diff --git a/autotest/test_models.py b/autotest/test_models.py
index eb77a4cf..bdb9c035 100644
--- a/autotest/test_models.py
+++ b/autotest/test_models.py
@@ -9,13 +9,16 @@
 import os
 import subprocess
 import sys
+import threading
 import zipfile
+from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import pooch
 import pytest
 from flaky import flaky
 
+import modflow_devtools.models as models_module
 from modflow_devtools.models import (
     _DEFAULT_BASE_URL,
     _DEFAULT_CACHE,
@@ -436,6 +439,107 @@ def test_registry_to_pooch_format(self, synced_registry):
         assert len(pooch_registry) == len(synced_registry.files)
 
 
+class TestConcurrentFetch:
+    """Test that fetching model files is safe under concurrent workers."""
+
+    MODEL = "mf6/model"
+    FILES = ("mf6/model/a.dat", "mf6/model/b.dat")
+
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def registry(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """A PoochRegistry on a cold tmp cache with a fake, offline downloader."""
+        content = b"data"
+        digest = hashlib.sha256(content).hexdigest()
+
+        def fake_downloader(url, output_file, pooch, check_only=False):
+            Path(output_file).write_bytes(content)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(PoochRegistry, "_load", lambda self: None)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(pooch.core, "choose_downloader", lambda *a, **kw: fake_downloader)
+
+        registry = PoochRegistry(path=tmp_path / "cache", base_url="https://example.invalid/")
+        registry.models[self.MODEL] = list(self.FILES)
+        registry.pooch.registry = dict.fromkeys(self.FILES, digest)
+        registry.pooch.urls = {f: f"https://example.invalid/{f}" for f in self.FILES}
+        return registry
+
+    def test_fetch_files_concurrent_new_subdirectory(self, registry, monkeypatch):
+        """
+        Workers fetching into the same new subdirectory must not race on makedirs.
+
+        Pooch checks whether a file's parent directory exists, then calls
+        os.makedirs without exist_ok. The wrapper below holds every worker at
+        makedirs until all have passed the existence check, forcing the race.
+        Without pre-creating the directory this fails every time; with it,
+        makedirs is never reached, so the barrier is never used.
+        """
+        n = 8
+        barrier = threading.Barrier(n)
+        real_makedirs = os.makedirs
+
+        def racing_makedirs(*args, **kwargs):
+            try:
+                barrier.wait(timeout=10)
+            except threading.BrokenBarrierError:
+                pass
+            return real_makedirs(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(pooch.core.os, "makedirs", racing_makedirs)
+
+        fetch = registry._fetcher(self.MODEL, list(self.FILES))
+        with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=n) as pool:
+            results = list(pool.map(lambda _: fetch(), range(n)))
+
+        expected = [registry.pooch.abspath / f for f in self.FILES]
+        for paths in results:
+            assert paths == expected
+        assert all(p.is_file() for p in expected)
+
+    def test_fetch_zip_lock_in_cache_dir(self, registry, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """The zip lock file belongs in the cache next to the zip, not in the cwd."""
+        buf = io.BytesIO()
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(buf, "w") as zf:
+            for f in self.FILES:
+                zf.writestr(f, "data")
+        zip_bytes = buf.getvalue()
+
+        def zip_downloader(url, output_file, pooch, check_only=False):
+            Path(output_file).write_bytes(zip_bytes)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(pooch.core, "choose_downloader", lambda *a, **kw: zip_downloader)
+
+        # an empty hash for every model file selects the zip fetcher
+        registry.pooch.registry = dict.fromkeys(self.FILES, "")
+        registry.pooch.registry[_DEFAULT_ZIP_NAME] = hashlib.sha256(zip_bytes).hexdigest()
+        registry.pooch.urls = {_DEFAULT_ZIP_NAME: f"https://example.invalid/{_DEFAULT_ZIP_NAME}"}
+
+        lock_paths = []
+
+        class RecordingLock:
+            def __init__(self, path, *args, **kwargs):
+                lock_paths.append(Path(path))
+
+            def __enter__(self):
+                return self
+
+            def __exit__(self, *args):
+                return False
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(models_module, "FileLock", RecordingLock)
+
+        cwd = tmp_path / "cwd"
+        cwd.mkdir()
+        monkeypatch.chdir(cwd)
+
+        fetch = registry._fetcher(self.MODEL, list(self.FILES))
+        paths = fetch()
+
+        assert len(paths) == len(self.FILES)
+        assert lock_paths == [registry.pooch.abspath / f"{_DEFAULT_ZIP_NAME}.lock"]
+        assert lock_paths[0].parent.is_dir()
+        assert not any(cwd.iterdir())
+
+
 @pytest.mark.xdist_group("registry_cache")
 class TestCLI:
     """Test CLI commands."""
diff --git a/modflow_devtools/models/__init__.py b/modflow_devtools/models/__init__.py
index 8fff5002..fe805a6f 100644
--- a/modflow_devtools/models/__init__.py
+++ b/modflow_devtools/models/__init__.py
@@ -1036,10 +1036,21 @@ def __init__(
 
     def _fetcher(self, model_name, file_names) -> Callable:
         def _fetch_files():
+            # Pooch creates a file's parent directory with a bare
+            # check-then-makedirs, which raises FileExistsError if
+            # concurrent workers (e.g. pytest-xdist) fetch into the
+            # same new subdirectory. Creating it first, tolerantly,
+            # means pooch's existence check passes and it skips it.
+            for fname in file_names:
+                (self.pooch.abspath / fname).parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
             return [Path(self.pooch.fetch(fname)) for fname in file_names]
 
         def _fetch_zip(zip_name):
-            with FileLock(f"{zip_name}.lock"):
+            # Keep the lock in the cache next to the zip it protects, so it
+            # excludes processes regardless of cwd and doesn't litter it.
+            lock_path = self.pooch.abspath / f"{zip_name}.lock"
+            lock_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            with FileLock(str(lock_path)):
                 return [
                     Path(f)
                     for f in self.pooch.fetch(