diff --git a/src/networking.cpp b/src/networking.cpp
index 719cfcc1b..f117839b2 100644
--- a/src/networking.cpp
+++ b/src/networking.cpp
@@ -1920,8 +1920,7 @@ void ProcessPendingAsyncWrites()
  * get it called, and so forth. */
 int handleClientsWithPendingWrites(int iel, int aof_state) {
     std::unique_lock<fastlock> lockf(g_pserver->rgthreadvar[iel].lockPendingWrite);
-    auto &vec = g_pserver->rgthreadvar[iel].clients_pending_write;
-    int processed = (int)vec.size();
+    int processed = 0;
     serverAssert(iel == (serverTL - g_pserver->rgthreadvar));
 
     int ae_flags = AE_WRITABLE|AE_WRITE_THREADSAFE;
@@ -1936,16 +1935,17 @@ int handleClientsWithPendingWrites(int iel, int aof_state) {
         ae_flags |= AE_BARRIER;
     }
 
-    while(!vec.empty()) {
-        client *c = vec.back();
+    auto vec = std::move(g_pserver->rgthreadvar[iel].clients_pending_write);
+    processed += (int)vec.size();
+
+    for (client *c : vec) {
         AssertCorrectThread(c);
 
-        c->flags &= ~CLIENT_PENDING_WRITE;
-        vec.pop_back();
+        uint64_t flags = c->flags.fetch_and(~CLIENT_PENDING_WRITE, std::memory_order_relaxed);
 
         /* If a client is protected, don't do anything,
-         * that may trigger write error or recreate handler. */
-        if (c->flags & CLIENT_PROTECTED) continue;
+        * that may trigger write error or recreate handler. */
+        if (flags & CLIENT_PROTECTED) continue;
 
         std::unique_lock<decltype(c->lock)> lock(c->lock);
 
@@ -1964,7 +1964,7 @@ int handleClientsWithPendingWrites(int iel, int aof_state) {
         }
 
         /* If after the synchronous writes above we still have data to
-         * output to the client, we need to install the writable handler. */
+        * output to the client, we need to install the writable handler. */
         if (clientHasPendingReplies(c)) {
             if (connSetWriteHandlerWithBarrier(c->conn, sendReplyToClient, ae_flags, true) == C_ERR) 
                 freeClientAsync(c);