diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index f280f3d..3801fd1 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -22,6 +22,16 @@ the tag exists and is exercised; what is left is merging `next` to
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-07: Made taking the process-wide lock atomic
+  ([issue #227](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/227)). The lock
+  read `vaultik.pid`, checked whether that PID was alive and then wrote
+  its own, so two writers started together could both pass the check and
+  both run. It is now an `flock` on `vaultik.pid`, held until the run
+  ends; the kernel drops it when the process exits, so a crash leaves no
+  lock behind. A clean exit now empties the file instead of deleting it,
+  because deleting it would let two later runs each lock a different
+  file.
+
 - 2026-10-06: Made `snapshot remove --json` write only its document to
   stdout when the destination store cannot be reached
   ([issue #251](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/251)). Its
diff --git a/internal/pidlock/pidlock.go b/internal/pidlock/pidlock.go
index ea15e77..279b233 100644
--- a/internal/pidlock/pidlock.go
+++ b/internal/pidlock/pidlock.go
@@ -10,15 +10,18 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
-	"syscall"
+
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )
 
 // ErrAlreadyRunning indicates another vaultik instance is running.
 var ErrAlreadyRunning = errors.New("another vaultik instance is already running")
 
-// Lock represents an acquired PID lock.
+// Lock represents an acquired PID lock: an flock(2) on the PID file,
+// held while the file stays open. The kernel drops it when the process
+// exits, however it exits, so a crashed run never leaves the lock held.
 type Lock struct {
-	path string
+	file *os.File
 }
 
 const (
@@ -29,10 +32,9 @@ const (
 )
 
 // Acquire attempts to acquire a PID lock in the specified directory.
-// If the lock file exists and the process is still running, it returns
-// ErrAlreadyRunning with details about the existing process.
-// On success, it writes the current PID to the lock file and returns
-// a Lock that must be released with Release().
+// If another process holds the lock, it returns ErrAlreadyRunning with
+// that process's PID. On success, it writes the current PID to the lock
+// file and returns a Lock that must be released with Release().
 func Acquire(lockDir string) (*Lock, error) {
 	// Ensure lock directory exists
 	err := os.MkdirAll(lockDir, lockDirPerm)
@@ -42,56 +44,82 @@ func Acquire(lockDir string) (*Lock, error) {
 
 	lockPath := filepath.Join(lockDir, "vaultik.pid")
 
-	// Check for existing lock
-	existingPID, err := readPIDFile(lockPath)
-	if err == nil {
-		// Lock file exists, check if process is running
-		if isProcessRunning(existingPID) {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w (PID %d)", ErrAlreadyRunning, existingPID)
-		}
-		// Process is not running, stale lock file - we can take over
-	}
-
-	// Write our PID
-	pid := os.Getpid()
-
-	err = os.WriteFile(lockPath, []byte(strconv.Itoa(pid)), pidFilePerm)
+	// No O_TRUNC: the file may hold the PID of the process that has the
+	// lock, which the error below reports.
+	file, err := os.OpenFile( //nolint:gosec // G304: path is our own lock file
+		lockPath, os.O_RDWR|os.O_CREATE, pidFilePerm)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("writing PID file: %w", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("opening PID file: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	return &Lock{path: lockPath}, nil
+	err = unix.Flock(int(file.Fd()), unix.LOCK_EX|unix.LOCK_NB)
+	if err != nil {
+		_ = file.Close()
+
+		if errors.Is(err, unix.EWOULDBLOCK) {
+			return nil, alreadyRunningError(lockPath)
+		}
+
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("locking PID file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	err = writePID(file)
+	if err != nil {
+		_ = file.Close()
+
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &Lock{file: file}, nil
 }
 
