diff --git a/connection.go b/connection.go
index 2d5d9ee..4e83b8b 100644
--- a/connection.go
+++ b/connection.go
@@ -38,6 +38,11 @@ type Connection struct {
 	errorLogger *log.Logger
 	wrapped     *fuseshim.Conn
 
+	// The device through which we're talking to the kernel, and the protocol
+	// version that we're using to talk to it.
+	dev      *os.File
+	protocol fusekernel.Protocol
+
 	// The context from which all op contexts inherit.
 	parentCtx context.Context
 
@@ -66,6 +71,8 @@ func newConnection(
 		debugLogger: debugLogger,
 		errorLogger: errorLogger,
 		wrapped:     wrapped,
+		dev:         wrapped.Dev,
+		protocol:    wrapped.Protocol(),
 		parentCtx:   parentCtx,
 		cancelFuncs: make(map[uint64]func()),
 	}
@@ -224,13 +231,8 @@ func (c *Connection) readMessage() (m *buffer.InMessage, err error) {
 
 	// Loop past transient errors.
 	for {
-		// Lock and read.
-		//
-		// TODO(jacobsa): Ensure that we document concurrency constraints that make
-		// it safe, then kill the lock here.
-		c.wrapped.Rio.RLock()
-		err = m.Init(c.wrapped.Dev)
-		c.wrapped.Rio.RUnlock()
+		// Attempt a reaed.
+		err = m.Init(c.dev)
 
 		// Special cases:
 		//
@@ -260,6 +262,22 @@ func (c *Connection) readMessage() (m *buffer.InMessage, err error) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Write the supplied message to the kernel.
+func (c *Connection) writeMessage(msg []byte) (err error) {
+	// Avoid the retry loop in os.File.Write.
+	n, err := syscall.Write(int(c.dev.Fd()), msg)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	if n != len(msg) {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("Wrote %d bytes; expected %d", n, len(msg))
+		return
+	}
+
+	return
+}
+
 // Read the next op from the kernel process. Return io.EOF if the kernel has
 // closed the connection.
 //
@@ -317,9 +335,9 @@ func (c *Connection) ReadOp() (op fuseops.Op, err error) {
 			}
 
 			// Send the reply to the kernel.
-			err = c.wrapped.WriteToKernel(replyMsg)
+			err = c.writeMessage(replyMsg)
 			if err != nil {
-				err = fmt.Errorf("WriteToKernel: %v", err)
+				err = fmt.Errorf("writeMessage: %v", err)
 				return
 			}
 
@@ -330,7 +348,7 @@ func (c *Connection) ReadOp() (op fuseops.Op, err error) {
 		op, err = fuseops.Convert(
 			opCtx,
 			m,
-			c.wrapped.Protocol(),
+			c.protocol,
 			debugLogForOp,
 			c.errorLogger,
 			sendReply)
@@ -370,6 +388,9 @@ func (c *Connection) waitForReady() (err error) {
 // Close the connection. Must not be called until operations that were read
 // from the connection have been responded to.
 func (c *Connection) close() (err error) {
-	err = c.wrapped.Close()
+	// Posix doesn't say that close can be called concurrently with read or
+	// write, but luckily we exclude the possibility of a race by requiring the
+	// user to respond to all ops first.
+	err = c.dev.Close()
 	return
 }