diff --git a/ldms/src/core/ldms_stream.c b/ldms/src/core/ldms_stream.c
index 7392ae6d5..ded9128a7 100644
--- a/ldms/src/core/ldms_stream.c
+++ b/ldms/src/core/ldms_stream.c
@@ -357,10 +357,11 @@ __client_stream_unbind(struct ldms_stream_client_entry_s *sce)
 
 	pthread_rwlock_wrlock(&s->rwlock);
 	sce->client = NULL;
-	/* NOTE: sce will be removed froms->client_tq later */
+	TAILQ_REMOVE(&s->client_tq, sce, stream_client_entry);
 	pthread_rwlock_unlock(&s->rwlock);
 
 	ref_put(&c->ref, "client_entry");
+	ref_put(&sce->ref, "stream_client_entry");
 }
 
 void  __counters_update(struct ldms_stream_counters_s *ctr,
@@ -447,12 +448,7 @@ __stream_deliver(uint64_t src, uint64_t msg_gn,
 	while (sce) {
 		next_sce = TAILQ_NEXT(sce, stream_client_entry);
 		c = sce->client;
-		if (!c) {
-			/* client deregistered, remove the entry */
-			TAILQ_REMOVE(&s->client_tq, sce, stream_client_entry);
-			ref_put(&sce->ref, "stream_client_entry");
-			goto next;
-		}
+		assert(c);
 		if (!json && stream_type == LDMS_STREAM_JSON && !c->x) {
 			/* json object is only required to parse once for
 			 * the local client */
@@ -485,7 +481,6 @@ __stream_deliver(uint64_t src, uint64_t msg_gn,
 		}
 		ref_put(&c->ref, "callback");
 		pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&s->rwlock);
-	next:
 		sce = next_sce;
 	}
 
@@ -1342,6 +1337,7 @@ void __stream_stats_free(struct ldms_stream_stats_s *ss)
 	free(ss);
 }
 
+/* readlock already taken */
 struct ldms_stream_stats_s * __stream_get_stats(struct ldms_stream_s *s)
 {
 	/* s->name_len already includes '\0' */
@@ -1721,15 +1717,19 @@ struct ldms_stream_client_stats_tq_s *ldms_stream_client_stats_tq_get()
 	/* then go through stream-specific clients */
 	for (rbn = rbt_min(&__stream_rbt); rbn; rbn = rbn_succ(rbn)) {
 		s = container_of(rbn, struct ldms_stream_s, rbn);
+		pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&s->rwlock);
 		TAILQ_FOREACH(sce, &s->client_tq, stream_client_entry) {
 			cli = sce->client;
 			if (cli->is_regex)
 				continue; /* already handled above */
 			cs = ldms_stream_client_get_stats(cli);
-			if (!cs)
+			if (!cs) {
+				pthread_rwlock_unlock(&s->rwlock);
 				goto err_0;
+			}
 			TAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(tq, cs, entry);
 		}
+		pthread_rwlock_unlock(&s->rwlock);
 	}
 
 	if (TAILQ_EMPTY(tq)) {