diff --git a/src/nfs_kv_create.cpp b/src/nfs_kv_create.cpp
index 4019cc70..bd4ebec6 100644
--- a/src/nfs_kv_create.cpp
+++ b/src/nfs_kv_create.cpp
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ struct kv_create_state
     uint64_t verf = 0;
     uint64_t dir_ino = 0;
     std::string filename;
+    int res = 0;
     uint64_t new_id = 0;
     json11::Json::object attrobj;
     json11::Json attrs;
@@ -84,8 +85,14 @@ struct kv_create_state
     std::function<void(int res)> cb;
 };
 
-static void kv_do_create(kv_create_state *st)
+static void kv_continue_create(kv_create_state *st, int state)
 {
+    if (state == 0)      {}
+    else if (state == 1) goto resume_1;
+    else if (state == 2) goto resume_2;
+    else if (state == 3) goto resume_3;
+    else if (state == 4) goto resume_4;
+    else if (state == 5) goto resume_5;
     if (st->self->parent->trace)
         fprintf(stderr, "[%d] CREATE %ju/%s ATTRS %s\n", st->self->nfs_fd, st->dir_ino, st->filename.c_str(), json11::Json(st->attrobj).dump().c_str());
     if (st->filename == "" || st->filename.find("/") != std::string::npos)
@@ -98,101 +105,108 @@ static void kv_do_create(kv_create_state *st)
         st->attrobj["mtime"] = nfstime_now_str();
     if (st->attrobj.find("atime") == st->attrobj.end())
         st->attrobj["atime"] = st->attrobj["mtime"];
+    st->attrs = std::move(st->attrobj);
+resume_1:
     // Generate inode ID
     allocate_new_id(st->self, [st](int res, uint64_t new_id)
     {
-        if (res < 0)
-        {
-            auto cb = std::move(st->cb);
-            cb(res);
-            return;
-        }
+        st->res = res;
         st->new_id = new_id;
+        kv_continue_create(st, 2);
+    });
+    return;
+resume_2:
+    if (st->res < 0)
+    {
+        auto cb = std::move(st->cb);
+        cb(st->res);
+        return;
+    }
+    st->self->parent->db->set(kv_inode_key(st->new_id), st->attrs.dump().c_str(), [st](int res)
+    {
+        st->res = res;
+        kv_continue_create(st, 3);
+    }, [st](int res, const std::string & value)
+    {
+        return res == -ENOENT;
+    });
+    return;
+resume_3:
+    if (st->res == -EAGAIN)
+    {
+        // Inode ID generator failure - retry
+        goto resume_1;
+    }
+    if (st->res < 0)
+    {
+        auto cb = std::move(st->cb);
+        cb(st->res);
+        return;
+    }
+    {
         auto direntry = json11::Json::object{ { "ino", st->new_id } };
-        if (st->attrobj.find("type") != st->attrobj.end() &&
-            st->attrobj["type"].string_value() == "dir")
+        if (st->attrs["type"].string_value() == "dir")
         {
             direntry["type"] = "dir";
         }
-        st->attrs = std::move(st->attrobj);
         st->direntry_text = json11::Json(direntry).dump().c_str();
-        // Set direntry
-        st->self->parent->db->set(kv_direntry_key(st->dir_ino, st->filename), st->direntry_text, [st](int res)
+    }
+    // Set direntry
+    st->dup_ino = 0;
+    st->self->parent->db->set(kv_direntry_key(st->dir_ino, st->filename), st->direntry_text, [st](int res)
+    {
+        st->res = res;
+        kv_continue_create(st, 4);
+    }, [st](int res, const std::string & value)
+    {
+        // CAS compare - check that the key doesn't exist
+        if (res == 0)
         {
-            if (res < 0)
+            std::string err;
+            auto direntry = json11::Json::parse(value, err);
+            if (err != "")
             {
-                st->self->parent->kvfs->unallocated_ids.push_back(st->new_id);
-                if (res == -EAGAIN)
-                {
-                    if (st->dup_ino)
-                    {
-                        st->new_id = st->dup_ino;
-                        res = 0;
-                    }
-                    else
-                        res = -EEXIST;
-                }
-                else
-                    fprintf(stderr, "create %ju/%s failed: %s (code %d)\n", st->dir_ino, st->filename.c_str(), strerror(-res), res);
-                auto cb = std::move(st->cb);
-                cb(res);
+                fprintf(stderr, "Invalid JSON in direntry %s = %s: %s, overwriting\n",
+                    kv_direntry_key(st->dir_ino, st->filename).c_str(), value.c_str(), err.c_str());
+                return true;
             }
-            else
+            if (st->exclusive && direntry["verf"].uint64_value() == st->verf)
             {
-                st->self->parent->db->set(kv_inode_key(st->new_id), st->attrs.dump().c_str(), [st](int res)
-                {
-                    if (res == -EAGAIN)
-                    {
-                        res = -EEXIST;
-                    }
-                    if (res < 0)
-                    {
-                        st->self->parent->db->del(kv_direntry_key(st->dir_ino, st->filename), [st, res](int del_res)
-                        {
-                            if (!del_res)
-                            {
-                                st->self->parent->kvfs->unallocated_ids.push_back(st->new_id);
-                            }
-                            auto cb = std::move(st->cb);
-                            cb(res);
-                        }, [st](int res, const std::string & value)
-                        {
-                            return res != -ENOENT && value == st->direntry_text;
-                        });
-                    }
-                    else
-                    {
-                        auto cb = std::move(st->cb);
-                        cb(0);
-                    }
-                }, [st](int res, const std::string & value)
-                {
-                    return res == -ENOENT;
-                });
-            }
-        }, [st](int res, const std::string & value)
-        {
-            // CAS compare - check that the key doesn't exist
-            if (res == 0)
-            {
-                std::string err;
-                auto direntry = json11::Json::parse(value, err);
-                if (err != "")
-                {
-                    fprintf(stderr, "Invalid JSON in direntry %s = %s: %s, overwriting\n",
-                        kv_direntry_key(st->dir_ino, st->filename).c_str(), value.c_str(), err.c_str());
-                    return true;
-                }
-                if (st->exclusive && direntry["verf"].uint64_value() == st->verf)
-                {
-                    st->dup_ino = direntry["ino"].uint64_value();
-                    return false;
-                }
+                st->dup_ino = direntry["ino"].uint64_value();
                 return false;
             }
-            return true;
-        });
+            return false;
+        }
+        return true;
     });
+    return;
+resume_4:
+    if (st->res == -EAGAIN)
+    {
+        // Direntry already exists
+        st->self->parent->db->del(kv_inode_key(st->new_id), [st](int res)
+        {
+            st->res = res;
+            kv_continue_create(st, 5);
+        });
+resume_5:
+        if (st->res < 0)
+        {
+            fprintf(stderr, "failed to delete duplicate inode %ju left from create %s (code %d)\n", st->new_id, strerror(-st->res), st->res);
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            st->self->parent->kvfs->unallocated_ids.push_back(st->new_id);
+        }
+        if (st->dup_ino)
+        {
+            // Successfully created by the previous "exclusive" request
+            st->new_id = st->dup_ino;
+        }
+        st->res = st->dup_ino ? 0 : -EEXIST;
+    }
+    auto cb = std::move(st->cb);
+    cb(st->res);
 }
 
