diff --git a/pkg/jsonrpc/message.go b/pkg/jsonrpc/message.go
index 67cf08269a2e2337a634f7fad03fe524548fdcb8..13629b3d79855f31bc7c2426e84e67fbe8a5bc56 100644
--- a/pkg/jsonrpc/message.go
+++ b/pkg/jsonrpc/message.go
@@ -3,31 +3,46 @@ package jsonrpc
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"io"
+
+	"golang.org/x/net/context"
+	"golang.org/x/sync/semaphore"
 )
 
 // MessageStream is a writer used to write jsonrpc message to a stream
 type MessageStream struct {
-	w io.Writer
+	w  io.Writer
+	mu *semaphore.Weighted
 }
 
 func NewStream(w io.Writer) *MessageStream {
 	return &MessageStream{
-		w: w,
+		w:  w,
+		mu: semaphore.NewWeighted(1),
 	}
 }
 
-func (m *MessageStream) NewMessage() (*MessageWriter, error) {
-	_, err := m.w.Write([]byte(`{"jsonrpc":"2.0"`))
+// NewMessage starts a new message and acquires the write lock.
+// to free the write lock, you must call *MessageWriter.Close()
+// the lock MUST be closed if and only if err != nil
+func (m *MessageStream) NewMessage(ctx context.Context) (*MessageWriter, error) {
+	err := m.mu.Acquire(ctx, 1)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	_, err = m.w.Write([]byte(`{"jsonrpc":"2.0"`))
 	if err != nil {
+		m.mu.Release(1)
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	return &MessageWriter{
-		w: m.w,
+		w:  m.w,
+		mu: m.mu,
 	}, nil
 }
 
 type MessageWriter struct {
-	w io.Writer
+	w  io.Writer
+	mu *semaphore.Weighted
 }
 
 func (m *MessageWriter) Field(name string, value json.RawMessage) error {
@@ -51,6 +66,8 @@ func (m *MessageWriter) Result() (io.Writer, error) {
 	return &ResultWriter{w: m.w}, nil
 }
 
+// close must be called when you are done writing the message.
+// it releases the write lock
 func (m *MessageWriter) Close() error {
 	_, err := m.w.Write([]byte("}"))
 	return err
diff --git a/pkg/server/server.go b/pkg/server/server.go
index 889769186cd3f3c2ac0d55a77fcd0e857e452b02..ce5c3f9d91032ead3a95f9f5e5312ae27726b7cd 100644
--- a/pkg/server/server.go
+++ b/pkg/server/server.go
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ type callEnv struct {
 
 func (c *callResponder) send(ctx context.Context, env *callEnv) (err error) {
 	w := c.remote
-	s, err := jsonrpc.NewStream(w).NewMessage()
+	s, err := jsonrpc.NewStream(w).NewMessage(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}