diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 69fd99c1418..a1dc3dfcccd 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "curl 0.2.12 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "docopt 0.6.74 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "env_logger 0.3.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "file-lock 0.0.16 (git+https://github.com/Byron/file-lock?branch=cargo-adjustments)",
  "filetime 0.1.6 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "flate2 0.2.9 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "git2 0.3.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
@@ -123,6 +124,26 @@ dependencies = [
  "regex 0.1.41 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "errno"
+version = "0.1.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+dependencies = [
+ "kernel32-sys 0.1.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "libc 0.1.10 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "winapi 0.1.22 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "file-lock"
+version = "0.0.16"
+source = "git+https://github.com/Byron/file-lock?branch=cargo-adjustments#0d28d6cff55e1a7f9bcd469d9dae1543cc236d78"
+dependencies = [
+ "errno 0.1.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "gcc 0.3.19 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "libc 0.1.10 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "filetime"
 version = "0.1.6"
@@ -407,6 +428,14 @@ dependencies = [
  "rustc-serialize 0.3.16 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "winapi"
+version = "0.1.22"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc 0.1.10 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "winapi"
 version = "0.2.4"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 7422dbad88d..d9ee01aa9e3 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ toml = "0.1"
 url = "0.2"
 winapi = "0.2"
 
+[dependencies.file-lock]
+git = "https://github.com/Byron/file-lock"
+branch = "cargo-adjustments"
+
 [dev-dependencies]
 tempdir = "0.3"
 hamcrest = "0.1"
diff --git a/src/bin/cargo.rs b/src/bin/cargo.rs
index f21ffb1d5c5..80291848c24 100644
--- a/src/bin/cargo.rs
+++ b/src/bin/cargo.rs
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ use std::process::Command;
 
 use cargo::{execute_main_without_stdin, handle_error, shell};
 use cargo::core::MultiShell;
-use cargo::util::{CliError, CliResult, lev_distance, Config};
+use cargo::util::{CliError, CliResult, lev_distance, Config, CargoLock, LockKind, human,
+                  ChainError};
 
 #[derive(RustcDecodable)]
 struct Flags {
@@ -95,6 +96,12 @@ macro_rules! each_subcommand{ ($mac:ident) => ({
   on this top-level information.
 */
 fn execute(flags: Flags, config: &Config) -> CliResult<Option<()>> {
+    let mut fl = CargoLock::new(config.home().join(".global-lock"));
+
+    try!(fl.lock(LockKind::Blocking).chain_error(|| {
+        human("Failed to obtain global cargo lock")
+    }));
+
     try!(config.shell().set_verbosity(flags.flag_verbose, flags.flag_quiet));
     try!(config.shell().set_color_config(flags.flag_color.as_ref().map(|s| &s[..])));
 
diff --git a/src/cargo/lib.rs b/src/cargo/lib.rs
index 949e3c0e6fa..fb8b8a3a77e 100644
--- a/src/cargo/lib.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/lib.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ extern crate term;
 extern crate time;
 extern crate toml;
 extern crate url;
+extern crate file_lock;
 
 use std::env;
 use std::error::Error;
diff --git a/src/cargo/util/errors.rs b/src/cargo/util/errors.rs
index 1d53d6fc84d..8d5a437618d 100644
--- a/src/cargo/util/errors.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/util/errors.rs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ use curl;
 use git2;
 use toml;
 use url;
+use file_lock;
 
 pub type CargoResult<T> = Result<T, Box<CargoError>>;
 
@@ -307,12 +308,18 @@ from_error! {
     url::ParseError,
     toml::DecodeError,
     ffi::NulError,
+    file_lock::filename::Error,
+    file_lock::filename::ParseError,
 }
 
 impl<E: CargoError> From<Human<E>> for Box<CargoError> {
     fn from(t: Human<E>) -> Box<CargoError> { Box::new(t) }
 }
 
+impl CargoError for file_lock::filename::Error {
+    fn is_human(&self) -> bool { true }
+}
+
 impl CargoError for semver::ReqParseError {}
 impl CargoError for io::Error {}
 impl CargoError for git2::Error {}
@@ -325,6 +332,7 @@ impl CargoError for toml::Error {}
 impl CargoError for toml::DecodeError {}
 impl CargoError for url::ParseError {}
 impl CargoError for ffi::NulError {}
+impl CargoError for file_lock::filename::ParseError {}
 
 // =============================================================================
 // Construction helpers
diff --git a/src/cargo/util/lock.rs b/src/cargo/util/lock.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a15c2859160
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cargo/util/lock.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+use file_lock::filename::Mode;
+use file_lock::filename::Lock as FileLock;
+
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::fs;
+
+use util::{CargoResult, ChainError, human};
+
+pub use file_lock::filename::Kind as LockKind;
+
+pub struct CargoLock {
+    inner: FileLock,
+}
+
+impl CargoLock {
+    pub fn new(path: PathBuf) -> CargoLock {
+        CargoLock {
+            inner: FileLock::new(path, Mode::Write)
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn lock(&mut self, kind: LockKind) -> CargoResult<()> {
+        {
+            let lock_dir = self.inner.path().parent().unwrap();
+            try!(fs::create_dir_all(lock_dir).chain_error(|| { 
+                human(format!("Failed to create parent directory of lock-file at '{}'",
+                              lock_dir.display()))
+            }));
+        }
+        debug!("About to acquire file lock: '{}'", self.inner.path().display());
+        Ok(try!(self.inner.any_lock(kind)))
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/cargo/util/mod.rs b/src/cargo/util/mod.rs
index 49963201d92..461210cb4c1 100644
--- a/src/cargo/util/mod.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/util/mod.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ pub use self::sha256::Sha256;
 pub use self::to_semver::ToSemver;
 pub use self::to_url::ToUrl;
 pub use self::vcs::{GitRepo, HgRepo};
+pub use self::lock::{CargoLock, LockKind};
 
 pub mod config;
 pub mod errors;
@@ -33,4 +34,5 @@ mod dependency_queue;
 mod sha256;
 mod shell_escape;
 mod vcs;
+mod lock;
 mod rustc;
diff --git a/tests/test_cargo_build_lib.rs b/tests/test_cargo_build_lib.rs
index 476d2f14bdf..6cebca3963e 100644
--- a/tests/test_cargo_build_lib.rs
+++ b/tests/test_cargo_build_lib.rs
@@ -53,6 +53,32 @@ test!(build_with_no_lib {
                        .with_stderr("no library targets found"));
 });
 
+test!(build_global_lock {
+
+    let p = project("foo")
+        .file("Cargo.toml", r#"
+            [package]
+
+            name = "foo"
+            version = "0.0.1"
+            authors = ["wycats@example.com"]
+        "#)
+        .file("src/main.rs", r#"
+            fn main() {}
+        "#)
+        .file("src/lib.rs", r#" "#);
+
+    p.build();
+
+    let bg_process = p.cargo("build");
+    let fg_process = bg_process.clone();
+    let mut bg_process_handle = bg_process.build_command().spawn().unwrap();
+
+    assert_eq!(fg_process.build_command().output().unwrap().status.code().unwrap(), 101);
+    assert!(bg_process_handle.wait().unwrap().success());
+});
+
+
 test!(build_with_relative_cargo_home_path {
     let p = project("foo")
         .file("Cargo.toml", r#"