diff --git a/config/cci.m4 b/config/cci.m4
index faadae3e..a5b1721c 100644
--- a/config/cci.m4
+++ b/config/cci.m4
@@ -100,6 +100,12 @@ AC_DEFUN([CCI_SETUP_CTP],[
           [AC_MSG_WARN([-g has been added to CFLAGS (developer build)])
            CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -g"])
 
+    # Look for mutex-errorcheck
+    AC_ARG_ENABLE(mutex-errorcheck,
+                  AC_HELP_STRING(--mutex-errorcheck, enable mutex error checking),
+                  AC_DEFINE([MUTEX_ERRORCHECK], [1],
+		            [Define to enable mutex error checking]))
+
     # Look for valgrind
     AC_ARG_ENABLE(valgrind,
                   AC_HELP_STRING(--enable-valgrind, enable Valgrind hooks),
diff --git a/include/cci_lib_types.h b/include/cci_lib_types.h
index 4a12c020..51c83251 100644
--- a/include/cci_lib_types.h
+++ b/include/cci_lib_types.h
@@ -267,5 +267,66 @@ extern int cci__debug;
 #define CCI_VALGRIND_CHECK_WRITABLE(p, s) /* nothing */
 #endif /* !HAVE_DECL_VALGRIND_MAKE_MEM_NOACCESS */
 
+#ifdef MUTEX_ERRORCHECK && MUTEX_ERRORCHECK == 1
+#define CCI_LOCK_INIT(x)			\
+do {						\
+	int ret = 0;				\
+	pthread_mutexattr_t attr;		\
+	ret = pthread_mutexattr_init(&attr);	\
+	if (ret) {				\
+		debug(CCI_DB_ERR, "%s: pthread_mutexattr_init() failed with %s", \
+				__func__, strerror(ret)); \
+		abort();			\
+	}					\
+	ret = pthread_mutexattr_settype(&attr, PTHREAD_MUTEX_ERRORCHECK); \
+	if (ret) {				\
+		debug(CCI_DB_ERR, "%s: pthread_mutexattr_settype() failed with %s", \
+				__func__, strerror(ret)); \
+		abort();			\
+	}					\
+	ret = pthread_mutex_init((x), &attr);	\
+	if (ret) {				\
+		debug(CCI_DB_ERR, "%s: pthread_mutex_init() failed with %s", \
+				__func__, strerror(ret)); \
+		abort();			\
+	}					\
+} while(0)
+#define CCI_LOCK_DESTROY(x)			\
+do {						\
+	int ret = 0;				\
+	ret = pthread_mutex_destroy((x));	\
+	if (ret) {				\
+		debug(CCI_DB_ERR, "%s: pthread_mutex_destroy() failed with %s", \
+				__func__, strerror(ret)); \
+		abort();			\
+	}					\
+} while(0)
+#define CCI_LOCK(x)				\
+do {						\
+	int ret = 0;				\
+	ret = pthread_mutex_lock((x));		\
+	if (ret) {				\
+		debug(CCI_DB_ERR, "%s: pthread_mutex_lock() failed with %s", \
+				__func__, strerror(ret)); \
+		abort();			\
+	}					\
+} while(0)
+#define CCI_UNLOCK(x)				\
+do {						\
+	int ret = 0;				\
+	ret = pthread_mutex_unlock((x));	\
+	if (ret) {				\
+		debug(CCI_DB_ERR, "%s: pthread_mutex_unlock() failed with %s", \
+				__func__, strerror(ret)); \
+		abort();			\
+	}					\
+} while(0)
+#else
+#define CCI_LOCK_INIT(x)	pthread_mutex_init((x), NULL)
+#define CCI_LOCK_DESTROY(x)	pthread_mutex_destroy((x))
+#define CCI_LOCK(x)		pthread_mutex_lock((x))
+#define CCI_UNLOCK(x)		pthread_mutex_unlock((x))
+#endif /* PTHREAD_MUTEX_RECURSIVE */
+
 END_C_DECLS
 #endif /* CCI_LIB_TYPES_H */
diff --git a/src/api/create_endpoint.c b/src/api/create_endpoint.c
index 92a533f2..4f8da466 100644
--- a/src/api/create_endpoint.c
+++ b/src/api/create_endpoint.c
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ int cci_create_endpoint(cci_device_t * device,
 	cci__ep_t *ep;
 	cci__dev_t *dev;
 
-	pthread_mutex_lock(&globals->lock);
+	CCI_LOCK(&globals->lock);
 
 	if (NULL == device) {
 		/* walk list of devs to find default device */
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ int cci_create_endpoint(cci_device_t * device,
 	}
 
 	TAILQ_INIT(&ep->evts);
-	pthread_mutex_init(&ep->lock, NULL);
+	CCI_LOCK_INIT(&ep->lock);
 	ep->dev = dev;
 	ep->endpoint.device = &dev->device;
 	*endpoint = &ep->endpoint;
@@ -70,16 +70,16 @@ int cci_create_endpoint(cci_device_t * device,
 	ret = dev->plugin->create_endpoint(device, flags, endpoint, fd);
 
 	ep->plugin = dev->plugin;
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&globals->lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&globals->lock);
 
-	pthread_mutex_lock(&dev->lock);
+	CCI_LOCK(&dev->lock);
 	/* TODO check dev's state */
 	TAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(&dev->eps, ep, entry);
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&dev->lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&dev->lock);
 
 	return ret;
 
 out:
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&globals->lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&globals->lock);
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/api/destroy_endpoint.c b/src/api/destroy_endpoint.c
index 8ed6c812..ec3e1a7b 100644
--- a/src/api/destroy_endpoint.c
+++ b/src/api/destroy_endpoint.c
@@ -29,10 +29,10 @@ int cci_destroy_endpoint(cci_endpoint_t * endpoint)
 	ep = container_of(endpoint, cci__ep_t, endpoint);
 	dev = ep->dev;
 
