diff --git a/Annex/Content.hs b/Annex/Content.hs
index 90ab7db585..86b78c04e0 100644
--- a/Annex/Content.hs
+++ b/Annex/Content.hs
@@ -152,14 +152,20 @@ contentLockFile key = ifM isDirect
 	, return Nothing
 	)
 
+newtype ContentLock = ContentLock Key
+
 {- Content is exclusively locked while running an action that might remove
- - it. (If the content is not present, no locking is done.) -}
-lockContent :: Key -> Annex a -> Annex a
+ - it. (If the content is not present, no locking is done.)
+ -}
+lockContent :: Key -> (ContentLock -> Annex a) -> Annex a
 lockContent key a = do
 	contentfile <- calcRepo $ gitAnnexLocation key
 	lockfile <- contentLockFile key
 	maybe noop setuplockfile lockfile
-	bracket (lock contentfile lockfile) (unlock lockfile) (const a)
+	bracket
+		(lock contentfile lockfile)
+		(unlock lockfile)
+		(const $ a $ ContentLock key)
   where
 	alreadylocked = error "content is locked"
 	setuplockfile lockfile = modifyContent lockfile $
@@ -426,9 +432,10 @@ cleanObjectLoc key cleaner = do
 {- Removes a key's file from .git/annex/objects/
  -
  - In direct mode, deletes the associated files or files, and replaces
- - them with symlinks. -}
-removeAnnex :: Key -> Annex ()
-removeAnnex key = withObjectLoc key remove removedirect
+ - them with symlinks.
+ -}
+removeAnnex :: ContentLock -> Annex ()
+removeAnnex (ContentLock key) = withObjectLoc key remove removedirect
   where
 	remove file = cleanObjectLoc key $ do
 		secureErase file
diff --git a/Assistant/Unused.hs b/Assistant/Unused.hs
index 3ad98c12e2..c2c10b048b 100644
--- a/Assistant/Unused.hs
+++ b/Assistant/Unused.hs
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ expireUnused duration = do
 	forM_ oldkeys $ \k -> do
 		debug ["removing old unused key", key2file k]
 		liftAnnex $ do
-			removeAnnex k
+			lockContent k removeAnnex
 			logStatus k InfoMissing
   where
 	boundry = durationToPOSIXTime <$> duration
diff --git a/Assistant/Upgrade.hs b/Assistant/Upgrade.hs
index 1456f8e5ac..b847068c29 100644
--- a/Assistant/Upgrade.hs
+++ b/Assistant/Upgrade.hs
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ startDistributionDownload d = go =<< liftIO . newVersionLocation d =<< liftIO ol
 		, transferKey = k
 		}
 	cleanup = liftAnnex $ do
-		removeAnnex k
+		lockContent k removeAnnex
 		setUrlMissing k u
 		logStatus k InfoMissing
 
diff --git a/Command/Drop.hs b/Command/Drop.hs
index 4bac07a533..cf63d2bc7e 100644
--- a/Command/Drop.hs
+++ b/Command/Drop.hs
@@ -55,8 +55,12 @@ startRemote afile numcopies key remote = do
 	showStart' ("drop " ++ Remote.name remote) key afile
 	next $ performRemote key afile numcopies remote
 
+-- Note that lockContent is called before checking if the key is present
+-- on enough remotes to allow removal. This avoids a scenario where two
+-- or more remotes are trying to remove a key at the same time, and each
+-- see the key is present on the other.
 performLocal :: Key -> AssociatedFile -> NumCopies -> Maybe Remote -> CommandPerform
-performLocal key afile numcopies knownpresentremote = lockContent key $ do
+performLocal key afile numcopies knownpresentremote = lockContent key $ \contentlock -> do
 	(remotes, trusteduuids) <- Remote.keyPossibilitiesTrusted key
 	let trusteduuids' = case knownpresentremote of
 		Nothing -> trusteduuids
@@ -66,7 +70,7 @@ performLocal key afile numcopies knownpresentremote = lockContent key $ do
 	u <- getUUID
 	ifM (canDrop u key afile numcopies trusteduuids' tocheck [])
 		( do
-			removeAnnex key
+			removeAnnex contentlock
 			notifyDrop afile True
 			next $ cleanupLocal key
 		, do
@@ -75,7 +79,7 @@ performLocal key afile numcopies knownpresentremote = lockContent key $ do
 		)
 
 performRemote :: Key -> AssociatedFile -> NumCopies -> Remote -> CommandPerform
-performRemote key afile numcopies remote = lockContent key $ do
+performRemote key afile numcopies remote = do
 	-- Filter the remote it's being dropped from out of the lists of
 	-- places assumed to have the key, and places to check.
 	-- When the local repo has the key, that's one additional copy,
diff --git a/Command/DropKey.hs b/Command/DropKey.hs
index 125e6ded40..8ca41bdb6c 100644
--- a/Command/DropKey.hs
+++ b/Command/DropKey.hs
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ start key = stopUnless (inAnnex key) $ do
 	next $ perform key
 
