diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index ac9f3e7d..0061703e 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 byobu (4.48) unreleased; urgency=low
 
-  * UNRELEASED
+  * debian/control, usr/lib/byobu/updates_available: LP: #878547
+    - recommend run-one, MIR pending
+    - use run-this-one to ensure that more than one apt-check doesn't
+      get run simultaneously
 
  -- Dustin Kirkland <kirkland@ubuntu.com>  Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:54:11 -0600
 
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index 55e7ef71..0d349fe5 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Vcs-Bzr: http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kirkland/byobu/trunk
 Package: byobu
 Architecture: all
 Depends: ${misc:Depends}, debconf (>= 0.5) | debconf-2.0, screen, gettext-base, python, python-newt (>= 0.52.2-11)
-Recommends: tmux
+Recommends: run-one, tmux
 Suggests: apport, vim, w3m, po-debconf, update-notifier-common, lsb-release
 Provides: screen-profiles, screen-profiles-extras, byobu-extras
 Replaces: screen-profiles (<< 2.0), screen-profiles-extras (<< 2.0), byobu-extras (<< 2.17)
diff --git a/usr/lib/byobu/updates_available b/usr/lib/byobu/updates_available
index 7b5cc42f..adcaa1de 100755
--- a/usr/lib/byobu/updates_available
+++ b/usr/lib/byobu/updates_available
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ ___print_updates() {
 }
 
 ___update_cache() {
-	local mycache=$1
+	local mycache=$1 RUN_THIS_ONE=
 	# Now we actually have to do hard computational work to calculate updates.
 	# Let's try to be "nice" about it:
 	renice 10 $$ >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
@@ -44,25 +44,28 @@ ___update_cache() {
 	# These are very computationally intensive processes.
 	# Background this work, have it write to the cache files,
 	# and let the next cache check pick up the results.
+	# Also, try to ensure that no more than one of these run at
+	# a given time; install the run-one package.
+	command -v run-this-one >/dev/null && RUN_THIS_ONE=run-this-one
 	if [ -x /usr/lib/update-notifier/apt-check ]; then
 		# If apt-check binary exists, use it
-		/usr/lib/update-notifier/apt-check 2>&1 | awk '-F;' 'END { print $1, $2 }' > "$mycache" &
+		$RUN_THIS_ONE /usr/lib/update-notifier/apt-check 2>&1 | awk '-F;' 'END { print $1, $2 }' > "$mycache" &
 	elif command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
 		# If apt-get exists, use it
-		apt-get -s -o Debug::NoLocking=true upgrade | grep -c ^Inst > $mycache &
+		$RUN_THIS_ONE apt-get -s -o Debug::NoLocking=true upgrade | grep -c ^Inst > $mycache &
 	elif command -v pkcon >/dev/null; then
 		# use packagekit to show list of packages
-		pkcon get-updates -p | grep -c '^Package' > "$mycache" &
+		$RUN_THIS_ONE pkcon get-updates -p | grep -c '^Package' > "$mycache" &
 	elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
 		# If zypper exists, use it
-		zypper --no-refresh lu --best-effort | grep -c 'v |' > $mycache &
+		$RUN_THIS_ONE zypper --no-refresh lu --best-effort | grep -c 'v |' > $mycache &
 	elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
 		# If yum exists, use it
 		# TODO: We need a better way of counting updates available from a RH expert
-		yum list updates -q | grep -vc "Updated Packages" > $mycache &
+		$RUN_THIS_ONE yum list updates -q | grep -vc "Updated Packages" > $mycache &
 	elif command -v pacman >/dev/null; then
 		# If pacman (Archlinux) exists, use it
-		LC_ALL=C pacman -Sup | grep -vc "^\(::\| \)" > $mycache &
+		LC_ALL=C $RUN_THIS_ONE pacman -Sup | grep -vc "^\(::\| \)" > $mycache &
 	fi
 }