diff --git a/src/runtime/c/pgf/db.cxx b/src/runtime/c/pgf/db.cxx
index dd3cda30a..f5685d9ce 100644
--- a/src/runtime/c/pgf/db.cxx
+++ b/src/runtime/c/pgf/db.cxx
@@ -116,9 +116,11 @@ struct PGF_INTERNAL_DECL malloc_state
     pthread_mutex_t rev_mutex;
     pthread_mutex_t write_mutex;
     pthread_rwlock_t rwlock;
+    pid_t writer_pid;
 #else
     /* Stores a Reader/Writer lock for Windows */
     LONG rwlock;
+    DWORD writer_pid;
 #endif
 
     txn_t curr_txn_id;
@@ -415,7 +417,7 @@ PgfDB::PgfDB(const char* filepath, int flags, int mode, size_t init_size) {
             throw pgf_error("Invalid file content");
         }
 
-        cleanup_revisions();
+        cleanup_state();
     }
 
     top                   = ms->top;
@@ -607,7 +609,7 @@ void PgfDB::unregister_revision(object revision)
 #endif
 }
 
-void PgfDB::cleanup_revisions()
+void PgfDB::cleanup_state()
 {
 #ifndef _WIN32
     pthread_mutex_lock(&ms->rev_mutex);
@@ -619,7 +621,9 @@ void PgfDB::cleanup_revisions()
     fprintf(stderr, "revisions");
 #endif
 
-    ms->min_txn_id = SIZE_MAX;
+    size_t n_revisions = 0;
+    txn_t min_txn_id = SIZE_MAX;
+    bool dead_writer = false;
     // If there are dead processes, set their reference counts to 0.
     for (size_t i = 0; i < ms->n_revisions; i++) {
         revision_entry *entry = &ms->revisions[i];
@@ -646,18 +650,36 @@ void PgfDB::cleanup_revisions()
                                 entry->o & ~MALLOC_ALIGN_MASK,
                                 entry->ref_count);
 #endif
-                if (ms->min_txn_id > entry->txn_id)
-                    ms->min_txn_id = entry->txn_id;
+                if (min_txn_id > entry->txn_id)
+                    min_txn_id = entry->txn_id;
+                n_revisions = (i+1);
             } else {
                 entry->ref_count = 0;
+                if (entry->pid == ms->writer_pid) {
+                    dead_writer = true;
+                }
             }
         }
     }
 
+    ms->n_revisions = n_revisions;
+    ms->min_txn_id = min_txn_id;
+
 #ifdef DEBUG_MEMORY_ALLOCATOR
     fprintf(stderr, " minimal %ld\n", ms->min_txn_id);
 #endif
 
+    if (dead_writer) {
+        // The writer has died, cleanup the writer mutex
+        init_write_mutex();
+    }
+
+    if (ms->n_revisions == 0) {
+        // This is the only process that has access to the database,
+        // time to cleanup the rwlock
+        init_rwlock_mutex();
+    }
+
 #ifndef _WIN32
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&ms->rev_mutex);
 #else
@@ -671,6 +693,84 @@ object PgfDB::get_active_revision()
     return current_db->ms->active_revision;
 }
 
+PGF_INTERNAL
+int PgfDB::init_rev_mutex()
+{
+#ifndef _WIN32
+    int res;
+
+    pthread_mutexattr_t attr;
+    if ((res = pthread_mutexattr_init(&attr)) != 0) {
+        return res;
+    }
+    if (fd >= 0 &&
+        (res = pthread_mutexattr_setpshared(&attr, PTHREAD_PROCESS_SHARED)) != 0) {
+        pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
+        return res;
+    }
+    if ((res = pthread_mutex_init(&ms->rev_mutex, &attr)) != 0) {
+        pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
+        return res;
+    }
+    pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
+#endif
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+PGF_INTERNAL
+int PgfDB::init_write_mutex()
+{
+#ifndef _WIN32
+    int res;
+
+    pthread_mutexattr_t attr;
+    if ((res = pthread_mutexattr_init(&attr)) != 0) {
+        return res;
+    }
+    if (fd >= 0 &&
+        (res = pthread_mutexattr_setpshared(&attr, PTHREAD_PROCESS_SHARED)) != 0) {
+        pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
+        return res;
+    }
+    if ((res = pthread_mutex_init(&ms->write_mutex, &attr)) != 0) {
+        pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
+        return res;
+    }
+    pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
+#endif
+
+    ms->writer_pid = 0;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+PGF_INTERNAL
+int PgfDB::init_rwlock_mutex()
+{
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    ms->rwlock = 0;
+#else
+    int res;
+
+    pthread_rwlockattr_t attr;
+    if ((res = pthread_rwlockattr_init(&attr)) != 0) {
+        return res;
+    }
+    if (fd >= 0 &&
+        (res = pthread_rwlockattr_setpshared(&attr, PTHREAD_PROCESS_SHARED)) != 0) {
+        pthread_rwlockattr_destroy(&attr);
+        return res;
+    }
+    if ((res = pthread_rwlock_init(&ms->rwlock, &attr)) != 0) {
+        pthread_rwlockattr_destroy(&attr);
+        return res;
+    }
+    pthread_rwlockattr_destroy(&attr);
+#endif
+    return 0;
+}
+
 PGF_INTERNAL
 int PgfDB::init_state()
 {
@@ -679,47 +779,16 @@ int PgfDB::init_state()
     ms->top = request2size(1);  // we don't want to start from 0
     ms->file_size = mmap_size;
 
