diff --git a/scst/include/scst.h b/scst/include/scst.h
index e5240b743..0d19a44c3 100644
--- a/scst/include/scst.h
+++ b/scst/include/scst.h
@@ -2271,6 +2271,7 @@ struct scst_cmd_threads {
 	int io_context_refcnt;
 
 	bool io_context_ready;
+	wait_queue_head_t ioctx_wq;
 
 	/* io_context_mutex protects io_context and io_context_refcnt. */
 	struct mutex io_context_mutex;
diff --git a/scst/src/scst_lib.c b/scst/src/scst_lib.c
index f61269d22..6a8bef0e3 100644
--- a/scst/src/scst_lib.c
+++ b/scst/src/scst_lib.c
@@ -4495,6 +4495,7 @@ struct scst_acg *scst_tgt_find_acg(struct scst_tgt *tgt, const char *name)
 static struct scst_tgt_dev *scst_find_shared_io_tgt_dev(
 	struct scst_tgt_dev *tgt_dev)
 {
+	struct scst_cmd_threads *a;
 	struct scst_tgt_dev *res = NULL;
 	struct scst_session *sess = tgt_dev->sess;
 	struct scst_acg *acg = tgt_dev->acg_dev->acg;
@@ -4566,21 +4567,16 @@ out:
 	return res;
 
 found:
-	if (t->active_cmd_threads == &scst_main_cmd_threads) {
-		res = t;
+	res = t;
+	a = t->active_cmd_threads;
+	if (a == &scst_main_cmd_threads) {
 		TRACE_DBG("Going to share async IO context %p (res %p, "
 			"ini %s, dev %s, grouping type %d)",
 			t->aic_keeper->aic, res, t->sess->initiator_name,
 			t->dev->virt_name,
 			t->acg_dev->acg->acg_io_grouping_type);
 	} else {
-		res = t;
-		if (!*(volatile bool *)&res->active_cmd_threads->io_context_ready) {
-			TRACE_DBG("IO context for t %p not yet "
-				"initialized, waiting...", t);
-			msleep(100);
-			goto found;
-		}
+		wait_event(a->ioctx_wq, a->io_context_ready);
 		smp_rmb();
 		TRACE_DBG("Going to share IO context %p (res %p, ini %s, "
 			"dev %s, cmd_threads %p, grouping type %d)",
diff --git a/scst/src/scst_main.c b/scst/src/scst_main.c
index dc37cd1c9..2f681724e 100644
--- a/scst/src/scst_main.c
+++ b/scst/src/scst_main.c
@@ -1929,11 +1929,8 @@ out_wait:
 		 * Wait for io_context gets initialized to avoid possible races
 		 * for it from the sharing it tgt_devs.
 		 */
-		while (!*(volatile bool *)&cmd_threads->io_context_ready) {
-			TRACE_DBG("Waiting for io_context for cmd_threads %p "
-				"initialized", cmd_threads);
-			msleep(50);
-		}
+		wait_event(cmd_threads->ioctx_wq,
+			   cmd_threads->io_context_ready);
 		smp_rmb();
 	}
 
@@ -2182,6 +2179,7 @@ void scst_init_threads(struct scst_cmd_threads *cmd_threads)
 	spin_lock_init(&cmd_threads->cmd_list_lock);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cmd_threads->active_cmd_list);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&cmd_threads->cmd_list_waitQ);
+	init_waitqueue_head(&cmd_threads->ioctx_wq);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cmd_threads->threads_list);
 	mutex_init(&cmd_threads->io_context_mutex);
 	spin_lock_init(&cmd_threads->thr_lock);
diff --git a/scst/src/scst_targ.c b/scst/src/scst_targ.c
index fb5d07d9d..0380d73fe 100644
--- a/scst/src/scst_targ.c
+++ b/scst/src/scst_targ.c
@@ -5010,6 +5010,8 @@ int scst_cmd_thread(void *arg)
 
 	scst_ioctx_get(p_cmd_threads);
 
+	wake_up_all(&p_cmd_threads->ioctx_wq);
+
 	spin_lock_irq(&p_cmd_threads->cmd_list_lock);
 	while (!kthread_should_stop()) {
 		wait_event_locked(p_cmd_threads->cmd_list_waitQ,