diff --git a/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/dataset/DatasetFSProvider.ts b/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/dataset/DatasetFSProvider.ts
index d0cd5c884..4ea8cda1d 100644
--- a/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/dataset/DatasetFSProvider.ts
+++ b/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/dataset/DatasetFSProvider.ts
@@ -389,7 +389,6 @@ export class DatasetFSProvider extends BaseProvider implements vscode.FileSystem
         const metadata = dsEntry?.metadata ?? this._getInfoFromUri(uri);
         const profileEncoding = dsEntry?.encoding ? null : dsEntry?.metadata.profile.profile?.encoding;
         try {
-            await AuthHandler.waitIfLocked(metadata.profile);
             await AuthHandler.lockProfile(metadata.profile);
             const resp = await ZoweExplorerApiRegister.getMvsApi(metadata.profile).getContents(metadata.dsName, {
                 binary: dsEntry?.encoding?.kind === "binary",
@@ -437,7 +436,7 @@ export class DatasetFSProvider extends BaseProvider implements vscode.FileSystem
         } catch (error) {
             //Response will error if the file is not found
             //Callers of fetchDatasetAtUri() do not expect it to throw an error
-            await AuthUtils.lockProfileOnAuthError(error, metadata.profile);
+            await AuthUtils.handleProfileAuthOnError(error, metadata.profile);
             return null;
         }
     }
diff --git a/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/job/JobFSProvider.ts b/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/job/JobFSProvider.ts
index 8dbf564a1..0b0c47613 100644
--- a/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/job/JobFSProvider.ts
+++ b/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/job/JobFSProvider.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import {
     FsAbstractUtils,
     ZoweExplorerApiType,
     ZosEncoding,
+    AuthHandler,
 } from "@zowe/zowe-explorer-api";
 import { IDownloadSpoolContentParms, IJob, IJobFile } from "@zowe/zos-jobs-for-zowe-sdk";
 import { Profiles } from "../../configuration/Profiles";
@@ -207,6 +208,7 @@ export class JobFSProvider extends BaseProvider implements vscode.FileSystemProv
         const bufBuilder = new BufferBuilder();
 
         const jesApi = ZoweExplorerApiRegister.getJesApi(spoolEntry.metadata.profile);
+        await AuthHandler.lockProfile(spoolEntry.metadata.profile);
         try {
             if (jesApi.downloadSingleSpool) {
                 const spoolDownloadObject: IDownloadSpoolContentParms = {
@@ -227,9 +229,10 @@ export class JobFSProvider extends BaseProvider implements vscode.FileSystemProv
                 bufBuilder.write(await jesApi.getSpoolContentById(jobEntry.job.jobname, jobEntry.job.jobid, spoolEntry.spool.id));
             }
         } catch (err) {
-            await AuthUtils.lockProfileOnAuthError(err, spoolEntry.metadata.profile);
+            await AuthUtils.handleProfileAuthOnError(err, spoolEntry.metadata.profile);
             throw err;
         }
+        AuthHandler.unlockProfile(spoolEntry.metadata.profile);
 
         this._fireSoon({ type: vscode.FileChangeType.Changed, uri });
         spoolEntry.data = bufBuilder.read() ?? new Uint8Array();
diff --git a/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/uss/UssFSProvider.ts b/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/uss/UssFSProvider.ts
index 9367b2af8..795d8110a 100644
--- a/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/uss/UssFSProvider.ts
+++ b/packages/zowe-explorer/src/trees/uss/UssFSProvider.ts
@@ -280,7 +280,6 @@ export class UssFSProvider extends BaseProvider implements vscode.FileSystemProv
         try {
             await this.autoDetectEncoding(file as UssFile);
             const profileEncoding = file.encoding ? null : file.metadata.profile.profile?.encoding;
-            await AuthHandler.waitIfLocked(metadata.profile);
             await AuthHandler.lockProfile(metadata.profile);
             resp = await ZoweExplorerApiRegister.getUssApi(metadata.profile).getContents(filePath, {
                 binary: file.encoding?.kind === "binary",
@@ -294,7 +293,7 @@ export class UssFSProvider extends BaseProvider implements vscode.FileSystemProv
             if (err instanceof Error) {
                 ZoweLogger.error(err.message);
             }
-            await AuthUtils.lockProfileOnAuthError(err, metadata.profile);
+            await AuthUtils.handleProfileAuthOnError(err, metadata.profile);
             return;
         }
 
