diff --git a/src/libstore/local-store.cc b/src/libstore/local-store.cc
index 4c8e2ea2f..d276bd786 100644
--- a/src/libstore/local-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/local-store.cc
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ void migrateCASchema(SQLite& db, Path schemaPath, AutoCloseFD& lockFd)
             txn.commit();
         }
 
-        writeFile(schemaPath, fmt("%d", nixCASchemaVersion), 0666, true);
+        writeFileAndSync(schemaPath, fmt("%d", nixCASchemaVersion), 0666);
         lockFile(lockFd.get(), ltRead, true);
     }
 }
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ LocalStore::LocalStore(const Params & params)
     else if (curSchema == 0) { /* new store */
         curSchema = nixSchemaVersion;
         openDB(*state, true);
-        writeFile(schemaPath, fmt("%1%", nixSchemaVersion), 0666, true);
+        writeFileAndSync(schemaPath, fmt("%1%", nixSchemaVersion), 0666);
     }
 
     else if (curSchema < nixSchemaVersion) {
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ LocalStore::LocalStore(const Params & params)
             txn.commit();
         }
 
-        writeFile(schemaPath, fmt("%1%", nixSchemaVersion), 0666, true);
+        writeFileAndSync(schemaPath, fmt("%1%", nixSchemaVersion), 0666);
 
         lockFile(globalLock.get(), ltRead, true);
     }
diff --git a/src/libutil/file-system.cc b/src/libutil/file-system.cc
index 631cf076b..39ba7699e 100644
--- a/src/libutil/file-system.cc
+++ b/src/libutil/file-system.cc
@@ -311,17 +311,47 @@ Generator<Bytes> readFileSource(const Path & path)
 }
 
 
-void writeFile(const Path & path, std::string_view s, mode_t mode, bool sync)
+void writeFile(const Path & path, std::string_view s, mode_t mode)
 {
     AutoCloseFD fd{open(path.c_str(), O_WRONLY | O_TRUNC | O_CREAT | O_CLOEXEC, mode)};
     if (!fd)
         throw SysError("opening file '%1%'", path);
+
+    writeFile(fd, s, mode);
+
+    /* Close explicitly to propagate the exceptions. */
+    fd.close();
+}
+
+void writeFile(AutoCloseFD & fd, std::string_view s, mode_t mode)
+{
+    assert(fd);
     try {
         writeFull(fd.get(), s);
     } catch (Error & e) {
-        e.addTrace({}, "writing file '%1%'", path);
+        e.addTrace({}, "writing file '%1%'", fd.guessOrInventPath());
         throw;
     }
+}
+
+void writeFileAndSync(const Path & path, std::string_view s, mode_t mode)
+{
+    {
+        AutoCloseFD fd{open(path.c_str(), O_WRONLY | O_TRUNC | O_CREAT | O_CLOEXEC, mode)};
+        if (!fd)
+            throw SysError("opening file '%1%'", path);
+
+        writeFile(fd, s, mode);
+        fd.fsync();
+        /* Close explicitly to ensure that exceptions are propagated. */
+        fd.close();
+    }
+
+    syncParent(path);
+}
+
+static void closeForWrite(const Path & path, AutoCloseFD & fd, bool sync)
+{
     if (sync)
         fd.fsync();
     // Explicitly close to make sure exceptions are propagated.
@@ -330,8 +360,7 @@ void writeFile(const Path & path, std::string_view s, mode_t mode, bool sync)
         syncParent(path);
 }
 
-
-void writeFile(const Path & path, Source & source, mode_t mode, bool sync)
+void writeFile(const Path & path, Source & source, mode_t mode)
 {
     AutoCloseFD fd{open(path.c_str(), O_WRONLY | O_TRUNC | O_CREAT | O_CLOEXEC, mode)};
     if (!fd)
@@ -350,12 +379,8 @@ void writeFile(const Path & path, Source & source, mode_t mode, bool sync)
         e.addTrace({}, "writing file '%1%'", path);
         throw;
     }
-    if (sync)
-        fd.fsync();
-    // Explicitly close to make sure exceptions are propagated.
-    fd.close();
-    if (sync)
-        syncParent(path);
+
+    closeForWrite(path, fd, false);
 }
 
 void syncParent(const Path & path)
diff --git a/src/libutil/file-system.hh b/src/libutil/file-system.hh
index e49323e84..d3b6d2608 100644
--- a/src/libutil/file-system.hh
+++ b/src/libutil/file-system.hh
@@ -164,9 +164,16 @@ Generator<Bytes> readFileSource(const Path & path);
 /**
  * Write a string to a file.
  */
-void writeFile(const Path & path, std::string_view s, mode_t mode = 0666, bool sync = false);
+void writeFile(const Path & path, std::string_view s, mode_t mode = 0666);
 
-void writeFile(const Path & path, Source & source, mode_t mode = 0666, bool sync = false);
+void writeFile(const Path & path, Source & source, mode_t mode = 0666);
+
+void writeFile(AutoCloseFD & fd, std::string_view s, mode_t mode = 0666);
+
+/**
+ * Write a string to a file and flush the file and its parents direcotry to disk.
+ */
+void writeFileAndSync(const Path & path, std::string_view s, mode_t mode = 0666);
 
 /**
  * Flush a file's parent directory to disk