diff --git a/bin/pg_repack.c b/bin/pg_repack.c
index e1c7bda..d2de3d0 100644
--- a/bin/pg_repack.c
+++ b/bin/pg_repack.c
@@ -40,52 +40,77 @@ const char *PROGRAM_VERSION = "unknown";
  * pg_repack's setup. Some transactions we can safely ignore:
  *  a. The '1/1, -1/0' lock skipped is from the bgwriter on newly promoted
  *     servers. See https://github.com/reorg/pg_reorg/issues/1
- *  b. Our own database connection
+ *  b. Our own database connections
  *  c. Other pg_repack clients, as distinguished by application_name, which
  *     may be operating on other tables at the same time. See
  *     https://github.com/reorg/pg_repack/issues/1
  *
  * Note, there is some redundancy in how the filtering is done (e.g. excluding
  * based on pg_backend_pid() and application_name), but that shouldn't hurt
- * anything.
+ * anything. Also, the test of application_name is not bulletproof -- for
+ * instance, the application name when running installcheck will be
+ * pg_regress.
  */
 #define SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT_90200 \
 	"SELECT repack.array_accum(l.virtualtransaction) " \
 	"  FROM pg_locks AS l " \
 	"  LEFT JOIN pg_stat_activity AS a " \
 	"    ON l.pid = a.pid " \
-	"  WHERE l.locktype = 'virtualxid' AND l.pid <> pg_backend_pid() " \
-	"AND (l.virtualxid, l.virtualtransaction) <> ('1/1', '-1/0') " \
-	"AND (a.application_name IS NULL OR a.application_name <> $1)"
+	"  WHERE l.locktype = 'virtualxid' " \
+	"  AND l.pid NOT IN (pg_backend_pid(), $1) " \
+	"  AND (l.virtualxid, l.virtualtransaction) <> ('1/1', '-1/0') " \
+	"  AND (a.application_name IS NULL OR a.application_name <> $2)"
 
 #define SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT_90000 \
 	"SELECT repack.array_accum(l.virtualtransaction) " \
 	"  FROM pg_locks AS l " \
 	"  LEFT JOIN pg_stat_activity AS a " \
 	"    ON l.pid = a.procpid " \
-	"  WHERE l.locktype = 'virtualxid' AND l.pid <> pg_backend_pid() " \
-	"AND (l.virtualxid, l.virtualtransaction) <> ('1/1', '-1/0') " \
-	"AND (a.application_name IS NULL OR a.application_name <> $1)"
+	"  WHERE l.locktype = 'virtualxid' " \
+	"  AND l.pid NOT IN (pg_backend_pid(), $1) " \
+	"  AND (l.virtualxid, l.virtualtransaction) <> ('1/1', '-1/0') " \
+	"  AND (a.application_name IS NULL OR a.application_name <> $2)"
 
 /* application_name is not available before 9.0. The last clause of
- * the WHERE clause is just to eat the $1 parameter (application name).
+ * the WHERE clause is just to eat the $2 parameter (application name).
  */
 #define SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT_80300 \
 	"SELECT repack.array_accum(virtualtransaction) FROM pg_locks" \
-	" WHERE locktype = 'virtualxid' AND pid <> pg_backend_pid()" \
+	" WHERE locktype = 'virtualxid' AND pid NOT IN (pg_backend_pid(), $1)" \
 	" AND (virtualxid, virtualtransaction) <> ('1/1', '-1/0') " \
-	" AND ($1 IS NOT NULL)"
+	" AND ($2 IS NOT NULL)"
 
 #define SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT \
 	(PQserverVersion(connection) >= 90200 ? SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT_90200 : \
 	 (PQserverVersion(connection) >= 90000 ? SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT_90000 : \
 	  SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT_80300))
-		
 
+
+/* Later, check whether any of the transactions we saw before are still
+ * alive, and wait for them to go away.
+ */
 #define SQL_XID_ALIVE \
 	"SELECT pid FROM pg_locks WHERE locktype = 'virtualxid'"\
 	" AND pid <> pg_backend_pid() AND virtualtransaction = ANY($1)"
 
