diff --git a/src/os/bsd/vm/jsig.c b/src/os/bsd/vm/jsig.c
--- a/src/os/bsd/vm/jsig.c
+++ b/src/os/bsd/vm/jsig.c
@@ -36,13 +36,16 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
+#include <string.h>
 
 #define MAXSIGNUM 32
 #define MASK(sig) ((unsigned int)1 << sig)
 
 static struct sigaction sact[MAXSIGNUM]; /* saved signal handlers */
 static unsigned int jvmsigs = 0; /* signals used by jvm */
-static __thread bool reentry = false; /* prevent reentry deadlock (per-thread) */
+
+static pthread_key_t reentry_flag_key;
+static pthread_once_t reentry_key_init_once = PTHREAD_ONCE_INIT;
 
 /* used to synchronize the installation of signal handlers */
 static pthread_mutex_t mutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
@@ -60,6 +63,15 @@
 static bool jvm_signal_installing = false;
 static bool jvm_signal_installed = false;
 
+#define check_status(cmd) \
+  do { \
+    int status = (cmd); \
+    if (status != 0) { \
+      printf("error %s (%d) in " #cmd "\n", strerror(status), status); \
+      exit(1); \
+    } \
+  } while (0)
+
 static void signal_lock() {
   pthread_mutex_lock(&mutex);
   /* When the jvm is installing its set of signal handlers, threads
@@ -75,6 +87,11 @@
   pthread_mutex_unlock(&mutex);
 }
 
+static void reentry_tls_init() {
+    // value for reentry_flag_key will default to NULL (false)
+    check_status(pthread_key_create(&reentry_flag_key, NULL));
+}
+
 static sa_handler_t call_os_signal(int sig, sa_handler_t disp,
                                    bool is_sigset) {
   sa_handler_t res;
@@ -90,9 +107,11 @@
       exit(0);
     }
   }
-  reentry = true;
+  check_status(pthread_once(&reentry_key_init_once, reentry_tls_init));
+  // set reentry_flag_key to non-NULL to show reentry
+  check_status(pthread_setspecific(reentry_flag_key, &res));
   res = (*os_signal)(sig, disp);
-  reentry = false;
+  check_status(pthread_setspecific(reentry_flag_key, NULL));
   return res;
 }
 
@@ -167,7 +186,8 @@
   bool sigused;
   struct sigaction oldAct;
 
-  if (reentry) {
+  check_status(pthread_once(&reentry_key_init_once, reentry_tls_init));
+  if (pthread_getspecific(reentry_flag_key) != NULL) {
     return call_os_sigaction(sig, act, oact);
   }