diff --git a/src/applications/diffusion/protocol/DiffusionRepositoryClusterEngine.php b/src/applications/diffusion/protocol/DiffusionRepositoryClusterEngine.php
--- a/src/applications/diffusion/protocol/DiffusionRepositoryClusterEngine.php
+++ b/src/applications/diffusion/protocol/DiffusionRepositoryClusterEngine.php
@@ -151,8 +151,8 @@
 
     $this->logLine(
       pht(
-        'Waiting up to %s second(s) for a cluster read lock on "%s"...',
-        new PhutilNumber($lock_wait),
+        'Acquiring read lock for repository "%s" on device "%s"...',
+        $repository->getDisplayName(),
         $device->getName()));
 
     try {
@@ -308,18 +308,34 @@
 
     $write_lock->useSpecificConnection($locked_connection);
 
-    $lock_wait = phutil_units('2 minutes in seconds');
-
     $this->logLine(
       pht(
-        'Waiting up to %s second(s) for a cluster write lock...',
-        new PhutilNumber($lock_wait)));
+        'Acquiring write lock for repository "%s"...',
+        $repository->getDisplayName()));
 
+    $lock_wait = phutil_units('2 minutes in seconds');
     try {
       $start = PhabricatorTime::getNow();
-      $write_lock->lock($lock_wait);
-      $waited = (PhabricatorTime::getNow() - $start);
+      $step_wait = 1;
+
+      while (true) {
+        try {
+          $write_lock->lock((int)floor($step_wait));
+          break;
+        } catch (PhutilLockException $ex) {
+          $waited = (PhabricatorTime::getNow() - $start);
+          if ($waited > $lock_wait) {
+            throw $ex;
+          }
+          $this->logActiveWriter($viewer, $repository);
+        }
+
+        // Wait a little longer before the next message we print.
+        $step_wait = $step_wait + 0.5;
+        $step_wait = min($step_wait, 3);
+      }
 
+      $waited = (PhabricatorTime::getNow() - $start);
       if ($waited) {
         $this->logLine(
           pht(
@@ -763,4 +779,32 @@
     }
   }
 
+  private function logActiveWriter(
+    PhabricatorUser $viewer,
+    PhabricatorRepository $repository) {
+
+    $writer = PhabricatorRepositoryWorkingCopyVersion::loadWriter(
+      $repository->getPHID());
+    if (!$writer) {
+      $this->logLine(pht('Waiting on another user to finish writing...'));
+      return;
+    }
+
+    $user_phid = $writer->getWriteProperty('userPHID');
+    $device_phid = $writer->getWriteProperty('devicePHID');
+    $epoch = $writer->getWriteProperty('epoch');
+
+    $phids = array($user_phid, $device_phid);
+    $handles = $viewer->loadHandles($phids);
+
+    $duration = (PhabricatorTime::getNow() - $epoch) + 1;
+
+    $this->logLine(
+      pht(
+        'Waiting for %s to finish writing (on device "%s" for %ss)...',
+        $handles[$user_phid]->getName(),
+        $handles[$device_phid]->getName(),
+        new PhutilNumber($duration)));
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/src/applications/repository/storage/PhabricatorRepositoryWorkingCopyVersion.php b/src/applications/repository/storage/PhabricatorRepositoryWorkingCopyVersion.php
--- a/src/applications/repository/storage/PhabricatorRepositoryWorkingCopyVersion.php
+++ b/src/applications/repository/storage/PhabricatorRepositoryWorkingCopyVersion.php
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@
     ) + parent::getConfiguration();
   }
 
+  public function getWriteProperty($key, $default = null) {
+    // The "writeProperties" don't currently get automatically serialized or
+    // deserialized. Perhaps they should.
+    try {
+      $properties = phutil_json_decode($this->writeProperties);
+      return idx($properties, $key, $default);
+    } catch (Exception $ex) {
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+
   public static function loadVersions($repository_phid) {
     $version = new self();
     $conn_w = $version->establishConnection('w');
@@ -43,6 +54,27 @@
     return $version->loadAllFromArray($rows);
   }
 
+  public static function loadWriter($repository_phid) {
+    $version = new self();
+    $conn_w = $version->establishConnection('w');
+    $table = $version->getTableName();
+
+    // We're forcing this read to go to the master.
+    $row = queryfx_one(
+      $conn_w,
+      'SELECT * FROM %T WHERE repositoryPHID = %s AND isWriting = 1
+        LIMIT 1',
+      $table,
+      $repository_phid);
+
+    if (!$row) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    return $version->loadFromArray($row);
+  }
+
+
   public static function getReadLock($repository_phid, $device_phid) {
     $repository_hash = PhabricatorHash::digestForIndex($repository_phid);
     $device_hash = PhabricatorHash::digestForIndex($device_phid);