diff --git a/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/cargo_crawler.rs b/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/cargo_crawler.rs
index 808876b76..35cf18d64 100644
--- a/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/cargo_crawler.rs
+++ b/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/cargo_crawler.rs
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ impl CargoCrawler {
     /// name and version.
     async fn verify_crate_at_path(&self, path: &Path, name: &str, version: &str) -> bool {
         let cargo_toml_path = path.join("Cargo.toml");
-        let content = match tokio::fs::read_to_string(&cargo_toml_path).await {
+        let content = match crate::utils::fs::read_regular_to_string(&cargo_toml_path).await {
             Ok(c) => c,
             Err(_) => return false,
         };
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ fn scan_crate_source(src_path: &Path, seen: &mut HashSet<String>) -> Vec<Crawled
 /// when the Cargo.toml has `version.workspace = true`.
 fn read_crate_cargo_toml(crate_path: &Path, dir_name: &str) -> Option<(String, String)> {
     let cargo_toml_path = crate_path.join("Cargo.toml");
-    let content = std::fs::read_to_string(&cargo_toml_path).ok()?;
+    let content = crate::utils::fs::read_regular_to_string_sync(&cargo_toml_path).ok()?;
 
     // Fallback: parse directory name as <name>-<version>
     parse_cargo_toml_name_version(&content)
@@ -1231,4 +1231,98 @@ version = "fake"
             assert_eq!(rows(&new), rows(&old));
         }
     }
+
+    /// mkfifo(2) directly (no child process; spawning `mkfifo` flakes
+    /// under heavy parallel load).
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    fn make_fifo(path: &Path) {
+        use std::os::unix::ffi::OsStrExt;
+        let c_path =
+            std::ffi::CString::new(path.as_os_str().as_bytes()).expect("fifo path has no NUL");
+        let rc = unsafe { libc::mkfifo(c_path.as_ptr(), 0o644) };
+        assert_eq!(
+            rc,
+            0,
+            "mkfifo(2) failed: {}",
+            std::io::Error::last_os_error()
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// On timeout the open is wedged in a blocking-pool thread that the
+    /// runtime waits for on shutdown; connecting a writer releases it so
+    /// the test FAILS instead of hanging the whole suite.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    async fn within_deadline<F: std::future::Future>(fifo: &Path, what: &str, fut: F) -> F::Output {
+        match tokio::time::timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(5), fut).await {
+            Ok(out) => out,
+            Err(_) => {
+                // O_NONBLOCK: with no reader blocked on the FIFO (the
+                // timeout had another cause) a blocking writer open would
+                // itself hang; non-blocking it just fails with ENXIO.
+                use std::os::unix::fs::OpenOptionsExt;
+                let _ = std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
+                    .write(true)
+                    .custom_flags(libc::O_NONBLOCK)
+                    .open(fifo);
+                panic!("{what} must not block on a FIFO at {}", fifo.display());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Regression (#592): a FIFO at `vendor/<crate>/Cargo.toml` in the
+    /// project tree used to wedge `crawl_all` (blocking-pool
+    /// `read_crate_cargo_toml`) and `find_by_purls` (`verify_crate_at_path`)
+    /// in open(2). Both now go through the FIFO-safe reader and skip the
+    /// unreadable crate, exactly like any other unreadable manifest.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn fifo_crate_manifest_is_skipped_not_blocked_on() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        tokio::fs::write(
+            dir.path().join("Cargo.toml"),
+            "[package]\nname = \"root\"\nversion = \"0.1.0\"\n",
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+        let vendor = dir.path().join("vendor");
+        let left = vendor.join("left-1.0.0");
+        tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&left).await.unwrap();
+        let fifo = left.join("Cargo.toml");
+        make_fifo(&fifo);
+        // A readable crate beside the FIFO proves the crawl continues.
