diff --git a/internal/verifier/check.go b/internal/verifier/check.go
index eb56d020..d00b2e27 100644
--- a/internal/verifier/check.go
+++ b/internal/verifier/check.go
@@ -211,12 +211,9 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) CheckDriver(ctx context.Context, filter bson.D, testCh
 		}
 	}
 
-	verifier.logger.Info().Msg("Starting change readers.")
-
 	// Now that we’ve initialized verifier.generation we can
 	// start the change readers.
 	verifier.initializeChangeReaders()
-	verifier.mux.Unlock()
 
 	err = retry.New().WithCallback(
 		func(ctx context.Context, _ *retry.FuncInfo) error {
@@ -241,28 +238,10 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) CheckDriver(ctx context.Context, filter bson.D, testCh
 
 	verifier.logger.Debug().Msg("Starting Check")
 
-	verifier.phase = Check
-	defer func() {
-		verifier.phase = Idle
-	}()
-
 	if err := verifier.startChangeHandling(ctx); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// Log the verification status when initially booting up so it's easy to see the current state
-	verificationStatus, err := verifier.GetVerificationStatus(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Wrapf(
-			err,
-			"failed to retrieve verification status",
-		)
-	} else {
-		verifier.logger.Debug().
-			Any("status", verificationStatus).
-			Msg("Initial verification phase.")
-	}
-
 	err = verifier.CreateInitialTasksIfNeeded(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -272,7 +251,6 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) CheckDriver(ctx context.Context, filter bson.D, testCh
 
 	// Now enter the multi-generational steady check state
 	for {
-		verifier.mux.Lock()
 		err = retry.New().WithCallback(
 			func(ctx context.Context, _ *retry.FuncInfo) error {
 				return verifier.persistGenerationWhileLocked(ctx)
@@ -359,7 +337,6 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) CheckDriver(ctx context.Context, filter bson.D, testCh
 		verifier.generationStartTime = time.Now()
 		verifier.srcChangeReader.getEventRecorder().Reset()
 		verifier.dstChangeReader.getEventRecorder().Reset()
-		verifier.phase = Recheck
 		verifier.mux.Unlock()
 
 		// Generation of recheck tasks can partial-fail. The following will
@@ -381,6 +358,8 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) CheckDriver(ctx context.Context, filter bson.D, testCh
 				Err(err).
 				Msg("Failed to clear out old recheck docs. (This is probably unimportant.)")
 		}
+
+		verifier.mux.Lock()
 	}
 }
 
@@ -608,6 +587,9 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) work(ctx context.Context, workerNum int) error {
 }
 
 func (v *Verifier) initializeChangeReaders() {
+
+	v.logger.Info().Msg("Starting change readers.")
+
 	v.srcChangeReader = v.newChangeStreamReader(
 		v.srcNamespaces,
 		src,
diff --git a/internal/verifier/migration_verifier.go b/internal/verifier/migration_verifier.go
index 09f8d1e5..62cde7df 100644
--- a/internal/verifier/migration_verifier.go
+++ b/internal/verifier/migration_verifier.go
@@ -89,7 +89,6 @@ type Verifier struct {
 	lastGeneration     bool
 	running            bool
 	generation         int
-	phase              string
 	port               int
 	metaURI            string
 	metaClient         *mongo.Client
@@ -178,7 +177,6 @@ func NewVerifier(settings VerifierSettings, logPath string) *Verifier {
 		logger: logger,
 		writer: logWriter,
 
-		phase:                Idle,
 		numWorkers:           NumWorkers,
 		readPreference:       readpref.Primary(),
 		partitionSizeInBytes: 400 * 1024 * 1024,
@@ -432,14 +430,7 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) getGeneration() (generation int, lastGeneration bool)
 }
 
 func (verifier *Verifier) getGenerationWhileLocked() (int, bool) {
-
-	// As long as no other goroutine has locked the mux this will
-	// usefully panic if the caller neglected the lock.
-	wasUnlocked := verifier.mux.TryLock()
-	if wasUnlocked {
-		verifier.mux.Unlock()
-		panic("getGenerationWhileLocked() while unlocked")
-	}
+	verifier.assertLocked()
 
 	return verifier.generation, verifier.lastGeneration
 }
@@ -1247,9 +1238,17 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) verifyMetadataAndPartitionCollection(
 }
 
 func (verifier *Verifier) GetVerificationStatus(ctx context.Context) (*VerificationStatus, error) {
-	taskCollection := verifier.verificationTaskCollection()
 	generation, _ := verifier.getGeneration()
 
+	return verifier.getVerificationStatusForGeneration(ctx, generation)
+}
+
+func (verifier *Verifier) getVerificationStatusForGeneration(
+	ctx context.Context,
+	generation int,
+) (*VerificationStatus, error) {
+	taskCollection := verifier.verificationTaskCollection()
+
 	var results []bson.Raw
 
 	err := retry.New().WithCallback(
@@ -1388,18 +1387,6 @@ func (verifier *Verifier) StartServer() error {
 	return server.Run(context.Background())
 }
 
-func (verifier *Verifier) GetProgress(ctx context.Context) (Progress, error) {
-	status, err := verifier.GetVerificationStatus(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return Progress{Error: err}, err
-	}
-	return Progress{
-		Phase:      verifier.phase,
-		Generation: verifier.generation,
-		Status:     status,
-	}, nil
-}
-
 // Returned boolean indicates that namespaces are cached, and
 // whatever needs them can proceed.
 func (verifier *Verifier) ensureNamespaces(ctx context.Context) bool {
diff --git a/internal/verifier/progress.go b/internal/verifier/progress.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f383b50f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/verifier/progress.go
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package verifier
+
+import "context"
+
+func (verifier *Verifier) GetProgress(ctx context.Context) (Progress, error) {
+	verifier.mux.RLock()
+	defer verifier.mux.RUnlock()
+
+	generation := verifier.generation
+
+	status, err := verifier.getVerificationStatusForGeneration(ctx, generation)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Progress{Error: err}, err
+	}
+	return Progress{
+		Phase:      verifier.getPhaseWhileLocked(),
+		Generation: verifier.generation,
+		Status:     status,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+func (verifier *Verifier) getPhaseWhileLocked() string {
+	verifier.assertLocked()
+
+	if !verifier.running {
+		return Idle
+	}
+
+	if verifier.generation > 0 {
+		return Recheck
+	}
+
+	return Check
+}
diff --git a/internal/verifier/sync.go b/internal/verifier/sync.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5fead076
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/verifier/sync.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+package verifier
+
+func (verifier *Verifier) assertLocked() {
+	if verifier.mux.TryLock() {
+		verifier.mux.Unlock()
+
+		panic("INTERNAL ERROR: verifier should have been locked!")
+	}
+}