+/* To be run while our main connection holds an AccessExclusive lock on the
+ * target table, and our secondary conn is attempting to grab an AccessShare
+ * lock. We know that "granted" must be false for these queries because
+ * we already hold the AccessExclusive lock. Also, we only care about other
+ * transactions trying to grab an ACCESS EXCLUSIVE lock, because we are only
+ * trying to kill off disallowed DDL commands, e.g. ALTER TABLE or TRUNCATE.
+ */
+#define CANCEL_COMPETING_LOCKS \
+	"SELECT pg_cancel_backend(pid) FROM pg_locks WHERE locktype = 'relation'"\
+	" AND granted = false AND relation = %u"\
+	" AND mode = 'AccessExclusiveLock' AND pid <> pg_backend_pid()"
+
+#define KILL_COMPETING_LOCKS \
+	"SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pid) "\
+	"FROM pg_locks WHERE locktype = 'relation'"\
+	" AND granted = false AND relation = %u"\
+	" AND mode = 'AccessExclusiveLock' AND pid <> pg_backend_pid()"
+
 /*
  * per-table information
  */
@@ -123,13 +148,15 @@ typedef struct repack_index
 
 static bool is_superuser(void);
 static void repack_all_databases(const char *order_by);
-static bool repack_one_database(const char *order_by, const char *table, char *errbuf, size_t errsize);
+static bool repack_one_database(const char *order_by, char *errbuf, size_t errsize);
 static void repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *order_by);
-static void repack_cleanup(bool fatal, void *userdata);
+static void repack_cleanup(bool fatal, const repack_table *table);
 
 static char *getstr(PGresult *res, int row, int col);
 static Oid getoid(PGresult *res, int row, int col);
-static void lock_exclusive(const char *relid, const char *lock_query);
+static bool lock_exclusive(PGconn *conn, const char *relid, const char *lock_query, bool start_xact);
+static bool kill_ddl(PGconn *conn, Oid relid, bool terminate);
+static bool lock_access_share(PGconn *conn, Oid relid, const char *target_name);
 
 #define SQLSTATE_INVALID_SCHEMA_NAME	"3F000"
 #define SQLSTATE_QUERY_CANCELED			"57014"
@@ -139,12 +166,12 @@ static bool sqlstate_equals(PGresult *res, const char *state)
 	return strcmp(PQresultErrorField(res, PG_DIAG_SQLSTATE), state) == 0;
 }
 
-static bool		analyze = true;
-static bool		alldb = false;
-static bool		noorder = false;
-static char	   *table = NULL;
-static char	   *orderby = NULL;
-static int		wait_timeout = 60;	/* in seconds */
+static bool				analyze = true;
+static bool				alldb = false;
+static bool				noorder = false;
+static SimpleStringList	table_list = {NULL, NULL};
+static char				*orderby = NULL;
+static int				wait_timeout = 60;	/* in seconds */
 
 /* buffer should have at least 11 bytes */
 static char *
@@ -157,7 +184,7 @@ utoa(unsigned int value, char *buffer)
 static pgut_option options[] =
 {
 	{ 'b', 'a', "all", &alldb },
-	{ 's', 't', "table", &table },
+	{ 'l', 't', "table", &table_list },
 	{ 'b', 'n', "no-order", &noorder },
 	{ 's', 'o', "order-by", &orderby },
 	{ 'i', 'T', "wait-timeout", &wait_timeout },
@@ -168,7 +195,7 @@ static pgut_option options[] =
 int
 main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
-	int		i;
+	int						i;
 
 	i = pgut_getopt(argc, argv, options);
 
@@ -184,19 +211,19 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 
 	if (alldb)
 	{
-		if (table)
+		if (table_list.head)
 			ereport(ERROR,
 				(errcode(EINVAL),
-				 errmsg("cannot repack a specific table in all databases")));
+				 errmsg("cannot repack specific table(s) in all databases")));
 		repack_all_databases(orderby);
 	}
 	else
 	{
 		char	errbuf[256];
-		if (!repack_one_database(orderby, table, errbuf, sizeof(errbuf)))
+		if (!repack_one_database(orderby, errbuf, sizeof(errbuf)))
 			ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERROR),
-				 errmsg("%s", errbuf)));
+					(errcode(ERROR),
+					 errmsg("%s", errbuf)));
 	}
 
 	return 0;
@@ -219,7 +246,7 @@ is_superuser(void)
 		return false;
 
 	val = PQparameterStatus(connection, "is_superuser");
-	
+
 	if (val && strcmp(val, "on") == 0)
 		return true;
 
@@ -254,11 +281,11 @@ repack_all_databases(const char *orderby)
 
 		if (pgut_log_level >= INFO)
 		{
-			printf("%s: repack database \"%s\"", PROGRAM_NAME, dbname);
+			printf("%s: repack database \"%s\"\n", PROGRAM_NAME, dbname);
 			fflush(stdout);
 		}
 
