diff --git a/tests/test_30_engine_ecmwf.py b/tests/test_30_engine_ecmwf.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf17557
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_30_engine_ecmwf.py
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
+
+import numpy as np
+import pytest
+import xarray as xr
+
+from xarray_ecmwf import engine_ecmwf
+
+# several processes can build the same .zarr schema sample at once: each one
+# writes its own copy under a temporary name, and the first copy renamed into
+# place is the one everybody opens.
+REQUEST = {"dataset": "dummy-dataset", "variable": ["dummy_variable"]}
+
+
+# every download of the request gets the same file name, as with CDS
+class DummyClient:
+    def __init__(self, client_kwargs: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+        pass
+
+    def submit_and_wait_on_result(self, request: dict[str, Any]) -> Any:
+        return request
+
+    def get_filename(self, result: Any) -> str:
+        return "request.grib"
+
+    def download(self, result: Any, target: str | None = None) -> str:
+        assert target is not None
+        Path(target).touch()
+        return target
+
+
+def open_dummy(path: str, **kwargs: Any) -> xr.Dataset:
+    return xr.Dataset({"t": ("time", np.zeros(3))}, coords={"time": [0, 1, 2]})
+
+
+def open_sample(cache_folder: Path) -> xr.Dataset:
+    cacher = engine_ecmwf.DatasetCacher(
+        DummyClient({}), open_dummy, cache_folder=str(cache_folder)
+    )
+    with cacher.cached_empty_dataset(REQUEST) as ds:
+        return ds
+
+
+def test_cached_empty_dataset_keeps_the_sample_saved_first(
+    tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    to_zarr = xr.Dataset.to_zarr
+
+    def to_zarr_after_another_process(
+        self: xr.Dataset, store: Any, *args: Any, **kw: Any
+    ) -> Any:
+        sample = os.path.splitext(store)[0]
+        # another process saves its complete sample while this one is writing
+        to_zarr(self.assign_attrs(saved_by="another process"), sample, *args, **kw)
+        return to_zarr(self, store, *args, **kw)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(xr.Dataset, "to_zarr", to_zarr_after_another_process)
+
+    ds = open_sample(tmp_path)
+
+    assert ds.attrs["saved_by"] == "another process"
+    assert len([name for name in os.listdir(tmp_path) if ".zarr" in name]) == 1
+
+
+def test_robust_save_to_file_removes_a_folder_it_failed_to_write(
+    tmp_path: Path,
+) -> None:
+    def failing_saver(target: str) -> None:
+        os.makedirs(os.path.join(target, "half-written"))
+        raise ValueError("write failed")
+
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        engine_ecmwf.robust_save_to_file(failing_saver, (), str(tmp_path / "a.zarr"))
+
+    assert os.listdir(tmp_path) == []
+
+
+def test_robust_save_to_file_raises_when_a_file_can_not_be_renamed(
+    tmp_path: Path,
+) -> None:
+    os.makedirs(tmp_path / "a.grib" / "not-a-grib")
+
+    with pytest.raises(OSError):
+        engine_ecmwf.robust_save_to_file(
+            lambda target: Path(target).touch(), (), str(tmp_path / "a.grib")
+        )
+
+    assert os.listdir(tmp_path) == ["a.grib"]
diff --git a/xarray_ecmwf/engine_ecmwf.py b/xarray_ecmwf/engine_ecmwf.py
index a270abc..38504e7 100644
--- a/xarray_ecmwf/engine_ecmwf.py
+++ b/xarray_ecmwf/engine_ecmwf.py
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import contextlib
+import errno
 import functools
 import hashlib
 import logging
 import os
+import shutil
 import socket
 import uuid
 from typing import Any, Callable, Iterable, Iterator, Sequence
@@ -51,6 +53,16 @@ def _raw_indexing_method(self, key: tuple[int | slice, ...]) -> np.typing.ArrayL
         return out
 
 
+def remove_file_or_folder(path: str) -> None:
+    if os.path.isdir(path):
+        shutil.rmtree(path, ignore_errors=True)
+    else:
+        try:
+            os.remove(path)
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+
+
 def robust_save_to_file(
     saver: Callable[..., Any], args: Sequence[Any], path: str
 ) -> None:
@@ -59,13 +71,16 @@ def robust_save_to_file(
     try:
         saver(*args, tmp_path)
     except Exception as ex:
-        try:
-            os.remove(tmp_path)
-        except Exception:
-            pass
+        remove_file_or_folder(tmp_path)
         raise ex
 
-    os.rename(tmp_path, path)
+    try:
+        os.rename(tmp_path, path)
+    except OSError as ex:
+        remove_file_or_folder(tmp_path)
+        # another process saved it first and it can't be replaced: keep that one
+        if ex.errno not in (errno.EEXIST, errno.ENOTEMPTY):
+            raise ex
 
 
 @attrs.define(slots=False)
@@ -147,7 +162,11 @@ def cached_empty_dataset(self, request: dict[str, Any]) -> Iterator[xr.Dataset]:
                         # NOTE: be sure that read_ds is chunked so compute=False only
                         #   writes the metadata. Some open_dataset
                         read_ds = read_ds.chunk()
-                        read_ds.to_zarr(path, compute=False)
+                        # every process writes its own copy, and the first one
+                        #   renamed into place is the one everybody opens
+                        robust_save_to_file(
+                            functools.partial(read_ds.to_zarr, compute=False), (), path
+                        )
         yield xr.open_dataset(path, engine="zarr")