diff --git a/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/expression/PathExpression.java b/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/expression/PathExpression.java
index b90078c7cd..33f06502a5 100644
--- a/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/expression/PathExpression.java
+++ b/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/expression/PathExpression.java
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
-import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Objects;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentMap;
 
 import org.jspecify.annotations.Nullable;
 
@@ -43,12 +43,12 @@ public final class PathExpression implements Comparable<PathExpression> {
 	public static final String ROOT_EXPRESSION = "$";
 
 	private final List<Segment> segments;
-	private int cachedHashCode;
-	private String cachedExpression;
-	private PathExpression cachedParent;
-	private Map<String, PathExpression> cachedChildren;
-	private byte cachedHasWildcard; // 0=not computed, 1=false, 2=true
-	private byte cachedHasTypeSelector; // 0=not computed, 1=false, 2=true
+	private volatile int cachedHashCode;
+	private volatile String cachedExpression;
+	private volatile PathExpression cachedParent;
+	private final ConcurrentMap<String, PathExpression> cachedChildren = new ConcurrentHashMap<>(16);
+	private volatile byte cachedHasWildcard; // 0=not computed, 1=false, 2=true
+	private volatile byte cachedHasTypeSelector; // 0=not computed, 1=false, 2=true
 
 	private PathExpression(List<Segment> segments) {
 		this.segments = Collections.unmodifiableList(new ArrayList<>(segments));
@@ -204,12 +204,9 @@ private static Segment parseKeyValueUnion(String[] parts, String expression) {
 	public PathExpression child(String propertyName) {
 		Objects.requireNonNull(propertyName, "propertyName must not be null");
 
-		Map<String, PathExpression> children = cachedChildren;
-		if (children != null) {
-			PathExpression cached = children.get(propertyName);
-			if (cached != null) {
-				return cached;
-			}
+		PathExpression cached = cachedChildren.get(propertyName);
+		if (cached != null) {
+			return cached;
 		}
 
 		List<Segment> newSegments = new ArrayList<>(segments.size() + 1);
@@ -217,13 +214,8 @@ public PathExpression child(String propertyName) {
 		newSegments.add(Segment.ofName(propertyName));
 		PathExpression result = new PathExpression(newSegments, true);
 
-		if (children == null) {
-			children = new HashMap<>();
-			cachedChildren = children;
-		}
-		children.put(propertyName, result);
-
-		return result;
+		PathExpression existing = cachedChildren.putIfAbsent(propertyName, result);
+		return existing != null ? existing : result;
 	}
 
 	public PathExpression index(int index) {
diff --git a/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/tree/JvmNodeCandidateTreeContext.java b/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/tree/JvmNodeCandidateTreeContext.java
index f64530bd4f..78c962d76d 100644
--- a/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/tree/JvmNodeCandidateTreeContext.java
+++ b/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/tree/JvmNodeCandidateTreeContext.java
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ void cacheSubtree(
 			new ArrayList<>(children),
 			new HashMap<>(parentChildMap)
 		);
-		subtreeCache.put(jvmType, snapshot);
+		subtreeCache.putIfAbsent(jvmType, snapshot);
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/tree/JvmNodeTree.java b/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/tree/JvmNodeTree.java
index 605c5a3ef1..8afa321bc9 100644
--- a/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/tree/JvmNodeTree.java
+++ b/object-farm-api/src/main/java/com/navercorp/objectfarm/api/tree/JvmNodeTree.java
@@ -282,8 +282,14 @@ private void buildPathMappings() {
 		// Build paths by traversing the tree
 		buildPathsRecursive(rootNode, PathExpression.root(), paths, parents);
 
-		this.nodePaths = paths;
+		// IMPORTANT: nodePaths must be written LAST.
+		// It acts as the gate variable in ensurePathMappingsInitialized() —
+		// other threads skip the synchronized block when they see nodePaths != null.
+		// Writing childToParent before nodePaths ensures that the volatile write of
+		// nodePaths happens-after childToParent, so any thread that reads
+		// nodePaths != null is guaranteed to see childToParent != null by transitivity.
 		this.childToParent = parents;
+		this.nodePaths = paths;
 	}
 
 	private void buildPathsRecursive(