-		ret = repack_one_database(orderby, NULL, errbuf, sizeof(errbuf));
+		ret = repack_one_database(orderby, errbuf, sizeof(errbuf));
 
 		if (pgut_log_level >= INFO)
 		{
@@ -296,13 +323,24 @@ getoid(PGresult *res, int row, int col)
  * Call repack_one_table for the target table or each table in a database.
  */
 static bool
-repack_one_database(const char *orderby, const char *table, char *errbuf, size_t errsize)
+repack_one_database(const char *orderby, char *errbuf, size_t errsize)
 {
-	bool			ret = false;
-	PGresult	   *res = NULL;
-	int				i;
-	int				num;
-	StringInfoData	sql;
+	bool					ret = false;
+	PGresult	   		   *res = NULL;
+	int						i;
+	int						num;
+	StringInfoData			sql;
+	SimpleStringListCell   *cell;
+	const char			  **params = NULL;
+	size_t					num_params = simple_string_list_size(table_list);
+
+	/* We need to be able to support at least two params, or more
+	 * if we have multiple --tables specified.
+	 */
+	if (num_params && num_params > 2)
+		params = pgut_malloc(num_params * sizeof(char *));
+	else
+		params = pgut_malloc(2 * sizeof(char *));
 
 	initStringInfo(&sql);
 
@@ -355,7 +393,7 @@ repack_one_database(const char *orderby, const char *table, char *errbuf, size_t
 			/* Schema repack does not exist. Skip the database. */
 			if (errbuf)
 				snprintf(errbuf, errsize,
-					"%s is not installed in the database", PROGRAM_NAME);
+						 "%s is not installed in the database", PROGRAM_NAME);
 		}
 		else
 		{
@@ -377,10 +415,19 @@ repack_one_database(const char *orderby, const char *table, char *errbuf, size_t
 
 	/* acquire target tables */
 	appendStringInfoString(&sql, "SELECT * FROM repack.tables WHERE ");
-	if (table)
+	if (num_params)
 	{
-		appendStringInfoString(&sql, "relid = $1::regclass");
-		res = execute_elevel(sql.data, 1, &table, DEBUG2);
+		appendStringInfoString(&sql, "(");
+		for (i = 0, cell = table_list.head; cell; cell = cell->next, i++)
+		{
+			/* Construct table name placeholders to be used by PQexecParams */
+			appendStringInfo(&sql, "relid = $%d::regclass", i + 1);
+			params[i] = cell->val;
+			if (cell->next)
+				appendStringInfoString(&sql, " OR ");
+		}
+		appendStringInfoString(&sql, ")");
+		res = execute_elevel(sql.data, (int) num_params, params, DEBUG2);
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -398,7 +445,7 @@ repack_one_database(const char *orderby, const char *table, char *errbuf, size_t
 			/* Schema repack does not exist. Skip the database. */
 			if (errbuf)
 				snprintf(errbuf, errsize,
-					"%s is not installed in the database", PROGRAM_NAME);
+						 "%s is not installed in the database", PROGRAM_NAME);
 		}
 		else
 		{
@@ -406,7 +453,6 @@ repack_one_database(const char *orderby, const char *table, char *errbuf, size_t
 			if (errbuf)
 				snprintf(errbuf, errsize, "%s", PQerrorMessage(connection));
 		}
-		ret = false;
 		goto cleanup;
 	}
 
@@ -447,9 +493,12 @@ repack_one_database(const char *orderby, const char *table, char *errbuf, size_t
 		{
 			/* CLUSTER mode */
 			if (ckey == NULL)
-				ereport(ERROR,
+			{
+				ereport(WARNING,
 					(errcode(E_PG_COMMAND),
 					 errmsg("relation \"%s\" has no cluster key", table.target_name)));
+				continue;
+			}
 			appendStringInfo(&sql, "%s ORDER BY %s", create_table, ckey);
             table.create_table = sql.data;
 		}
@@ -484,7 +533,7 @@ cleanup:
 }
 
 static int
-apply_log(const repack_table *table, int count)
+apply_log(PGconn *conn, const repack_table *table, int count)
 {
 	int			result;
 	PGresult   *res;
@@ -498,8 +547,9 @@ apply_log(const repack_table *table, int count)
 	params[4] = table->sql_pop;
 	params[5] = utoa(count, buffer);
 
-	res = execute("SELECT repack.repack_apply($1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $6)",
-		6, params);
+	res = pgut_execute(conn,
+					   "SELECT repack.repack_apply($1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $6)",
+					   6, params);
 	result = atoi(PQgetvalue(res, 0, 0));
 	PQclear(res);
 
@@ -517,9 +567,10 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 	int				num;
 	int				i;
 	int				num_waiting = 0;
-	char		   *vxid;
+	char		   *vxid = NULL;
 	char			buffer[12];
 	StringInfoData	sql;
+	bool            have_error = false;
 
 	initStringInfo(&sql);
 
