diff --git a/runsc/boot/controller.go b/runsc/boot/controller.go
index 09146ce7d..b76336fb6 100644
--- a/runsc/boot/controller.go
+++ b/runsc/boot/controller.go
@@ -488,6 +488,10 @@ type RestoreOpts struct {
 func (cm *containerManager) Restore(o *RestoreOpts, _ *struct{}) error {
 	log.Debugf("containerManager.Restore")
 
+	cm.l.mu.Lock()
+	cu := cleanup.Make(cm.l.mu.Unlock)
+	defer cu.Clean()
+
 	if cm.l.state == restoring {
 		return fmt.Errorf("restore is already in progress")
 	}
@@ -514,6 +518,8 @@ func (cm *containerManager) Restore(o *RestoreOpts, _ *struct{}) error {
 	cm.restorer = &restorer{restoreDone: cm.onRestoreDone, stateFile: stateFile}
 	cm.l.restoreWaiters = sync.NewCond(&cm.l.mu)
 	cm.l.state = restoring
+	// Release `cm.l.mu`.
+	cu.Clean()
 
 	fileIdx := 1
 	if o.HavePagesFile {
@@ -590,9 +596,12 @@ func (cm *containerManager) onRestoreDone() error {
 func (cm *containerManager) RestoreSubcontainer(args *StartArgs, _ *struct{}) error {
 	log.Debugf("containerManager.RestoreSubcontainer, cid: %s, args: %+v", args.CID, args)
 
+	cm.l.mu.Lock()
 	if cm.l.state != restoring {
+		cm.l.mu.Unlock()
 		return fmt.Errorf("sandbox is not being restored, cannot restore subcontainer")
 	}
+	cm.l.mu.Unlock()
 
 	// Validate arguments.
 	if args.Spec == nil {
@@ -808,8 +817,9 @@ func (cm *containerManager) ProcfsDump(_ *struct{}, out *[]procfs.ProcessProcfsD
 	log.Debugf("containerManager.ProcfsDump")
 	ts := cm.l.k.TaskSet()
 	pidns := ts.Root
-	*out = make([]procfs.ProcessProcfsDump, 0, len(cm.l.processes))
-	for _, tg := range pidns.ThreadGroups() {
+	tgs := pidns.ThreadGroups()
+	*out = make([]procfs.ProcessProcfsDump, 0, len(tgs))
+	for _, tg := range tgs {
 		pid := pidns.IDOfThreadGroup(tg)
 		procDump, err := procfs.Dump(tg.Leader(), pid, pidns)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -848,6 +858,8 @@ func (cm *containerManager) Mount(args *MountArgs, _ *struct{}) error {
 	var cu cleanup.Cleanup
 	defer cu.Clean()
 
+	cm.l.mu.Lock()
+	defer cm.l.mu.Unlock()
 	eid := execID{cid: args.ContainerID}
 	ep, ok := cm.l.processes[eid]
 	if !ok {
diff --git a/runsc/boot/loader.go b/runsc/boot/loader.go
index 1c04de808..94f925b8a 100644
--- a/runsc/boot/loader.go
+++ b/runsc/boot/loader.go
@@ -211,40 +211,41 @@ type Loader struct {
 	// mu guards the fields below.
 	mu sync.Mutex
 
-	// state is guarded by mu.
+	// +checklocks:mu
 	state loaderState
 
 	// sharedMounts holds VFS mounts that may be shared between containers within
 	// the same pod. It is mapped by mount source.
 	//
-	// sharedMounts is guarded by mu.
+	// +checklocks:mu
 	sharedMounts map[string]*vfs.Mount
 
 	// processes maps containers init process and invocation of exec. Root
 	// processes are keyed with container ID and pid=0, while exec invocations
 	// have the corresponding pid set.
 	//
-	// processes is guarded by mu.
+	// +checklocks:mu
 	processes map[execID]*execProcess
 
 	// containerIDs store container names and IDs to assist with restore and container
 	// naming when user didn't provide one.
 	//
 	// Mapping: name -> cid.
-	// containerIDs is guarded by mu.
+	// +checklocks:mu
 	containerIDs map[string]string
 
 	// containerSpecs stores container specs for each container in sandbox.
 	//
 	// Mapping: cid -> spec.
-	// containerSpecs is guarded by mu.
+	// +checklocks:mu
 	containerSpecs map[string]*specs.Spec
 
 	// portForwardProxies is a list of active port forwarding connections.
 	//
-	// portForwardProxies is guarded by mu.
+	// +checklocks:mu
 	portForwardProxies []*pf.Proxy
 