-	pthread_mutex_lock(&dev->lock);
+	CCI_LOCK(&dev->lock);
 	ep->closing = 1;
 	TAILQ_REMOVE(&dev->eps, ep, entry);
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&dev->lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&dev->lock);
 
 	/* the transport is responsible for cleaning up ep->priv,
 	 * the evts list, and any cci__conn_t that it is maintaining.
diff --git a/src/api/finalize.c b/src/api/finalize.c
index e0618660..dc2c074b 100644
--- a/src/api/finalize.c
+++ b/src/api/finalize.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ int cci_finalize(void)
 	cci__dev_t *dev = NULL;
 	int i;
 
-	pthread_mutex_lock(&init_lock);
+	CCI_LOCK(&init_lock);
 
 	if (!initialized) {
 		/* not initialized */
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ int cci_finalize(void)
 	}
 
 	/* lock the device list while destroying devices and finalizing CTPs */
-	pthread_mutex_lock(&globals->lock);
+	CCI_LOCK(&globals->lock);
 
 	/* for each device
 	 *     for each endpoint
@@ -49,14 +49,14 @@ int cci_finalize(void)
 	 */
 
 	TAILQ_FOREACH(dev, &globals->devs, entry) {
-		pthread_mutex_lock(&dev->lock);
+		CCI_LOCK(&dev->lock);
 		while (!TAILQ_EMPTY(&dev->eps)) {
 			cci__ep_t *ep = TAILQ_FIRST(&dev->eps);
-			pthread_mutex_unlock(&dev->lock);
+			CCI_UNLOCK(&dev->lock);
 			cci_destroy_endpoint(&ep->endpoint);
-			pthread_mutex_lock(&dev->lock);
+			CCI_LOCK(&dev->lock);
 		}
-		pthread_mutex_unlock(&dev->lock);
+		CCI_UNLOCK(&dev->lock);
 	}
 
 	/* let the transport clean up the private device */
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ int cci_finalize(void)
 	free(globals->devices);
 	globals->devices = NULL;
 
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&globals->lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&globals->lock);
 
 	/* free globals */
 	free(globals);
@@ -86,6 +86,6 @@ int cci_finalize(void)
 	cci_plugins_finalize();
 
 out:
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&init_lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&init_lock);
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/api/init.c b/src/api/init.c
index 70894090..cbf93c6e 100644
--- a/src/api/init.c
+++ b/src/api/init.c
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ void cci__init_dev(cci__dev_t *dev)
 	dev->priority = -1; /* tell the transport it must initialize it if we didn't */
 	dev->is_default = 0;
 	TAILQ_INIT(&dev->eps);
-	pthread_mutex_init(&dev->lock, NULL);
+	CCI_LOCK_INIT(&dev->lock);
 	device->up = 0;
 
 	device->rate = 0;		/* unknown */
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ int cci__parse_config(const char *path)
 
 static void cci_lock_init(void)
 {
-	pthread_mutex_init(&init_lock, NULL);
+	CCI_LOCK_INIT(&init_lock);
 	return;
 }
 
@@ -560,7 +560,7 @@ int cci_init(uint32_t abi_ver, uint32_t flags, uint32_t * caps)
 		return CCI_EINVAL;
 
 	pthread_once(&once, cci_lock_init);
-	pthread_mutex_lock(&init_lock);
+	CCI_LOCK(&init_lock);
 
 	if (0 == initialized) {
 		cci__dev_t *dev;
@@ -579,12 +579,7 @@ int cci_init(uint32_t abi_ver, uint32_t flags, uint32_t * caps)
 		globals->configfile = 0;
 		TAILQ_INIT(&globals->configfile_devs);
 
-		ret = pthread_mutex_init(&globals->lock, NULL);
-		if (ret) {
-			perror("pthread_mutex_init failed:");
-			ret = errno;
-			goto out_with_globals;
-		}
+		CCI_LOCK_INIT(&globals->lock);
 
 		if (CCI_SUCCESS != (ret = cci_plugins_init())) {
 			goto out_with_globals;
@@ -599,7 +594,7 @@ int cci_init(uint32_t abi_ver, uint32_t flags, uint32_t * caps)
 		}
 
 		/* lock the device list while initializing CTPs and devices */
-		pthread_mutex_lock(&globals->lock);
+		CCI_LOCK(&globals->lock);
 
 		str = getenv("CCI_CONFIG");
 		if (str && str[0] != '\0') {
@@ -653,7 +648,7 @@ int cci_init(uint32_t abi_ver, uint32_t flags, uint32_t * caps)
 			globals->devices[i++] = &dev->device;
 		}
 
-		pthread_mutex_unlock(&globals->lock);
+		CCI_UNLOCK(&globals->lock);
 
 		/* success */
 		initialized++;
@@ -674,7 +669,7 @@ int cci_init(uint32_t abi_ver, uint32_t flags, uint32_t * caps)
 		}
 	}
 
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&init_lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&init_lock);
 	return CCI_SUCCESS;
 
 out_with_plugins:
@@ -688,7 +683,7 @@ int cci_init(uint32_t abi_ver, uint32_t flags, uint32_t * caps)
 out_with_config_file:
 	/* FIXME? */
 out_with_glock:
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&globals->lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&globals->lock);
 out_with_plugins_ctp_open:
 	cci_plugins_ctp_close();
 out_with_plugins_init:
@@ -696,6 +691,6 @@ int cci_init(uint32_t abi_ver, uint32_t flags, uint32_t * caps)
 out_with_globals:
 	free(globals);
 out:
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&init_lock);
+	CCI_UNLOCK(&init_lock);
 	return ret;
 }