diff --git a/weed/cluster/lock_client.go b/weed/cluster/lock_client.go
index 44529acb0..bc5a8ac01 100644
--- a/weed/cluster/lock_client.go
+++ b/weed/cluster/lock_client.go
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ func (lc *LockClient) PriorOwnerForKey(key string) pb.ServerAddress {
 }
 
 type LiveLock struct {
+	generation          int64 // fencing token from the lock server; MUST stay first so the 64-bit atomic ops stay 8-byte aligned on 32-bit ARM
 	key                 string
 	renewToken          string
 	expireAtNs          int64
@@ -129,8 +130,7 @@ type LiveLock struct {
 	lc                  *LockClient
 	owner               string
 	lockTTL             time.Duration
-	consecutiveFailures int   // Track connection failures to trigger fallback
-	generation          int64 // fencing token from the lock server
+	consecutiveFailures int // Track connection failures to trigger fallback
 }
 
 // NewShortLivedLock creates a lock with a 5-second duration
diff --git a/weed/cluster/lock_client_test.go b/weed/cluster/lock_client_test.go
index 608ddf6da..c53e8c6cf 100644
--- a/weed/cluster/lock_client_test.go
+++ b/weed/cluster/lock_client_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package cluster
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -150,3 +151,17 @@ func TestLockClientPriorOwnerForKeyExpires(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// LiveLock.generation is a fencing token written and read with 64-bit atomic
+// operations. On 32-bit platforms (GOARCH=386 and GOARCH=arm) a 64-bit atomic
+// op requires an 8-byte-aligned address, which Go only guarantees for the
+// first field of an allocated struct. generation must therefore stay first:
+// a misaligned field makes StoreInt64 panic with "unaligned 64-bit atomic
+// operation" the moment this test runs on a 32-bit target.
+func TestLiveLockGenerationIsAligned(t *testing.T) {
+	var lock LiveLock
+	atomic.StoreInt64(&lock.generation, 42)
+	if got := lock.Generation(); got != 42 {
+		t.Fatalf("generation = %d, want 42", got)
+	}
+}