-// Release removes the PID lock file.
+// Release empties the PID file and closes it, which drops the lock.
 // It is safe to call Release multiple times.
 func (l *Lock) Release() error {
-	if l == nil || l.path == "" {
+	if l == nil || l.file == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	// Verify we still own the lock (our PID is in the file)
-	existingPID, err := readPIDFile(l.path)
+	file := l.file
+	l.file = nil
+
+	// Do not remove the file here. A process that opened it a moment
+	// earlier could then lock the removed file while another creates and
+	// locks a new one, and both would run.
+	truncateErr := file.Truncate(0)
+	closeErr := file.Close()
+
+	return errors.Join(truncateErr, closeErr)
+}
+
+// writePID replaces the contents of the locked PID file with the current
+// PID.
+func writePID(file *os.File) error {
+	err := file.Truncate(0)
 	if err != nil {
-		// File already gone or unreadable - that's fine
-		return nil //nolint:nilerr // unreadable lock file means nothing to release
+		return fmt.Errorf("truncating PID file: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	if existingPID != os.Getpid() {
-		// Someone else wrote to our lock file - don't remove it
-		return nil
+	_, err = file.WriteAt([]byte(strconv.Itoa(os.Getpid())), 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("writing PID file: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	err = os.Remove(l.path)
-	if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("removing PID file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	l.path = "" // Prevent double-release
-
 	return nil
 }
 
+// alreadyRunningError reports that another process holds the lock,
+// naming its PID when the file holds one. The holder writes its PID just
+// after it locks, so the file can briefly be empty.
+func alreadyRunningError(lockPath string) error {
+	pid, err := readPIDFile(lockPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ErrAlreadyRunning
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Errorf("%w (PID %d)", ErrAlreadyRunning, pid)
+}
+
 // readPIDFile reads and parses the PID from a lock file.
 func readPIDFile(path string) (int, error) {
 	data, err := os.ReadFile(path) //nolint:gosec // G304: path is our own lock file
@@ -106,16 +134,3 @@ func readPIDFile(path string) (int, error) {
 
 	return pid, nil
 }
-
-// isProcessRunning checks if a process with the given PID is running.
-func isProcessRunning(pid int) bool {
-	process, err := os.FindProcess(pid)
-	if err != nil {
-		return false
-	}
-
-	// On Unix, FindProcess always succeeds. We need to send signal 0 to check.
-	err = process.Signal(syscall.Signal(0))
-
-	return err == nil
-}
diff --git a/internal/pidlock/pidlock_test.go b/internal/pidlock/pidlock_test.go
index 1f49372..25d67b1 100644
--- a/internal/pidlock/pidlock_test.go
+++ b/internal/pidlock/pidlock_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
@@ -33,9 +34,10 @@ func TestAcquireAndRelease(t *testing.T) {
 	err = lock.Release()
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	// Verify PID file is gone
-	_, err = os.Stat(pidPath)
-	assert.True(t, os.IsNotExist(err))
+	// Verify PID file is empty
+	data, err = os.ReadFile(pidPath) //nolint:gosec // G304: test's own temp file
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Empty(t, data)
 }
 
 func TestAcquireBlocksSecondInstance(t *testing.T) {
@@ -55,6 +57,64 @@ func TestAcquireBlocksSecondInstance(t *testing.T) {
 	lock2, err := pidlock.Acquire(tmpDir)
 	require.ErrorIs(t, err, pidlock.ErrAlreadyRunning)
 	assert.Nil(t, lock2)
+
+	// Once the first lock is released, the next Acquire succeeds
+	require.NoError(t, lock1.Release())
+
+	lock3, err := pidlock.Acquire(tmpDir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, lock3.Release())
+}
+
+// TestConcurrentAcquireAdmitsOne starts many Acquire calls at the same
+// moment, as two cron entries firing together would, and checks that
+// exactly one of them gets the lock.
+func TestConcurrentAcquireAdmitsOne(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const callers = 50
+
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	start := make(chan struct{})
+
+	var (
+		mu       sync.Mutex
+		acquired []*pidlock.Lock
+		failures []error
+		wg       sync.WaitGroup
+	)
+
+	for range callers {
+		wg.Go(func() {
+			<-start
+
+			lock, err := pidlock.Acquire(tmpDir)
+
+			mu.Lock()
+			defer mu.Unlock()
+
+			if err != nil {
+				failures = append(failures, err)
+
+				return
+			}
+
+			acquired = append(acquired, lock)
+		})
+	}
+
+	close(start)
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	for _, lock := range acquired {
+		require.NoError(t, lock.Release())
+	}
+
+	assert.Len(t, acquired, 1, "exactly one caller should hold the lock")
+
+	for _, err := range failures {
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, pidlock.ErrAlreadyRunning)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestAcquireWithStaleLock(t *testing.T) {