diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/panfrost/pan_context.c b/src/gallium/drivers/panfrost/pan_context.c
index b7ff1ae04a0..bff821bd9bc 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/panfrost/pan_context.c
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/panfrost/pan_context.c
@@ -297,6 +297,8 @@ panfrost_create_shader_state(
         struct panfrost_device *dev = pan_device(pctx->screen);
         so->base = *cso;
 
+        simple_mtx_init(&so->lock, mtx_plain);
+
         /* Token deep copy to prevent memory corruption */
 
         if (cso->type == PIPE_SHADER_IR_TGSI)
@@ -339,6 +341,8 @@ panfrost_delete_shader_state(
                 panfrost_bo_unreference(shader_state->linkage.bo);
         }
 
+        simple_mtx_destroy(&cso->lock);
+
         free(cso->variants);
         free(so);
 }
@@ -451,6 +455,8 @@ panfrost_bind_shader_state(
         signed variant = -1;
         struct panfrost_shader_variants *variants = (struct panfrost_shader_variants *) hwcso;
 
+        simple_mtx_lock(&variants->lock);
+
         for (unsigned i = 0; i < variants->variant_count; ++i) {
                 if (panfrost_variant_matches(ctx, &variants->variants[i], type)) {
                         variant = i;
@@ -528,6 +534,11 @@ panfrost_bind_shader_state(
                         update_so_info(&shader_state->stream_output,
                                        shader_state->info.outputs_written);
         }
+
+        /* TODO: it would be more efficient to release the lock before
+         * compiling instead of after, but that can race if thread A compiles a
+         * variant while thread B searches for that same variant */
+        simple_mtx_unlock(&variants->lock);
 }
 
 static void *
diff --git a/src/gallium/drivers/panfrost/pan_context.h b/src/gallium/drivers/panfrost/pan_context.h
index 7e49c2c4faf..98394c1bcf8 100644
--- a/src/gallium/drivers/panfrost/pan_context.h
+++ b/src/gallium/drivers/panfrost/pan_context.h
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 #include "pipe/p_state.h"
 #include "util/u_blitter.h"
 #include "util/hash_table.h"
+#include "util/simple_mtx.h"
 
 #include "midgard/midgard_compile.h"
 #include "compiler/shader_enums.h"
@@ -286,6 +287,9 @@ struct panfrost_shader_variants {
                 struct pipe_compute_state cbase;
         };
 
+        /** Lock for the variants array */
+        simple_mtx_t lock;
+
         struct panfrost_shader_state *variants;
         unsigned variant_space;