diff --git a/SPECS-SIGNED/systemd-boot-signed/systemd-boot-signed.spec b/SPECS-SIGNED/systemd-boot-signed/systemd-boot-signed.spec
index 73238100e8d..381e6c76687 100644
--- a/SPECS-SIGNED/systemd-boot-signed/systemd-boot-signed.spec
+++ b/SPECS-SIGNED/systemd-boot-signed/systemd-boot-signed.spec
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Version:        255
 # determine the build information from local checkout
 Version:        %(tools/meson-vcs-tag.sh . error | sed -r 's/-([0-9])/.^\1/; s/-g/_g/')
 %endif
-Release:        34%{?dist}
+Release:        35%{?dist}
 License:        LGPL-2.1-or-later AND MIT AND GPL-2.0-or-later
 Vendor:         Microsoft Corporation
 Distribution:   Azure Linux
@@ -98,6 +98,9 @@ popd
 /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT/%{grubefiname}
 
 %changelog
+* Fri Aug 28 2026 Pawel Winogrodzki <pawelwi@microsoft.com> - 255-35
+- Bump release to match systemd spec.
+
 * Mon Aug 17 2026 Aditya Singh <v-aditysing@microsoft.com> - 255-34
 - Bump release to match systemd spec.
 
diff --git a/SPECS/systemd/systemd-fsck-lock-whole-disk.patch b/SPECS/systemd/systemd-fsck-lock-whole-disk.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3945463148e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/SPECS/systemd/systemd-fsck-lock-whole-disk.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+diff --git a/src/fsck/fsck.c b/src/fsck/fsck.c
+index 000ed69..8eb209a 100644
+--- a/src/fsck/fsck.c
++++ b/src/fsck/fsck.c
+@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
+ #include "sd-device.h"
+
+ #include "alloc-util.h"
++#include "blockdev-util.h"
+ #include "bus-common-errors.h"
+ #include "bus-error.h"
+ #include "bus-locator.h"
+@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@
+ #include "fd-util.h"
+ #include "fs-util.h"
+ #include "fsck-util.h"
++#include "lock-util.h"
+ #include "main-func.h"
+ #include "parse-util.h"
+ #include "path-util.h"
+@@ -233,8 +235,45 @@ static int fsck_progress_socket(void) {
+         return TAKE_FD(fd);
+ }
+
++static int lock_whole_disk(const char *device) {
++        _cleanup_free_ char *whole_disk = NULL;
++        _cleanup_close_ int fd = -EBADF;
++        struct stat st;
++        dev_t devno;
++        int r;
++
++        assert(device);
++
++        r = path_get_whole_disk(device, /* backing = */ false, &devno);
++        if (r < 0)
++                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to find whole block device for '%s': %m", device);
++
++        r = devname_from_devnum(S_IFBLK, devno, &whole_disk);
++        if (r < 0)
++                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to resolve whole block device for '%s': %m", device);
++
++        fd = open(whole_disk, O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC|O_NONBLOCK|O_NOCTTY);
++        if (fd < 0)
++                return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to open whole block device '%s': %m", whole_disk);
++
++        if (fstat(fd, &st) < 0)
++                return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to stat whole block device '%s': %m", whole_disk);
++        if (!S_ISBLK(st.st_mode) || st.st_rdev != devno)
++                return log_error_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(ENXIO),
++                                       "Path '%s' no longer refers to block device %u:%u.",
++                                       whole_disk, major(devno), minor(devno));
++
++        r = lock_generic(fd, LOCK_BSD, LOCK_EX);
++        if (r < 0)
++                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to lock whole block device '%s': %m", whole_disk);
++
++        log_debug("Locked whole block device %s while checking %s.", whole_disk, device);
++        return TAKE_FD(fd);
++}
++
+ static int run(int argc, char *argv[]) {
+         _cleanup_close_pair_ int progress_pipe[2] = EBADF_PAIR;
++        _cleanup_close_ int lock_fd = -EBADF;
+         _cleanup_(sd_device_unrefp) sd_device *dev = NULL;
+         _cleanup_free_ char *dpath = NULL;
+         _cleanup_fclose_ FILE *console = NULL;
+@@ -333,6 +372,10 @@ static int run(int argc, char *argv[]) {
+                 }
+         }
+
++        lock_fd = lock_whole_disk(device);
++        if (lock_fd < 0)
++                return lock_fd;
++
+         console = fopen("/dev/console", "we");
+         if (console &&
+             arg_show_progress &&
diff --git a/SPECS/systemd/systemd.spec b/SPECS/systemd/systemd.spec
index bc46e768f95..059ccc0f2ef 100644
--- a/SPECS/systemd/systemd.spec
+++ b/SPECS/systemd/systemd.spec
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ Version:        255
 # determine the build information from local checkout
 Version:        %(tools/meson-vcs-tag.sh . error | sed -r 's/-([0-9])/.^\1/; s/-g/_g/')
 %endif
-Release:        34%{?dist}
+Release:        35%{?dist}
 
 # FIXME - hardcode to 'stable' for now as that's what we have in our blobstore
 %global stable 1
@@ -162,6 +162,13 @@ Patch0914:      Prevent-corruption-from-stale-alias-state-on-daemon-reload.patch
 Patch0915:      CVE-2026-15059.patch
 Patch0916:      CVE-2026-16742.patch
 
+# Alternative to the proposed native e2fsprogs whole-disk lock:
+# https://lore.kernel.org/linux-ext4/20260824161512.1332649-1-naraghavan@linux.microsoft.com/
+# Do not ship both implementations. systemd-fsck retains its exclusive
+# lock while waiting for fsck; native e2fsck locking would then block on
+# a second independently-opened lock and deadlock boot.
+Patch0917:      systemd-fsck-lock-whole-disk.patch
+
 %ifarch %{ix86} x86_64 aarch64
 %global want_bootloader 1
 %endif
@@ -1259,6 +1266,10 @@ rm -f %{name}.lang
 # %autochangelog. So we need to continue manually maintaining the
 # changelog here.
 %changelog
+* Fri Aug 28 2026 Pawel Winogrodzki <pawelwi@microsoft.com> - 255-35
+- Lock the whole disk in systemd-fsck while its child fsck process checks
+  the filesystem.
+
 * Thu Aug 13 2026 Azure Linux Security Servicing Account <azurelinux-security@microsoft.com> - 255-34
 - Patch for CVE-2026-16742, CVE-2026-15059