diff --git a/swift/common/utils.py b/swift/common/utils.py
index 218ccc2b15..1281dc2888 100644
--- a/swift/common/utils.py
+++ b/swift/common/utils.py
@@ -1629,26 +1629,32 @@ def lock_file(filename, timeout=10, append=False, unlink=True):
         mode = 'a+'
     else:
         mode = 'r+'
-    fd = os.open(filename, flags)
-    file_obj = os.fdopen(fd, mode)
-    try:
-        with swift.common.exceptions.LockTimeout(timeout, filename):
-            while True:
-                try:
-                    fcntl.flock(fd, fcntl.LOCK_EX | fcntl.LOCK_NB)
-                    break
-                except IOError as err:
-                    if err.errno != errno.EAGAIN:
-                        raise
-                sleep(0.01)
-        yield file_obj
-    finally:
+    while True:
+        fd = os.open(filename, flags)
+        file_obj = os.fdopen(fd, mode)
         try:
+            with swift.common.exceptions.LockTimeout(timeout, filename):
+                while True:
+                    try:
+                        fcntl.flock(fd, fcntl.LOCK_EX | fcntl.LOCK_NB)
+                        break
+                    except IOError as err:
+                        if err.errno != errno.EAGAIN:
+                            raise
+                    sleep(0.01)
+            try:
+                if os.stat(filename).st_ino != os.fstat(fd).st_ino:
+                    continue
+            except OSError as err:
+                if err.errno == errno.ENOENT:
+                    continue
+                raise
+            yield file_obj
+            if unlink:
+                os.unlink(filename)
+            break
+        finally:
             file_obj.close()
-        except UnboundLocalError:
-            pass  # may have not actually opened the file
-        if unlink:
-            os.unlink(filename)
 
 
 def lock_parent_directory(filename, timeout=10):
diff --git a/test/unit/common/test_utils.py b/test/unit/common/test_utils.py
index 899fcc0169..a7733f8c25 100644
--- a/test/unit/common/test_utils.py
+++ b/test/unit/common/test_utils.py
@@ -2351,6 +2351,77 @@ cluster_dfw1 = http://dfw1.host/v1/
 
             self.assertRaises(OSError, os.remove, nt.name)
 
+    def test_lock_file_unlinked_after_open(self):
+        os_open = os.open
+        first_pass = [True]
+
+        def deleting_open(filename, flags):
+            # unlink the file after it's opened.  once.
+            fd = os_open(filename, flags)
+            if first_pass[0]:
+                os.unlink(filename)
+                first_pass[0] = False
+            return fd
+
+        with NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False) as nt:
+            with mock.patch('os.open', deleting_open):
+                with utils.lock_file(nt.name, unlink=True) as f:
+                    self.assertNotEqual(os.fstat(nt.fileno()).st_ino,
+                                        os.fstat(f.fileno()).st_ino)
+        first_pass = [True]
+
+        def recreating_open(filename, flags):
+            # unlink and recreate the file after it's opened
+            fd = os_open(filename, flags)
+            if first_pass[0]:
+                os.unlink(filename)
+                os.close(os_open(filename, os.O_CREAT | os.O_RDWR))
+                first_pass[0] = False
+            return fd
+
+        with NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False) as nt:
+            with mock.patch('os.open', recreating_open):
+                with utils.lock_file(nt.name, unlink=True) as f:
+                    self.assertNotEqual(os.fstat(nt.fileno()).st_ino,
+                                        os.fstat(f.fileno()).st_ino)
+
+    def test_lock_file_held_on_unlink(self):
+        os_unlink = os.unlink
+
+        def flocking_unlink(filename):
+            # make sure the lock is held when we unlink
+            fd = os.open(filename, os.O_RDWR)
+            self.assertRaises(
+                IOError, fcntl.flock, fd, fcntl.LOCK_EX | fcntl.LOCK_NB)
+            os.close(fd)
+            os_unlink(filename)
+
+        with NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False) as nt:
+            with mock.patch('os.unlink', flocking_unlink):
+                with utils.lock_file(nt.name, unlink=True):
+                    pass
+
+    def test_lock_file_no_unlink_if_fail(self):
+        os_open = os.open
+        with NamedTemporaryFile(delete=True) as nt:
+
+            def lock_on_open(filename, flags):
+                # lock the file on another fd after it's opened.
+                fd = os_open(filename, flags)
+                fd2 = os_open(filename, flags)
+                fcntl.flock(fd2, fcntl.LOCK_EX | fcntl.LOCK_NB)
+                return fd
+
+            try:
+                timedout = False
+                with mock.patch('os.open', lock_on_open):
+                    with utils.lock_file(nt.name, unlink=False, timeout=0.01):
+                        pass
+            except LockTimeout:
+                timedout = True
+            self.assert_(timedout)
+            self.assert_(os.path.exists(nt.name))
+
     def test_ismount_path_does_not_exist(self):
         tmpdir = mkdtemp()
         try: