diff --git a/content/local/store.go b/content/local/store.go
index 5915b6dbf..5eb98e365 100644
--- a/content/local/store.go
+++ b/content/local/store.go
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/errdefs"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/filters"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/log"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/pkg/randutil"
 
 	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
 	ocispec "github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/specs-go/v1"
@@ -458,23 +457,9 @@ func (s *store) Writer(ctx context.Context, opts ...content.WriterOpt) (content.
 	if wOpts.Ref == "" {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("ref must not be empty: %w", errdefs.ErrInvalidArgument)
 	}
-	var lockErr error
-	for count := uint64(0); count < 10; count++ {
-		if err := tryLock(wOpts.Ref); err != nil {
-			if !errdefs.IsUnavailable(err) {
-				return nil, err
-			}
 
-			lockErr = err
-		} else {
-			lockErr = nil
-			break
-		}
-		time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * time.Duration(randutil.Intn(1<<count)))
-	}
-
-	if lockErr != nil {
-		return nil, lockErr
+	if err := tryLock(wOpts.Ref); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	w, err := s.writer(ctx, wOpts.Ref, wOpts.Desc.Size, wOpts.Desc.Digest)
diff --git a/content/testsuite/testsuite.go b/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
index afb949891..e5ca57797 100644
--- a/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
+++ b/content/testsuite/testsuite.go
@@ -148,28 +148,28 @@ var labels = map[string]string{
 
 func checkContentStoreWriter(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	c1, d1 := createContent(256)
-	w1, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef("c1"))
+	w1, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef("c1"))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	defer w1.Close()
 
 	c2, d2 := createContent(256)
-	w2, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef("c2"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: int64(len(c2))}))
+	w2, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef("c2"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: int64(len(c2))}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	defer w2.Close()
 
 	c3, d3 := createContent(256)
-	w3, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef("c3"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Digest: d3}))
+	w3, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef("c3"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Digest: d3}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	defer w3.Close()
 
 	c4, d4 := createContent(256)
-	w4, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef("c4"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: int64(len(c4)), Digest: d4}))
+	w4, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef("c4"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: int64(len(c4)), Digest: d4}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ func checkResumeWriter(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	)
 
 	preStart := time.Now()
-	w1, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: dgst}))
+	w1, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: dgst}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ func checkResumeWriter(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	checkStatus(t, w1, expected, dgstFirst, preStart, postStart, preUpdate, postUpdate)
 	assert.Nil(t, w1.Close(), "close first writer")
 
-	w2, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: dgst}))
+	w2, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: dgst}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ func checkCommitExists(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 		},
 		{},
 	} {
-		w, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(fmt.Sprintf("c1-commitexists-%d", i)))
+		w, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(fmt.Sprintf("c1-commitexists-%d", i)))
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ func checkCommitErrorState(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store)
 	}
 
 	ref := "c1-commiterror-state"
-	w, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref))
+	w, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ func checkCommitErrorState(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store)
 		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %+v", err)
 	}
 
-	w, err = cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref))
+	w, err = content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ func checkCommitErrorState(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store)
 	}
 	w.Close()
 
-	w, err = cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref))
+	w, err = content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ func checkCommitErrorState(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store)
 	}
 
 	w.Close()
-	w, err = cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref))
+	w, err = content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ func checkCommitErrorState(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store)
 	}
 
 	w.Close()
-	w, err = cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref))
+	w, err = content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@ func checkCommitErrorState(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store)
 
 	w.Close()
 	// Create another writer with same reference
-	w, err = cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref))
+	w, err = content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Failed to open writer: %+v", err)
 	}
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ func checkCommitErrorState(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store)
 	}
 
 	w.Close()
-	w, err = cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref))
+	w, err = content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ func checkCommitErrorState(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store)
 	}
 
 	// Create another writer with same reference to check available
-	w, err = cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref))
+	w, err = content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Failed to open writer: %+v", err)
 	}
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ func checkUpdateStatus(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	c1, d1 := createContent(256)
 
 	preStart := time.Now()
-	w1, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef("c1"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: d1}))
+	w1, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef("c1"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: d1}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ func checkUpdateStatus(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 func checkLabels(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	c1, d1 := createContent(256)
 
-	w1, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef("c1-checklabels"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: d1}))
+	w1, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef("c1-checklabels"), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: 256, Digest: d1}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -661,7 +661,7 @@ func checkResume(rf func(context.Context, content.Writer, []byte, int64, int64,
 				limit := int64(float64(size) * tp)
 				ref := fmt.Sprintf("ref-%d-%d", i, j)
 
-				w, err := cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
+				w, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
 				if err != nil {
 					t.Fatal(err)
 				}
@@ -675,7 +675,7 @@ func checkResume(rf func(context.Context, content.Writer, []byte, int64, int64,
 					t.Fatal(err)
 				}
 
-				w, err = cs.Writer(ctx, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
+				w, err = content.OpenWriter(ctx, cs, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
 				if err != nil {
 					t.Fatal(err)
 				}
@@ -835,7 +835,7 @@ func checkCrossNSShare(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	}
 	defer done(ctx2)
 
-	w, err := cs.Writer(ctx2, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
+	w, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx2, cs, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -894,7 +894,7 @@ func checkCrossNSAppend(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	copy(b2[size:], extra)
 	d2 := digest.FromBytes(b2)
 
-	w, err := cs.Writer(ctx2, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
+	w, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx2, cs, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -957,7 +957,7 @@ func checkCrossNSIsolate(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	defer done(ctx2)
 
 	t3 := time.Now()
-	w, err := cs.Writer(ctx2, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
+	w, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx2, cs, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -994,7 +994,7 @@ func checkSharedNSIsolate(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, cs content.Store) {
 	}
 	defer done2(ctx2)
 
-	w, err := cs.Writer(ctx2, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
+	w, err := content.OpenWriter(ctx2, cs, content.WithRef(ref), content.WithDescriptor(ocispec.Descriptor{Size: size, Digest: d}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}