diff --git a/meta/classes-global/license.bbclass b/meta/classes-global/license.bbclass
index 86c9ee5878..1d266dd25d 100644
--- a/meta/classes-global/license.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-global/license.bbclass
@@ -38,14 +38,15 @@ python do_populate_lic() {
     oe.qa.exit_if_errors(d)
 }
 
-# it would be better to copy them in do_install:append, but find_license_files is python
-python perform_packagecopy:prepend () {
+# Write into PKGD, not D: do_populate_sysroot stages D concurrently and races
+# with the remove-then-relink in copy_license_files().
+python perform_packagecopy:append () {
     enabled = oe.data.typed_value('LICENSE_CREATE_PACKAGE', d)
     if d.getVar('CLASSOVERRIDE') == 'class-target' and enabled:
         lic_files_paths = find_license_files(d)
 
-        # LICENSE_FILES_DIRECTORY starts with '/' so os.path.join cannot be used to join D and LICENSE_FILES_DIRECTORY
-        destdir = d.getVar('D') + os.path.join(d.getVar('LICENSE_FILES_DIRECTORY'), d.getVar('PN'))
+        # LICENSE_FILES_DIRECTORY starts with '/' so os.path.join cannot be used to join PKGD and LICENSE_FILES_DIRECTORY
+        destdir = d.getVar('PKGD') + os.path.join(d.getVar('LICENSE_FILES_DIRECTORY'), d.getVar('PN'))
         copy_license_files(lic_files_paths, destdir)
         add_package_and_files(d)
 }