diff --git a/include/image-commands.mk b/include/image-commands.mk
index 33c2ef89ad1..9ceec323b77 100644
--- a/include/image-commands.mk
+++ b/include/image-commands.mk
@@ -431,24 +431,27 @@ define Build/initrd_compression
 endef
 
 define Build/fit
-	$(call locked,$(TOPDIR)/scripts/mkits.sh \
-		-D $(DEVICE_NAME) -o $@.its -k $@ \
-		-C $(word 1,$(1)) \
-		$(if $(word 2,$(1)),\
-			$(if $(findstring 11,$(if $(DEVICE_DTS_OVERLAY),1)$(if $(findstring $(KERNEL_BUILD_DIR)/image-,$(word 2,$(1))),,1)), \
-				-d $(KERNEL_BUILD_DIR)/image-$$(basename $(word 2,$(1))), \
-				-d $(word 2,$(1)))) \
-		$(if $(findstring with-rootfs,$(word 3,$(1))),-r $(IMAGE_ROOTFS)) \
-		$(if $(findstring with-initrd,$(word 3,$(1))), \
-			$(if $(CONFIG_TARGET_ROOTFS_INITRAMFS_SEPARATE), \
-				-i $(KERNEL_BUILD_DIR)/initrd$(if $(TARGET_PER_DEVICE_ROOTFS),.$(ROOTFS_ID/$(DEVICE_NAME))).cpio$(strip $(call Build/initrd_compression)))) \
-		-a $(KERNEL_LOADADDR) -e $(if $(KERNEL_ENTRY),$(KERNEL_ENTRY),$(KERNEL_LOADADDR)) \
-		$(if $(DEVICE_FDT_NUM),-n $(DEVICE_FDT_NUM)) \
-		$(if $(DEVICE_DTS_DELIMITER),-l $(DEVICE_DTS_DELIMITER)) \
-		$(if $(DEVICE_DTS_LOADADDR),-s $(DEVICE_DTS_LOADADDR)) \
-		$(if $(DEVICE_DTS_OVERLAY),$(foreach dtso,$(DEVICE_DTS_OVERLAY), -O $(dtso):$(KERNEL_BUILD_DIR)/image-$(dtso).dtbo)) \
-		-c $(if $(DEVICE_DTS_CONFIG),$(DEVICE_DTS_CONFIG),"config-1") \
-		-A $(LINUX_KARCH) -v $(LINUX_VERSION), gen-cpio$(if $(TARGET_PER_DEVICE_ROOTFS),.$(ROOTFS_ID/$(DEVICE_NAME))))
+	$(call locked, { \
+		$(if $(findstring with-rootfs,$(word 3,$(1))),dd if=$(IMAGE_ROOTFS) of=$(IMAGE_ROOTFS).pagesync bs=4096 conv=sync;) \
+		$(TOPDIR)/scripts/mkits.sh \
+			-D $(DEVICE_NAME) -o $@.its -k $@ \
+			-C $(word 1,$(1)) \
+			$(if $(word 2,$(1)),\
+				$(if $(findstring 11,$(if $(DEVICE_DTS_OVERLAY),1)$(if $(findstring $(KERNEL_BUILD_DIR)/image-,$(word 2,$(1))),,1)), \
+					-d $(KERNEL_BUILD_DIR)/image-$$(basename $(word 2,$(1))), \
+					-d $(word 2,$(1)))) \
+			$(if $(findstring with-rootfs,$(word 3,$(1))),-r $(IMAGE_ROOTFS)) \
+			$(if $(findstring with-initrd,$(word 3,$(1))), \
+				$(if $(CONFIG_TARGET_ROOTFS_INITRAMFS_SEPARATE), \
+					-i $(KERNEL_BUILD_DIR)/initrd$(if $(TARGET_PER_DEVICE_ROOTFS),.$(ROOTFS_ID/$(DEVICE_NAME))).cpio$(strip $(call Build/initrd_compression)))) \
+			-a $(KERNEL_LOADADDR) -e $(if $(KERNEL_ENTRY),$(KERNEL_ENTRY),$(KERNEL_LOADADDR)) \
+			$(if $(DEVICE_FDT_NUM),-n $(DEVICE_FDT_NUM)) \
+			$(if $(DEVICE_DTS_DELIMITER),-l $(DEVICE_DTS_DELIMITER)) \
+			$(if $(DEVICE_DTS_LOADADDR),-s $(DEVICE_DTS_LOADADDR)) \
+			$(if $(DEVICE_DTS_OVERLAY),$(foreach dtso,$(DEVICE_DTS_OVERLAY), -O $(dtso):$(KERNEL_BUILD_DIR)/image-$(dtso).dtbo)) \
+			-c $(if $(DEVICE_DTS_CONFIG),$(DEVICE_DTS_CONFIG),"config-1") \
+			-A $(LINUX_KARCH) -v $(LINUX_VERSION) \
+	}, gen-cpio$(if $(TARGET_PER_DEVICE_ROOTFS),.$(ROOTFS_ID/$(DEVICE_NAME))))
 	$(call locked,PATH=$(LINUX_DIR)/scripts/dtc:$(PATH) mkimage $(if $(findstring external,$(word 3,$(1))),\
 		-E -B 0x1000 $(if $(findstring static,$(word 3,$(1))),-p 0x1000)) -f $@.its $@.new, \
 	  gen-cpio$(if $(TARGET_PER_DEVICE_ROOTFS),.$(ROOTFS_ID/$(DEVICE_NAME))))
diff --git a/scripts/mkits.sh b/scripts/mkits.sh
index 46ab5ee023f..fc2b580ee20 100755
--- a/scripts/mkits.sh
+++ b/scripts/mkits.sh
@@ -82,6 +82,11 @@ if [ -z "${ARCH}" ] || [ -z "${COMPRESS}" ] || [ -z "${LOAD_ADDR}" ] || \
 	usage
 fi
 
+if [ -n "${ROOTFS}" ] && [ ! -f "${ROOTFS}".pagesync ]; then
+	echo "Missing .pagesync blob for RootFS blob '${ROOTFS}'"
+	exit 1
+fi
+
 ARCH_UPPER=$(echo "$ARCH" | tr '[:lower:]' '[:upper:]')
 
 if [ -n "${COMPATIBLE}" ]; then
@@ -136,7 +141,6 @@ fi
 
 
 if [ -n "${ROOTFS}" ]; then
-	dd if="${ROOTFS}" of="${ROOTFS}.pagesync" bs=4096 conv=sync
 	ROOTFS_NODE="
 		rootfs${REFERENCE_CHAR}$ROOTFSNUM {
 			description = \"${ARCH_UPPER} OpenWrt ${DEVICE} rootfs\";