diff --git a/src/init.cpp b/src/init.cpp
index d46318fd45e..9346e9e2048 100644
--- a/src/init.cpp
+++ b/src/init.cpp
@@ -1107,11 +1107,6 @@ static bool LockDirectory(const fs::path& dir, bool probeOnly)
     } // no default case, so the compiler can warn about missing cases
     assert(false);
 }
-static bool LockDirectories(bool probeOnly)
-{
-    return LockDirectory(gArgs.GetDataDirNet(), probeOnly) && \
-           LockDirectory(gArgs.GetBlocksDirPath(), probeOnly);
-}
 
 bool AppInitSanityChecks(const kernel::Context& kernel)
 {
@@ -1129,7 +1124,8 @@ bool AppInitSanityChecks(const kernel::Context& kernel)
     // Probe the directory locks to give an early error message, if possible
     // We cannot hold the directory locks here, as the forking for daemon() hasn't yet happened,
     // and a fork will cause weird behavior to them.
-    return LockDirectories(true);
+    return LockDirectory(gArgs.GetDataDirNet(), /*probeOnly=*/true)
+        && LockDirectory(gArgs.GetBlocksDirPath(), /*probeOnly=*/true);
 }
 
 bool AppInitLockDirectories()
@@ -1137,11 +1133,7 @@ bool AppInitLockDirectories()
     // After daemonization get the directory locks again and hold on to them until exit
     // This creates a slight window for a race condition to happen, however this condition is harmless: it
     // will at most make us exit without printing a message to console.
-    if (!LockDirectories(false)) {
-        // Detailed error printed inside LockDirectory
-        return false;
-    }
-    return true;
+    return LockDirectory(gArgs.GetDataDirNet(), /*probeOnly=*/false);
 }
 
 bool AppInitInterfaces(NodeContext& node)
diff --git a/src/init/common.cpp b/src/init/common.cpp
index bc0a2f65080..e90d34afb05 100644
--- a/src/init/common.cpp
+++ b/src/init/common.cpp
@@ -119,9 +119,10 @@ bool StartLogging(const ArgsManager& args)
     }
 
     if (!LogInstance().m_log_timestamps)
-        LogPrintf("Startup time: %s\n", FormatISO8601DateTime(GetTime()));
-    LogPrintf("Default data directory %s\n", fs::PathToString(GetDefaultDataDir()));
-    LogPrintf("Using data directory %s\n", fs::PathToString(gArgs.GetDataDirNet()));
+        LogInfo("Startup time: %s", FormatISO8601DateTime(GetTime()));
+    LogInfo("Default data directory %s", fs::PathToString(GetDefaultDataDir()));
+    LogInfo("Using data directory %s", fs::PathToString(gArgs.GetDataDirNet()));
+    LogInfo("Using blocks directory %s", fs::PathToString(gArgs.GetBlocksDirPath()));
 
     // Only log conf file usage message if conf file actually exists.
     fs::path config_file_path = args.GetConfigFilePath();
diff --git a/src/node/blockstorage.cpp b/src/node/blockstorage.cpp
index 372395dd24d..e3209847556 100644
--- a/src/node/blockstorage.cpp
+++ b/src/node/blockstorage.cpp
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include <util/batchpriority.h>
 #include <util/check.h>
 #include <util/fs.h>
+#include <util/fs_helpers.h>
 #include <util/signalinterrupt.h>
 #include <util/strencodings.h>
 #include <util/translation.h>
@@ -1165,7 +1166,8 @@ static auto InitBlocksdirXorKey(const BlockManager::Options& opts)
 }
 
 BlockManager::BlockManager(const util::SignalInterrupt& interrupt, Options opts)
-    : m_prune_mode{opts.prune_target > 0},
+    : m_blocks_dir_lock{DirectoryLock(opts.blocks_dir, "blocks")},
+      m_prune_mode{opts.prune_target > 0},
       m_xor_key{InitBlocksdirXorKey(opts)},
       m_opts{std::move(opts)},
       m_block_file_seq{FlatFileSeq{m_opts.blocks_dir, "blk", m_opts.fast_prune ? 0x4000 /* 16kB */ : BLOCKFILE_CHUNK_SIZE}},
diff --git a/src/node/blockstorage.h b/src/node/blockstorage.h
index 8a34efadfea..5db9aa82d67 100644
--- a/src/node/blockstorage.h
+++ b/src/node/blockstorage.h
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <sync.h>
 #include <uint256.h>
 #include <util/fs.h>
+#include <util/fs_helpers.h>
 #include <util/hasher.h>
 
 #include <array>
@@ -127,7 +128,6 @@ struct BlockfileCursor {
 
 std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, const BlockfileCursor& cursor);
 
-
 /**
  * Maintains a tree of blocks (stored in `m_block_index`) which is consulted
  * to determine where the most-work tip is.
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ class BlockManager
     friend ChainstateManager;
 
 private:
+    DirectoryLock m_blocks_dir_lock;
     const CChainParams& GetParams() const { return m_opts.chainparams; }
     const Consensus::Params& GetConsensus() const { return m_opts.chainparams.GetConsensus(); }
     /**