diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
index 9e801f4426..250ce8784b 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
@@ -393,6 +393,21 @@ ftl_check_read_thread(const struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev)
 	return dev->read_thread.thread == spdk_get_thread();
 }
 
+struct spdk_io_channel *
+ftl_get_io_channel(const struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev)
+{
+	if (ftl_check_core_thread(dev)) {
+		return dev->core_thread.ioch;
+	}
+	if (ftl_check_read_thread(dev)) {
+		return dev->read_thread.ioch;
+	}
+
+	assert(0);
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+
 int
 ftl_io_erase(struct ftl_io *io)
 {
@@ -1265,7 +1280,7 @@ ftl_nv_cache_write_header(struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache, bool shutdown,
 	struct ftl_io_channel *ioch;
 
 	bdev = spdk_bdev_desc_get_bdev(nv_cache->bdev_desc);
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(ftl_get_io_channel(dev));
 
 	memset(hdr, 0, spdk_bdev_get_block_size(bdev));
 
@@ -1287,7 +1302,7 @@ ftl_nv_cache_scrub(struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache, spdk_bdev_io_completion_cb cb_
 	struct ftl_io_channel *ioch;
 	struct spdk_bdev *bdev;
 
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(ftl_get_io_channel(dev));
 	bdev = spdk_bdev_desc_get_bdev(nv_cache->bdev_desc);
 
 	return spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_blocks(nv_cache->bdev_desc, ioch->cache_ioch, 1,
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
index 1435d0a901..e07f7867ee 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@ struct ftl_thread {
 	/* Thread on which the poller is running */
 	struct spdk_thread			*thread;
 
+	/* IO channel */
+	struct spdk_io_channel			*ioch;
 	/* Poller */
 	struct spdk_poller			*poller;
 	/* Poller's function */
@@ -160,9 +162,6 @@ struct spdk_ftl_dev {
 	/* Destruction context */
 	struct ftl_init_context			fini_ctx;
 
-	/* IO channel */
-	struct spdk_io_channel			*ioch;
-
 	/* NVMe controller */
 	struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr			*ctrlr;
 	/* NVMe namespace */
@@ -301,6 +300,9 @@ int	ftl_nv_cache_write_header(struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache, bool shutdown,
 int	ftl_nv_cache_scrub(struct ftl_nv_cache *nv_cache, spdk_bdev_io_completion_cb cb_fn,
 			   void *cb_arg);
 
+struct spdk_io_channel *
+ftl_get_io_channel(const struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev);
+
 #define ftl_to_ppa(addr) \
 	(struct ftl_ppa) { .ppa = (uint64_t)(addr) }
 
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_init.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_init.c
index fd7595482f..a28a3d1cb3 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_init.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_init.c
@@ -732,6 +732,8 @@ _ftl_dev_init_thread(void *ctx)
 	if (spdk_get_thread() == ftl_get_core_thread(dev)) {
 		ftl_anm_register_device(dev, ftl_process_anm_event);
 	}
+
+	thread->ioch = spdk_get_io_channel(dev);
 }
 
 static int
@@ -778,8 +780,10 @@ ftl_dev_free_thread(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct ftl_thread *thread)
 {
 	assert(thread->poller == NULL);
 
+	spdk_put_io_channel(thread->ioch);
 	spdk_nvme_ctrlr_free_io_qpair(thread->qpair);
 	thread->thread = NULL;
+	thread->ioch = NULL;
 	thread->qpair = NULL;
 }
 
@@ -1069,12 +1073,6 @@ ftl_dev_init_io_channel(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev)
 				sizeof(struct ftl_io_channel),
 				NULL);
 
-	dev->ioch = spdk_get_io_channel(dev);
-	if (!dev->ioch) {
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(dev, NULL);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1227,10 +1225,7 @@ ftl_dev_free_sync(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev)
 	ftl_dev_dump_bands(dev);
 	ftl_dev_dump_stats(dev);
 
-	if (dev->ioch) {
-		spdk_put_io_channel(dev->ioch);
-		spdk_io_device_unregister(dev, NULL);
-	}
+	spdk_io_device_unregister(dev, NULL);
 
 	if (dev->bands) {
 		for (i = 0; i < ftl_dev_num_bands(dev); ++i) {
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c
index 398e195c0e..e237b5b80e 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ ftl_io_init_internal(const struct ftl_io_init_opts *opts)
 		if (parent) {
 			io = ftl_io_alloc_child(parent);
 		} else {
-			io = ftl_io_alloc(dev->ioch);
+			io = ftl_io_alloc(ftl_get_io_channel(dev));
 		}
 
 		if (!io) {
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_restore.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_restore.c
index ef8598b05e..e7260dffcb 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_restore.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_restore.c
@@ -322,9 +322,10 @@ ftl_restore_head_cb(struct ftl_io *io, void *ctx, int status)
 	}
 }
 