@@ -548,7 +599,12 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 	 * 1. Setup workspaces and a trigger.
 	 */
 	elog(DEBUG2, "---- setup ----");
-	lock_exclusive(utoa(table->target_oid, buffer), table->lock_table);
+	if (!(lock_exclusive(connection, utoa(table->target_oid, buffer), table->lock_table, TRUE)))
+	{
+		elog(WARNING, "lock_exclusive() failed for %s", table->target_name);
+		have_error = true;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Check z_repack_trigger is the trigger executed at last so that
@@ -558,10 +614,15 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 
 	res = execute("SELECT repack.conflicted_triggers($1)", 1, params);
 	if (PQntuples(res) > 0)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+	{
+		ereport(WARNING,
 			(errcode(E_PG_COMMAND),
 			 errmsg("trigger %s conflicted for %s",
 					PQgetvalue(res, 0, 0), table->target_name)));
+		PQclear(res);
+		have_error = true;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
 	PQclear(res);
 
 	command(table->create_pktype, 0, NULL);
@@ -570,14 +631,82 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 	command(table->enable_trigger, 0, NULL);
 	printfStringInfo(&sql, "SELECT repack.disable_autovacuum('repack.log_%u')", table->target_oid);
 	command(sql.data, 0, NULL);
-	command("COMMIT", 0, NULL);
+
+	/* While we are still holding an AccessExclusive lock on the table, submit
+	 * the request for an AccessShare lock asynchronously from conn2.
+	 * We want to submit this query in conn2 while connection's
+	 * transaction still holds its lock, so that no DDL may sneak in
+	 * between the time that connection commits and conn2 gets its lock.
+	 */
+	pgut_command(conn2, "BEGIN ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED", 0, NULL);
+
+	/* grab the backend PID of conn2; we'll need this when querying
+	 * pg_locks momentarily.
+	 */
+	res = pgut_execute(conn2, "SELECT pg_backend_pid()", 0, NULL);
+	if (PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_TUPLES_OK)
+	{
+		printf("%s", PQerrorMessage(conn2));
+		PQclear(res);
+		have_error = true;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+	buffer[0] = '\0';
+	strncat(buffer, PQgetvalue(res, 0, 0), sizeof(buffer) - 1);
+	PQclear(res);
 
 	/*
-	 * Register the table to be dropped on error. We use pktype as
-	 * an advisory lock. The registration should be done after
-	 * the first command succeeds.
+	 * Not using lock_access_share() here since we know that
+	 * it's not possible to obtain the ACCESS SHARE lock right now
+	 * in conn2, since the primary connection holds ACCESS EXCLUSIVE.
 	 */
-	pgut_atexit_push(&repack_cleanup, (void *) table);
+	printfStringInfo(&sql, "LOCK TABLE %s IN ACCESS SHARE MODE",
+					 table->target_name);
+	elog(DEBUG2, "LOCK TABLE %s IN ACCESS SHARE MODE", table->target_name);
+	if (!(PQsendQuery(conn2, sql.data))) {
+		elog(WARNING, "Error sending async query: %s\n%s", sql.data,
+			 PQerrorMessage(conn2));
+		have_error = true;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	/* Now that we've submitted the LOCK TABLE request through conn2,
+	 * look for and cancel any (potentially dangerous) DDL commands which
+	 * might also be waiting on our table lock at this point --
+	 * it's not safe to let them wait, because they may grab their
+	 * AccessExclusive lock before conn2 gets its AccessShare lock,
+	 * and perform unsafe DDL on the table.
+	 *
+	 * Normally, lock_access_share() would take care of this for us,
+	 * but we're not able to use it here.
+	 */
+	if (!(kill_ddl(connection, table->target_oid, true)))
+	{
+		elog(WARNING, "kill_ddl() failed.");
+		have_error = true;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	/* We're finished killing off any unsafe DDL. COMMIT in our main
+	 * connection, so that conn2 may get its AccessShare lock.
+	 */
+	command("COMMIT", 0, NULL);
+
+	/* Keep looping PQgetResult() calls until it returns NULL, indicating the
+	 * command is done and we have obtained our lock.
+	 */
+	while ((res = PQgetResult(conn2)))
+	{
+		elog(DEBUG2, "Waiting on ACCESS SHARE lock...");
+		if (PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_COMMAND_OK)
+		{
+			elog(WARNING, "Error with LOCK TABLE: %s", PQerrorMessage(conn2));
+			PQclear(res);
+			have_error = true;
+			goto cleanup;
+		}
+		PQclear(res);
+	}
 
