diff --git a/internal/ipc/client.go b/internal/ipc/client.go
index 7deb6ed..ba983b0 100644
--- a/internal/ipc/client.go
+++ b/internal/ipc/client.go
@@ -117,15 +117,19 @@ func Dial(path string) (*Client, error) {
 // Close closes the connection out from under a call in flight, on purpose: a
 // shutdown must not wait out a parked read. It takes connMu and never c.mu, so
 // it cannot block behind the call it is interrupting.
+//
+// The lock is taken and released by hand, around the two field accesses and
+// nothing else. The socket close happens outside it, because a close on a tcp
+// conn can block and connMu is on the path of every call.
 func (c *Client) Close() error {
 	c.connMu.Lock()
-	defer c.connMu.Unlock()
-	if c.conn == nil {
+	conn := c.conn
+	c.conn = nil
+	c.connMu.Unlock()
+	if conn == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	err := c.conn.Close()
-	c.conn = nil
-	return err
+	return conn.Close()
 }
 
 // DialWait is Dial with patience: it retries with capped backoff until the