diff --git a/qemu-img.c b/qemu-img.c
index 46f2a6d..28e350c 100644
--- a/qemu-img.c
+++ b/qemu-img.c
@@ -598,6 +598,7 @@ static int img_check(int argc, char **argv)
     ImageCheck *check;
     bool quiet = false;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     fmt = NULL;
     output = NULL;
@@ -614,7 +615,7 @@ static int img_check(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hf:r:T:q",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hf:r:T:qL",
                         long_options, &option_index);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -648,6 +649,9 @@ static int img_check(int argc, char **argv)
         case 'q':
             quiet = true;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case OPTION_OBJECT: {
             QemuOpts *opts;
             opts = qemu_opts_parse_noisily(&qemu_object_opts,
@@ -681,6 +685,7 @@ static int img_check(int argc, char **argv)
         return 1;
     }
 
+    flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
     ret = bdrv_parse_cache_mode(cache, &flags, &writethrough);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("Invalid source cache option: %s", cache);
@@ -801,6 +806,7 @@ static int img_commit(int argc, char **argv)
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     CommonBlockJobCBInfo cbi;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     fmt = NULL;
     cache = BDRV_DEFAULT_CACHE;
@@ -812,7 +818,7 @@ static int img_commit(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "f:ht:b:dpq",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "f:ht:b:dpqL",
                         long_options, NULL);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -842,6 +848,9 @@ static int img_commit(int argc, char **argv)
         case 'q':
             quiet = true;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case OPTION_OBJECT: {
             QemuOpts *opts;
             opts = qemu_opts_parse_noisily(&qemu_object_opts,
@@ -873,6 +882,7 @@ static int img_commit(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
     flags = BDRV_O_RDWR | BDRV_O_UNMAP;
+    flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
     ret = bdrv_parse_cache_mode(cache, &flags, &writethrough);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("Invalid cache option: %s", cache);
@@ -1130,6 +1140,7 @@ static int img_compare(int argc, char **argv)
     int c, pnum;
     uint64_t progress_base;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     cache = BDRV_DEFAULT_CACHE;
     for (;;) {
@@ -1139,7 +1150,7 @@ static int img_compare(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hf:F:T:pqs",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hf:F:T:pqsL",
                         long_options, NULL);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -1167,6 +1178,9 @@ static int img_compare(int argc, char **argv)
         case 's':
             strict = true;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case OPTION_OBJECT: {
             QemuOpts *opts;
             opts = qemu_opts_parse_noisily(&qemu_object_opts,
@@ -1205,6 +1219,7 @@ static int img_compare(int argc, char **argv)
     qemu_progress_init(progress, 2.0);
 
     flags = 0;
+    flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
     ret = bdrv_parse_cache_mode(cache, &flags, &writethrough);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("Invalid source cache option: %s", cache);
@@ -1736,6 +1751,7 @@ static int img_convert(int argc, char **argv)
     QemuOpts *sn_opts = NULL;
     ImgConvertState state;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     fmt = NULL;
     out_fmt = "raw";
@@ -1751,7 +1767,7 @@ static int img_convert(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hf:O:B:ce6o:s:l:S:pt:T:qn",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hf:O:B:ce6o:s:l:S:pt:T:qnL",
                         long_options, NULL);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -1840,6 +1856,9 @@ static int img_convert(int argc, char **argv)
         case 'q':
             quiet = true;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case 'n':
             skip_create = 1;
             break;
@@ -1889,6 +1908,7 @@ static int img_convert(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
     src_flags = 0;
+    src_flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
     ret = bdrv_parse_cache_mode(src_cache, &src_flags, &src_writethrough);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("Invalid source cache option: %s", src_cache);
@@ -2038,6 +2058,7 @@ static int img_convert(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
     flags = min_sparse ? (BDRV_O_RDWR | BDRV_O_UNMAP) : BDRV_O_RDWR;
+    flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
     ret = bdrv_parse_cache_mode(cache, &flags, &writethrough);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("Invalid cache option: %s", cache);
@@ -2218,12 +2239,14 @@ static gboolean str_equal_func(gconstpointer a, gconstpointer b)
 static ImageInfoList *collect_image_info_list(bool image_opts,
                                               const char *filename,
                                               const char *fmt,
-                                              bool chain)
+                                              bool chain,
+                                              bool nolock)
 {
     ImageInfoList *head = NULL;
     ImageInfoList **last = &head;
     GHashTable *filenames;
     Error *err = NULL;
+    int flags;
 
     filenames = g_hash_table_new_full(g_str_hash, str_equal_func, NULL, NULL);
 
@@ -2240,8 +2263,9 @@ static ImageInfoList *collect_image_info_list(bool image_opts,
         }
         g_hash_table_insert(filenames, (gpointer)filename, NULL);
 
-        blk = img_open(image_opts, filename, fmt,
-                       BDRV_O_NO_BACKING | BDRV_O_NO_IO, false, false);
+        flags = BDRV_O_NO_BACKING | BDRV_O_NO_IO;
+        flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
+        blk = img_open(image_opts, filename, fmt, flags, false, false);
         if (!blk) {
             goto err;
         }
@@ -2293,6 +2317,7 @@ static int img_info(int argc, char **argv)
     const char *filename, *fmt, *output;
     ImageInfoList *list;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     fmt = NULL;
     output = NULL;
@@ -2307,7 +2332,7 @@ static int img_info(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "f:h",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "f:hL",
                         long_options, &option_index);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -2320,6 +2345,9 @@ static int img_info(int argc, char **argv)
         case 'f':
             fmt = optarg;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case OPTION_OUTPUT:
             output = optarg;
             break;
@@ -2359,7 +2387,7 @@ static int img_info(int argc, char **argv)
         return 1;
     }
 
