diff --git a/src/main/services/team/fileLock.ts b/src/main/services/team/fileLock.ts
index 9152bbda..56a1c7de 100644
--- a/src/main/services/team/fileLock.ts
+++ b/src/main/services/team/fileLock.ts
@@ -69,18 +69,34 @@ function removeLockPath(lockPath: string): void {
   }
 }
 
+function writeLockFile(lockPath: string): void {
+  const fd = fs.openSync(lockPath, 'wx');
+  fs.writeSync(fd, `${process.pid}\n${Date.now()}\n`);
+  fs.closeSync(fd);
+}
+
 function tryAcquire(lockPath: string, options: Required<FileLockOptions>): boolean {
   try {
-    const dir = path.dirname(lockPath);
-    if (!fs.existsSync(dir)) {
-      fs.mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
-    }
-    const fd = fs.openSync(lockPath, 'wx');
-    fs.writeSync(fd, `${process.pid}\n${Date.now()}\n`);
-    fs.closeSync(fd);
+    // Fast path: assume the lock directory already exists (the common case once a
+    // team dir is created). This drops an existsSync(dir) stat from EVERY acquire,
+    // which adds up across the many lock cycles during a team launch.
+    writeLockFile(lockPath);
     return true;
   } catch (err) {
     const code = (err as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code;
+    if (code === 'ENOENT') {
+      // Lock directory missing — create it lazily and acquire in the same call, so
+      // first-acquire latency in a fresh dir is unchanged.
+      try {
+        fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(lockPath), { recursive: true });
+        writeLockFile(lockPath);
+        return true;
+      } catch {
+        // Lost a race (another process created the dir/lock) or still failing —
+        // fall through to a normal retry on the next loop iteration.
+        return false;
+      }
+    }
     if (code === 'EEXIST' || code === 'EISDIR') {
       if (shouldBreakExistingLock(lockPath, options.staleTimeoutMs)) {
         removeLockPath(lockPath);