diff --git a/bcache.c b/bcache.c
index 4bdbc6e8..a0327617 100644
--- a/bcache.c
+++ b/bcache.c
@@ -452,7 +452,7 @@ static void do_write_sb(int fd, struct cache_sb *sb)
 }
 
 void write_backingdev_sb(int fd, unsigned block_size, unsigned *bucket_sizes,
-				bool writeback, uint64_t data_offset,
+				unsigned mode, uint64_t data_offset,
 				const char *label,
 				uuid_le set_uuid)
 {
@@ -474,9 +474,7 @@ void write_backingdev_sb(int fd, unsigned block_size, unsigned *bucket_sizes,
 	if (label)
 		memcpy(sb.label, label, SB_LABEL_SIZE);
 
-	SET_BDEV_CACHE_MODE(&sb, writeback
-			    ? CACHE_MODE_WRITEBACK
-			    : CACHE_MODE_WRITETHROUGH);
+	SET_BDEV_CACHE_MODE(&sb, mode);
 
 	if (data_offset != BDEV_DATA_START_DEFAULT) {
 		sb.version = BCACHE_SB_VERSION_BDEV_WITH_OFFSET;
diff --git a/bcache.h b/bcache.h
index d409ee26..d77d0a25 100644
--- a/bcache.h
+++ b/bcache.h
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ uint64_t bch_checksum(unsigned, const void *, size_t);
 uint64_t getblocks(int);
 uint64_t hatoi(const char *);
 unsigned hatoi_validate(const char *, const char *);
-void write_backingdev_sb(int, unsigned, unsigned *,	bool, uint64_t,
-				const char *, uuid_le);
+void write_backingdev_sb(int, unsigned, unsigned *, unsigned, uint64_t,
+			 const char *, uuid_le);
 int dev_open(const char *, bool);
 void write_cache_sbs(int *, struct cache_sb *, unsigned, unsigned *, int);
 void next_cache_device(struct cache_sb *, unsigned, int, unsigned, bool);
diff --git a/bcacheadm.c b/bcacheadm.c
index 05e48d94..d400ed22 100644
--- a/bcacheadm.c
+++ b/bcacheadm.c
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ size_t i, nr_backing_devices = 0, nr_cache_devices = 0;
 unsigned block_size = 0;
 unsigned bucket_sizes[MAX_DEVS];
 int num_bucket_sizes = 0;
-int writeback = 0, discard = 0, wipe_bcache = 0;
+int writeback = 0, writearound = 0, discard = 0, wipe_bcache = 0;
 unsigned replication_set = 0;
 char *replacement_policy = 0;
 uint64_t data_offset = BDEV_DATA_START_DEFAULT;
@@ -204,6 +204,7 @@ static NihOption make_bcache_options[] = {
 	{0, "wipe-bcache",	N_("destroy existing bcache data if present"),		NULL, NULL, &wipe_bcache, NULL},
 	{0, "discard",		N_("enable discards"),		NULL, NULL, &discard,		NULL},
 	{0, "writeback",	N_("enable writeback"),		NULL, NULL, &writeback, 	NULL},
+	{0, "writearound",	N_("enable writearound"),	NULL, NULL, &writearound, 	NULL},
 
 	NIH_OPTION_LAST
 };
@@ -291,6 +292,8 @@ int make_bcache(NihCommand *command, char *const *args)
 
 	int backing_dev_fd[devs];
 
+	unsigned cache_mode;
+
 	cache_set_sb = calloc(1, sizeof(*cache_set_sb) +
 				     sizeof(struct cache_member) * devs);
 
@@ -380,10 +383,17 @@ int make_bcache(NihCommand *command, char *const *args)
 	write_cache_sbs(cache_dev_fd, cache_set_sb, block_size,
 					bucket_sizes, num_bucket_sizes);
 
+	if (writeback)
+		cache_mode = CACHE_MODE_WRITEBACK;
+	else if (writearound)
+		cache_mode = CACHE_MODE_WRITEAROUND;
+	else
+		cache_mode = CACHE_MODE_WRITETHROUGH;
+
 	for (i = 0; i < nr_backing_devices; i++)
 		write_backingdev_sb(backing_dev_fd[i],
 				    block_size, bucket_sizes,
-				    writeback, data_offset,
+				    cache_mode, data_offset,
 				    backing_dev_labels[i],
 				    cache_set_sb->set_uuid);
 
diff --git a/make-bcache.c b/make-bcache.c
index 35bfc8c6..96b8d586 100644
--- a/make-bcache.c
+++ b/make-bcache.c
@@ -247,7 +247,10 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	for (i = 0; i < nr_backing_devices; i++)
 		write_backingdev_sb(backing_dev_fd[i],
 				    block_size, bucket_sizes,
-				    writeback, data_offset,
+				    writeback
+					? CACHE_MODE_WRITEBACK
+					: CACHE_MODE_WRITETHROUGH,
+				    data_offset,
 				    backing_dev_labels[i],
 				    cache_set_sb->set_uuid);