diff --git a/lix/libcmd/common-eval-args.cc b/lix/libcmd/common-eval-args.cc
index 26e0380c0..b90f16c38 100644
--- a/lix/libcmd/common-eval-args.cc
+++ b/lix/libcmd/common-eval-args.cc
@@ -203,7 +203,9 @@ SourcePath lookupFileArg(Evaluator & state, std::string_view fileArg)
         experimentalFeatureSettings.require(Xp::Flakes);
         static constexpr size_t FLAKE_LEN = std::string_view("flake:").size();
         auto flakeRef = parseFlakeRef(std::string(fileArg.substr(FLAKE_LEN)), {}, true, false);
-        auto storePath = flakeRef.resolve(state.store).fetchTree(state.store).first.storePath;
+        auto storePath =
+            RUN_ASYNC_IN_NEW_THREAD(flakeRef.resolve(state.store).fetchTree(state.store))
+                .first.storePath;
         return CanonPath(state.store->toRealPath(storePath));
     } else if (fileArg.size() > 2 && fileArg.at(0) == '<' && fileArg.at(fileArg.size() - 1) == '>') {
         Path p(fileArg.substr(1, fileArg.size() - 2));
diff --git a/lix/libexpr/eval.cc b/lix/libexpr/eval.cc
index f7622cbbb..93230e39f 100644
--- a/lix/libexpr/eval.cc
+++ b/lix/libexpr/eval.cc
@@ -2808,8 +2808,9 @@ std::optional<std::string> EvalPaths::resolveSearchPathPath(const SearchPath::Pa
         experimentalFeatureSettings.require(Xp::Flakes);
         auto flakeRef = parseFlakeRef(value.substr(6), {}, true, false);
         debug("fetching flake search path element '%s''", value);
-        auto storePath = flakeRef.resolve(store).fetchTree(store).first.storePath;
-        res = { store->toRealPath(storePath) };
+        auto storePath =
+            RUN_ASYNC_IN_NEW_THREAD(flakeRef.resolve(store).fetchTree(store)).first.storePath;
+        res = {store->toRealPath(storePath)};
     }
 
     else {
diff --git a/lix/libexpr/flake/flake.cc b/lix/libexpr/flake/flake.cc
index 33e2951bb..0de102147 100644
--- a/lix/libexpr/flake/flake.cc
+++ b/lix/libexpr/flake/flake.cc
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include "lix/libexpr/eval-inline.hh"
 #include "lix/libstore/store-api.hh"
 #include "lix/libfetchers/fetchers.hh"
+#include "lix/libutil/async.hh"
 #include "lix/libutil/finally.hh"
 #include "lix/libfetchers/fetch-settings.hh"
 #include "lix/libutil/terminal.hh"
@@ -36,23 +37,25 @@ static std::optional<FetchedFlake> lookupInFlakeCache(
     return std::nullopt;
 }
 
-static std::tuple<fetchers::Tree, FlakeRef, FlakeRef> fetchOrSubstituteTree(
+static kj::Promise<Result<std::tuple<fetchers::Tree, FlakeRef, FlakeRef>>> fetchOrSubstituteTree(
     Evaluator & state,
     const FlakeRef & originalRef,
     bool allowLookup,
     FlakeCache & flakeCache)
-{
+try {
     auto fetched = lookupInFlakeCache(flakeCache, originalRef);
     FlakeRef resolvedRef = originalRef;
 
     if (!fetched) {
         if (originalRef.input.isDirect()) {
-            fetched.emplace(originalRef.fetchTree(state.store));
+            fetched.emplace(TRY_AWAIT(originalRef.fetchTree(state.store)));
         } else {
             if (allowLookup) {
                 resolvedRef = originalRef.resolve(state.store);
                 auto fetchedResolved = lookupInFlakeCache(flakeCache, originalRef);
-                if (!fetchedResolved) fetchedResolved.emplace(resolvedRef.fetchTree(state.store));
+                if (!fetchedResolved) {
+                    fetchedResolved.emplace(TRY_AWAIT(resolvedRef.fetchTree(state.store)));
+                }
                 flakeCache.push_back({resolvedRef, *fetchedResolved});
                 fetched.emplace(*fetchedResolved);
             }
@@ -72,7 +75,9 @@ static std::tuple<fetchers::Tree, FlakeRef, FlakeRef> fetchOrSubstituteTree(
 
     assert(!originalRef.input.getNarHash() || tree.storePath == originalRef.input.computeStorePath(*state.store));
 
