diff --git a/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/app/plugin/processors/sleigh/SleighLanguageFile.java b/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/app/plugin/processors/sleigh/SleighLanguageFile.java
index 775fed826a..e1561d97a8 100644
--- a/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/app/plugin/processors/sleigh/SleighLanguageFile.java
+++ b/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/main/java/ghidra/app/plugin/processors/sleigh/SleighLanguageFile.java
@@ -130,9 +130,12 @@ public class SleighLanguageFile {
 			}
 			return new SleighLanguageFile(slaRFile, slaSpecRFile, null);
 		}
-
-		File lockFile =
-			new ResourceFile(slaRFile.getParentFile(), slaRFile.getName() + ".lock").getFile(false);
+		
+		// try to create lock file.  Will fail in directories that the user doesn't have perms for
+		// and will be the same as single jar mode (no locking / compiling possible)
+		File lockFile = tryCreateLockFile(
+			new ResourceFile(slaRFile.getParentFile(), slaRFile.getName() + ".lock")
+					.getFile(false));
 
 		return new SleighLanguageFile(slaRFile, slaSpecRFile, lockFile);
 	}
@@ -228,6 +231,10 @@ public class SleighLanguageFile {
 		return lockFile != null;
 	}
 
+	public File getLockFile() {
+		return lockFile;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Executes a runnable while a lock file is being held.
 	 * 
@@ -530,4 +537,15 @@ public class SleighLanguageFile {
 		return matches;
 	}
 
+	private static File tryCreateLockFile(File lockFile) {
+		if (lockFile == null) {
+			return null;
+		}
+		try (RandomAccessFile raf = new RandomAccessFile(lockFile, "rw")) {
+			return lockFile;
+		}
+		catch (IOException e) {
+			return null;
+		}
+	}
 }
diff --git a/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/test.slow/java/ghidra/app/plugin/processors/sleigh/SleighLanguageProviderTest.java b/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/test.slow/java/ghidra/app/plugin/processors/sleigh/SleighLanguageProviderTest.java
index c6a8728d95..066012e9f1 100644
--- a/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/test.slow/java/ghidra/app/plugin/processors/sleigh/SleighLanguageProviderTest.java
+++ b/Ghidra/Framework/SoftwareModeling/src/test.slow/java/ghidra/app/plugin/processors/sleigh/SleighLanguageProviderTest.java
@@ -16,9 +16,11 @@
 package ghidra.app.plugin.processors.sleigh;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.junit.Assume.*;
 
-import java.io.File;
-import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.*;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.attribute.PosixFilePermissions;
 import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -30,11 +32,13 @@ import org.junit.Test;
 import generic.jar.ResourceFile;
 import generic.test.AbstractGenericTest;
 import ghidra.framework.Application;
+import ghidra.framework.OperatingSystem;
 import ghidra.program.model.lang.Language;
 import ghidra.program.model.lang.LanguageID;
 import ghidra.util.Msg;
 import ghidra.util.SystemUtilities;
 import ghidra.util.task.TaskMonitor;
+import utilities.util.FileUtilities;
 
 public class SleighLanguageProviderTest extends AbstractGenericTest {
 
@@ -124,6 +128,68 @@ public class SleighLanguageProviderTest extends AbstractGenericTest {
 		testProc.assertExitNum(1);
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testSlaLockFileInReadOnlyDirectory() throws IOException {
+		assumeFalse(OperatingSystem.CURRENT_OPERATING_SYSTEM == OperatingSystem.WINDOWS);
+
+		File tmpDir = createTempDirectory("sleighlockfiletest");
+		FileUtilities.writeStringToFile(new File(tmpDir, "mylang.slaspec"), "slaspec");
+		FileUtilities.writeStringToFile(new File(tmpDir, "mylang.sla"), "sla");
+
+		SleighLanguageFile slf =
+			SleighLanguageFile.fromSlaFilename(new ResourceFile(tmpDir), "mylang.sla");
+		assertTrue(slf.canLock());
+
+		if (!slf.getLockFile().delete()) {
+			fail("failed to delete lock file");
+		}
+
+		Files.setPosixFilePermissions(tmpDir.toPath(),
+			PosixFilePermissions.fromString("r-x------"));
+
+		try {
+			try (RandomAccessFile raf =
+				new RandomAccessFile(new File(tmpDir, "mylang.probe_permisssions"), "rw")) {
+				fail(
+					"Did not change actual perms on tmpDir " + tmpDir + " to test lock file logic");
+			}
+			catch (IOException e) {
+				// good
+			}
+
+			// now should fail to allow locking
+			SleighLanguageFile slf2 =
+				SleighLanguageFile.fromSlaFilename(new ResourceFile(tmpDir), "mylang.sla");
+			assertFalse(slf2.canLock());
+		}
+		finally {
+			// restore perms so its not too hard to cleanup tmp dir afterwards
+			Files.setPosixFilePermissions(tmpDir.toPath(),
+				PosixFilePermissions.fromString("rwx------"));
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testSlaLockFileReadOnlyFile() throws IOException {
+		assumeFalse(OperatingSystem.CURRENT_OPERATING_SYSTEM == OperatingSystem.WINDOWS);
+
+		File tmpDir = createTempDirectory("sleighlockfiletest");
+		FileUtilities.writeStringToFile(new File(tmpDir, "mylang.slaspec"), "slaspec");
+		FileUtilities.writeStringToFile(new File(tmpDir, "mylang.sla"), "sla");
+
+		SleighLanguageFile slf =
+			SleighLanguageFile.fromSlaFilename(new ResourceFile(tmpDir), "mylang.sla");
+		assertTrue(slf.canLock());
+
+		Files.setPosixFilePermissions(slf.getLockFile().toPath(),
+			PosixFilePermissions.fromString("r-x------"));
+
+		// now should fail to allow locking
+		SleighLanguageFile slf2 =
+			SleighLanguageFile.fromSlaFilename(new ResourceFile(tmpDir), "mylang.sla");
+		assertFalse(slf2.canLock());
+	}
+
 	public void testSlaLanguage_FromOtherProcess() throws Throwable {
 		// this is not a junit test entry point, but instead is what is run
 		// in each sub-process launched by each TestProc instance.