diff --git a/src/mem/cache/base.cc b/src/mem/cache/base.cc
index 082650c..0de7f21 100644
--- a/src/mem/cache/base.cc
+++ b/src/mem/cache/base.cc
@@ -1409,30 +1409,6 @@
             chatty_assert(!isReadOnly, "Should never see dirty snoop response "
                           "in read-only cache %s\n", name());
 
-        } else if (pkt->cmd.isSWPrefetch() && pkt->needsWritable()) {
-            // All other copies of the block were invalidated and we
-            // have an exclusive copy.
-
-            // The coherence protocol assumes that if we fetched an
-            // exclusive copy of the block, we have the intention to
-            // modify it. Therefore the MSHR for the PrefetchExReq has
-            // been the point of ordering and this cache has commited
-            // to respond to snoops for the block.
-            //
-            // In most cases this is true anyway - a PrefetchExReq
-            // will be followed by a WriteReq. However, if that
-            // doesn't happen, the block is not marked as dirty and
-            // the cache doesn't respond to snoops that has committed
-            // to do so.
-            //
-            // To avoid deadlocks in cases where there is a snoop
-            // between the PrefetchExReq and the expected WriteReq, we
-            // proactively mark the block as Dirty.
-
-            blk->status |= BlkDirty;
-
-            panic_if(!isReadOnly, "Prefetch exclusive requests from read-only "
-                     "cache %s\n", name());
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/mem/cache/cache.cc b/src/mem/cache/cache.cc
index bded746..b054cd4 100644
--- a/src/mem/cache/cache.cc
+++ b/src/mem/cache/cache.cc
@@ -710,6 +710,32 @@
 
             // Software prefetch handling for cache closest to core
             if (tgt_pkt->cmd.isSWPrefetch()) {
+                if (tgt_pkt->needsWritable()) {
+                    // All other copies of the block were invalidated and we
+                    // have an exclusive copy.
+
+                    // The coherence protocol assumes that if we fetched an
+                    // exclusive copy of the block, we have the intention to
+                    // modify it. Therefore the MSHR for the PrefetchExReq has
+                    // been the point of ordering and this cache has commited
+                    // to respond to snoops for the block.
+                    //
+                    // In most cases this is true anyway - a PrefetchExReq
+                    // will be followed by a WriteReq. However, if that
+                    // doesn't happen, the block is not marked as dirty and
+                    // the cache doesn't respond to snoops that has committed
+                    // to do so.
+                    //
+                    // To avoid deadlocks in cases where there is a snoop
+                    // between the PrefetchExReq and the expected WriteReq, we
+                    // proactively mark the block as Dirty.
+                    assert(blk);
+                    blk->status |= BlkDirty;
+
+                    panic_if(isReadOnly, "Prefetch exclusive requests from "
+                            "read-only cache %s\n", name());
+                }
+
                 // a software prefetch would have already been ack'd
                 // immediately with dummy data so the core would be able to
                 // retire it. This request completes right here, so we