diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b9f2f14..aff50df 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ project(ipctool C)
 set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD 99)
 set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "-std=gnu99")
 
+# sensors.c serialises sensor detection with a pthread mutex. On musl and
+# glibc >= 2.34 the pthread symbols live in libc, but older glibc and uClibc
+# need the explicit link flag, so ask for it rather than rely on the toolchain.
+find_package(Threads REQUIRED)
+
 cmake_policy(SET CMP0069 NEW)
 
 if(NOT BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
@@ -181,13 +186,15 @@ set(CYAML_TEST_SRC
 
 add_library(ipchw STATIC ${COMMON_LIB_SRC})
 target_compile_definitions(ipchw PUBLIC STANDALONE_LIBRARY ${IPCHW_VENDOR_DEFS})
-target_link_libraries(ipchw m)
+# Threads is carried on the interface so anything linking this static library
+# (ipcinfo here, and external consumers of libipchw) pulls pthread in too.
+target_link_libraries(ipchw m Threads::Threads)
 
 if(NOT ONLY_LIBRARY)
   add_executable(ipctool ${IPCTOOL_SRC} ${COMMON_LIB_SRC_ALL})
   target_compile_definitions(ipctool PRIVATE ${IPCHW_ALL_VENDOR_DEFS})
 
-  target_link_libraries(ipctool m)
+  target_link_libraries(ipctool m Threads::Threads)
   install(TARGETS ipctool RUNTIME DESTINATION /usr/bin/)
 
   add_executable(ipcinfo example/ipcinfo.c src/tools.c ${VERSION_SRC})
diff --git a/src/sensors.c b/src/sensors.c
index 4e96ddd..f4b94ee 100644
--- a/src/sensors.c
+++ b/src/sensors.c
@@ -1233,10 +1233,13 @@ if (!open_i2c_sensor_fd(i2c_adapter_nr))
     }
 
 
-   
-}
 
+}
 
+    /* All buses probed, nothing answered. Without this the function fell off
+     * the end (UB): the bool came back indeterminate — often true — and the
+     * caller then formatted an uninitialised ctx into a garbage name. */
+    return false;
 }
 
 #ifndef STANDALONE_LIBRARY
@@ -1275,20 +1278,36 @@ cJSON *detect_sensors() {
 
 #endif
 
+/* getsensorid() drives i2c detection through the process-global i2c_adapter_nr
+ * and both entry points below format into one shared sensor_indentity buffer,
+ * none of it locked. Two threads calling these at once stomp the adapter number
+ * mid-probe (wrong bus -> detection fails -> garbage) and tear the buffer write.
+ * Serialise the whole detect-and-format so every returned value is one complete,
+ * valid string. */
+static pthread_mutex_t sensor_indentity_mtx = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
 static char sensor_indentity[16];
 const char *getsensoridentity() {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&sensor_indentity_mtx);
     sensor_ctx_t ctx;
-    if (!getsensorid(&ctx))
-        return NULL;
-    lsnprintf(sensor_indentity, sizeof(sensor_indentity), "%s_%s",
-              ctx.sensor_id, ctx.control);
-    return sensor_indentity;
+    const char *ret = NULL;
+    if (getsensorid(&ctx)) {
+        lsnprintf(sensor_indentity, sizeof(sensor_indentity), "%s_%s",
+                  ctx.sensor_id, ctx.control);
+        ret = sensor_indentity;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&sensor_indentity_mtx);
+    return ret;
 }
 
 const char *getsensorshort() {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&sensor_indentity_mtx);
     sensor_ctx_t ctx;
-    if (!getsensorid(&ctx))
-        return NULL;
-    lsnprintf(sensor_indentity, sizeof(sensor_indentity), "%s", ctx.sensor_id);
-    return sensor_indentity;
+    const char *ret = NULL;
+    if (getsensorid(&ctx)) {
+        lsnprintf(sensor_indentity, sizeof(sensor_indentity), "%s",
+                  ctx.sensor_id);
+        ret = sensor_indentity;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&sensor_indentity_mtx);
+    return ret;
 }