diff --git a/nsenter/event.go b/nsenter/event.go
index aa779ca..e7481a5 100644
--- a/nsenter/event.go
+++ b/nsenter/event.go
@@ -640,30 +640,17 @@ func (e *NSenterEvent) SendRequest() error {
 		return errors.New("Error copying payload to pipe")
 	}
 
-	// Wait for sysbox-fs' first child process to finish.
-	status, err := cmd.Process.Wait()
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Warnf("Error waiting for sysbox-fs first child process: %d, status: %s, error: %s",
-			cmd.Process.Pid, status.String(), err)
-		if !e.Async {
-			e.reaper.nsenterReapReq()
-		}
-		return err
-	}
-	if !status.Success() {
-		logrus.Warnf("Sysbox-fs first child process error status: %s, pid: %d",
-			status.String(), cmd.Process.Pid)
-		if !e.Async {
-			e.reaper.nsenterReapReq()
-		}
-		return errors.New("Error waiting for sysbox-fs first child process")
-	}
-
-	// Receive sysbox-fs' first-child pid.
+	// Receive sysbox-fs' first-child pid. This must happen before waiting on
+	// the PARENT process, because the PARENT writes the pid to the pipe before
+	// exiting. Reading the pipe first avoids holding an RLock while blocked on
+	// Process.Wait() for a child whose exit may be delayed by fuse_flush.
 	var pid pid
 	decoder := json.NewDecoder(e.parentPipe)
 	if err := decoder.Decode(&pid); err != nil {
 		logrus.Warnf("Error receiving first-child pid: %s", err)
+		if !e.Async {
+			e.reaper.nsenterReapReq()
+		}
 		return errors.New("Error receiving first-child pid")
 	}
 
@@ -673,9 +660,12 @@ func (e *NSenterEvent) SendRequest() error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// Wait for sysbox-fs' second child process to finish. Ignore the error in
-	// case the child has already been reaped for any reason.
-	_, _ = firstChildProcess.Wait()
+	// Wait for the PARENT and CHILD nsenter processes asynchronously. Their
+	// exits can be delayed by the kernel's fuse_flush on inherited FUSE file
+	// descriptors; waiting synchronously here would hold the reaper RLock and
+	// block both the reaper and new FUSE handlers.
+	go cmd.Process.Wait()
+	go firstChildProcess.Wait()
 
 	// Sysbox-fs' third child (grand-child) process remains and will enter the
 	// go runtime. This is the nsenter agent process.
@@ -745,7 +735,7 @@ func (e *NSenterEvent) SendRequest() error {
 		return ierr
 	}
 
-	e.Process.Wait()
+	e.reaper.reapProcessAsync(e.Process)
 
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/nsenter/reaper.go b/nsenter/reaper.go
index c42cf97..fd7287a 100644
--- a/nsenter/reaper.go
+++ b/nsenter/reaper.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package nsenter
 
 import (
+	"os"
 	"sync"
 	"syscall"
 	"time"
@@ -56,6 +57,17 @@ func (zr *zombieReaper) nsenterReapReq() {
 	}
 }
 
+// reapProcessAsync waits for the given process in a background goroutine
+// and triggers a reaper sweep when it exits. Use this at the end of an
+// nsenter operation so the caller can release the RLock without blocking
+// on a child whose exit may be delayed by fuse_flush.
+func (zr *zombieReaper) reapProcessAsync(p *os.Process) {
+	go func() {
+		p.Wait()
+		zr.nsenterReapReq()
+	}()
+}
+
 // Go-routine that performs reaping
 func reaper(signal chan bool, mu *sync.RWMutex) {
 	var wstatus syscall.WaitStatus
@@ -63,30 +75,26 @@ func reaper(signal chan bool, mu *sync.RWMutex) {
 	for {
 		<-signal
 