-static int
-ftl_restore_head_md(struct ftl_restore *restore)
+static void
+ftl_restore_head_md(void *ctx)
 {
+	struct ftl_restore *restore = ctx;
 	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = restore->dev;
 	struct ftl_restore_band *rband;
 	struct ftl_lba_map *lba_map;
@@ -347,8 +348,7 @@ ftl_restore_head_md(struct ftl_restore *restore)
 
 				/* If the first IO fails, don't bother sending anything else */
 				if (i == 0) {
-					ftl_restore_free(restore);
-					return -EIO;
+					ftl_restore_complete(restore, -EIO);
 				}
 			}
 
@@ -359,12 +359,9 @@ ftl_restore_head_md(struct ftl_restore *restore)
 	if (spdk_unlikely(num_failed > 0)) {
 		num_ios = __atomic_fetch_sub(&restore->num_ios, num_failed, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
 		if (num_ios == num_failed) {
-			ftl_restore_free(restore);
-			return -EIO;
+			ftl_restore_complete(restore, -EIO);
 		}
 	}
-
-	return 0;
 }
 
 int
@@ -377,7 +374,9 @@ ftl_restore_md(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, ftl_restore_fn cb)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
-	return ftl_restore_head_md(restore);
+	spdk_thread_send_msg(ftl_get_core_thread(dev), ftl_restore_head_md, restore);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static int
@@ -1003,7 +1002,7 @@ ftl_restore_nv_cache(struct ftl_restore *restore, ftl_restore_fn cb)
 	size_t alignment;
 	int rc, i;
 
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(ftl_get_io_channel(dev));
 	bdev = spdk_bdev_desc_get_bdev(nv_cache->bdev_desc);
 	alignment = spdk_max(spdk_bdev_get_buf_align(bdev), sizeof(uint64_t));
 
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c/ftl_io_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c/ftl_io_ut.c
index 0fbe1e4b9c..14a136555d 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c/ftl_io_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/ftl/ftl_io.c/ftl_io_ut.c
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ setup_device(void)
 
 	dev = calloc(1, sizeof(*dev));
 	SPDK_CU_ASSERT_FATAL(dev != NULL);
-	dev->ioch = calloc(1, sizeof(*ioch) + sizeof(struct spdk_io_channel));
-	SPDK_CU_ASSERT_FATAL(dev->ioch != NULL);
+	dev->core_thread.ioch = calloc(1, sizeof(*ioch) + sizeof(struct spdk_io_channel));
+	SPDK_CU_ASSERT_FATAL(dev->core_thread.ioch != NULL);
 
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 
 	ioch->elem_size = sizeof(struct ftl_md_io);
 	ioch->io_pool = spdk_mempool_create("io-pool", 4096, ioch->elem_size, 0, 0);
@@ -68,10 +68,10 @@ free_device(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev)
 {
 	struct ftl_io_channel *ioch;
 
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 	spdk_mempool_free(ioch->io_pool);
 
-	free(dev->ioch);
+	free(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 	free(dev);
 }
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ alloc_io(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, ftl_io_fn cb, void *ctx)
 {
 	struct ftl_io *io;
 
-	io = ftl_io_alloc(dev->ioch);
+	io = ftl_io_alloc(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 	SPDK_CU_ASSERT_FATAL(io != NULL);
 	setup_io(io, dev, cb, ctx);
 
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ test_completion(void)
 	size_t pool_size;
 
 	dev = setup_device();
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 	pool_size = spdk_mempool_count(ioch->io_pool);
 
 	io = alloc_io(dev, io_complete_cb, &status);
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ test_alloc_free(void)
 	size_t pool_size;
 
 	dev = setup_device();
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 	pool_size = spdk_mempool_count(ioch->io_pool);
 
 	parent = alloc_io(dev, io_complete_cb, &parent_status);
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ test_child_requests(void)
 	size_t pool_size;
 
 	dev = setup_device();
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 	pool_size = spdk_mempool_count(ioch->io_pool);
 
 	/* Verify correct behaviour when children finish first */
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ test_child_status(void)
 	size_t pool_size, i;
 
 	dev = setup_device();
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 	pool_size = spdk_mempool_count(ioch->io_pool);
 
 	/* Verify the first error is returned by the parent */
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ test_multi_generation(void)
 	int i, j;
 
 	dev = setup_device();
-	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->ioch);
+	ioch = spdk_io_channel_get_ctx(dev->core_thread.ioch);
 	pool_size = spdk_mempool_count(ioch->io_pool);
 
 	/* Verify correct behaviour when children finish first */