diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 999ebeb..62815e8 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { ft } from "./filter";
 import path from "path";
 import Debug from "debug";
 import QueryOperationObject from "./parser/query_operation";
+import { lockWithActionAsync } from "@biothings-explorer/utils";
 const debug = Debug("bte:smartapi-kg:MetaKG");
 
 export * from "./types";
@@ -66,6 +67,18 @@ export default class MetaKG {
     return this.ops;
   }
 
+  /* Async wrapper for using constructMetaKGSync to enable using async file locking */
+  async constructMetaKGWithFileLock(includeReasoner = false, options: BuilderOptions = {}): Promise<SmartAPIKGOperationObject[]> {
+    this._ops = await lockWithActionAsync(
+      [this._file_path, this._predicates_path],
+      async () => {
+        return syncBuilderFactory(options, includeReasoner, this._file_path, this._predicates_path);
+      },
+      debug
+    );
+    return this.ops;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Filters the whole meta kg based on apiList, teamName, tag or component
    * @param {Object} options - filtering options
diff --git a/src/operations_builder/sync_operations_builder.ts b/src/operations_builder/sync_operations_builder.ts
index 240ccea..bd31788 100644
--- a/src/operations_builder/sync_operations_builder.ts
+++ b/src/operations_builder/sync_operations_builder.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 import BaseOperationsBuilder from "./base_operations_builder";
 import { syncLoaderFactory } from "../load/sync_loader_factory";
 import { BuilderOptions } from "../types";
-import { lockWithActionSync } from "@biothings-explorer/utils";
-import { SmartAPISpec } from "../parser/types";
-const debug = require("debug")("bte:smartapi-kg:SyncOperationsBuilder");
 
 export default class SyncOperationsBuilder extends BaseOperationsBuilder {
   private _file_path: string;
@@ -14,18 +11,15 @@ export default class SyncOperationsBuilder extends BaseOperationsBuilder {
   }
 
   build() {
-    let specs: SmartAPISpec[] = lockWithActionSync(this._file_path, () => {
-      return syncLoaderFactory(
-        this._options.smartAPIID,
-        this._options.teamName,
-        this._options.tag,
-        this._options.component,
-        this._options.apiList,
-        this._file_path,
-        this._options.smartapiSpecs
-      );
-    }, debug);
-
+    const specs = syncLoaderFactory(
+      this._options.smartAPIID,
+      this._options.teamName,
+      this._options.tag,
+      this._options.component,
+      this._options.apiList,
+      this._file_path,
+      this._options.smartapiSpecs
+    );
     return this.loadOpsFromSpecs(specs);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/operations_builder/sync_operations_builder_with_reasoner.ts b/src/operations_builder/sync_operations_builder_with_reasoner.ts
index 8b51b08..586115a 100644
--- a/src/operations_builder/sync_operations_builder_with_reasoner.ts
+++ b/src/operations_builder/sync_operations_builder_with_reasoner.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { PredicatesMetadata } from "../types";
 import Debug from "debug";
 const debug = Debug("bte:smartapi-kg:SyncOperationsBuilderWithReasoner");
 import { SmartAPISpec } from "../parser/types";
-import { biolink, lockWithActionSync } from "@biothings-explorer/utils";
+import { biolink } from "@biothings-explorer/utils";
 
 declare global {
   var missingAPIs: SmartAPISpec[];
@@ -220,55 +220,39 @@ export default class SyncOperationsBuilderWithReasoner extends BaseOperationsBui
   }
 
   build() {
-    const predicatesMetadata: PredicatesMetadata[] = lockWithActionSync(
-      this._predicates_file_path,
-      () => this.fetch(),
-      debug
-    )
-
-    let specs: SmartAPISpec[];
-    let nonTRAPIOps: SmartAPIKGOperationObject[];
-
-    lockWithActionSync(
+    const specs = syncLoaderFactory(
+      this._options.smartAPIID,
+      this._options.teamName,
+      this._options.tag,
+      this._options.component,
+      this._options.apiList,
       this._file_path,
-      () => {
-        specs = syncLoaderFactory(
-          this._options.smartAPIID,
-          this._options.teamName,
-          this._options.tag,
-          this._options.component,
-          this._options.apiList,
-          this._file_path,
-          this._options.smartapiSpecs,
-        );
-
-        nonTRAPIOps = this.loadOpsFromSpecs(specs);
-        global.missingAPIs = syncLoaderFactory(
-          undefined,
-          undefined,
-          undefined,
-          undefined,
-          undefined,
-          this._file_path,
-          this._options.smartapiSpecs,
-        ).filter(
-          spec =>
-            "info" in spec &&
-            "x-translator" in spec.info &&
-            spec.info["x-translator"].component === "KP" &&
-            "paths" in spec &&
-            "/query" in spec.paths &&
-            "x-trapi" in spec.info &&
-            spec.servers.length &&
-            "/meta_knowledge_graph" in spec.paths &&
-            !predicatesMetadata
-              .map(m => m.association.smartapi.id)
-              .includes(spec._id),
-        );
-      },
-      debug
+      this._options.smartapiSpecs,
+    );
+    const nonTRAPIOps = this.loadOpsFromSpecs(specs);
+    const predicatesMetadata = this.fetch();
+    global.missingAPIs = syncLoaderFactory(
+      undefined,
+      undefined,
+      undefined,
+      undefined,
+      undefined,
+      this._file_path,
+      this._options.smartapiSpecs,
+    ).filter(
+      spec =>
+        "info" in spec &&
+        "x-translator" in spec.info &&
+        spec.info["x-translator"].component === "KP" &&
+        "paths" in spec &&
+        "/query" in spec.paths &&
+        "x-trapi" in spec.info &&
+        spec.servers.length &&
+        "/meta_knowledge_graph" in spec.paths &&
+        !predicatesMetadata
+          .map(m => m.association.smartapi.id)
+          .includes(spec._id),
     );
-
     let TRAPIOps = [] as SmartAPIKGOperationObject[];
     predicatesMetadata.map(metadata => {
       TRAPIOps.push.apply(TRAPIOps, this.parsePredicateEndpoint(metadata));