-    return {std::move(tree), resolvedRef, lockedRef};
+    co_return {std::move(tree), resolvedRef, lockedRef};
+} catch (...) {
+    co_return result::current_exception();
 }
 
 static void forceTrivialValue(EvalState & state, Value & value, const PosIdx pos)
@@ -216,8 +221,8 @@ static Flake getFlake(
     FlakeCache & flakeCache,
     InputPath lockRootPath)
 {
-    auto [sourceInfo, resolvedRef, lockedRef] = fetchOrSubstituteTree(
-        state.ctx, originalRef, allowLookup, flakeCache);
+    auto [sourceInfo, resolvedRef, lockedRef] =
+        state.aio.blockOn(fetchOrSubstituteTree(state.ctx, originalRef, allowLookup, flakeCache));
 
     // We need to guard against symlink attacks, but before we start doing
     // filesystem operations we should make sure there's a flake.nix in the
@@ -633,8 +638,10 @@ LockedFlake lockFlake(
                         }
 
                         else {
-                            auto [sourceInfo, resolvedRef, lockedRef] = fetchOrSubstituteTree(
-                                state.ctx, *input.ref, useRegistries, flakeCache);
+                            auto [sourceInfo, resolvedRef, lockedRef] =
+                                state.aio.blockOn(fetchOrSubstituteTree(
+                                    state.ctx, *input.ref, useRegistries, flakeCache
+                                ));
 
                             auto childNode = make_ref<LockedNode>(lockedRef, ref, false);
 
diff --git a/lix/libexpr/flake/flakeref.cc b/lix/libexpr/flake/flakeref.cc
index 663c637c8..76cffdaf4 100644
--- a/lix/libexpr/flake/flakeref.cc
+++ b/lix/libexpr/flake/flakeref.cc
@@ -238,10 +238,12 @@ FlakeRef FlakeRef::fromAttrs(const fetchers::Attrs & attrs)
         fetchers::maybeGetStrAttr(attrs, "dir").value_or(""));
 }
 
-std::pair<fetchers::Tree, FlakeRef> FlakeRef::fetchTree(ref<Store> store) const
-{
-    auto [tree, lockedInput] = RUN_ASYNC_IN_NEW_THREAD(input.fetch(store));
-    return {std::move(tree), FlakeRef(std::move(lockedInput), subdir)};
+kj::Promise<Result<std::pair<fetchers::Tree, FlakeRef>>> FlakeRef::fetchTree(ref<Store> store) const
+try {
+    auto [tree, lockedInput] = TRY_AWAIT(input.fetch(store));
+    co_return {std::move(tree), FlakeRef(std::move(lockedInput), subdir)};
+} catch (...) {
+    co_return result::current_exception();
 }
 
 std::tuple<FlakeRef, std::string, ExtendedOutputsSpec> parseFlakeRefWithFragmentAndExtendedOutputsSpec(
diff --git a/lix/libexpr/flake/flakeref.hh b/lix/libexpr/flake/flakeref.hh
index 774b85699..29beba9cd 100644
--- a/lix/libexpr/flake/flakeref.hh
+++ b/lix/libexpr/flake/flakeref.hh
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ struct FlakeRef
 
     static FlakeRef fromAttrs(const fetchers::Attrs & attrs);
 
-    std::pair<fetchers::Tree, FlakeRef> fetchTree(ref<Store> store) const;
+    kj::Promise<Result<std::pair<fetchers::Tree, FlakeRef>>> fetchTree(ref<Store> store) const;
 };
 
 std::ostream & operator << (std::ostream & str, const FlakeRef & flakeRef);
diff --git a/lix/nix/flake.cc b/lix/nix/flake.cc
index 2b45504dd..33f0659ac 100644
--- a/lix/nix/flake.cc
+++ b/lix/nix/flake.cc
@@ -1449,7 +1449,7 @@ struct CmdFlakePrefetch : FlakeCommand, MixJSON
     {
         auto originalRef = getFlakeRef();
         auto resolvedRef = originalRef.resolve(store);
-        auto [tree, lockedRef] = resolvedRef.fetchTree(store);
+        auto [tree, lockedRef] = aio().blockOn(resolvedRef.fetchTree(store));
         auto hash = store->queryPathInfo(tree.storePath)->narHash;
 
         if (json) {