diff --git a/services/capture/deltacast-bridge/main.c b/services/capture/deltacast-bridge/main.c
index 980af40..f9176ba 100644
--- a/services/capture/deltacast-bridge/main.c
+++ b/services/capture/deltacast-bridge/main.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <sys/file.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
@@ -272,10 +273,35 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         return 1;
     }
 
+    /* ── Serialize board open via flock ──────────────────────────────
+     * delta_x300 BufMngr.c:781 has an array-index-out-of-bounds bug that
+     * fires when two VHD_OpenBoardHandle calls race on the same board.
+     * Use a cross-container exclusive lock on a file in /dev/shm/deltacast/
+     * (already bind-mounted into every capture sidecar) to guarantee only
+     * one bridge runs OpenBoardHandle + signal-wait at a time. The lock is
+     * released after signal lock succeeds (plus a settle delay) or on
+     * failure — so the next bridge is never permanently blocked. */
+    const char *lock_path = "/dev/shm/deltacast/bridge.lock";
+    int lock_fd = open(lock_path, O_CREAT | O_RDWR, 0666);
+    if (lock_fd >= 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "[board] waiting for board-open lock (port %u)...\n", port_id);
+        if (flock(lock_fd, LOCK_EX) != 0) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "[board] flock failed: %s — proceeding without lock\n", strerror(errno));
+            close(lock_fd);
+            lock_fd = -1;
+        } else {
+            fprintf(stderr, "[board] lock acquired (port %u)\n", port_id);
+        }
+    } else {
+        fprintf(stderr, "[board] could not open lock file %s: %s — proceeding without lock\n",
+                lock_path, strerror(errno));
+    }
+
     /* ── Open board ───────────────────────────────────────────────── */
     HANDLE board = NULL;
     if (VHD_OpenBoardHandle(device_id, &board, NULL, 0) != VHDERR_NOERROR) {
         fprintf(stderr, "{\"error\":\"VHD_OpenBoardHandle failed for board %u\"}\n", device_id);
+        if (lock_fd >= 0) { flock(lock_fd, LOCK_UN); close(lock_fd); }
         return 1;
     }
 
@@ -312,9 +338,22 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
             "{\"error\":\"no signal on board %u port %u within %ds\"}\n",
             device_id, port_id, sig_timeout);
         VHD_CloseBoardHandle(board);
+        if (lock_fd >= 0) { flock(lock_fd, LOCK_UN); close(lock_fd); }
         return 1;
     }
 
+    /* Signal locked. Hold the board-open lock for a settle period so the
+     * board's RX buffer queues are fully initialised before the next bridge
+     * calls OpenBoardHandle. 4 seconds is enough for 1080p59.94 @ queue-depth 8. */
+    if (lock_fd >= 0) {
+        struct timespec settle = {4, 0};
+        nanosleep(&settle, NULL);
+        flock(lock_fd, LOCK_UN);
+        close(lock_fd);
+        lock_fd = -1;
+        fprintf(stderr, "[board] lock released (port %u) — streaming\n", port_id);
+    }
+
     ULONG clock_div = VHD_CLOCKDIV_1;
     VHD_GetChannelProperty(board, VHD_RX_CHANNEL, port_id,
                            VHD_SDI_CP_CLOCK_DIVISOR, &clock_div);