diff --git a/manifest.go b/manifest.go
index 75204569d..0b15badb1 100644
--- a/manifest.go
+++ b/manifest.go
@@ -212,19 +212,17 @@ func (mf *manifestFile) addChanges(changesParam []*pb.ManifestChange) error {
 	}
 	// Maybe we could use O_APPEND instead (on certain file systems)
 	mf.appendLock.Lock()
+	defer mf.appendLock.Unlock()
 	if err := applyChangeSet(&mf.manifest, &changes); err != nil {
-		mf.appendLock.Unlock()
 		return err
 	}
 	if mf.inMemory {
-		mf.appendLock.Unlock()
 		return nil
 	}
 	// Rewrite manifest if it'd shrink by 1/10 and it's big enough to care
 	if mf.manifest.Deletions > mf.deletionsRewriteThreshold &&
 		mf.manifest.Deletions > manifestDeletionsRatio*(mf.manifest.Creations-mf.manifest.Deletions) {
 		if err := mf.rewrite(); err != nil {
-			mf.appendLock.Unlock()
 			return err
 		}
 	} else {
@@ -233,15 +231,16 @@ func (mf *manifestFile) addChanges(changesParam []*pb.ManifestChange) error {
 		binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(lenCrcBuf[4:8], crc32.Checksum(buf, y.CastagnoliCrcTable))
 		buf = append(lenCrcBuf[:], buf...)
 		if _, err := mf.fp.Write(buf); err != nil {
-			mf.appendLock.Unlock()
 			return err
 		}
 	}
 
-	mf.appendLock.Unlock()
-	return mf.fp.Sync()
+	return syncFunc(mf.fp)
 }
 
+// this function is saved here to allow injection of fake filesystem latency at test time.
+var syncFunc = func(f *os.File) error { return f.Sync() }
+
 // Has to be 4 bytes.  The value can never change, ever, anyway.
 var magicText = [4]byte{'B', 'd', 'g', 'r'}
 
diff --git a/manifest_test.go b/manifest_test.go
index 05814bc88..a521d8444 100644
--- a/manifest_test.go
+++ b/manifest_test.go
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"sort"
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	otrace "go.opencensus.io/trace"
 
@@ -245,3 +247,44 @@ func TestManifestRewrite(t *testing.T) {
 		uint64(deletionsThreshold * 3): {Level: 0},
 	}, m.Tables)
 }
+
+func TestConcurrentManifestCompaction(t *testing.T) {
+	dir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "badger-test")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer removeDir(dir)
+
+	// set this low so rewrites will happen more often
+	deletionsThreshold := 1
+
+	// overwrite the sync function to make this race condition easily reproducible
+	syncFunc = func(f *os.File) error {
+		// effectively making the Sync() take around 1s makes this reproduce every time
+		time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
+		return f.Sync()
+	}
+
+	mf, _, err := helpOpenOrCreateManifestFile(dir, false, 0, deletionsThreshold)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	cs := &pb.ManifestChangeSet{}
+	for i := uint64(0); i < 1000; i++ {
+		cs.Changes = append(cs.Changes,
+			newCreateChange(i, 0, 0, 0),
+			newDeleteChange(i),
+		)
+	}
+
+	// simulate 2 concurrent compaction threads
+	n := 2
+	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+	wg.Add(n)
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			require.NoError(t, mf.addChanges(cs.Changes))
+		}()
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	require.NoError(t, mf.close())
+}