-		// Without this delay, sysbox-fs sometimes hangs the FUSE request that generates an
-		// nsenter event that requires reaping. It's not clear why, but the tell-tale sign
-		// of the hang is that the reaper is signaled but finds nothing to reap. This delay
-		// mitigates this condition and the reaper finds something to reap.
-		//
-		// The delay chosen is one that allows nsenter agents to complete their tasks before
-		// reaping occurs. Since the reaper runs in its own goroutine, this delay only
-		// affects it (there is no undesired side-effect on nsenters).
-
-		time.Sleep(time.Second)
-
+		// Use TryLock instead of Lock to avoid blocking subsequent RLock
+		// callers. Go's sync.RWMutex implements writer-preference: a pending
+		// Lock() blocks all new RLock() calls. If an nsenter child triggers
+		// a FUSE request back to sysbox-fs, the FUSE handler needs RLock to
+		// start a new nsenter. A blocking Lock() here would prevent that
+		// RLock, causing a deadlock. TryLock avoids this by simply skipping
+		// the reap cycle when nsenters are active
+		for !mu.TryLock() {
+			time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 100)
+		}
 		for {
-			mu.Lock()
-
 			// WNOHANG: if there is no child to reap, don't block
 			wpid, err := syscall.Wait4(-1, &wstatus, syscall.WNOHANG, nil)
 			if err != nil || wpid == 0 {
 				logrus.Infof("reaper: nothing to reap")
-				mu.Unlock()
 				break
 			}
 
 			logrus.Infof("reaper: reaped pid %d", wpid)
-			mu.Unlock()
 		}
+		mu.Unlock()
 	}
 }
diff --git a/nsenter/reaper_test.go b/nsenter/reaper_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d19a664
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nsenter/reaper_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+package nsenter
+
+import (
+	"os/exec"
+	"syscall"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// TestReaperDoesNotBlockNewNsenter verifies that signaling the zombie reaper
+// while an nsenter is active does not prevent a new nsenter from starting.
+//
+// This is a regression test for a deadlock caused by Go's sync.RWMutex
+// writer-preference: when the reaper's Lock() was pending (waiting for an
+// active nsenter's RLock to be released), all new RLock() callers — including
+// FUSE handlers that needed to start their own nsenter — were blocked. If the
+// active nsenter depended on one of those FUSE handlers to complete, the
+// system deadlocked.
+//
+// The fix replaced Lock() with TryLock() in the reaper goroutine so it never
+// registers a pending writer.
+func TestReaperDoesNotBlockNewNsenter(t *testing.T) {
+	zr := newZombieReaper()
+
+	// Simulate an active nsenter holding the read lock.
+	zr.nsenterStarted()
+
+	// Signal the reaper multiple times over a few seconds to ensure at least
+	// one signal arrives after the reaper's internal delay and the goroutine
+	// reaches its lock attempt.
+	for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
+		zr.nsenterReapReq()
+		time.Sleep(500 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+
+	// Try to start a second nsenter from a new goroutine. This calls RLock().
+	// If the reaper registered a pending writer via Lock(), this blocks
+	// indefinitely due to writer-preference.
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		zr.nsenterStarted()
+		zr.nsenterEnded()
+		close(done)
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-done:
+		// New nsenter started successfully — no writer-preference deadlock.
+	case <-time.After(3 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("nsenterStarted() blocked: reaper's pending write lock is starving new readers")
+	}
+
+	zr.nsenterEnded()
+}
+
+// TestReapProcessAsyncReleasesCallerPromptly verifies that reapProcessAsync
+// does not block the caller. This is a regression test for a deadlock where
+// SendRequest() called Process.Wait() synchronously while holding the reaper
+// RLock. If the child's exit was delayed (e.g., by the kernel's fuse_flush on
+// inherited FUSE file descriptors), the RLock was held indefinitely, preventing
+// both the reaper and new FUSE handlers from making progress.
+//
+// The fix moved Process.Wait() into reapProcessAsync, which waits in a
+// background goroutine so the caller can release the RLock immediately.
+func TestReapProcessAsyncReleasesCallerPromptly(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := exec.Command("sleep", "3")
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to start child: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer cmd.Process.Kill()
+
+	zr := newZombieReaper()
+
+	// Simulate SendRequest's locking pattern: hold RLock, schedule async
+	// reap, release RLock.
+	zr.nsenterStarted()
+	zr.reapProcessAsync(cmd.Process)
+	zr.nsenterEnded()
+
+	// The reaper must be able to acquire Lock immediately. If
+	// reapProcessAsync blocked the caller (old behavior), the RLock would
+	// still be held and this would time out.
+	locked := make(chan struct{})
+	go func() {
+		zr.mu.Lock()
+		zr.mu.Unlock()
+		close(locked)
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-locked:
+		// RLock was released before the child exited.
+	case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("reaper Lock blocked: reapProcessAsync is not releasing the caller promptly")
+	}
+
+	// The child must still be alive, proving we did not wait synchronously.
+	if err := cmd.Process.Signal(syscall.Signal(0)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("child exited prematurely: reapProcessAsync should not wait synchronously: %v", err)
+	}
+}