diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 110e752..5f127c0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -53,8 +53,11 @@ This support is only available on the `x86_64` and `i686` architectures, however
 Vendor-specific APIs such as `openblas_get_num_threads()` are not included in header files or exported from the library.
 See the [public header file](src/libblastrampoline.h) for the most up-to-date documentation on the `libblastrampoline` API.
 
-**Note**: all `lbt_*` functions should be considered thread-unsafe.
-Do not attempt to load two BLAS libraries on two different threads at the same time.
+### Threading
+
+By default, all `lbt_*` functions are thread-unsafe; do not reconfigure forwards from multiple threads at once.
+Building with `make LBT_THREADSAFE=1` adds a process-global lock around the mutating API (`lbt_forward()`, `lbt_set_forward()`, `lbt_set_forward_by_index()`).
+Readers and the BLAS/LAPACK call forwarding itself stay lock-free, so the model remains "configure under the lock, then use".
 
 ### Limitations
 
diff --git a/src/Make.inc b/src/Make.inc
index c6759df..079ee4e 100644
--- a/src/Make.inc
+++ b/src/Make.inc
@@ -104,6 +104,18 @@ ifeq ($(OS), Darwin)
   SYMBOL_TRIMMING := 1
 endif
 
+# Optional internal locking around the (otherwise thread-unsafe) library-loading and
+# forwarding API.  Off by default to preserve historical behavior; enable with
+# `make LBT_THREADSAFE=1`.
+LBT_THREADSAFE ?= 0
+ifeq ($(LBT_THREADSAFE),1)
+  LBT_CFLAGS += -DLBT_THREADSAFE
+  ifneq ($(OS),WINNT)
+    LBT_CFLAGS += -pthread
+    LBT_LDFLAGS += -pthread
+  endif
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(VERBOSE),0)
 ENDCOLOR := "\033[0m"
 CCCOLOR := "\033[34m"
diff --git a/src/libblastrampoline.c b/src/libblastrampoline.c
index 39833ab..f0c1993 100644
--- a/src/libblastrampoline.c
+++ b/src/libblastrampoline.c
@@ -9,6 +9,35 @@
 #define DEEPBINDLESS_INTERFACE_ILP64_LOADED   0x02
 uint8_t deepbindless_interfaces_loaded      = 0x00;
 
+/*
+ * Optional process-global lock around the state-mutating API (`lbt_forward()`,
+ * `lbt_set_forward()`, `lbt_set_forward_by_index()`).  Historically these are
+ * documented as thread-unsafe; defining `LBT_THREADSAFE` at compile time wraps
+ * them in a single lock so that concurrent initializers cannot corrupt the
+ * forwarding tables.  When disabled, `lbt_lock()`/`lbt_unlock()` compile to
+ * no-ops, preserving the previous behavior exactly.
+ *
+ * NB: this guards the *mutators* only.  The read-only accessors (e.g.
+ * `lbt_get_config()`, `lbt_get_forward()`) are intentionally left unlocked,
+ * so callers must still avoid racing reads against concurrent reconfiguration.
+ */
+#ifdef LBT_THREADSAFE
+#ifdef _OS_WINDOWS_
+static CRITICAL_SECTION lbt_global_lock;
+// Initialized in `DllMain()` (DLL_PROCESS_ATTACH) before any forwarding happens.
+static inline void lbt_lock(void)   { EnterCriticalSection(&lbt_global_lock); }
+static inline void lbt_unlock(void) { LeaveCriticalSection(&lbt_global_lock); }
+#else
+#include <pthread.h>
+static pthread_mutex_t lbt_global_lock = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
+static inline void lbt_lock(void)   { pthread_mutex_lock(&lbt_global_lock); }
+static inline void lbt_unlock(void) { pthread_mutex_unlock(&lbt_global_lock); }
+#endif
+#else
+static inline void lbt_lock(void)   { }
+static inline void lbt_unlock(void) { }
+#endif
+
 
 int32_t find_symbol_idx(const char * name) {
     for (int32_t symbol_idx=0; exported_func_names[symbol_idx] != NULL; ++symbol_idx) {
@@ -80,9 +109,10 @@ LBT_DLLEXPORT void lbt_set_default_func(const void * addr) {
 }
 
 /*
- * Force a forward to a particular value.
+ * Force a forward to a particular value.  Internal, unlocked worker; callers that
+ * already hold (or intentionally forgo) `lbt_global_lock` use this directly.
  */
-LBT_DLLEXPORT int32_t lbt_set_forward_by_index(int32_t symbol_idx, const void * addr, int32_t interface, int32_t complex_retstyle, int32_t f2c, int32_t verbose) {
+static int32_t set_forward_by_index_impl(int32_t symbol_idx, const void * addr, int32_t interface, int32_t complex_retstyle, int32_t f2c, int32_t verbose) {
     // Quit out immediately if this is not a interface setting
     if (interface != LBT_INTERFACE_LP64 && interface != LBT_INTERFACE_ILP64) {
         return -1;
@@ -163,6 +193,13 @@ LBT_DLLEXPORT int32_t lbt_set_forward_by_index(int32_t symbol_idx, const void *
     return 0;
 }
 
+LBT_DLLEXPORT int32_t lbt_set_forward_by_index(int32_t symbol_idx, const void * addr, int32_t interface, int32_t complex_retstyle, int32_t f2c, int32_t verbose) {
+    lbt_lock();
+    int32_t ret = set_forward_by_index_impl(symbol_idx, addr, interface, complex_retstyle, f2c, verbose);
+    lbt_unlock();
+    return ret;
+}
+
 LBT_DLLEXPORT const void * lbt_get_forward(const char * symbol_name, int32_t interface, int32_t f2c) {
     // Search symbol list for `symbol_name``
     int32_t symbol_idx = find_symbol_idx(symbol_name);
@@ -202,22 +239,25 @@ LBT_DLLEXPORT const void * lbt_get_forward(const char * symbol_name, int32_t int
 }
 
