diff --git a/ImageDescriber.Test/StoreLockTests.cs b/ImageDescriber.Test/StoreLockTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a910dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ImageDescriber.Test/StoreLockTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2023-2026 ktsu-dev contributors
+
+namespace ktsu.ImageDescriber.Tests;
+
+using ktsu.ImageDescriber.Verbs;
+
+[TestClass]
+public class StoreLockTests
+{
+	private string lockPath = string.Empty;
+	private string originalLockPath = string.Empty;
+
+	[TestInitialize]
+	public void Initialize()
+	{
+		lockPath = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), Guid.NewGuid().ToString(), "ImageDescriber.lock");
+		originalLockPath = StoreLock.StorePath;
+		StoreLock.StorePath = lockPath;
+	}
+
+	[TestCleanup]
+	public void Cleanup()
+	{
+		StoreLock.StorePath = originalLockPath;
+		string directory = Path.GetDirectoryName(lockPath)!;
+		if (Directory.Exists(directory))
+		{
+			Directory.Delete(directory, true);
+		}
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void SecondAcquireFailsWhileTheFirstIsHeld()
+	{
+		using (StoreLock? first = StoreLock.TryAcquire(lockPath))
+		{
+			Assert.IsNotNull(first);
+			Assert.IsNull(StoreLock.TryAcquire(lockPath), "A second run took the lock while the first still held it");
+		}
+
+		using StoreLock? again = StoreLock.TryAcquire(lockPath);
+		Assert.IsNotNull(again, "The lock was not released when the first run ended");
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void VerbsThatSaveTheStoreHoldTheLock()
+	{
+		Assert.IsTrue(new Scan().WritesStore);
+		Assert.IsTrue(new Import().WritesStore);
+		Assert.IsTrue(new Configure().WritesStore);
+		Assert.IsFalse(new Search().WritesStore);
+		Assert.IsFalse(new Stats().WritesStore);
+		Assert.IsFalse(new Export().WritesStore);
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void AWritingVerbRefusesToRunWhileAnotherRunHoldsTheLock()
+	{
+		TextWriter originalOut = Console.Out;
+		using StringWriter output = new();
+		using StoreLock? held = StoreLock.TryAcquire(lockPath);
+		Assert.IsNotNull(held);
+
+		try
+		{
+			Console.SetOut(output);
+
+			// The input file does not exist, so if the verb ran at all it would say so, and it
+			// would never reach a save.
+			new Import { InputPath = Path.Combine(Path.GetDirectoryName(lockPath)!, "missing.json") }.Run();
+		}
+		finally
+		{
+			Console.SetOut(originalOut);
+		}
+
+		string text = output.ToString();
+		Assert.Contains(StoreLock.BusyMessage, text);
+		Assert.DoesNotContain("File not found", text);
+	}
+}
diff --git a/ImageDescriber/StoreLock.cs b/ImageDescriber/StoreLock.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d4e0391
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ImageDescriber/StoreLock.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2023-2026 ktsu-dev contributors
+
+namespace ktsu.ImageDescriber;
+
+using System.IO;
+
+using ktsu.AppDataStorage;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// An exclusive, cross-process hold on the description store for the length of one run.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// Every run loads the whole store and saves its whole in-memory copy back, so two runs that write
+/// at the same time each overwrite what the other added. A run that writes takes this lock first
+/// and reloads the store under it; a second one fails fast instead of silently losing work.
+/// </remarks>
+internal sealed class StoreLock : IDisposable
+{
+	internal const string BusyMessage = "Another ImageDescriber run is updating the description store. Wait for it to finish and try again.";
+
+	/// <summary>
+	/// The file a run that writes to the store locks, kept beside the store itself.
+	/// </summary>
+	internal static string StorePath { get; set; } = Path.Join(AppData.Path.WeakString, "ImageDescriber.lock");
+
+	private readonly FileStream stream;
+
+	private StoreLock(FileStream stream) => this.stream = stream;
+
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Takes the lock held by the file at <paramref name="path"/>, creating it if needed.
+	/// </summary>
+	/// <returns>The held lock, or <see langword="null"/> when another run holds it.</returns>
+	internal static StoreLock? TryAcquire(string path)
+	{
+		string? directory = Path.GetDirectoryName(path);
+		if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(directory))
+		{
+			Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
+		}
+
+		try
+		{
+			return new(new FileStream(path, FileMode.OpenOrCreate, FileAccess.ReadWrite, FileShare.None));
+		}
+		catch (IOException)
+		{
+			return null;
+		}
+	}
+
+	public void Dispose() => stream.Dispose();
+}
diff --git a/ImageDescriber/Verbs/BaseVerb.cs b/ImageDescriber/Verbs/BaseVerb.cs
index 00c9f44..c3dd0dc 100644
--- a/ImageDescriber/Verbs/BaseVerb.cs
+++ b/ImageDescriber/Verbs/BaseVerb.cs
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ internal OllamaEndpoint Endpoint
 
 	internal virtual bool ValidateArgs() => true;
 
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Whether the verb saves the store, and so has to hold <see cref="StoreLock"/> while it runs.
+	/// </summary>
+	internal virtual bool WritesStore => false;
+
 	public void Execute() => Run();
 }
 
@@ -55,9 +60,33 @@ public override void Run()
 		}
 
 		isActive = false;
-		Run((T)this);
+
+		if (WritesStore)
+		{
+			RunHoldingStoreLock();
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			Run((T)this);
+		}
+
 		isActive = true;
 	}
 
+	private void RunHoldingStoreLock()
+	{
+		using StoreLock? storeLock = StoreLock.TryAcquire(StoreLock.StorePath);
+		if (storeLock is null)
+		{
+			Console.WriteLine(StoreLock.BusyMessage);
+			return;
+		}
+
+		// Another run may have saved since this process loaded the store, and this run's saves
+		// write back the whole copy, so start from what is on disk now.
+		Program.Settings = PersistentState.LoadOrCreate();
+		Run((T)this);
+	}
+
 	internal abstract void Run(T options);
 }
diff --git a/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Configure.cs b/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Configure.cs
index 5cd8876..9f919d5 100644
--- a/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Configure.cs
+++ b/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Configure.cs
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ namespace ktsu.ImageDescriber.Verbs;
 [Verb("Configure", HelpText = "Configure the Ollama endpoint and model settings.")]
 internal sealed class Configure : BaseVerb<Configure>
 {
+	internal override bool WritesStore => true;
+
 	internal override void Run(Configure options)
 	{
 		Console.WriteLine("Current Settings:");
diff --git a/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Import.cs b/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Import.cs
index 5fdecec..008706e 100644
--- a/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Import.cs
+++ b/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Import.cs
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ namespace ktsu.ImageDescriber.Verbs;
 [Verb("Import", HelpText = "Import descriptions from a JSON or CSV file.")]
 internal sealed class Import : BaseVerb<Import>
 {
+	internal override bool WritesStore => true;
+
 	private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions JsonOptions = new()
 	{
 		Converters = { new RoundTripStringJsonConverterFactory() },
diff --git a/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Scan.cs b/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Scan.cs
index 5436b38..827221c 100644
--- a/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Scan.cs
+++ b/ImageDescriber/Verbs/Scan.cs
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ namespace ktsu.ImageDescriber.Verbs;
 [Verb("Scan", HelpText = "Scan a directory for images, describe them using Ollama, and store results.")]
 internal sealed class Scan : BaseVerb<Scan>
 {
+	internal override bool WritesStore => true;
+
 	internal override bool ValidateArgs()
 	{
 		if (PathString is "." or "")