diff --git a/lib/src/zap/fabric/zap_fabric.c b/lib/src/zap/fabric/zap_fabric.c
index 81347cdea6..258ddbe0de 100644
--- a/lib/src/zap/fabric/zap_fabric.c
+++ b/lib/src/zap/fabric/zap_fabric.c
@@ -456,6 +456,8 @@ static void z_fi_destroy(zap_ep_t zep)
 
 	DLOG("rep %p has %d ctxts\n", rep, rep->num_ctxts);
 
+	zap_op_thread_ep_remove(ep);
+
 	/* Do this first. */
 	while (!LIST_EMPTY(&rep->ep.map_list)) {
 		map = (zap_map_t)LIST_FIRST(&rep->ep.map_list);
diff --git a/lib/src/zap/rdma/zap_rdma.c b/lib/src/zap/rdma/zap_rdma.c
index e27a3f8dee..f68938544b 100644
--- a/lib/src/zap/rdma/zap_rdma.c
+++ b/lib/src/zap/rdma/zap_rdma.c
@@ -499,8 +499,10 @@ static void __rdma_teardown_conn(struct z_rdma_ep *ep)
 static void z_rdma_destroy(zap_ep_t zep)
 {
 	struct z_rdma_ep *rep = (void*)zep;
-	if (zep->thread)
+	if (zep->thread) {
 		zap_io_thread_ep_release(zep);
+		zap_op_thread_ep_remove(ep);
+	}
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&rep->ep.lock);
 	__rdma_teardown_conn(rep);
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&rep->ep.lock);
diff --git a/lib/src/zap/sock/zap_sock.c b/lib/src/zap/sock/zap_sock.c
index a22be58cc5..008a5eca93 100644
--- a/lib/src/zap/sock/zap_sock.c
+++ b/lib/src/zap/sock/zap_sock.c
@@ -1992,6 +1992,8 @@ static void z_sock_destroy(zap_ep_t ep)
 
 	DEBUG_LOG(sep, "%ld z_sock_destroy(%p)\n", GETTID(), sep);
 
+	zap_io_thread_ep_remove(ep);
+
 	while (!TAILQ_EMPTY(&sep->sq)) {
 		wr = TAILQ_FIRST(&sep->sq);
 		TAILQ_REMOVE(&sep->sq, wr, link);
diff --git a/lib/src/zap/ugni/zap_ugni.c b/lib/src/zap/ugni/zap_ugni.c
index 4fd759be9f..cc672e1395 100644
--- a/lib/src/zap/ugni/zap_ugni.c
+++ b/lib/src/zap/ugni/zap_ugni.c
@@ -2235,6 +2235,9 @@ static void z_ugni_destroy(zap_ep_t ep)
 {
 	struct z_ugni_ep *uep = (void*)ep;
 	CONN_LOG("destroying endpoint %p\n", uep);
+
+	zap_op_thread_ep_remove(ep);
+
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&z_ugni_list_mutex);
 	ZUGNI_LIST_REMOVE(uep, link);
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&z_ugni_list_mutex);
diff --git a/lib/src/zap/zap.c b/lib/src/zap/zap.c
index f2f3ea938c..f169a31240 100644
--- a/lib/src/zap/zap.c
+++ b/lib/src/zap/zap.c
@@ -910,6 +910,14 @@ zap_err_t zap_io_thread_ep_assign(zap_ep_t ep, int tpi)
 zap_err_t zap_io_thread_ep_release(zap_ep_t ep)
 {
 	zap_err_t zerr;
+	zerr = ep->z->io_thread_ep_release(ep->thread, ep);
+	__atomic_fetch_sub(&ep->thread->stat->sq_sz, ep->sq_sz, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
+	return zerr;
+}
+
+zap_err_t zap_io_thread_ep_remove(zap_ep_t ep)
+{
+	zap_err_t zerr = 0;
 	zap_io_thread_t t = ep->thread;
 
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&t->mutex);
@@ -917,8 +925,6 @@ zap_err_t zap_io_thread_ep_release(zap_ep_t ep)
 	t->_n_ep--;
 	t->stat->n_eps = t->_n_ep;
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&t->mutex);
-	zerr = ep->z->io_thread_ep_release(ep->thread, ep);
-	__atomic_fetch_sub(&ep->thread->stat->sq_sz, ep->sq_sz, __ATOMIC_SEQ_CST);
 	ep->thread = NULL;
 	return zerr;
 }
diff --git a/lib/src/zap/zap_priv.h b/lib/src/zap/zap_priv.h
index c699fd1a0c..6e974155f7 100644
--- a/lib/src/zap/zap_priv.h
+++ b/lib/src/zap/zap_priv.h
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ double zap_env_dbl(char *name, double default_value);
 zap_err_t zap_io_thread_ep_assign(zap_ep_t ep, int tpi);
 
 /**
- * Release \c ep from the zap io thread.
+ * Disable \c ep assigned to the zap io thread.
  *
  * The transport shall call this function to release an endpoint from the
  * associated io thread. \c zap.io_thread_ep_release() will also be called as a
@@ -486,6 +486,15 @@ zap_err_t zap_io_thread_ep_assign(zap_ep_t ep, int tpi);
  */
 zap_err_t zap_io_thread_ep_release(zap_ep_t ep);
 
+/**
+ * Free \c ep from the zap io thread.
+ *
+ * The transport shall call this function to release an endpoint from the
+ * associated io thread. \c zap.io_thread_ep_release() will also be called as a
+ * subsequence.
+ */
+zap_err_t zap_io_thread_ep_remove(zap_ep_t ep);
+
 /*
  * The zap_thrstat structure maintains state for
  * the Zap thread utilization tracking functions.