diff --git a/net/uring/file_linux.go b/net/uring/file_linux.go
index 5e56dee50..484098f61 100644
--- a/net/uring/file_linux.go
+++ b/net/uring/file_linux.go
@@ -166,8 +166,6 @@ func (u *file) Write(buf []byte) (int, error) {
 	rbuf := sliceOf(r.buf, len(buf))
 	copy(rbuf, buf)
 	C.submit_writev_request(u.writeRing.ring, r, C.int(len(buf)))
-	// Get an extra buffer, if available.
-	u.writeRing.prefetch()
 	return len(buf), nil
 }
 
diff --git a/net/uring/io_uring_linux.c b/net/uring/io_uring_linux.c
index 71d82d506..192c477a0 100644
--- a/net/uring/io_uring_linux.c
+++ b/net/uring/io_uring_linux.c
@@ -136,17 +136,13 @@ struct completion_result {
 
 typedef struct completion_result go_completion_result;
 
-static go_completion_result completion(struct io_uring *ring, int block) {
+static go_completion_result completion(struct io_uring *ring) {
     struct io_uring_cqe *cqe;
     struct completion_result res;
     res.err = 0;
     res.n = 0;
     res.idx = 0;
-    if (block) {
-        res.err = io_uring_wait_cqe(ring, &cqe);
-    } else {
-        res.err = io_uring_peek_cqe(ring, &cqe);
-    }
+    res.err = io_uring_wait_cqe(ring, &cqe);
     if (res.err < 0) {
         return res;
     }
diff --git a/net/uring/io_uring_linux.go b/net/uring/io_uring_linux.go
index e591b0ebf..df4c81d98 100644
--- a/net/uring/io_uring_linux.go
+++ b/net/uring/io_uring_linux.go
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 	"syscall"
 	"unsafe"
+
+	"tailscale.com/syncs"
 )
 
 // A writeRing is an io_uring usable for sendmsg or pwritev calls.
@@ -19,9 +21,11 @@ type writeRing struct {
 	// We dispatch them to the kernel as writes are requested.
 	// The array length is tied to the size of the uring.
 	reqs [8]*C.goreq
-	// reqC is a channel containing indices into reqs
-	// that are free to use (that is, not in the kernel).
-	reqC chan int
+	// free is the lowed unused index into reqs.
+	// It is only useful for the first len(reqs) requests.
+	// After that, we retrieve a completion result from
+	// the kernel for new writes/sends.
+	free syncs.AtomicInt32
 }
 
 // initReqs initializes r's reqs so that they can be used for writes/sends.
@@ -29,46 +33,26 @@ func (r *writeRing) initReqs(ipLen int) {
 	for i := range &r.reqs {
 		r.reqs[i] = C.initializeReq(bufferSize, C.size_t(i), C.int(ipLen))
 	}
-	r.reqC = make(chan int, len(r.reqs))
-	for i := range r.reqs {
-		r.reqC <- i
-	}
 }
 
 // getReq gets a req usable for a write/send.
 // It blocks until such a req is available.
 func (r *writeRing) getReq() (req *C.goreq, err error) {
-	var idx int
-	select {
-	case idx = <-r.reqC:
-	default:
-		// No request available. Get one from the kernel.
-		n, idx, err := waitCompletion(r.ring)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Write io_uring call failed: %w", err)
-		}
-		if n < 0 {
-			// Past syscall failed.
-			r.reqC <- idx // don't leak idx
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("previous Write failed: %w", syscall.Errno(-n))
-		}
+	if idx := r.free.Add(1) - 1; idx < int32(len(r.reqs)) {
+		return r.reqs[idx], nil
+	}
+	// Get a req from the kernel.
+	n, idx, err := waitCompletion(r.ring)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Write io_uring call failed: %w", err)
+	}
+	if n < 0 {
+		// Past syscall failed.
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("previous Write failed: %w", syscall.Errno(-n))
 	}
 	return r.reqs[idx], nil
 }
 
-// prefetch attempts to fetch a req for use by future writes.
-// It does not block.
-// TODO: does this actually buy us anything?
-// TODO: return errors encountered here, rather than delaying them until later?
-func (r *writeRing) prefetch() {
-	idx, ok := peekCompletion(r.ring)
-	if ok {
-		// Put the request buffer back in the usable queue.
-		// Should never block, by construction.
-		r.reqC <- idx
-	}
-}
-
 // freeReqs frees the reqs allocated by initReqs.
 func (r *writeRing) freeReqs() {
 	for _, req := range r.reqs {
@@ -76,17 +60,12 @@ func (r *writeRing) freeReqs() {
 	}
 }
 
-const (
-	noBlockForCompletion = 0
-	blockForCompletion   = 1
-)
-
 // waitCompletion blocks until a completion on ring succeeds, or until *fd == 0.
 // If *fd == 0, that indicates that the ring is no loner valid, in which case waitCompletion returns net.ErrClosed.
 // Reads of *fd are atomic.
 func waitCompletion(ring *C.go_uring) (n, idx int, err error) {
 	for {
-		r := C.completion(ring, blockForCompletion)
+		r := C.completion(ring)
 		if syscall.Errno(-r.err) == syscall.EAGAIN || syscall.Errno(-r.err) == syscall.EINTR {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -98,14 +77,6 @@ func waitCompletion(ring *C.go_uring) (n, idx int, err error) {
 	}
 }
 
-func peekCompletion(ring *C.go_uring) (idx int, ok bool) {
-	r := C.completion(ring, noBlockForCompletion)
-	if r.err < 0 {
-		return 0, false
-	}
-	return int(r.idx), true
-}
-
 // sliceOf returns ptr[:n] as a byte slice.
 // TODO: replace with unsafe.Slice once we are using Go 1.17.
 func sliceOf(ptr *C.char, n int) []byte {
diff --git a/net/uring/udp_linux.go b/net/uring/udp_linux.go
index 1efb28507..3934fdc98 100644
--- a/net/uring/udp_linux.go
+++ b/net/uring/udp_linux.go
@@ -262,8 +262,6 @@ func (u *UDPConn) WriteTo(p []byte, addr net.Addr) (n int, err error) {
 		r.sa6.sin6_family = C.AF_INET6
 	}
 	C.submit_sendmsg_request(u.sendRing.ring, r, C.int(len(p)))
-	// Get an extra buffer, if available.
-	u.sendRing.prefetch()
 	return len(p), nil
 }
 
diff --git a/syncs/syncs.go b/syncs/syncs.go
index ed04fa06c..68515dc88 100644
--- a/syncs/syncs.go
+++ b/syncs/syncs.go
@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ func (b *AtomicInt32) Get() int32 {
 	return atomic.LoadInt32((*int32)(b))
 }
 
-func (b *AtomicInt32) Add(v int32) {
-	atomic.AddInt32((*int32)(b), v)
+func (b *AtomicInt32) Add(v int32) int32 {
+	return atomic.AddInt32((*int32)(b), v)
 }
 
 // Semaphore is a counting semaphore.