diff --git a/include/jemalloc/internal/background_thread_inlines.h b/include/jemalloc/internal/background_thread_inlines.h
index 4ed05d1b..fd3884f1 100644
--- a/include/jemalloc/internal/background_thread_inlines.h
+++ b/include/jemalloc/internal/background_thread_inlines.h
@@ -11,10 +11,15 @@ background_thread_enabled(void) {
 	return atomic_load_b(&background_thread_enabled_state, ATOMIC_RELAXED);
 }
 
+JEMALLOC_ALWAYS_INLINE void
+background_thread_enabled_set_impl(bool state) {
+	atomic_store_b(&background_thread_enabled_state, state, ATOMIC_RELAXED);
+}
+
 JEMALLOC_ALWAYS_INLINE void
 background_thread_enabled_set(tsdn_t *tsdn, bool state) {
 	malloc_mutex_assert_owner(tsdn, &background_thread_lock);
-	atomic_store_b(&background_thread_enabled_state, state, ATOMIC_RELAXED);
+	background_thread_enabled_set_impl(state);
 }
 
 JEMALLOC_ALWAYS_INLINE background_thread_info_t *
diff --git a/src/background_thread.c b/src/background_thread.c
index a5f4dbf7..30c3111c 100644
--- a/src/background_thread.c
+++ b/src/background_thread.c
@@ -819,7 +819,6 @@ background_thread_boot1(tsdn_t *tsdn, base_t *base) {
 	}
 	max_background_threads = opt_max_background_threads;
 
-	background_thread_enabled_set(tsdn, opt_background_thread);
 	if (malloc_mutex_init(&background_thread_lock,
 	    "background_thread_global",
 	    WITNESS_RANK_BACKGROUND_THREAD_GLOBAL,
@@ -850,7 +849,8 @@ background_thread_boot1(tsdn_t *tsdn, base_t *base) {
 		background_thread_info_init(tsdn, info);
 		malloc_mutex_unlock(tsdn, &info->mtx);
 	}
+	/* Using _impl to bypass the locking check during init. */
+	background_thread_enabled_set_impl(opt_background_thread);
 #endif
-
 	return false;
 }