 	/*
 	 * 2. Copy tuples into temp table.
@@ -593,9 +722,20 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 	command("SELECT set_config('work_mem', current_setting('maintenance_work_mem'), true)", 0, NULL);
 	if (orderby && !orderby[0])
 		command("SET LOCAL synchronize_seqscans = off", 0, NULL);
-	params[0] = PROGRAM_NAME;
-	res = execute(SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT, 1, params);
-	vxid = strdup(PQgetvalue(res, 0, 0));
+
+	/* Fetch an array of Virtual IDs of all transactions active right now.
+	 */
+	params[0] = buffer; /* backend PID of conn2 */
+	params[1] = PROGRAM_NAME;
+	res = execute(SQL_XID_SNAPSHOT, 2, params);
+	if (!(vxid = strdup(PQgetvalue(res, 0, 0))))
+	{
+		elog(WARNING, "Unable to allocate vxid, length: %d\n",
+			 PQgetlength(res, 0, 0));
+		PQclear(res);
+		have_error = true;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
 	PQclear(res);
 
 	/* Delete any existing entries in the log table now, since we have not
@@ -604,6 +744,25 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 	 * log we could wind up with duplicates.
 	 */
 	command(table->delete_log, 0, NULL);
+
+	/* We need to be able to obtain an AccessShare lock on the target table
+	 * for the create_table command to go through, so go ahead and obtain
+	 * the lock explicitly.
+	 *
+	 * Since conn2 has been diligently holding its AccessShare lock, it
+	 * is possible that another transaction has been waiting to acquire
+	 * an AccessExclusive lock on the table (e.g. a concurrent ALTER TABLE
+	 * or TRUNCATE which we must not allow). If there are any such
+	 * transactions, lock_access_share() will kill them so that our
+	 * CREATE TABLE ... AS SELECT does not deadlock waiting for an
+	 * AccessShare lock.
+	 */
+	if (!(lock_access_share(connection, table->target_oid, table->target_name)))
+	{
+		have_error = true;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
 	command(table->create_table, 0, NULL);
 	printfStringInfo(&sql, "SELECT repack.disable_autovacuum('repack.table_%u')", table->target_oid);
 	if (table->drop_columns)
@@ -659,7 +818,7 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 	 */
 	for (;;)
 	{
-		num = apply_log(table, APPLY_COUNT);
+		num = apply_log(connection, table, APPLY_COUNT);
 		if (num > 0)
 			continue;	/* there might be still some tuples, repeat. */
 
@@ -696,14 +855,25 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * 5. Swap.
+	 * 5. Swap: will be done with conn2, since it already holds an
+	 *    AccessShare lock.
 	 */
 	elog(DEBUG2, "---- swap ----");
-	lock_exclusive(utoa(table->target_oid, buffer), table->lock_table);
-	apply_log(table, 0);
+	/* Bump our existing AccessShare lock to AccessExclusive */
+
+	if (!(lock_exclusive(conn2, utoa(table->target_oid, buffer),
+						 table->lock_table, FALSE)))
+	{
+		elog(WARNING, "lock_exclusive() failed in conn2 for %s",
+			 table->target_name);
+		have_error = true;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	apply_log(conn2, table, 0);
 	params[0] = utoa(table->target_oid, buffer);
-	command("SELECT repack.repack_swap($1)", 1, params);
-	command("COMMIT", 0, NULL);
+	pgut_command(conn2, "SELECT repack.repack_swap($1)", 1, params);
+	pgut_command(conn2, "COMMIT", 0, NULL);
 
 	/*
 	 * 6. Drop.
@@ -715,9 +885,6 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 	command("SELECT repack.repack_drop($1)", 1, params);
 	command("COMMIT", 0, NULL);
 
-	pgut_atexit_pop(&repack_cleanup, (void *) table);
-	free(vxid);
-
 	/*
 	 * 7. Analyze.
 	 * Note that cleanup hook has been already uninstalled here because analyze
@@ -733,18 +900,166 @@ repack_one_table(const repack_table *table, const char *orderby)
 		command("COMMIT", 0, NULL);
 	}
 
+cleanup:
 	termStringInfo(&sql);
+	if (vxid)
+		free(vxid);
+
+	/* XXX: distinguish between fatal and non-fatal errors via the first
+	 * arg to repack_cleanup().
+	 */
+	if (have_error)
+		repack_cleanup(false, table);
 }
 
