	precision      time.Duration       // precision of local filesystem
+	warnedMu       sync.Mutex          // used for locking access to 'warned'.
+	warned         map[string]struct{} // whether we have warned about this string
+	xattrSupported int32               // whether xattrs are supported (atomic access)
 
 	// do os.Lstat or os.Stat
 	lstat        func(name string) (os.FileInfo, error)
@@ -286,6 +287,9 @@ func NewFs(ctx context.Context, name, root string, m configmap.Mapper) (fs.Fs, e
 		dev:    devUnset,
 		lstat:  os.Lstat,
 	}
+	if xattrSupported {
+		f.xattrSupported = 1
+	}
 	f.root = cleanRootPath(root, f.opt.NoUNC, f.opt.Enc)
 	f.features = (&fs.Features{
 		CaseInsensitive:         f.caseInsensitive(),
diff --git a/backend/local/xattr.go b/backend/local/xattr.go
index a2c0cc5e8..81e86d8a5 100644
--- a/backend/local/xattr.go
+++ b/backend/local/xattr.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ package local
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/xattr"
 	"github.com/rclone/rclone/fs"
@@ -16,12 +18,30 @@ const (
 	xattrSupported = xattr.XATTR_SUPPORTED
 )
 
+// Check to see if the error supplied is a not supported error, and if
+// so, disable xattrs
+func (f *Fs) xattrIsNotSupported(err error) bool {
+	xattrErr, ok := err.(*xattr.Error)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	// Xattrs not supported can be ENOTSUP or ENOATTR or EINVAL (on Solaris)
+	if xattrErr.Err == syscall.EINVAL || xattrErr.Err == syscall.ENOTSUP || xattrErr.Err == xattr.ENOATTR {
+		// Show xattrs not supported
+		if atomic.CompareAndSwapInt32(&f.xattrSupported, 1, 0) {
+			fs.Errorf(f, "xattrs not supported - disabling: %v", err)
+		}
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // getXattr returns the extended attributes for an object
 //
 // It doesn't return any attributes owned by this backend in
 // metadataKeys
 func (o *Object) getXattr() (metadata fs.Metadata, err error) {
-	if !xattrSupported {
+	if !xattrSupported || atomic.LoadInt32(&o.fs.xattrSupported) == 0 {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 	var list []string
@@ -31,6 +51,9 @@ func (o *Object) getXattr() (metadata fs.Metadata, err error) {
 		list, err = xattr.LList(o.path)
 	}
 	if err != nil {
+		if o.fs.xattrIsNotSupported(err) {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read xattr: %w", err)
 	}
 	if len(list) == 0 {
@@ -45,6 +68,9 @@ func (o *Object) getXattr() (metadata fs.Metadata, err error) {
 			v, err = xattr.LGet(o.path, k)
 		}
 		if err != nil {
+			if o.fs.xattrIsNotSupported(err) {
+				return nil, nil
+			}
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read xattr key %q: %w", k, err)
 		}
 		k = strings.ToLower(k)
@@ -64,7 +90,7 @@ func (o *Object) getXattr() (metadata fs.Metadata, err error) {
 //
 // It doesn't set any attributes owned by this backend in metadataKeys
 func (o *Object) setXattr(metadata fs.Metadata) (err error) {
-	if !xattrSupported {
+	if !xattrSupported || atomic.LoadInt32(&o.fs.xattrSupported) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
 	for k, value := range metadata {
@@ -80,6 +106,9 @@ func (o *Object) setXattr(metadata fs.Metadata) (err error) {
 			err = xattr.LSet(o.path, k, v)
 		}
 		if err != nil {
+			if o.fs.xattrIsNotSupported(err) {
+				return nil
+			}
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to set xattr key %q: %w", k, err)
 		}
 	}