-    list = collect_image_info_list(image_opts, filename, fmt, chain);
+    list = collect_image_info_list(image_opts, filename, fmt, chain, nolock);
     if (!list) {
         return 1;
     }
@@ -2505,6 +2533,8 @@ static int img_map(int argc, char **argv)
     MapEntry curr = { .length = 0 }, next;
     int ret = 0;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
+    int flags;
 
     fmt = NULL;
     output = NULL;
@@ -2518,7 +2548,7 @@ static int img_map(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "f:h",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "f:hL",
                         long_options, &option_index);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -2531,6 +2561,9 @@ static int img_map(int argc, char **argv)
         case 'f':
             fmt = optarg;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case OPTION_OUTPUT:
             output = optarg;
             break;
@@ -2567,7 +2600,8 @@ static int img_map(int argc, char **argv)
         return 1;
     }
 
-    blk = img_open(image_opts, filename, fmt, 0, false, false);
+    flags = nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
+    blk = img_open(image_opts, filename, fmt, flags, false, false);
     if (!blk) {
         return 1;
     }
@@ -2630,6 +2664,7 @@ static int img_snapshot(int argc, char **argv)
     bool quiet = false;
     Error *err = NULL;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     bdrv_oflags = BDRV_O_RDWR;
     /* Parse commandline parameters */
@@ -2640,7 +2675,7 @@ static int img_snapshot(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "la:c:d:hq",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "la:c:d:hqL",
                         long_options, NULL);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -2685,6 +2720,9 @@ static int img_snapshot(int argc, char **argv)
         case 'q':
             quiet = true;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case OPTION_OBJECT: {
             QemuOpts *opts;
             opts = qemu_opts_parse_noisily(&qemu_object_opts,
@@ -2710,6 +2748,7 @@ static int img_snapshot(int argc, char **argv)
         return 1;
     }
 
+    bdrv_oflags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
     /* Open the image */
     blk = img_open(image_opts, filename, NULL, bdrv_oflags, false, quiet);
     if (!blk) {
@@ -2779,6 +2818,7 @@ static int img_rebase(int argc, char **argv)
     bool quiet = false;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     /* Parse commandline parameters */
     fmt = NULL;
@@ -2793,7 +2833,7 @@ static int img_rebase(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hf:F:b:upt:T:q",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "hf:F:b:upt:T:qL",
                         long_options, NULL);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -2824,6 +2864,9 @@ static int img_rebase(int argc, char **argv)
         case 'T':
             src_cache = optarg;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case 'q':
             quiet = true;
             break;
@@ -2863,6 +2906,7 @@ static int img_rebase(int argc, char **argv)
     qemu_progress_print(0, 100);
 
     flags = BDRV_O_RDWR | (unsafe ? BDRV_O_NO_BACKING : 0);
+    flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
     ret = bdrv_parse_cache_mode(cache, &flags, &writethrough);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("Invalid cache option: %s", cache);
@@ -3120,6 +3164,8 @@ static int img_resize(int argc, char **argv)
     bool quiet = false;
     BlockBackend *blk = NULL;
     QemuOpts *param;
+    int flags;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     static QemuOptsList resize_options = {
         .name = "resize_options",
@@ -3154,7 +3200,7 @@ static int img_resize(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "f:hq",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "f:hqL",
                         long_options, NULL);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -3170,6 +3216,9 @@ static int img_resize(int argc, char **argv)
         case 'q':
             quiet = true;
             break;
+        case 'L':
+            nolock = true;
+            break;
         case OPTION_OBJECT: {
             QemuOpts *opts;
             opts = qemu_opts_parse_noisily(&qemu_object_opts,
@@ -3221,8 +3270,9 @@ static int img_resize(int argc, char **argv)
     n = qemu_opt_get_size(param, BLOCK_OPT_SIZE, 0);
     qemu_opts_del(param);
 
-    blk = img_open(image_opts, filename, fmt,
-                   BDRV_O_RDWR, false, quiet);
+    flags = BDRV_O_RDWR;
+    flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
+    blk = img_open(image_opts, filename, fmt, flags, false, quiet);
     if (!blk) {
         ret = -1;
         goto out;
@@ -3283,6 +3333,7 @@ static int img_amend(int argc, char **argv)
     BlockBackend *blk = NULL;
     BlockDriverState *bs = NULL;
     bool image_opts = false;
+    bool nolock = false;
 
     cache = BDRV_DEFAULT_CACHE;
     for (;;) {
@@ -3292,7 +3343,7 @@ static int img_amend(int argc, char **argv)
             {"image-opts", no_argument, 0, OPTION_IMAGE_OPTS},
             {0, 0, 0, 0}
         };
-        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "ho:f:t:pq",
+        c = getopt_long(argc, argv, "ho:f:t:pqL",
                         long_options, NULL);
         if (c == -1) {
             break;
@@ -3329,6 +3380,9 @@ static int img_amend(int argc, char **argv)
             case 'q':
                 quiet = true;
                 break;
+            case 'L':
+                nolock = true;
+                break;
             case OPTION_OBJECT:
                 opts = qemu_opts_parse_noisily(&qemu_object_opts,
                                                optarg, true);
@@ -3374,6 +3428,7 @@ static int img_amend(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
     flags = BDRV_O_RDWR;
+    flags |= nolock ? BDRV_O_NO_LOCK : 0;
     ret = bdrv_parse_cache_mode(cache, &flags, &writethrough);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_report("Invalid cache option: %s", cache);
