diff --git a/graph/load.go b/graph/load.go
index d09b04a0e2..f1dfce7a1c 100644
--- a/graph/load.go
+++ b/graph/load.go
@@ -106,8 +106,8 @@ func (s *TagStore) recursiveLoad(address, tmpImageDir string) error {
 		}
 
 		// ensure no two downloads of the same layer happen at the same time
-		if ps, err := s.poolAdd("pull", "layer:"+img.ID); err != nil {
-			logrus.Debugf("Image (id: %s) load is already running, waiting: %v", img.ID, err)
+		if ps, found := s.poolAdd("pull", "layer:"+img.ID); found {
+			logrus.Debugf("Image (id: %s) load is already running, waiting", img.ID)
 			ps.Wait(nil, nil)
 			return nil
 		}
diff --git a/graph/pools_test.go b/graph/pools_test.go
index b0ee3b0337..f88a1cf15b 100644
--- a/graph/pools_test.go
+++ b/graph/pools_test.go
@@ -17,20 +17,17 @@ func TestPools(t *testing.T) {
 		pushingPool: make(map[string]*progressreader.ProgressStatus),
 	}
 
-	if _, err := s.poolAdd("pull", "test1"); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
+	if _, found := s.poolAdd("pull", "test1"); found {
+		t.Fatal("Expected pull test1 not to be in progress")
 	}
-	if _, err := s.poolAdd("pull", "test2"); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
+	if _, found := s.poolAdd("pull", "test2"); found {
+		t.Fatal("Expected pull test2 not to be in progress")
 	}
-	if _, err := s.poolAdd("push", "test1"); err == nil || err.Error() != "pull test1 is already in progress" {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected `pull test1 is already in progress`")
+	if _, found := s.poolAdd("push", "test1"); !found {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected pull test1 to be in progress`")
 	}
-	if _, err := s.poolAdd("pull", "test1"); err == nil || err.Error() != "pull test1 is already in progress" {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected `pull test1 is already in progress`")
-	}
-	if _, err := s.poolAdd("wait", "test3"); err == nil || err.Error() != "Unknown pool type" {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected `Unknown pool type`")
+	if _, found := s.poolAdd("pull", "test1"); !found {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected pull test1 to be in progress`")
 	}
 	if err := s.poolRemove("pull", "test2"); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
@@ -44,7 +41,4 @@ func TestPools(t *testing.T) {
 	if err := s.poolRemove("push", "test1"); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if err := s.poolRemove("wait", "test3"); err == nil || err.Error() != "Unknown pool type" {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected `Unknown pool type`")
-	}
 }
diff --git a/graph/pull_v1.go b/graph/pull_v1.go
index ab1e4a57bd..d5f9492790 100644
--- a/graph/pull_v1.go
+++ b/graph/pull_v1.go
@@ -138,8 +138,8 @@ func (p *v1Puller) pullRepository(askedTag string) error {
 			}
 
 			// ensure no two downloads of the same image happen at the same time
-			ps, err := p.poolAdd("pull", "img:"+img.ID)
-			if err != nil {
+			ps, found := p.poolAdd("pull", "img:"+img.ID)
+			if found {
 				msg := p.sf.FormatProgress(stringid.TruncateID(img.ID), "Layer already being pulled by another client. Waiting.", nil)
 				ps.Wait(out, msg)
 				out.Write(p.sf.FormatProgress(stringid.TruncateID(img.ID), "Download complete", nil))
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ func (p *v1Puller) pullRepository(askedTag string) error {
 
 			ps.Write(p.sf.FormatProgress(stringid.TruncateID(img.ID), fmt.Sprintf("Pulling image (%s) from %s", img.Tag, p.repoInfo.CanonicalName), nil))
 			success := false
-			var lastErr error
+			var lastErr, err error
 			var isDownloaded bool
 			for _, ep := range p.repoInfo.Index.Mirrors {
 				ep += "v1/"
@@ -244,9 +244,9 @@ func (p *v1Puller) pullImage(out io.Writer, imgID, endpoint string, token []stri
 		id := history[i]
 
 		// ensure no two downloads of the same layer happen at the same time
-		ps, err := p.poolAdd("pull", "layer:"+id)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Debugf("Image (id: %s) pull is already running, skipping: %v", id, err)
+		ps, found := p.poolAdd("pull", "layer:"+id)
+		if found {
+			logrus.Debugf("Image (id: %s) pull is already running, skipping", id)
 			msg := p.sf.FormatProgress(stringid.TruncateID(imgID), "Layer already being pulled by another client. Waiting.", nil)
 			ps.Wait(out, msg)
 		} else {
diff --git a/graph/pull_v2.go b/graph/pull_v2.go
index ee9aee4c0e..ed5605befb 100644
--- a/graph/pull_v2.go
+++ b/graph/pull_v2.go
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ func (p *v2Puller) pullV2Repository(tag string) (err error) {
 
