diff --git a/cmd/core/metastore.go b/cmd/core/metastore.go
index a0696a6b..feaba18c 100644
--- a/cmd/core/metastore.go
+++ b/cmd/core/metastore.go
@@ -135,7 +135,14 @@ func MetaStore(conf *config.Config) (meta.Store, error) {
 		if conf.MetaBackend == "" {
 			log.WithFunc("core.MetaStore").Info(ctx, "legacy json meta store in use; `cocoon meta convert` upgrades it to sqlite")
 		}
-		if s, err := metajson.Open(MetaJSONNamespaces(conf)...); err != nil {
+		nss := MetaJSONNamespaces(conf)
+		for _, ns := range nss {
+			if err := utils.EnsureDirs(filepath.Dir(ns.LockPath)); err != nil {
+				metaErr = err
+				return
+			}
+		}
+		if s, err := metajson.Open(nss...); err != nil {
 			metaErr = err
 		} else {
 			metaStore = s
diff --git a/cmd/core/metastore_test.go b/cmd/core/metastore_test.go
index 6f7f5165..c92bafa9 100644
--- a/cmd/core/metastore_test.go
+++ b/cmd/core/metastore_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/cocoonstack/cocoon/config"
+	"github.com/cocoonstack/cocoon/hypervisor"
+	"github.com/cocoonstack/cocoon/meta"
 	"github.com/cocoonstack/cocoon/utils"
 )
 
@@ -39,6 +41,23 @@ func TestMetaStoreBootstrapsFreshRoot(t *testing.T) {
 	resetMetaStore()
 }
 
+func TestMetaStoreJSONFreshRootLocksPeerNamespace(t *testing.T) {
+	resetMetaStore()
+	conf := testConf(t)
+	conf.MetaBackend = config.MetaBackendJSON
+	s, err := MetaStore(conf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("open fresh json root: %v", err)
+	}
+	ch := hypervisor.VMNamespaceName(string(config.HypervisorCloudHypervisor))
+	fc := hypervisor.VMNamespaceName(string(config.HypervisorFirecracker))
+	if err := s.Update(t.Context(), meta.Scope{Write: ch, Read: []string{fc}}, meta.CommitDurable, func(meta.Writer) error { return nil }); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("placement-shaped update on a fresh json root: %v", err)
+	}
+	CloseMetaStore(t.Context())
+	resetMetaStore()
+}
+
 func TestMetaStoreKeepsLegacyJSON(t *testing.T) {
 	resetMetaStore()
 	conf := testConf(t)