 LBT_DLLEXPORT int32_t lbt_set_forward(const char * symbol_name, const void * addr, int32_t interface, int32_t complex_retstyle, int32_t f2c, int32_t verbose) {
-    // Search symbol list for `symbol_name`, then sub off to `set_forward_by_index()`
+    // Search symbol list for `symbol_name`, then sub off to `set_forward_by_index_impl()`
     int32_t symbol_idx = find_symbol_idx(symbol_name);
     if (symbol_idx == -1)
         return -1;
 
-    int32_t ret = lbt_set_forward_by_index(symbol_idx, addr, interface, complex_retstyle, f2c, verbose);
+    lbt_lock();
+    int32_t ret = set_forward_by_index_impl(symbol_idx, addr, interface, complex_retstyle, f2c, verbose);
     if (ret == 0) {
         // Un-mark this symbol as being provided by any of our libraries;
         // if you use the footgun API, you can keep track of who is providing what.
         clear_forwarding_mark(symbol_idx, interface);
     }
+    lbt_unlock();
     return ret;
 }
 
 // Load `libname`, clearing previous mappings if `clear` is set.
-LBT_DLLEXPORT int32_t lbt_forward(const char * libname, int32_t clear, int32_t verbose, const char * suffix_hint) {
+// Internal, unlocked worker; the public `lbt_forward()` wraps this under `lbt_global_lock`.
+static int32_t lbt_forward_impl(const char * libname, int32_t clear, int32_t verbose, const char * suffix_hint) {
     if (verbose) {
         printf("Generating forwards to %s (clear: %d, verbose: %d, suffix_hint: '%s')\n", libname, clear, verbose, suffix_hint);
     }
@@ -406,7 +446,7 @@ LBT_DLLEXPORT int32_t lbt_forward(const char * libname, int32_t clear, int32_t v
         }
 
         if (addr != NULL && addr != self_symbol_addr) {
-            lbt_set_forward_by_index(symbol_idx,  addr, interface, complex_retstyle, f2c, verbose);
+            set_forward_by_index_impl(symbol_idx,  addr, interface, complex_retstyle, f2c, verbose);
             LBT_BITFIELD_SET(forwards, symbol_idx);
             nforwards++;
         }
@@ -443,6 +483,13 @@ LBT_DLLEXPORT int32_t lbt_forward(const char * libname, int32_t clear, int32_t v
     return nforwards;
 }
 
+LBT_DLLEXPORT int32_t lbt_forward(const char * libname, int32_t clear, int32_t verbose, const char * suffix_hint) {
+    lbt_lock();
+    int32_t ret = lbt_forward_impl(libname, clear, verbose, suffix_hint);
+    lbt_unlock();
+    return ret;
+}
+
 /*
  * On windows it's surprisingly difficult to get a handle to ourselves,
  * and that's because they give it to you in `DllMain()`.  ;)
@@ -452,6 +499,10 @@ void * _win32_self_handle;
 BOOL APIENTRY DllMain(HINSTANCE hModule, DWORD code, void *reserved) {
     if (code == DLL_PROCESS_ATTACH) {
         _win32_self_handle = (void *)hModule;
+#ifdef LBT_THREADSAFE
+        // Set up the global lock before anyone can call into the forwarding API.
+        InitializeCriticalSection(&lbt_global_lock);
+#endif
     } else {
         // We do not want to run our initialization more than once per process.
         return TRUE;
@@ -537,7 +588,9 @@ __attribute__((constructor)) void init(void) {
                 curr_lib_start++;
 
             // Load functions from this library, clearing only the first time.
-            lbt_forward(curr_lib, clear, verbose, suffix_hint);
+            // We run inside the constructor (single-threaded), so call the unlocked
+            // worker directly rather than re-entering the public locking wrapper.
+            lbt_forward_impl(curr_lib, clear, verbose, suffix_hint);
             clear = 0;
         }
     }
diff --git a/test/utils.jl b/test/utils.jl
index 5a53c44..78cc3a9 100644
--- a/test/utils.jl
+++ b/test/utils.jl
@@ -95,11 +95,16 @@ function build_libblastrampoline()
     end
 
     cflags_add = "-Werror" * (needs_m32() ? " -m32" : "")
+    # Build with the optional internal locking compiled in by default, so the
+    # `LBT_THREADSAFE` code paths (pthread / CRITICAL_SECTION) are exercised across the
+    # whole test matrix.  Set `LBT_THREADSAFE=0` in the environment to instead test the
+    # plain (no-op lock) build that ships by default.
+    threadsafe = get(ENV, "LBT_THREADSAFE", "1")
     dir = mktempdir()
     srcdir = joinpath(dirname(@__DIR__), "src")
     global blastrampoline_build_dir = joinpath(dir, "output")
     run(`$(make) -sC $(pathesc(srcdir)) CFLAGS="$(cflags_add)" ARCH=$(Sys.ARCH) clean`)
-    run(`$(make) -sC $(pathesc(srcdir)) CFLAGS="$(cflags_add)" ARCH=$(Sys.ARCH) install builddir=$(pathesc(dir))/build prefix=$(pathesc(blastrampoline_build_dir))`)
+    run(`$(make) -sC $(pathesc(srcdir)) CFLAGS="$(cflags_add)" ARCH=$(Sys.ARCH) LBT_THREADSAFE=$(threadsafe) install builddir=$(pathesc(dir))/build prefix=$(pathesc(blastrampoline_build_dir))`)
 
     link_name = blastrampoline_dev_link_name
     cp(