@@ -325,8 +324,6 @@ export class UssFSProvider extends BaseProvider implements vscode.FileSystemProv
         if (entry.encoding !== undefined) {
             return;
         }
-
-        await AuthHandler.waitIfLocked(entry.metadata.profile);
         await AuthHandler.lockProfile(entry.metadata.profile);
         const ussApi = ZoweExplorerApiRegister.getUssApi(entry.metadata.profile);
         if (ussApi.getTag != null) {
diff --git a/packages/zowe-explorer/src/utils/AuthUtils.ts b/packages/zowe-explorer/src/utils/AuthUtils.ts
index 5d36daa89..4683978eb 100644
--- a/packages/zowe-explorer/src/utils/AuthUtils.ts
+++ b/packages/zowe-explorer/src/utils/AuthUtils.ts
@@ -24,18 +24,27 @@ interface ErrorContext {
 }
 
 export class AuthUtils {
-    public static async lockProfileOnAuthError(err: Error, profile: imperative.IProfileLoaded): Promise<void> {
+    /**
+     * Locks the profile if an authentication error has occurred (prevents further requests in filesystem until unlocked).
+     * If the error is not an authentication error, the profile is unlocked for further use.
+     *
+     * @param err {Error} The error that occurred
+     * @param profile {imperative.IProfileLoaded} The profile used when the error occurred
+     */
+    public static async handleProfileAuthOnError(err: Error, profile: imperative.IProfileLoaded): Promise<void> {
         if (
             err instanceof imperative.ImperativeError &&
             profile != null &&
             (Number(err.errorCode) === imperative.RestConstants.HTTP_STATUS_401 ||
                 err.message.includes("All configured authentication methods failed"))
         ) {
+            // In the case of an authentication error, find a more user-friendly error message if available.
             const errorCorrelation = ErrorCorrelator.getInstance().correlateError(ZoweExplorerApiType.All, err, {
                 templateArgs: {
                     profileName: profile.name,
                 },
             });
+            // If the profile is already locked, prompt the user to re-authenticate.
             if (AuthHandler.isLocked(profile)) {
                 await AuthHandler.promptForAuthentication(err, profile, {
                     ssoLogin: Constants.PROFILES_CACHE.ssoLogin.bind(Constants.PROFILES_CACHE),
@@ -44,6 +53,7 @@ export class AuthUtils {
                     errorCorrelation,
                 });
             } else {
+                // Lock the profile and prompt the user to authenticate by providing login/credential prompt callbacks.
                 await AuthHandler.lockProfile(profile, err, {
                     ssoLogin: Constants.PROFILES_CACHE.ssoLogin.bind(Constants.PROFILES_CACHE),
                     promptCredentials: Constants.PROFILES_CACHE.promptCredentials.bind(Constants.PROFILES_CACHE),
@@ -51,7 +61,8 @@ export class AuthUtils {
                     errorCorrelation,
                 });
             }
-        } else {
+        } else if (AuthHandler.isLocked(profile)) {
+            // Error doesn't mean criteria to continue holding the lock. Unlock the profile to allow further use
             AuthHandler.unlockProfile(profile);
         }
     }
@@ -97,7 +108,7 @@ export class AuthUtils {
                 (httpErrorCode === imperative.RestConstants.HTTP_STATUS_401 ||
                     imperativeError.message.includes("All configured authentication methods failed"))
             ) {
-                return AuthHandler.promptForAuthentication(imperativeError, profile, {
+                await AuthHandler.lockProfile(profile, imperativeError, {
                     ssoLogin: Constants.PROFILES_CACHE.ssoLogin.bind(Constants.PROFILES_CACHE),
                     promptCredentials: Constants.PROFILES_CACHE.promptCredentials.bind(Constants.PROFILES_CACHE),
                     isUsingTokenAuth: await AuthUtils.isUsingTokenAuth(profile.name),