 	}
 
-	ps, err := p.poolAdd("pull", taggedName)
-	if err != nil {
+	ps, found := p.poolAdd("pull", taggedName)
+	if found {
 		// Another pull of the same repository is already taking place; just wait for it to finish
 		msg := p.sf.FormatStatus("", "Repository %s already being pulled by another client. Waiting.", p.repoInfo.CanonicalName)
 		ps.Wait(p.config.OutStream, msg)
@@ -119,8 +119,8 @@ func (p *v2Puller) download(di *downloadInfo) {
 
 	out := di.out
 
-	ps, err := p.poolAdd("pull", "img:"+di.img.ID)
-	if err != nil {
+	ps, found := p.poolAdd("pull", "img:"+di.img.ID)
+	if found {
 		msg := p.sf.FormatProgress(stringid.TruncateID(di.img.ID), "Layer already being pulled by another client. Waiting.", nil)
 		ps.Wait(out, msg)
 		out.Write(p.sf.FormatProgress(stringid.TruncateID(di.img.ID), "Download complete", nil))
diff --git a/graph/push_v1.go b/graph/push_v1.go
index 6de293403b..9769ac711f 100644
--- a/graph/push_v1.go
+++ b/graph/push_v1.go
@@ -214,7 +214,6 @@ func (p *v1Pusher) pushImageToEndpoint(endpoint string, imageIDs []string, tags
 
 // pushRepository pushes layers that do not already exist on the registry.
 func (p *v1Pusher) pushRepository(tag string) error {
-
 	logrus.Debugf("Local repo: %s", p.localRepo)
 	p.out = ioutils.NewWriteFlusher(p.config.OutStream)
 	imgList, tags, err := p.getImageList(tag)
@@ -229,8 +228,8 @@ func (p *v1Pusher) pushRepository(tag string) error {
 		logrus.Debugf("Pushing ID: %s with Tag: %s", data.ID, data.Tag)
 	}
 
-	if _, err := p.poolAdd("push", p.repoInfo.LocalName); err != nil {
-		return err
+	if _, found := p.poolAdd("push", p.repoInfo.LocalName); found {
+		return fmt.Errorf("push or pull %s is already in progress", p.repoInfo.LocalName)
 	}
 	defer p.poolRemove("push", p.repoInfo.LocalName)
 
diff --git a/graph/push_v2.go b/graph/push_v2.go
index 6823ac5928..7d5ca44d96 100644
--- a/graph/push_v2.go
+++ b/graph/push_v2.go
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ func (p *v2Pusher) getImageTags(askedTag string) ([]string, error) {
 
 func (p *v2Pusher) pushV2Repository(tag string) error {
 	localName := p.repoInfo.LocalName
-	if _, err := p.poolAdd("push", localName); err != nil {
-		return err
+	if _, found := p.poolAdd("push", localName); found {
+		return fmt.Errorf("push or pull %s is already in progress", localName)
 	}
 	defer p.poolRemove("push", localName)
 
diff --git a/graph/tags.go b/graph/tags.go
index 1485be6705..51b19babbb 100644
--- a/graph/tags.go
+++ b/graph/tags.go
@@ -428,27 +428,32 @@ func validateDigest(dgst string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (store *TagStore) poolAdd(kind, key string) (*progressreader.ProgressStatus, error) {
+// poolAdd checks if a push or pull is already running, and returns (ps, true)
+// if a running operation is found. Otherwise, it creates a new one and returns
+// (ps, false).
+func (store *TagStore) poolAdd(kind, key string) (*progressreader.ProgressStatus, bool) {
 	store.Lock()
 	defer store.Unlock()
 
 	if p, exists := store.pullingPool[key]; exists {
-		return p, fmt.Errorf("pull %s is already in progress", key)
+		return p, true
 	}
 	if p, exists := store.pushingPool[key]; exists {
-		return p, fmt.Errorf("push %s is already in progress", key)
+		return p, true
 	}
 
 	ps := progressreader.NewProgressStatus()
+
 	switch kind {
 	case "pull":
 		store.pullingPool[key] = ps
 	case "push":
 		store.pushingPool[key] = ps
 	default:
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Unknown pool type")
+		panic("Unknown pool type")
 	}
-	return ps, nil
+
+	return ps, false
 }
 
 func (store *TagStore) poolRemove(kind, key string) error {