 perform :: Key -> CommandPerform
-perform key = lockContent key $ do
-	removeAnnex key
+perform key = lockContent key $ \contentlock -> do
+	removeAnnex contentlock
 	next $ cleanup key
 
 cleanup :: Key -> CommandCleanup
diff --git a/Command/Move.hs b/Command/Move.hs
index f70608a6f7..c3d641edd5 100644
--- a/Command/Move.hs
+++ b/Command/Move.hs
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ expectedPresent dest key = do
 	return $ dest `elem` remotes
 
 toPerform :: Remote -> Bool -> Key -> AssociatedFile -> Bool -> Either String Bool -> CommandPerform
-toPerform dest move key afile fastcheck isthere = moveLock move key $
+toPerform dest move key afile fastcheck isthere = do
 	case isthere of
 		Left err -> do
 			showNote err
@@ -115,8 +115,8 @@ toPerform dest move key afile fastcheck isthere = moveLock move key $
 			finish
   where
 	finish
-		| move = do
-			removeAnnex key
+		| move = lockContent key $ \contentlock -> do
+			removeAnnex contentlock
 			next $ Command.Drop.cleanupLocal key
 		| otherwise = next $ return True
 
@@ -164,10 +164,3 @@ fromPerform src move key afile = ifM (inAnnex key)
 	dispatch True True = do -- finish moving
 		ok <- Remote.removeKey src key
 		next $ Command.Drop.cleanupRemote key src ok
-
-{- Locks a key in order for it to be moved away from the current repository.
- - No lock is needed when a key is being copied, or moved to the current
- - repository. -}
-moveLock :: Bool -> Key -> Annex a -> Annex a
-moveLock True key a = lockContent key a
-moveLock False _ a = a
diff --git a/Command/TestRemote.hs b/Command/TestRemote.hs
index 3e1933d219..1cb1929e01 100644
--- a/Command/TestRemote.hs
+++ b/Command/TestRemote.hs
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ test st r k =
 	, check "storeKey when already present" store
 	, present True
 	, check "retrieveKeyFile" $ do
-		removeAnnex k
+		lockContent k removeAnnex
 		get
 	, check "fsck downloaded object" fsck
 	, check "retrieveKeyFile resume from 33%" $ do
@@ -124,20 +124,20 @@ test st r k =
 			sz <- hFileSize h
 			L.hGet h $ fromInteger $ sz `div` 3
 		liftIO $ L.writeFile tmp partial
-		removeAnnex k
+		lockContent k removeAnnex
 		get
 	, check "fsck downloaded object" fsck
 	, check "retrieveKeyFile resume from 0" $ do
 		tmp <- prepTmp k
 		liftIO $ writeFile tmp ""
-		removeAnnex k
+		lockContent k removeAnnex
 		get
 	, check "fsck downloaded object" fsck
 	, check "retrieveKeyFile resume from end" $ do
 		loc <- Annex.calcRepo (gitAnnexLocation k)
 		tmp <- prepTmp k
 		void $ liftIO $ copyFileExternal loc tmp
-		removeAnnex k
+		lockContent k removeAnnex
 		get
 	, check "fsck downloaded object" fsck
 	, check "removeKey when present" remove
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ testUnavailable st r k =
 cleanup :: [Remote] -> [Key] -> Bool -> CommandCleanup
 cleanup rs ks ok = do
 	forM_ rs $ \r -> forM_ ks (Remote.removeKey r)
-	forM_ ks removeAnnex
+	forM_ ks $ \k -> lockContent k removeAnnex
 	return ok
 
 chunkSizes :: Int -> Bool -> [Int]
diff --git a/Command/Uninit.hs b/Command/Uninit.hs
index 4433de6d01..3f57782fce 100644
--- a/Command/Uninit.hs
+++ b/Command/Uninit.hs
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ removeUnannexed = go []
   	go c [] = return c
 	go c (k:ks) = ifM (inAnnexCheck k $ liftIO . enoughlinks)
 		( do
-			removeAnnex k
+			lockContent k removeAnnex
 			go c ks
 		, go (k:c) ks
 		)
diff --git a/Remote/Git.hs b/Remote/Git.hs
index db5b2fbd0a..bf796ec117 100644
--- a/Remote/Git.hs
+++ b/Remote/Git.hs
@@ -339,8 +339,8 @@ dropKey r key
 			commitOnCleanup r $ onLocal r $ do
 				ensureInitialized
 				whenM (Annex.Content.inAnnex key) $ do
-					Annex.Content.lockContent key $
-						Annex.Content.removeAnnex key
+					Annex.Content.lockContent key
+						Annex.Content.removeAnnex
 					logStatus key InfoMissing
 					Annex.Content.saveState True
 				return True