diff --git a/scheds/rust/scx_layered/src/bpf/main.bpf.c b/scheds/rust/scx_layered/src/bpf/main.bpf.c
index c481f9c15..a4d1eaa3b 100644
--- a/scheds/rust/scx_layered/src/bpf/main.bpf.c
+++ b/scheds/rust/scx_layered/src/bpf/main.bpf.c
@@ -140,34 +140,21 @@ static struct cpumask *lookup_layer_cpumask(int idx)
 	}
 }
 
-struct layer *lookup_layer(int idx)
-{
-	if (idx < 0 || idx >= nr_layers) {
-		scx_bpf_error("invalid layer %d", idx);
-		return NULL;
-	}
-	return &layers[idx];
-}
-
 static void refresh_cpumasks(int idx)
 {
 	struct layer_cpumask_wrapper *cpumaskw;
+	struct layer *layer;
 	int cpu, total = 0;
-	struct layer *layer = lookup_layer(idx);
 
-	if (!layer)
-		return;
-
-	if (!__sync_val_compare_and_swap(&layer->refresh_cpus, 1, 0))
+	if (!__sync_val_compare_and_swap(&layers[idx].refresh_cpus, 1, 0))
 		return;
 
 	cpumaskw = bpf_map_lookup_elem(&layer_cpumasks, &idx);
 
-	bpf_rcu_read_lock();
 	bpf_for(cpu, 0, nr_possible_cpus) {
 		u8 *u8_ptr;
 
-		if ((u8_ptr = &layer->cpus[cpu / 8])) {
+		if ((u8_ptr = MEMBER_VPTR(layers, [idx].cpus[cpu / 8]))) {
 			/*
 			 * XXX - The following test should be outside the loop
 			 * but that makes the verifier think that
@@ -175,7 +162,6 @@ static void refresh_cpumasks(int idx)
 			 */
 			barrier_var(cpumaskw);
 			if (!cpumaskw || !cpumaskw->cpumask) {
-				bpf_rcu_read_unlock();
 				scx_bpf_error("can't happen");
 				return;
 			}
@@ -190,7 +176,13 @@ static void refresh_cpumasks(int idx)
 			scx_bpf_error("can't happen");
 		}
 	}
-	bpf_rcu_read_unlock();
+
+	// XXX - shouldn't be necessary
+	layer = MEMBER_VPTR(layers, [idx]);
+	if (!layer) {
+		scx_bpf_error("can't happen");
+		return;
+	}
 
 	layer->nr_cpus = total;
 	__sync_fetch_and_add(&layer->cpus_seq, 1);
@@ -248,6 +240,15 @@ struct task_ctx *lookup_task_ctx(struct task_struct *p)
 	}
 }
 
+struct layer *lookup_layer(int idx)
+{
+	if (idx < 0 || idx >= nr_layers) {
+		scx_bpf_error("invalid layer %d", idx);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	return &layers[idx];
+}
+
 /*
  * Because the layer membership is by the default hierarchy cgroups rather than
  * the CPU controller membership, we can't use ops.cgroup_move(). Let's iterate
@@ -921,11 +922,16 @@ s32 BPF_STRUCT_OPS_SLEEPABLE(layered_init)
 		if (!cpumask)
 			return -ENOMEM;
 
+		/*
+		 * Start all layers with full cpumask so that everything runs
+		 * everywhere. This will soon be updated by refresh_cpumasks()
+		 * once the scheduler starts running.
+		 */
+		bpf_cpumask_setall(cpumask);
+
 		cpumask = bpf_kptr_xchg(&cpumaskw->cpumask, cpumask);
 		if (cpumask)
 			bpf_cpumask_release(cpumask);
-
-		refresh_cpumasks(i);
 	}
 
 	return 0;