diff --git a/cmd/k8s-operator/depaware.txt b/cmd/k8s-operator/depaware.txt
index 3c8679c48..4bc143eb6 100644
--- a/cmd/k8s-operator/depaware.txt
+++ b/cmd/k8s-operator/depaware.txt
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ tailscale.com/cmd/k8s-operator dependencies: (generated by github.com/tailscale/
         github.com/gorilla/csrf                                      from tailscale.com/client/web
         github.com/gorilla/securecookie                              from github.com/gorilla/csrf
         github.com/hdevalence/ed25519consensus                       from tailscale.com/clientupdate/distsign+
-   L 💣 github.com/illarion/gonotify                                 from tailscale.com/net/dns
+   L 💣 github.com/illarion/gonotify/v2                              from tailscale.com/net/dns
         github.com/imdario/mergo                                     from k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd
    L    github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp/dhcpv4                          from tailscale.com/net/tstun
    L    github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp/iana                            from github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp/dhcpv4
diff --git a/cmd/tailscaled/depaware.txt b/cmd/tailscaled/depaware.txt
index ffae9b13b..2fb47f77f 100644
--- a/cmd/tailscaled/depaware.txt
+++ b/cmd/tailscaled/depaware.txt
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ tailscale.com/cmd/tailscaled dependencies: (generated by github.com/tailscale/de
         github.com/gorilla/csrf                                      from tailscale.com/client/web
         github.com/gorilla/securecookie                              from github.com/gorilla/csrf
         github.com/hdevalence/ed25519consensus                       from tailscale.com/clientupdate/distsign+
-   L 💣 github.com/illarion/gonotify                                 from tailscale.com/net/dns
+   L 💣 github.com/illarion/gonotify/v2                              from tailscale.com/net/dns
    L    github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp/dhcpv4                          from tailscale.com/net/tstun
    L    github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp/iana                            from github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp/dhcpv4
    L    github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp/interfaces                      from github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp/dhcpv4
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index e0b5c1409..9593b7126 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0
 	github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/v2 v2.33.1
 	github.com/hdevalence/ed25519consensus v0.2.0
-	github.com/illarion/gonotify v1.0.1
+	github.com/illarion/gonotify/v2 v2.0.2
 	github.com/inetaf/tcpproxy v0.0.0-20240214030015-3ce58045626c
 	github.com/insomniacslk/dhcp v0.0.0-20231206064809-8c70d406f6d2
 	github.com/jellydator/ttlcache/v3 v3.1.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index a0b9cadac..a139909c3 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -562,8 +562,8 @@ github.com/hugelgupf/vmtest v0.0.0-20240102225328-693afabdd27f h1:ov45/OzrJG8EKb
 github.com/hugelgupf/vmtest v0.0.0-20240102225328-693afabdd27f/go.mod h1:JoDrYMZpDPYo6uH9/f6Peqms3zNNWT2XiGgioMOIGuI=
 github.com/ianlancetaylor/demangle v0.0.0-20181102032728-5e5cf60278f6/go.mod h1:aSSvb/t6k1mPoxDqO4vJh6VOCGPwU4O0C2/Eqndh1Sc=
 github.com/ianlancetaylor/demangle v0.0.0-20200824232613-28f6c0f3b639/go.mod h1:aSSvb/t6k1mPoxDqO4vJh6VOCGPwU4O0C2/Eqndh1Sc=
-github.com/illarion/gonotify v1.0.1 h1:F1d+0Fgbq/sDWjj/r66ekjDG+IDeecQKUFH4wNwsoio=
-github.com/illarion/gonotify v1.0.1/go.mod h1:zt5pmDofZpU1f8aqlK0+95eQhoEAn/d4G4B/FjVW4jE=
+github.com/illarion/gonotify/v2 v2.0.2 h1:oDH5yvxq9oiQGWUeut42uShcWzOy/hsT9E7pvO95+kQ=
+github.com/illarion/gonotify/v2 v2.0.2/go.mod h1:38oIJTgFqupkEydkkClkbL6i5lXV/bxdH9do5TALPEE=
 github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.11/go.mod h1:jmQim1M+e3UYxmgPu/WyfjB3N3VflVyUjjjwH0dnCYA=
 github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.16 h1:wwQJbIsHYGMUyLSPrEq1CT16AhnhNJQ51+4fdHUnCl4=
 github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.16/go.mod h1:WBLT9ZmE3lPoWsEzCh9LPo3TiwVN+ZKEjmz+hD27ysY=
diff --git a/net/dns/direct_linux.go b/net/dns/direct_linux.go
index 319462170..bdeefb352 100644
--- a/net/dns/direct_linux.go
+++ b/net/dns/direct_linux.go
@@ -7,21 +7,20 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 
-	"github.com/illarion/gonotify"
+	"github.com/illarion/gonotify/v2"
 	"tailscale.com/health"
 )
 
 func (m *directManager) runFileWatcher() {
-	in, err := gonotify.NewInotify()
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(m.ctx)
+	defer cancel()
+	in, err := gonotify.NewInotify(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		// Oh well, we tried. This is all best effort for now, to
 		// surface warnings to users.
 		m.logf("dns: inotify new: %v", err)
 		return
 	}
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(m.ctx)
-	defer cancel()
-	go m.closeInotifyOnDone(ctx, in)
 
 	const events = gonotify.IN_ATTRIB |
 		gonotify.IN_CLOSE_WRITE |
@@ -107,8 +106,3 @@ func (m *directManager) checkForFileTrample() {
 	m.logf("trample: resolv.conf changed from what we expected. did some other program interfere? current contents: %q", show)
 	m.health.SetUnhealthy(resolvTrampleWarnable, nil)
 }
-
-func (m *directManager) closeInotifyOnDone(ctx context.Context, in *gonotify.Inotify) {
-	<-ctx.Done()
-	in.Close()
-}