diff --git a/src/evo/cbtx.cpp b/src/evo/cbtx.cpp
index 6e44a0dcaaa0a..6cc74d1de796b 100644
--- a/src/evo/cbtx.cpp
+++ b/src/evo/cbtx.cpp
@@ -111,8 +111,6 @@ bool CheckCbTxMerkleRoots(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindex, const
 
 bool CalcCbTxMerkleRootMNList(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, uint256& merkleRootRet, BlockValidationState& state, const CCoinsViewCache& view)
 {
-    LOCK(deterministicMNManager->cs);
-
     try {
         static int64_t nTimeDMN = 0;
         static int64_t nTimeSMNL = 0;
diff --git a/src/evo/deterministicmns.cpp b/src/evo/deterministicmns.cpp
index 12baa3cfcec96..ebe54f99f4133 100644
--- a/src/evo/deterministicmns.cpp
+++ b/src/evo/deterministicmns.cpp
@@ -613,8 +613,6 @@ bool CDeterministicMNManager::ProcessBlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockInde
     int nHeight = pindex->nHeight;
 
     try {
-        LOCK(cs);
-
         if (!BuildNewListFromBlock(block, pindex->pprev, state, view, newList, true)) {
             // pass the state returned by the function above
             return false;
@@ -626,6 +624,8 @@ bool CDeterministicMNManager::ProcessBlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockInde
 
         newList.SetBlockHash(pindex->GetBlockHash());
 
+        LOCK(cs);
+
         oldList = GetListForBlockInternal(pindex->pprev);
         diff = oldList.BuildDiff(newList);
 
@@ -708,11 +708,9 @@ void CDeterministicMNManager::UpdatedBlockTip(const CBlockIndex* pindex)
 
 bool CDeterministicMNManager::BuildNewListFromBlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, BlockValidationState& state, const CCoinsViewCache& view, CDeterministicMNList& mnListRet, bool debugLogs)
 {
-    AssertLockHeld(cs);
-
     int nHeight = pindexPrev->nHeight + 1;
 
-    CDeterministicMNList oldList = GetListForBlockInternal(pindexPrev);
+    CDeterministicMNList oldList = this->GetListForBlock(pindexPrev);
     CDeterministicMNList newList = oldList;
     newList.SetBlockHash(uint256()); // we can't know the final block hash, so better not return a (invalid) block hash
     newList.SetHeight(nHeight);
diff --git a/src/evo/deterministicmns.h b/src/evo/deterministicmns.h
index 8af688c822897..7d56e3d10331f 100644
--- a/src/evo/deterministicmns.h
+++ b/src/evo/deterministicmns.h
@@ -574,10 +574,8 @@ class CDeterministicMNManager
     static constexpr int DISK_SNAPSHOTS = llmq_max_blocks() / DISK_SNAPSHOT_PERIOD + 1;
     static constexpr int LIST_DIFFS_CACHE_SIZE = DISK_SNAPSHOT_PERIOD * DISK_SNAPSHOTS;
 
-public:
-    Mutex cs;
-
 private:
+    Mutex cs;
     Mutex cs_cleanup;
     // We have performed CleanupCache() on this height.
     int did_cleanup GUARDED_BY(cs_cleanup) {0};
@@ -607,7 +605,7 @@ class CDeterministicMNManager
 
     // the returned list will not contain the correct block hash (we can't know it yet as the coinbase TX is not updated yet)
     bool BuildNewListFromBlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, BlockValidationState& state, const CCoinsViewCache& view,
-                               CDeterministicMNList& mnListRet, bool debugLogs) EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(cs);
+                               CDeterministicMNList& mnListRet, bool debugLogs) LOCKS_EXCLUDED(cs);
     static void HandleQuorumCommitment(const llmq::CFinalCommitment& qc, const CBlockIndex* pQuorumBaseBlockIndex, CDeterministicMNList& mnList, bool debugLogs);
 
     CDeterministicMNList GetListForBlock(const CBlockIndex* pindex) LOCKS_EXCLUDED(cs) {