diff --git a/chain/indexer.go b/chain/indexer.go
index 305e72dc5..67925e415 100644
--- a/chain/indexer.go
+++ b/chain/indexer.go
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ func NewTipSetIndexer(o lens.APIOpener, d model.Storage, window time.Duration, n
 		case BlocksTask:
 			tsi.processors[BlocksTask] = blocks.NewTask()
 		case MessagesTask:
-			tsi.messageProcessors[MessagesTask] = messages.NewTask(o)
+			tsi.messageProcessors[MessagesTask] = messages.NewTask()
 		case ChainEconomicsTask:
 			tsi.processors[ChainEconomicsTask] = chaineconomics.NewTask(o)
 		case ActorStatesRawTask:
diff --git a/tasks/actorstate/task.go b/tasks/actorstate/task.go
index 446797334..fd11dda6c 100644
--- a/tasks/actorstate/task.go
+++ b/tasks/actorstate/task.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package actorstate
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/filecoin-project/go-address"
@@ -19,9 +20,11 @@ import (
 
 // A Task processes the extraction of actor state according the allowed types in its extracter map.
 type Task struct {
-	node         lens.API
-	opener       lens.APIOpener
-	closer       lens.APICloser
+	nodeMu sync.Mutex // guards mutations to node, opener and closer
+	node   lens.API
+	opener lens.APIOpener
+	closer lens.APICloser
+
 	extracterMap ActorExtractorMap
 }
 
@@ -34,14 +37,18 @@ func NewTask(opener lens.APIOpener, extracterMap ActorExtractorMap) *Task {
 }
 
 func (t *Task) ProcessActors(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, pts *types.TipSet, candidates map[string]types.Actor) (model.Persistable, *visormodel.ProcessingReport, error) {
+	// t.node is used only by goroutines started by this method
+	t.nodeMu.Lock()
 	if t.node == nil {
 		node, closer, err := t.opener.Open(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
+			t.nodeMu.Unlock()
 			return nil, nil, xerrors.Errorf("unable to open lens: %w", err)
 		}
 		t.node = node
 		t.closer = closer
 	}
+	t.nodeMu.Unlock()
 
 	log.Debugw("processing actor state changes", "height", ts.Height(), "parent_height", pts.Height())
 
@@ -150,8 +157,18 @@ func (t *Task) runActorStateExtraction(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, pt
 	if !ok {
 		res.SkippedParse = true
 	} else {
+		// get reference to the lens api, which may have been closed due to a failure elsewhere
+		t.nodeMu.Lock()
+		nodeAPI := t.node
+		t.nodeMu.Unlock()
+
+		if nodeAPI == nil {
+			res.Error = xerrors.Errorf("failed to extract parsed actor state: no connection to api")
+			return
+		}
+
 		// Parse state
-		data, err := extracter.Extract(ctx, info, t.node)
+		data, err := extracter.Extract(ctx, info, nodeAPI)
 		if err != nil {
 			res.Error = xerrors.Errorf("failed to extract parsed actor state: %w", err)
 			return
@@ -161,6 +178,8 @@ func (t *Task) runActorStateExtraction(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, pt
 }
 
 func (t *Task) Close() error {
+	t.nodeMu.Lock()
+	defer t.nodeMu.Unlock()
 	if t.closer != nil {
 		t.closer()
 		t.closer = nil
diff --git a/tasks/chaineconomics/task.go b/tasks/chaineconomics/task.go
index 9c2beb9f6..4f3cf6224 100644
--- a/tasks/chaineconomics/task.go
+++ b/tasks/chaineconomics/task.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package chaineconomics
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/chain/types"
 	logging "github.com/ipfs/go-log/v2"
@@ -15,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 var log = logging.Logger("chaineconomics")
 
 type Task struct {
+	nodeMu sync.Mutex // guards mutations to node, opener and closer
 	node   lens.API
 	opener lens.APIOpener
 	closer lens.APICloser
@@ -27,6 +29,10 @@ func NewTask(opener lens.APIOpener) *Task {
 }
 
 func (p *Task) ProcessTipSet(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet) (model.Persistable, *visormodel.ProcessingReport, error) {
+	// We use p.node continually through this method so take a broad lock
+	p.nodeMu.Lock()
+	defer p.nodeMu.Unlock()
+
 	if p.node == nil {
 		node, closer, err := p.opener.Open(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -55,6 +61,9 @@ func (p *Task) ProcessTipSet(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet) (model.Persi
 }
 
 func (p *Task) Close() error {
+	p.nodeMu.Lock()
+	defer p.nodeMu.Unlock()
+
 	if p.closer != nil {
 		p.closer()
 		p.closer = nil
diff --git a/tasks/messages/message.go b/tasks/messages/message.go
index 5a2de539d..74753e06b 100644
--- a/tasks/messages/message.go
+++ b/tasks/messages/message.go
@@ -28,27 +28,13 @@ import (
 var log = logging.Logger("messages")
 
 type Task struct {
-	node   lens.API
-	opener lens.APIOpener
-	closer lens.APICloser
 }
 
-func NewTask(opener lens.APIOpener) *Task {
-	return &Task{
-		opener: opener,
-	}
+func NewTask() *Task {
+	return &Task{}
 }
 
 func (p *Task) ProcessMessages(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, pts *types.TipSet, emsgs []*lens.ExecutedMessage) (model.Persistable, *visormodel.ProcessingReport, error) {
-	if p.node == nil {
-		node, closer, err := p.opener.Open(ctx)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, xerrors.Errorf("unable to open lens: %w", err)
-		}
-		p.node = node
-		p.closer = closer
-	}
-
 	report := &visormodel.ProcessingReport{
 		Height:    int64(pts.Height()),
 		StateRoot: pts.ParentState().String(),
@@ -258,11 +244,6 @@ func (p *Task) parseMessageParams(m *types.Message, destCode cid.Cid) (string, s
 }
 
 func (p *Task) Close() error {
-	if p.closer != nil {
-		p.closer()
-		p.closer = nil
-	}
-	p.node = nil
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/tasks/msapprovals/msapprovals.go b/tasks/msapprovals/msapprovals.go
index eda684fce..890f56858 100644
--- a/tasks/msapprovals/msapprovals.go
+++ b/tasks/msapprovals/msapprovals.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ package msapprovals
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/chain/actors/builtin/multisig"
 	"github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/chain/types"
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ const (
 )
 
 type Task struct {
+	nodeMu sync.Mutex // guards mutations to node, opener and closer
 	node   lens.API
 	opener lens.APIOpener
 	closer lens.APICloser
@@ -39,6 +41,10 @@ func NewTask(opener lens.APIOpener) *Task {
 }
 
 func (p *Task) ProcessMessages(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, pts *types.TipSet, emsgs []*lens.ExecutedMessage) (model.Persistable, *visormodel.ProcessingReport, error) {
+	// We use p.node continually through this method so take a broad lock
+	p.nodeMu.Lock()
+	defer p.nodeMu.Unlock()
+
 	// TODO: refactor this boilerplate into a helper
 	if p.node == nil {
 		node, closer, err := p.opener.Open(ctx)
@@ -169,6 +175,9 @@ func (p *Task) ProcessMessages(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, pts *types
 }
 
 func (p *Task) Close() error {
+	p.nodeMu.Lock()
+	defer p.nodeMu.Unlock()
+
 	if p.closer != nil {
 		p.closer()
 		p.closer = nil