diff --git a/src/sketch/compute_sketches.cpp b/src/sketch/compute_sketches.cpp
index e1d63d10..e92371c9 100644
--- a/src/sketch/compute_sketches.cpp
+++ b/src/sketch/compute_sketches.cpp
@@ -45,6 +45,34 @@ void compute_sketches(config const & config,
     sketch::estimate_kmer_counts(sketches, kmer_counts);
 }
 
+struct too_few_kmers_handler
+{
+    std::atomic_flag flag{};
+    size_t available{};
+
+    inline bool test() noexcept
+    {
+        return flag.test();
+    }
+
+    inline void set(size_t const available) noexcept
+    {
+        // Sets the flag to true and returns previous value.
+        // If the flag was already set, another thread encountered this block at the same time.
+        // This basically acts as a mutex for setting available.
+        if (!flag.test_and_set())
+            this->available = available;
+    }
+
+    inline void check_and_throw()
+    {
+        if (test())
+            throw std::runtime_error{"Not enough kmers (" + std::to_string(available) + ") to get "
+                                     + std::to_string(minHashes::num_sketches * minHashes::sketch_size)
+                                     + " hashes for all minHash sketches."};
+    }
+};
+
 // minHash_sketches data structure:
 // Vector L1 : number of user bins
 // Vector L2 : number_of_max_minHash_sketches (LSH ADD+OR parameter b)
@@ -59,15 +87,14 @@ void compute_sketches_with_minhash(config const & config,
 
     // compute sketches
     robin_hood::unordered_flat_set<uint64_t> kmers;
+
     // OMP does not allow throwing in a thread (it requires that the throw is handled in the same thread).
-    // So we use an atomic flag to signal that we have too few kmers and we should stop the computation.
-    std::atomic_flag too_few_kmers{};
-    size_t too_few_kmers_size{};
-    size_t too_few_kmers_required{};
+    too_few_kmers_handler too_few_kmers{};
 
 #pragma omp parallel for schedule(dynamic) num_threads(config.threads) private(kmers)
     for (size_t i = 0; i < config.number_of_user_bins; ++i)
     {
+        // Skip work if we already know that we have too few kmers.
         if (too_few_kmers.test())
             continue;
 
@@ -98,9 +125,7 @@ void compute_sketches_with_minhash(config const & config,
 
             if (heap_size > kmers.size())
             {
-                too_few_kmers.test_and_set();
-                too_few_kmers_size = kmers.size();
-                too_few_kmers_required = minHash_sketch.table.size() * minHashes::sketch_size;
+                too_few_kmers.set(kmers.size());
                 break;
             }
 
@@ -122,9 +147,7 @@ void compute_sketches_with_minhash(config const & config,
         minHash_sketches[i] = minHash_sketch;
     }
 
-    if (too_few_kmers.test())
-        throw std::runtime_error{"Not enough kmers (" + std::to_string(too_few_kmers_size) + ") to get "
-                                 + std::to_string(too_few_kmers_required) + " hashes for all minHash sketches."};
+    too_few_kmers.check_and_throw();
 }
 
 void compute_sketches_with_minhash(config const & config,