-/*
- * Try acquire a table lock but avoid long time locks when conflict.
+/* Kill off any concurrent DDL (or any transaction attempting to take
+ * an AccessExclusive lock) trying to run against our table. Note, we're
+ * killing these queries off *before* they are granted an AccessExclusive
+ * lock on our table.
+ *
+ * Returns true if no problems encountered, false otherwise.
  */
-static void
-lock_exclusive(const char *relid, const char *lock_query)
+static bool
+kill_ddl(PGconn *conn, Oid relid, bool terminate)
+{
+	bool			ret = true;
+	PGresult	   *res;
+	StringInfoData	sql;
+
+	initStringInfo(&sql);
+
+	printfStringInfo(&sql, CANCEL_COMPETING_LOCKS, relid);
+	res = pgut_execute(conn, sql.data, 0, NULL);
+	if (PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_TUPLES_OK)
+	{
+		elog(WARNING, "Error canceling unsafe queries: %s",
+			 PQerrorMessage(conn));
+		ret = false;
+	}
+	else if (PQntuples(res) > 0 && terminate && PQserverVersion(conn) >= 80400)
+	{
+		elog(WARNING,
+			 "Canceled %d unsafe queries. Terminating any remaining PIDs.",
+			 PQntuples(res));
+
+		PQclear(res);
+		printfStringInfo(&sql, KILL_COMPETING_LOCKS, relid);
+		res = pgut_execute(conn, sql.data, 0, NULL);
+		if (PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_TUPLES_OK)
+		{
+			elog(WARNING, "Error killing unsafe queries: %s",
+				 PQerrorMessage(conn));
+			ret = false;
+		}
+	}
+	else if (PQntuples(res) > 0)
+		elog(NOTICE, "Canceled %d unsafe queries", PQntuples(res));
+	else
+		elog(DEBUG2, "No competing DDL to cancel.");
+
+	PQclear(res);
+	termStringInfo(&sql);
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
+/*
+ * Try to acquire an ACCESS SHARE table lock, avoiding deadlocks and long
+ * waits by killing off other sessions which may be stuck trying to obtain
+ * an ACCESS EXCLUSIVE lock.
+ *
+ * Arguments:
+ *
+ *  conn: connection to use
+ *  relid: OID of relation
+ *  target_name: name of table
+ */
+static bool
+lock_access_share(PGconn *conn, Oid relid, const char *target_name)
+{
+	StringInfoData	sql;
+	time_t			start = time(NULL);
+	int				i;
+	bool			ret = true;
+
+	initStringInfo(&sql);
+
+	for (i = 1; ; i++)
+	{
+		time_t		duration;
+		PGresult   *res;
+		int			wait_msec;
+
+		duration = time(NULL) - start;
+
+		/* Cancel queries unconditionally, i.e. don't bother waiting
+		 * wait_timeout as lock_exclusive() does -- the only queries we
+		 * should be killing are disallowed DDL commands hanging around
+		 * for an AccessExclusive lock, which must be deadlocked at
+		 * this point anyway since conn2 holds its AccessShare lock
+		 * already.
+		 */
+		if (duration > (wait_timeout * 2))
+			ret = kill_ddl(conn, relid, true);
+		else
+			ret = kill_ddl(conn, relid, false);
+
+		if (!ret)
+			break;
+
+		/* wait for a while to lock the table. */
+		wait_msec = Min(1000, i * 100);
+		printfStringInfo(&sql, "SET LOCAL statement_timeout = %d", wait_msec);
+		pgut_command(conn, sql.data, 0, NULL);
+
+		printfStringInfo(&sql, "LOCK TABLE %s IN ACCESS SHARE MODE", target_name);
+		res = pgut_execute_elevel(conn, sql.data, 0, NULL, DEBUG2);
+		if (PQresultStatus(res) == PGRES_COMMAND_OK)
+		{
+			PQclear(res);
+			break;
+		}
+		else if (sqlstate_equals(res, SQLSTATE_QUERY_CANCELED))
+		{
+			/* retry if lock conflicted */
+			PQclear(res);
+			pgut_rollback(conn);
+			continue;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			/* exit otherwise */
+			elog(WARNING, "%s", PQerrorMessage(connection));
+			PQclear(res);
+			ret = false;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	termStringInfo(&sql);
+	pgut_command(conn, "RESET statement_timeout", 0, NULL);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
+/*
+ * Try acquire an ACCESS EXCLUSIVE table lock, avoiding deadlocks and long
+ * waits by killing off other sessions.
+ * Arguments:
+ *
+ *  conn: connection to use
+ *  relid: OID of relation
+ *  lock_query: LOCK TABLE ... IN ACCESS EXCLUSIVE query to be executed
+ *  start_xact: whether we need to issue a BEGIN;
+ */
+static bool
+lock_exclusive(PGconn *conn, const char *relid, const char *lock_query, bool start_xact)
 {
 	time_t		start = time(NULL);
 	int			i;
-	
+	bool		ret = true;
+
 	for (i = 1; ; i++)
 	{
 		time_t		duration;
@@ -752,13 +1067,14 @@ lock_exclusive(const char *relid, const char *lock_query)
 		PGresult   *res;
 		int			wait_msec;
 
