diff --git a/core/lib.rs b/core/lib.rs
index 6a275b383..6beae3585 100644
--- a/core/lib.rs
+++ b/core/lib.rs
@@ -566,17 +566,7 @@ impl Connection {
 
     /// Close a connection and checkpoint.
     pub fn close(&self) -> Result<()> {
-        loop {
-            // TODO: make this async?
-            match self.pager.checkpoint()? {
-                CheckpointStatus::Done(_) => {
-                    return Ok(());
-                }
-                CheckpointStatus::IO => {
-                    self.pager.io.run_once()?;
-                }
-            };
-        }
+        self.pager.checkpoint_shutdown()
     }
 
     pub fn last_insert_rowid(&self) -> i64 {
diff --git a/core/storage/pager.rs b/core/storage/pager.rs
index dd77b951c..ce266b250 100644
--- a/core/storage/pager.rs
+++ b/core/storage/pager.rs
@@ -821,6 +821,25 @@ impl Pager {
             .expect("Failed to clear page cache");
     }
 
+    pub fn checkpoint_shutdown(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        let mut attempts = 0;
+        {
+            let mut wal = self.wal.borrow_mut();
+            // fsync the wal syncronously before beginning checkpoint
+            while let Ok(WalFsyncStatus::IO) = wal.sync() {
+                if attempts >= 10 {
+                    return Err(LimboError::InternalError(
+                        "Failed to fsync WAL before final checkpoint, fd likely closed".into(),
+                    ));
+                }
+                self.io.run_once()?;
+                attempts += 1;
+            }
+        }
+        self.wal_checkpoint();
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     pub fn wal_checkpoint(&self) -> CheckpointResult {
         let checkpoint_result: CheckpointResult;
         loop {
diff --git a/core/storage/wal.rs b/core/storage/wal.rs
index 0e115d321..9f4b63e74 100644
--- a/core/storage/wal.rs
+++ b/core/storage/wal.rs
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ pub enum CheckpointMode {
     Truncate,
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug)]
+#[derive(Debug, Default)]
 pub struct LimboRwLock {
     lock: AtomicU32,
     nreads: AtomicU32,
@@ -390,8 +390,8 @@ pub struct WalFile {
     io: Arc<dyn IO>,
     buffer_pool: Rc<BufferPool>,
 
-    sync_state: RefCell<SyncState>,
-    syncing: Rc<RefCell<bool>>,
+    syncing: Rc<Cell<bool>>,
+    sync_state: Cell<SyncState>,
     page_size: u32,
 
     shared: Arc<UnsafeCell<WalFileShared>>,
@@ -410,8 +410,8 @@ pub struct WalFile {
 impl fmt::Debug for WalFile {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
         f.debug_struct("WalFile")
+            .field("syncing", &self.syncing.get())
             .field("sync_state", &self.sync_state)
-            .field("syncing", &self.syncing)
             .field("page_size", &self.page_size)
             .field("shared", &self.shared)
             .field("ongoing_checkpoint", &self.ongoing_checkpoint)
@@ -748,7 +748,6 @@ impl Wal for WalFile {
                                 self.buffer_pool.clone(),
                             )?;
                             self.ongoing_checkpoint.state = CheckpointState::WaitReadFrame;
-                            self.ongoing_checkpoint.current_page += 1;
                             continue 'checkpoint_loop;
                         }
                     }
@@ -778,6 +777,7 @@ impl Wal for WalFile {
                     if (self.ongoing_checkpoint.current_page as usize)
                         < shared.pages_in_frames.lock().len()
                     {
+                        self.ongoing_checkpoint.current_page += 1;
                         self.ongoing_checkpoint.state = CheckpointState::ReadFrame;
                     } else {
                         self.ongoing_checkpoint.state = CheckpointState::Done;
@@ -828,31 +828,29 @@ impl Wal for WalFile {
 
     #[instrument(skip_all, level = Level::DEBUG)]
     fn sync(&mut self) -> Result<WalFsyncStatus> {
-        let state = *self.sync_state.borrow();
-        match state {
+        match self.sync_state.get() {
             SyncState::NotSyncing => {
-                let shared = self.get_shared();
                 tracing::debug!("wal_sync");
-                {
-                    let syncing = self.syncing.clone();
-                    *syncing.borrow_mut() = true;
-                    let completion = Completion::Sync(SyncCompletion {
-                        complete: Box::new(move |_| {
-                            tracing::debug!("wal_sync finish");
-                            *syncing.borrow_mut() = false;
-                        }),
-                        is_completed: Cell::new(false),
-                    });
-                    shared.file.sync(Arc::new(completion))?;
-                }
-                self.sync_state.replace(SyncState::Syncing);
+                let syncing = self.syncing.clone();
+                self.syncing.set(true);
+                let completion = Completion::Sync(SyncCompletion {
+                    complete: Box::new(move |_| {
+                        tracing::debug!("wal_sync finish");
+                        syncing.set(false);
+                    }),
+                    is_completed: Cell::new(false),
+                });
+                let shared = self.get_shared();
+                shared.file.sync(Arc::new(completion))?;
+                self.sync_state.set(SyncState::Syncing);
                 Ok(WalFsyncStatus::IO)
             }
             SyncState::Syncing => {
-                if *self.syncing.borrow() {
+                if self.syncing.get() {
+                    tracing::debug!("wal_sync is already syncing");
                     Ok(WalFsyncStatus::IO)
                 } else {
-                    self.sync_state.replace(SyncState::NotSyncing);
+                    self.sync_state.set(SyncState::NotSyncing);
                     Ok(WalFsyncStatus::Done)
                 }
             }
@@ -901,11 +899,11 @@ impl WalFile {
                 max_frame: 0,
                 current_page: 0,
             },
-            syncing: Rc::new(RefCell::new(false)),
             checkpoint_threshold: 1000,
             page_size,
             buffer_pool,
-            sync_state: RefCell::new(SyncState::NotSyncing),
+            syncing: Rc::new(Cell::new(false)),
+            sync_state: Cell::new(SyncState::NotSyncing),
             max_frame: 0,
             min_frame: 0,
             max_frame_read_lock_index: 0,