+	// +checklocks:mu
 	saveFDs []*fd.FD
 }
 
@@ -429,7 +430,7 @@ func New(args Args) (*Loader, error) {
 		saveFDs:        args.SaveFDs,
 	}
 
-	containerName := l.registerContainerLocked(args.Spec, args.ID)
+	containerName := l.registerContainer(args.Spec, args.ID)
 	l.root = containerInfo{
 		cid:                 args.ID,
 		containerName:       containerName,
@@ -705,9 +706,11 @@ func (l *Loader) Destroy() {
 	l.watchdog.Stop()
 
 	ctx := l.k.SupervisorContext()
+	l.mu.Lock()
 	for _, m := range l.sharedMounts {
 		m.DecRef(ctx)
 	}
+	l.mu.Unlock()
 
 	// Stop the control server. This will indirectly stop any
 	// long-running control operations that are in flight, e.g.
@@ -1673,7 +1676,8 @@ func (l *Loader) threadGroupFromID(key execID) (*kernel.ThreadGroup, error) {
 // tryThreadGroupFromIDLocked returns the thread group for the given execution
 // ID. It may return nil in case the container has not started yet. Returns
 // error if execution ID is invalid or if the container cannot be found (maybe
-// it has been deleted). Caller must hold 'mu'.
+// it has been deleted).
+// +checklocks:l.mu
 func (l *Loader) tryThreadGroupFromIDLocked(key execID) (*kernel.ThreadGroup, error) {
 	ep, err := l.findProcessLocked(key)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1685,7 +1689,8 @@ func (l *Loader) tryThreadGroupFromIDLocked(key execID) (*kernel.ThreadGroup, er
 // ttyFromIDLocked returns the TTY files for the given execution ID. It may
 // return nil in case the container has not started yet. Returns error if
 // execution ID is invalid or if the container cannot be found (maybe it has
-// been deleted). Caller must hold 'mu'.
+// been deleted).
+// +checklocks:l.mu
 func (l *Loader) ttyFromIDLocked(key execID) (*host.TTYFileDescription, error) {
 	ep, err := l.findProcessLocked(key)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -1868,6 +1873,7 @@ func (l *Loader) networkStats() ([]*NetworkInterface, error) {
 	return stats, nil
 }
 
+// +checklocks:l.mu
 func (l *Loader) findProcessLocked(key execID) (*execProcess, error) {
 	ep := l.processes[key]
 	if ep == nil {
@@ -1883,6 +1889,7 @@ func (l *Loader) registerContainer(spec *specs.Spec, cid string) string {
 	return l.registerContainerLocked(spec, cid)
 }
 
+// +checklocks:l.mu
 func (l *Loader) registerContainerLocked(spec *specs.Spec, cid string) string {
 	containerName := specutils.ContainerName(spec)
 	if len(containerName) == 0 {
diff --git a/runsc/boot/loader_test.go b/runsc/boot/loader_test.go
index 57f91219d..414e553c8 100644
--- a/runsc/boot/loader_test.go
+++ b/runsc/boot/loader_test.go
@@ -480,6 +480,8 @@ func TestCreateMountNamespace(t *testing.T) {
 			defer l.Destroy()
 			defer loaderCleanup()
 
+			l.mu.Lock()
+			defer l.mu.Unlock()
 			mntr := newContainerMounter(&l.root, l.k, l.mountHints, l.sharedMounts, "", l.sandboxID)
 			ctx := l.k.SupervisorContext()
 			creds := auth.NewRootCredentials(l.root.procArgs.Credentials.UserNamespace)
diff --git a/runsc/boot/restore.go b/runsc/boot/restore.go
index 0343f2c74..a1607c1a9 100644
--- a/runsc/boot/restore.go
+++ b/runsc/boot/restore.go
@@ -189,6 +189,12 @@ func (r *restorer) restore(l *Loader) error {
 		ctx = context.WithValue(ctx, stack.CtxRestoreStack, oldStack)
 	}
 
+	l.mu.Lock()
+	cu := cleanup.Make(func() {
+		l.mu.Unlock()
+	})
+	defer cu.Clean()
+
 	fdmap := make(map[vfs.RestoreID]int)
 	mfmap := make(map[string]*pgalloc.MemoryFile)
 	for _, cont := range r.containers {
@@ -233,12 +239,6 @@ func (r *restorer) restore(l *Loader) error {
 	l.restore = true
 	l.sandboxID = l.root.cid
 
-	l.mu.Lock()
-	cu := cleanup.Make(func() {
-		l.mu.Unlock()
-	})
-	defer cu.Clean()
-
 	// Update all tasks in the system with their respective new container IDs.
 	for _, task := range l.k.TaskSet().Root.Tasks() {
 		oldCid := task.ContainerID()