-		command("BEGIN ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED", 0, NULL);
+		if (start_xact)
+			pgut_command(conn, "BEGIN ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED", 0, NULL);
 
 		duration = time(NULL) - start;
 		if (duration > wait_timeout)
 		{
 			const char *cancel_query;
-			if (PQserverVersion(connection) >= 80400 &&
+			if (PQserverVersion(conn) >= 80400 &&
 				duration > wait_timeout * 2)
 			{
 				elog(WARNING, "terminating conflicted backends");
@@ -776,15 +1092,15 @@ lock_exclusive(const char *relid, const char *lock_query)
 					"   AND relation = $1 AND pid <> pg_backend_pid()";
 			}
 
-			command(cancel_query, 1, &relid);
+			pgut_command(conn, cancel_query, 1, &relid);
 		}
 
 		/* wait for a while to lock the table. */
 		wait_msec = Min(1000, i * 100);
 		snprintf(sql, lengthof(sql), "SET LOCAL statement_timeout = %d", wait_msec);
-		command(sql, 0, NULL);
+		pgut_command(conn, sql, 0, NULL);
 
-		res = execute_elevel(lock_query, 0, NULL, DEBUG2);
+		res = pgut_execute_elevel(conn, lock_query, 0, NULL, DEBUG2);
 		if (PQresultStatus(res) == PGRES_COMMAND_OK)
 		{
 			PQclear(res);
@@ -794,7 +1110,7 @@ lock_exclusive(const char *relid, const char *lock_query)
 		{
 			/* retry if lock conflicted */
 			PQclear(res);
-			command("ROLLBACK", 0, NULL);
+			pgut_rollback(conn);
 			continue;
 		}
 		else
@@ -802,11 +1118,13 @@ lock_exclusive(const char *relid, const char *lock_query)
 			/* exit otherwise */
 			printf("%s", PQerrorMessage(connection));
 			PQclear(res);
-			exit(1);
+			ret = false;
+			break;
 		}
 	}
 
-	command("RESET statement_timeout", 0, NULL);
+	pgut_command(conn, "RESET statement_timeout", 0, NULL);
+	return ret;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -814,10 +1132,8 @@ lock_exclusive(const char *relid, const char *lock_query)
  * objects before the program exits.
  */
 static void
-repack_cleanup(bool fatal, void *userdata)
+repack_cleanup(bool fatal, const repack_table *table)
 {
-	const repack_table *table = (const repack_table *) userdata;
-
 	if (fatal)
 	{
 		fprintf(stderr, "!!!FATAL ERROR!!! Please refer to the manual.\n\n");
@@ -827,12 +1143,13 @@ repack_cleanup(bool fatal, void *userdata)
 		char		buffer[12];
 		const char *params[1];
 
-		/* Rollback current transaction */
-		if (connection)
-			command("ROLLBACK", 0, NULL);
+		/* Rollback current transactions */
+		pgut_rollback(connection);
+		pgut_rollback(conn2);
 
 		/* Try reconnection if not available. */
-		if (PQstatus(connection) != CONNECTION_OK)
+		if (PQstatus(connection) != CONNECTION_OK ||
+			PQstatus(conn2) != CONNECTION_OK)
 			reconnect(ERROR);
 
 		/* do cleanup */
diff --git a/bin/pgut/pgut-fe.c b/bin/pgut/pgut-fe.c
index c6af0f2..c7f888c 100644
--- a/bin/pgut/pgut-fe.c
+++ b/bin/pgut/pgut-fe.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ char	   *password = NULL;
 YesNo		prompt_password = DEFAULT;
 
 PGconn	   *connection = NULL;
+PGconn     *conn2      = NULL;
 
 static bool parse_pair(const char buffer[], char key[], char value[]);
 static char *get_username(void);
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ reconnect(int elevel)
 		appendStringInfo(&buf, "password=%s ", password);
 
 	connection = pgut_connect(buf.data, prompt_password, elevel);
+	conn2      = pgut_connect(buf.data, prompt_password, elevel);
 
