diff --git a/README-sse.md b/README-sse.md
index 8f799755..e402c2cf 100644
--- a/README-sse.md
+++ b/README-sse.md
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ sse.stop();
 
 ```cpp
 bool connected = sse.is_connected();
-const std::string &id = sse.last_event_id();
+std::string id = sse.last_event_id();
 ```
 
 ## Examples
diff --git a/httplib.h b/httplib.h
index 76960c80..5ed34824 100644
--- a/httplib.h
+++ b/httplib.h
@@ -4498,7 +4498,7 @@ public:
 
   // State accessors
   bool is_connected() const;
-  const std::string &last_event_id() const;
+  std::string last_event_id() const;
 
   // Blocking start - runs event loop with auto-reconnect
   void start();
@@ -4536,7 +4536,9 @@ private:
   // State
   std::atomic<bool> running_{false};
   std::atomic<bool> connected_{false};
+  // Written by the event loop, which start_async() runs on its own thread
   std::string last_event_id_;
+  mutable std::mutex last_event_id_mutex_;
 
   // Async support
   std::thread async_thread_;
@@ -5034,7 +5036,8 @@ inline SSEClient &SSEClient::set_headers(const Headers &headers) {
 
 inline bool SSEClient::is_connected() const { return connected_.load(); }
 
-inline const std::string &SSEClient::last_event_id() const {
+inline std::string SSEClient::last_event_id() const {
+  std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(last_event_id_mutex_);
   return last_event_id_;
 }
 
@@ -5209,7 +5212,10 @@ inline void SSEClient::run_event_loop() {
         if (event_complete) {
           // Update last_event_id for reconnection, even for an event that
           // has no data. An empty id clears it.
-          if (has_id) { last_event_id_ = current_msg.id; }
+          if (has_id) {
+            std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(last_event_id_mutex_);
+            last_event_id_ = current_msg.id;
+          }
 
           // An event without a data field is not dispatched
           if (has_data) { dispatch_event(current_msg); }
diff --git a/test/test.cc b/test/test.cc
index fa0bbb2c..0087e5fe 100644
--- a/test/test.cc
+++ b/test/test.cc
@@ -26459,6 +26459,47 @@ TEST_F(SSEIntegrationTest, LastEventIdHeader) {
   EXPECT_EQ(sse.last_event_id(), "evt-123");
 }
 
+// Test: last_event_id() read from another thread while start_async() runs
+TEST_F(SSEIntegrationTest, LastEventIdWhileRunning) {
+  // Ids of every length up to 200, so the stored id keeps changing size
+  server_->Get("/many-ids", [](const Request &, Response &res) {
+    res.set_chunked_content_provider(
+        "text/event-stream", [](size_t offset, DataSink &sink) {
+          if (offset == 0) {
+            std::string events;
+            for (size_t i = 0; i < 2000; i++) {
+              events += "id: " + std::string(1 + i % 200, 'a') + "\n";
+              events += "data: x\n\n";
+            }
+            events += "id: end\ndata: x\n\n";
+            sink.write(events.data(), events.size());
+          }
+          return false;
+        });
+  });
+
+  Client client("localhost", get_port());
+  sse::SSEClient sse(client, "/many-ids");
+  // Wait out the rest of the test rather than replay the stream
+  sse.set_reconnect_interval(10000);
+  sse.set_max_reconnect_attempts(1);
+  sse.start_async();
+
+  auto well_formed = true;
+  std::string id;
+  auto deadline = std::chrono::steady_clock::now() + std::chrono::seconds(5);
+  while (id != "end" && std::chrono::steady_clock::now() < deadline) {
+    id = sse.last_event_id();
+    if (id != "end" && id.find_first_not_of('a') != std::string::npos) {
+      well_formed = false;
+    }
+  }
+  sse.stop();
+
+  EXPECT_TRUE(well_formed);
+  EXPECT_EQ(sse.last_event_id(), "end");
+}
+
 // Test: Manual stop
 TEST_F(SSEIntegrationTest, ManualStop) {
   // Endpoint that sends one event and stays open briefly. The server outlives