+        let serde_dir = vendor.join("serde");
+        tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&serde_dir).await.unwrap();
+        tokio::fs::write(
+            serde_dir.join("Cargo.toml"),
+            "[package]\nname = \"serde\"\nversion = \"1.0.200\"\n",
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+        let crawler = CargoCrawler::new();
+        let options = CrawlerOptions {
+            cwd: dir.path().to_path_buf(),
+            global: false,
+            global_prefix: None,
+        };
+        let packages = within_deadline(&fifo, "crawl_all", crawler.crawl_all(&options)).await;
+        let purls: Vec<_> = packages.iter().map(|p| p.purl.as_str()).collect();
+        assert_eq!(purls, vec!["pkg:cargo/serde@1.0.200"]);
+
+        let found = within_deadline(
+            &fifo,
+            "find_by_purls",
+            crawler.find_by_purls(
+                &vendor,
+                &[
+                    "pkg:cargo/left@1.0.0".to_string(),
+                    "pkg:cargo/serde@1.0.200".to_string(),
+                ],
+            ),
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+        assert!(!found.contains_key("pkg:cargo/left@1.0.0"));
+        assert!(found.contains_key("pkg:cargo/serde@1.0.200"));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/mod.rs b/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/mod.rs
index b0c257f50..fde14bdec 100644
--- a/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/mod.rs
@@ -28,3 +28,63 @@ pub use pkg_managers::{detect_npm_pkg_manager, NpmPkgManager};
 pub use python_crawler::PythonCrawler;
 pub use ruby_crawler::RubyCrawler;
 pub use types::*;
+
+/// ARCHITECTURE GUARD (#592): crawlers read project-tree files only through
+/// the FIFO-safe `utils::fs::read_regular_*` readers, so a FIFO planted in a
+/// checkout can never wedge `scan`, `get` or `apply` in open(2).
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod architecture_tests {
+    use std::path::Path;
+
+    const BARE_READS: [&str; 3] = ["fs::read_to_string(", "fs::read(", "File::open("];
+
+    /// Reads of the machine-wide Maven repository (not the project tree),
+    /// out of scope for #592: file name and number of allowed bare reads.
+    const ALLOWED: [(&str, usize); 1] = [("maven_crawler.rs", 2)];
+
+    #[test]
+    fn crawlers_read_project_files_fifo_safely() {
+        let dir = Path::new(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR")).join("src/crawlers");
+        let mut checked = 0;
+        for entry in std::fs::read_dir(&dir).expect("read crawlers dir") {
+            let path = entry.expect("dir entry").path();
+            if path.extension().is_none_or(|e| e != "rs") {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let name = path.file_name().unwrap().to_string_lossy().into_owned();
+            // A Windows (core.autocrlf) checkout has CRLF lines; normalize so
+            // the `\n`-joined test-module markers below still match.
+            let src = std::fs::read_to_string(&path)
+                .expect("read crawler source")
+                .replace("\r\n", "\n");
+            // Production code ends at the first in-file test module
+            // (`mod tests`, or this guard in `mod.rs`); earlier
+            // `#[cfg(test)] mod oracle;` declarations are only one line.
+            let prod_end = [
+                "#[cfg(test)]\nmod tests",
+                "#[cfg(test)]\nmod architecture_tests",
+            ]
+            .iter()
+            .filter_map(|marker| src.find(marker))
+            .min()
+            .unwrap_or(src.len());
+            let prod = &src[..prod_end];
+            let bare = prod
+                .lines()
+                .filter(|l| !l.trim_start().starts_with("//"))
+                .filter(|l| BARE_READS.iter().any(|r| l.contains(r)))
+                .count();
+            let allowed = ALLOWED
+                .iter()
+                .find(|(file, _)| *file == name)
+                .map_or(0, |(_, n)| *n);
+            assert_eq!(
+                bare, allowed,
+                "{name} has {bare} bare file reads in production code (allowed {allowed}); \
+                 use utils::fs::read_regular_to_string{{,_sync}} instead"
+            );
+            checked += 1;
+        }
+        assert!(checked >= 10, "only {checked} crawler files found");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/nuget_crawler.rs b/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/nuget_crawler.rs
index 582277309..4e2fcd1b2 100644
--- a/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/nuget_crawler.rs
+++ b/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/nuget_crawler.rs
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ async fn discover_paths_from_assets(cwd: &Path) -> Vec<PathBuf> {
 /// The file is a JSON object with a `packageFolders` key containing
 /// folder paths as keys, e.g.: `{"packageFolders": {"/home/user/.nuget/packages/": {}}}`.
 async fn parse_project_assets_package_folders(path: &Path) -> Option<Vec<PathBuf>> {
-    let content = tokio::fs::read_to_string(path).await.ok()?;
+    let content = crate::utils::fs::read_regular_to_string(path).await.ok()?;
     let json: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(&content).ok()?;
     let folders = json.get("packageFolders")?.as_object()?;
     Some(folders.keys().map(PathBuf::from).collect())
@@ -1513,4 +1513,91 @@ mod tests {
             );
         }
     }
+
+    /// mkfifo(2) directly (no child process; spawning `mkfifo` flakes
+    /// under heavy parallel load).