 	/* update password */
 	if (connection)
@@ -75,6 +77,11 @@ disconnect(void)
 		pgut_disconnect(connection);
 		connection = NULL;
 	}
+	if (conn2)
+	{
+		pgut_disconnect(conn2);
+		conn2 = NULL;
+	}
 }
 
 static void
@@ -142,9 +149,12 @@ pgut_setopt(pgut_option *opt, const char *optarg, pgut_optsrc src)
 		/* high prior value has been set already. */
 		return;
 	}
-	else if (src >= SOURCE_CMDLINE && opt->source >= src)
+	else if (src >= SOURCE_CMDLINE && opt->source >= src && opt->type != 'l')
 	{
-		/* duplicated option in command line */
+		/* duplicated option in command line -- don't worry if the option
+		 * type is 'l' i.e. SimpleStringList, since we are allowed to have
+		 * multiples of these.
+		 */
 		message = "specified only once";
 	}
 	else
@@ -175,6 +185,10 @@ pgut_setopt(pgut_option *opt, const char *optarg, pgut_optsrc src)
 					return;
 				message = "a 32bit signed integer";
 				break;
+			case 'l':
+				message = "a List";
+				simple_string_list_append(opt->var, optarg);
+				return;
 			case 'u':
 				if (parse_uint32(optarg, opt->var))
 					return;
diff --git a/bin/pgut/pgut-fe.h b/bin/pgut/pgut-fe.h
index 4e3ab31..7529587 100644
--- a/bin/pgut/pgut-fe.h
+++ b/bin/pgut/pgut-fe.h
@@ -25,13 +25,14 @@ typedef enum pgut_optsrc
  * type:
  *	b: bool (true)
  *	B: bool (false)
- *  f: pgut_optfn
+ *	f: pgut_optfn
  *	i: 32bit signed integer
+ *	l: StringList
  *	u: 32bit unsigned integer
  *	I: 64bit signed integer
  *	U: 64bit unsigned integer
  *	s: string
- *  t: time_t
+ *	t: time_t
  *	y: YesNo (YES)
  *	Y: YesNo (NO)
  */
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ extern char	   *password;
 extern YesNo	prompt_password;
 
 extern PGconn	   *connection;
+extern PGconn      *conn2;
 
 extern void	pgut_help(bool details);
 extern void help(bool details);
diff --git a/bin/pgut/pgut.c b/bin/pgut/pgut.c
index dca9853..0013236 100644
--- a/bin/pgut/pgut.c
+++ b/bin/pgut/pgut.c
@@ -384,6 +384,55 @@ parse_time(const char *value, time_t *time)
 	return true;
 }
 
+/* Append the given string `val` to the `list` */
+void
+simple_string_list_append(SimpleStringList *list, const char *val)
+{
+	SimpleStringListCell *cell;
+
+	/* this calculation correctly accounts for the null trailing byte */
+	cell = (SimpleStringListCell *)
+		pgut_malloc(sizeof(SimpleStringListCell) + strlen(val));
+	cell->next = NULL;
+	strcpy(cell->val, val);
+
+	if (list->tail)
+		list->tail->next = cell;
+	else
+		list->head = cell;
+	list->tail = cell;
+}
+
+/* Test whether `val` is in the given `list` */
+bool
+simple_string_list_member(SimpleStringList *list, const char *val)
+{
+	SimpleStringListCell *cell;
+
+	for (cell = list->head; cell; cell = cell->next)
+	{
+		if (strcmp(cell->val, val) == 0)
+			return true;
+	}
+	return false;
+}
+
+/* Returns the number of elements in the given SimpleStringList */
+size_t
+simple_string_list_size(SimpleStringList list)
+{
+	size_t 					i = 0;
+	SimpleStringListCell   *cell = list.head;
+
+	while (cell)
+	{
+		cell = cell->next;
+		i++;
+	}
+
+	return i;
+}
+
 static char *
 prompt_for_password(void)
 {
diff --git a/bin/pgut/pgut.h b/bin/pgut/pgut.h
index f5217e6..93d7137 100644
--- a/bin/pgut/pgut.h
+++ b/bin/pgut/pgut.h
@@ -171,6 +171,24 @@ extern bool parse_time(const char *value, time_t *time);
 #define ToLower(c)		(tolower((unsigned char)(c)))
 #define ToUpper(c)		(toupper((unsigned char)(c)))
 
+/* linked list of string values and helper functions, stolen from pg_dump. */
+typedef struct SimpleStringListCell
+{
+	struct SimpleStringListCell *next;
+	char val[1];    /* VARIABLE LENGTH FIELD */
+} SimpleStringListCell;
+
+typedef struct SimpleStringList
+{
+	SimpleStringListCell *head;
+	SimpleStringListCell *tail;
+} SimpleStringList;
+
+extern void simple_string_list_append(SimpleStringList *list, const char *val);
+extern bool simple_string_list_member(SimpleStringList *list, const char *val);
+extern size_t simple_string_list_size(SimpleStringList list);
+
+
 /*
  * socket operations
  */