diff --git a/nvx-rs/src/host/platform/linux/private.rs b/nvx-rs/src/host/platform/linux/private.rs
index 453e09613..2ff82605b 100644
--- a/nvx-rs/src/host/platform/linux/private.rs
+++ b/nvx-rs/src/host/platform/linux/private.rs
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
 //! their owners and modes, and the sparse files and the renames without replacement of the
 //! stores.
 
-use std::fs::{self, DirBuilder, File, OpenOptions, Permissions};
+use std::fs::{self, DirBuilder, File, Permissions};
 use std::io;
 use std::os::fd::AsRawFd;
-use std::os::unix::fs::{DirBuilderExt, MetadataExt, OpenOptionsExt, PermissionsExt};
+use std::os::unix::fs::{DirBuilderExt, MetadataExt, PermissionsExt};
 use std::path::Path;
 
 use nix::sys::stat::Mode;
@@ -167,10 +167,7 @@ pub(crate) fn rename_no_replace(from: &Path, to: &Path) -> io::Result<()> {
 pub(crate) fn restore_private_file_mode(path: &Path, mode: Mode) -> io::Result<()> {
     use nix::fcntl::OFlag;
 
-    let opened = OpenOptions::new()
-        .read(true)
-        .custom_flags((OFlag::O_PATH | OFlag::O_NOFOLLOW).bits())
-        .open(path);
+    let opened = open_to_locate(path, OFlag::O_NOFOLLOW);
     let file = match opened {
         Ok(file) => file,
         Err(error)
@@ -198,10 +195,7 @@ pub(crate) fn restore_private_file_mode(path: &Path, mode: Mode) -> io::Result<(
 fn open_plain_dir(path: &Path) -> io::Result<Option<File>> {
     use nix::fcntl::OFlag;
 
-    let opened = OpenOptions::new()
-        .read(true)
-        .custom_flags((OFlag::O_PATH | OFlag::O_DIRECTORY | OFlag::O_NOFOLLOW).bits())
-        .open(path);
+    let opened = open_to_locate(path, OFlag::O_DIRECTORY | OFlag::O_NOFOLLOW);
     match opened {
         Ok(directory) => Ok(Some(directory)),
         Err(error)
@@ -213,3 +207,19 @@ fn open_plain_dir(path: &Path) -> io::Result<Option<File>> {
         Err(error) => Err(error),
     }
 }
+
+/// Opens `path` with `O_PATH` and the flags `flags`, only to locate it, which needs no permission
+/// on the file itself, and never waits for a writer, as an open of a FIFO for reading would.
+///
+/// `nix` passes the flags on as they are, where `OpenOptionsExt::custom_flags` masks out the bits
+/// of `O_ACCMODE`, which on musl include `O_PATH`: a musl build would open the file for reading.
+fn open_to_locate(path: &Path, flags: nix::fcntl::OFlag) -> io::Result<File> {
+    use nix::fcntl::OFlag;
+
+    let file = nix::fcntl::open(
+        path,
+        OFlag::O_PATH | OFlag::O_CLOEXEC | flags,
+        Mode::empty(),
+    )?;
+    Ok(File::from(file))
+}
diff --git a/nvx-rs/src/host/platform/linux/tests.rs b/nvx-rs/src/host/platform/linux/tests.rs
index 9819c9203..c257a8d05 100644
--- a/nvx-rs/src/host/platform/linux/tests.rs
+++ b/nvx-rs/src/host/platform/linux/tests.rs
@@ -466,3 +466,49 @@ fn a_unix_transport_reports_what_its_peer_has_not_read() {
     peer.read_exact(&mut rest).unwrap();
     assert_eq!(transport.unread().unwrap(), Some(0));
 }
+
+/// Returns the permission bits of the mode of the file at `path`, not following a link.
+fn permission_bits(path: &std::path::Path) -> u32 {
+    fs::symlink_metadata(path).unwrap().permissions().mode() & 0o7777
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "cli")]
+#[test]
+fn a_fifo_in_place_of_a_private_file_is_left_as_it_is_without_waiting_for_a_writer() {
+    let directory = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let path = directory.path().join("lock");
+    nix::unistd::mkfifo(&path, Mode::S_IRUSR).unwrap();
+    // An open of the FIFO for reading would wait for a writer, which never comes.
+    let (sender, receiver) = std::sync::mpsc::channel();
+    let fifo = path.clone();
+    let mode = Mode::S_IRUSR | Mode::S_IWUSR;
+    thread::spawn(move || sender.send(restore_private_file_mode(&fifo, mode)));
+    receiver
+        .recv_timeout(Duration::from_secs(10))
+        .expect("the FIFO was opened for reading")
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(permission_bits(&path), 0o400);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn a_store_directory_gets_mode_700_even_where_the_umask_withholds_reading_it() {
+    let directory = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let path = directory.path().join("store");
+    // A umask that clears the owner's permission to read what it creates, in a thread of the
+    // test's own, whose umask no other thread shares.
+    let problem = thread::scope(|scope| {
+        scope
+            .spawn(|| {
+                nix::sched::unshare(nix::sched::CloneFlags::CLONE_FS).unwrap();
+                nix::sys::stat::umask(Mode::from_bits_truncate(0o477));
+                create_store_dir(&path)
+            })
+            .join()
+            .unwrap()
+    });
+    let mode = permission_bits(&path);
+    // Lets the temporary directory go, even if the umask's mode stayed.
+    fs::set_permissions(&path, fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o700)).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(problem.unwrap(), None);
+    assert_eq!(mode, 0o700);
+}
diff --git a/nvx-rs/src/host/seal/tests.rs b/nvx-rs/src/host/seal/tests.rs
index e89fec9f6..f5a75ba2f 100644
--- a/nvx-rs/src/host/seal/tests.rs
+++ b/nvx-rs/src/host/seal/tests.rs
@@ -12,14 +12,13 @@ use super::*;
 /// `EBADF`.
 #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
 pub(crate) fn open_metadata_only(path: &Path) -> io::Result<File> {
-    use std::os::unix::fs::OpenOptionsExt;
-
     use nix::fcntl::OFlag;
+    use nix::sys::stat::Mode;
 
-    OpenOptions::new()
-        .read(true)
-        .custom_flags(OFlag::O_PATH.bits())
-        .open(path)
+    // `nix` passes `O_PATH` on, where `OpenOptionsExt::custom_flags` masks out the bits of
+    // `O_ACCMODE`, which on musl include `O_PATH`: a musl build would open the file for reading.
+    let file = nix::fcntl::open(path, OFlag::O_PATH | OFlag::O_CLOEXEC, Mode::empty())?;
+    Ok(File::from(file))
 }
 
 /// Opens `path` for its metadata alone, as the Linux variant does. Without `FILE_READ_DATA`,