diff --git a/src/native/clr/host/gc-bridge.cc b/src/native/clr/host/gc-bridge.cc
index 34cc3ccc252..3d8cf0942dd 100644
--- a/src/native/clr/host/gc-bridge.cc
+++ b/src/native/clr/host/gc-bridge.cc
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+#include <cerrno>
+#include <pthread.h>
+#include <semaphore.h>
+
 #include <host/gc-bridge.hh>
 #include <host/bridge-processing.hh>
 #include <host/os-bridge.hh>
@@ -7,6 +11,41 @@
 
 using namespace xamarin::android;
 
+void GCBridge::initialize_shared_args_semaphore () noexcept
+{
+	int ret = sem_init (&shared_args_semaphore, 0, 0);
+	abort_unless (ret == 0, "Failed to initialize GC bridge semaphore");
+}
+
+void GCBridge::start_bridge_processing_thread () noexcept
+{
+	pthread_t thread {};
+	int ret = pthread_create (&thread, nullptr, bridge_processing_thread_entry, nullptr);
+	abort_unless (ret == 0, "Failed to create GC bridge processing thread");
+
+	ret = pthread_detach (thread);
+	abort_unless (ret == 0, "Failed to detach GC bridge processing thread");
+}
+
+void GCBridge::publish_shared_args (MarkCrossReferencesArgs *args) noexcept
+{
+	__atomic_store_n (&shared_args, args, __ATOMIC_RELEASE);
+
+	int ret = sem_post (&shared_args_semaphore);
+	abort_unless (ret == 0, "Failed to release GC bridge semaphore");
+}
+
+auto GCBridge::wait_for_shared_args () noexcept -> MarkCrossReferencesArgs*
+{
+	int ret;
+	do {
+		ret = sem_wait (&shared_args_semaphore);
+	} while (ret == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+	abort_unless (ret == 0, "Failed to acquire GC bridge semaphore");
+
+	return __atomic_load_n (&shared_args, __ATOMIC_ACQUIRE);
+}
+
 void GCBridge::initialize_on_onload (JNIEnv *env) noexcept
 {
 	abort_if_invalid_pointer_argument (env, "env");
@@ -55,8 +94,7 @@ void GCBridge::mark_cross_references (MarkCrossReferencesArgs *args) noexcept
 	abort_unless (args->CrossReferences != nullptr || args->CrossReferenceCount == 0, "CrossReferences must not be null if CrossReferenceCount is greater than 0");
 	log_mark_cross_references_args_if_enabled (args);
 
-	shared_args.store (args);
-	shared_args_semaphore.release ();
+	publish_shared_args (args);
 }
 
 void GCBridge::bridge_processing () noexcept
@@ -66,8 +104,7 @@ void GCBridge::bridge_processing () noexcept
 
 	while (true) {
 		// wait until mark cross references args are set by the GC callback
-		shared_args_semaphore.acquire ();
-		MarkCrossReferencesArgs *args = shared_args.load ();
+		MarkCrossReferencesArgs *args = wait_for_shared_args ();
 
 		bridge_processing_started_callback (args);
 
@@ -78,6 +115,12 @@ void GCBridge::bridge_processing () noexcept
 	}
 }
 
+auto GCBridge::bridge_processing_thread_entry ([[maybe_unused]] void *arg) noexcept -> void*
+{
+	bridge_processing ();
+	return nullptr;
+}
+
 [[gnu::always_inline]]
 void GCBridge::log_mark_cross_references_args_if_enabled (MarkCrossReferencesArgs *args) noexcept
 {
diff --git a/src/native/clr/include/host/gc-bridge.hh b/src/native/clr/include/host/gc-bridge.hh
index 80c0ac68132..2ec7bade985 100644
--- a/src/native/clr/include/host/gc-bridge.hh
+++ b/src/native/clr/include/host/gc-bridge.hh
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 #pragma once
 
-#include <atomic>
+#include <semaphore.h>
+
 #include <jni.h>
-#include <thread>
-#include <semaphore>
-#include <shared_mutex>
-#include <unordered_map>
 
 #include <shared/cpp-util.hh>
 
@@ -72,8 +69,8 @@ namespace xamarin::android {
 			GCBridge::bridge_processing_started_callback = bridge_processing_started;
 			GCBridge::bridge_processing_finished_callback = bridge_processing_finished;
 
-			bridge_processing_thread = std::thread { GCBridge::bridge_processing };
-			bridge_processing_thread.detach ();
+			initialize_shared_args_semaphore ();
+			start_bridge_processing_thread ();
 
 			return mark_cross_references;
 		}
@@ -81,10 +78,11 @@ namespace xamarin::android {
 		static void trigger_java_gc (JNIEnv *env) noexcept;
 
 	private:
-		static inline std::thread bridge_processing_thread {};
-
-		static inline std::binary_semaphore shared_args_semaphore{0};
-		static inline std::atomic<MarkCrossReferencesArgs*> shared_args;
+		static inline sem_t shared_args_semaphore {};
+		// JavaMarshal serializes bridge rounds: it does not publish another argument block until
+		// bridge_processing_finished_callback has completed. This is therefore a single-slot
+		// handoff; the semaphore signals availability but does not queue distinct argument blocks.
+		static inline MarkCrossReferencesArgs *shared_args = nullptr;
 
 		static inline jobject Runtime_instance = nullptr;
 		static inline jmethodID Runtime_gc = nullptr;
@@ -92,7 +90,13 @@ namespace xamarin::android {
 		static inline BridgeProcessingStartedFtn bridge_processing_started_callback = nullptr;
 		static inline BridgeProcessingFinishedFtn bridge_processing_finished_callback = nullptr;
 
+		static void initialize_shared_args_semaphore () noexcept;
+		static void start_bridge_processing_thread () noexcept;
+		static void publish_shared_args (MarkCrossReferencesArgs *args) noexcept;
+		static auto wait_for_shared_args () noexcept -> MarkCrossReferencesArgs*;
+
 		static void bridge_processing () noexcept;
+		static auto bridge_processing_thread_entry (void *arg) noexcept -> void*;
 		static void mark_cross_references (MarkCrossReferencesArgs *args) noexcept;
 		
 		static void log_mark_cross_references_args_if_enabled (MarkCrossReferencesArgs *args) noexcept;