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    fn make_fifo(path: &Path) {
+        use std::os::unix::ffi::OsStrExt;
+        let c_path =
+            std::ffi::CString::new(path.as_os_str().as_bytes()).expect("fifo path has no NUL");
+        let rc = unsafe { libc::mkfifo(c_path.as_ptr(), 0o644) };
+        assert_eq!(
+            rc,
+            0,
+            "mkfifo(2) failed: {}",
+            std::io::Error::last_os_error()
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// On timeout the open is wedged in a blocking-pool thread that the
+    /// runtime waits for on shutdown; connecting a writer releases it so
+    /// the test FAILS instead of hanging the whole suite.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    async fn within_deadline<F: std::future::Future>(fifo: &Path, what: &str, fut: F) -> F::Output {
+        match tokio::time::timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(5), fut).await {
+            Ok(out) => out,
+            Err(_) => {
+                // O_NONBLOCK: with no reader blocked on the FIFO (the
+                // timeout had another cause) a blocking writer open would
+                // itself hang; non-blocking it just fails with ENXIO.
+                use std::os::unix::fs::OpenOptionsExt;
+                let _ = std::fs::OpenOptions::new()
+                    .write(true)
+                    .custom_flags(libc::O_NONBLOCK)
+                    .open(fifo);
+                panic!("{what} must not block on a FIFO at {}", fifo.display());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Regression (#592): a FIFO at `obj/project.assets.json` used to
+    /// wedge `get_nuget_package_paths` (and so every NuGet crawl) in
+    /// open(2). It now goes through the FIFO-safe reader and is skipped
+    /// like any other unreadable assets file; a sibling sub-project's
+    /// readable assets file is still discovered.
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn fifo_project_assets_is_skipped_not_blocked_on() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        tokio::fs::write(dir.path().join("App.csproj"), "<Project />")
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let obj_dir = dir.path().join("obj");
+        tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&obj_dir).await.unwrap();
+        let fifo = obj_dir.join("project.assets.json");
+        make_fifo(&fifo);
+
+        let pkg_folder = dir.path().join("nuget-cache");
+        tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&pkg_folder).await.unwrap();
+        let sub_obj = dir.path().join("Lib").join("obj");
+        tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&sub_obj).await.unwrap();
+        tokio::fs::write(
+            sub_obj.join("project.assets.json"),
+            serde_json::to_string(&serde_json::json!({
+                "packageFolders": { pkg_folder.to_string_lossy().to_string(): {} }
+            }))
+            .unwrap(),
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+        let crawler = NuGetCrawler::new();
+        let options = CrawlerOptions {
+            cwd: dir.path().to_path_buf(),
+            global: false,
+            global_prefix: None,
+        };
+        let paths = within_deadline(
+            &fifo,
+            "get_nuget_package_paths",
+            crawler.get_nuget_package_paths(&options),
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            paths.contains(&pkg_folder),
+            "the readable sub-project assets file must still be discovered, got {paths:?}"
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/python_crawler.rs b/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/python_crawler.rs
index dfdee4f52..a66fb7de4 100644
--- a/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/python_crawler.rs
+++ b/crates/socket-patch-core/src/crawlers/python_crawler.rs
@@ -1212,7 +1212,7 @@ async fn find_pipenv_virtualenv_site_packages_with(
     // name under WORKON_HOME; an empty file means the default placement.
     let dot_venv = cwd.join(".venv");
     if dot_venv.is_file() {
-        if let Ok(text) = std::fs::read_to_string(&dot_venv) {
+        if let Ok(text) = crate::utils::fs::read_regular_to_string_sync(&dot_venv) {
             let name = text.trim();
             if !name.is_empty() {
                 if name.contains('/') || name.contains('\\') {