 static void kv_create_setattr(json11::Json::object & attrobj, sattr3 & sattr)
@@ -260,7 +274,7 @@ int kv_nfs3_create_proc(void *opaque, rpc_op_t *rop)
         }
     }
     st->cb = [st](int res) { kv_create_reply<CREATE3res, CREATE3resok>(st, res); };
-    kv_do_create(st);
+    kv_continue_create(st, 0);
     return 1;
 }
 
@@ -276,7 +290,7 @@ int kv_nfs3_mkdir_proc(void *opaque, rpc_op_t *rop)
     st->attrobj["parent_ino"] = st->dir_ino;
     kv_create_setattr(st->attrobj, args->attributes);
     st->cb = [st](int res) { kv_create_reply<MKDIR3res, MKDIR3resok>(st, res); };
-    kv_do_create(st);
+    kv_continue_create(st, 0);
     return 1;
 }
 
@@ -292,7 +306,7 @@ int kv_nfs3_symlink_proc(void *opaque, rpc_op_t *rop)
     st->attrobj["symlink"] = (std::string)args->symlink.symlink_data;
     kv_create_setattr(st->attrobj, args->symlink.symlink_attributes);
     st->cb = [st](int res) { kv_create_reply<SYMLINK3res, SYMLINK3resok>(st, res); };
-    kv_do_create(st);
+    kv_continue_create(st, 0);
     return 1;
 }
 
@@ -324,6 +338,6 @@ int kv_nfs3_mknod_proc(void *opaque, rpc_op_t *rop)
         return 0;
     }
     st->cb = [st](int res) { kv_create_reply<MKNOD3res, MKNOD3resok>(st, res); };
-    kv_do_create(st);
+    kv_continue_create(st, 0);
     return 1;
 }