-#ifdef _WIN32
-    ms->rwlock = 0;
-#else
     int res;
 
-    {
-        pthread_mutexattr_t attr;
-        if ((res = pthread_mutexattr_init(&attr)) != 0) {
-            return res;
-        }
-        if ((res = pthread_mutexattr_setpshared(&attr, PTHREAD_PROCESS_SHARED)) != 0) {
-            return res;
-        }
-        if ((res = pthread_mutex_init(&ms->rev_mutex, &attr)) != 0) {
-            pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
-            return res;
-        }
-        if ((res = pthread_mutex_init(&ms->write_mutex, &attr)) != 0) {
-            pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
-            return res;
-        }
-        pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&attr);
-    }
+    if ((res = init_rev_mutex()) != 0)
+        return res;
 
-    {
-        pthread_rwlockattr_t attr;
-        if ((res = pthread_rwlockattr_init(&attr)) != 0) {
-            return res;
-        }
-        if (fd >= 0 &&
-            (res = pthread_rwlockattr_setpshared(&attr, PTHREAD_PROCESS_SHARED)) != 0) {
-            pthread_rwlockattr_destroy(&attr);
-            return res;
-        }
-        if ((res = pthread_rwlock_init(&ms->rwlock, &attr)) != 0) {
-            pthread_rwlockattr_destroy(&attr);
-            return res;
-        }
-        pthread_rwlockattr_destroy(&attr);
-    }
-#endif
+    if ((res = init_write_mutex()) != 0)
+        return res;
+
+    if ((res = init_rwlock_mutex()) != 0)
+        return res;
 
     ms->curr_txn_id = 1;
     ms->min_txn_id  = 1;
@@ -1450,6 +1519,8 @@ void PgfDB::start_transaction()
     WaitForSingleObject(hWriteMutex, INFINITE);
 #endif
 
+    ms->writer_pid = getpid();
+
     top = ms->top;
     free_blocks = ms->free_blocks;
     free_descriptors[0] = ms->free_descriptors;
@@ -1541,6 +1612,8 @@ void PgfDB::commit(object o)
     }
 #endif
 
+    ms->writer_pid = 0;
+
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&ms->write_mutex);
 #else
     if (free_descriptors[2] != 0) {
@@ -1575,6 +1648,8 @@ void PgfDB::commit(object o)
         ms->curr_txn_id++;
     }
 
+    ms->writer_pid = 0;
+
     ReleaseMutex(hWriteMutex);
 #endif
 
@@ -1598,6 +1673,8 @@ void PgfDB::rollback(object o)
     last_free_block_size = 0;
     last_free_block_txn_id = 0;
 
+    ms->writer_pid = 0;
+
 #ifndef _WIN32
     if (
 #ifndef MREMAP_MAYMOVE
diff --git a/src/runtime/c/pgf/db.h b/src/runtime/c/pgf/db.h
index d48dbb9d4..4106cca6a 100644
--- a/src/runtime/c/pgf/db.h
+++ b/src/runtime/c/pgf/db.h
@@ -123,8 +123,6 @@ public:
         current_db->free_internal(o.as_object(), sizeof(A)+extra_bytes);
     }
 
-	PGF_INTERNAL_DECL void cleanup_revisions();
-
     PGF_INTERNAL_DECL object get_active_revision();
     PGF_INTERNAL_DECL object register_revision(object o, txn_t txn_id);
     PGF_INTERNAL_DECL void unregister_revision(object o);
@@ -145,7 +143,11 @@ public:
     }
 
 private:
+    PGF_INTERNAL_DECL int init_rev_mutex();
+    PGF_INTERNAL_DECL int init_write_mutex();
+    PGF_INTERNAL_DECL int init_rwlock_mutex();
     PGF_INTERNAL_DECL int init_state();
+    PGF_INTERNAL_DECL void cleanup_state();
 
     PGF_INTERNAL_DECL size_t block_descr_size(object map);
     PGF_INTERNAL_DECL object new_block_descr(object o, size_t size, txn_t txn_id);
diff --git a/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.cxx b/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.cxx
index c59154211..bfd45e4d5 100644
--- a/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.cxx
+++ b/src/runtime/c/pgf/pgf.cxx
@@ -153,9 +153,6 @@ PgfDB *pgf_read_ngf(const char *fpath,
 
         {
             DB_scope scope(db, WRITER_SCOPE);
-
-			db->cleanup_revisions();
-
             ref<PgfPGF> pgf = db->get_active_revision();
             *revision = db->register_revision(pgf.tagged(), PgfDB::get_txn_id());
         }