diff --git a/INSTALL.md b/INSTALL.md
index 79bbe11f79..49564b9eb0 100644
--- a/INSTALL.md
+++ b/INSTALL.md
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ Both methods are supported. However, for most users we _strongly_ recommend to b
 - [Range-V3](https://github.com/ericniebler/range-v3.git) -- a Ranges library that served as the basis for Ranges component of C++20 and later.
 - [BTAS](http://github.com/ValeevGroup/BTAS), tag 1cfcb12647c768ccd83b098c64cda723e1275e49 . If usable BTAS installation is not found, TiledArray will download and compile
   BTAS from source. *This is the recommended way to compile BTAS for all users*.
-- [MADNESS](https://github.com/m-a-d-n-e-s-s/madness), tag 51c70885f368fcbdaac3db462b5e8d28eed4dbf7 .
+- [MADNESS](https://github.com/m-a-d-n-e-s-s/madness), tag ef97ad1f0080da04f9592f03185c1a331cd5e001 .
   Only the MADworld runtime and BLAS/LAPACK C API component of MADNESS is used by TiledArray.
   If usable MADNESS installation is not found, TiledArray will download and compile
   MADNESS from source. *This is the recommended way to compile MADNESS for all users*.
diff --git a/external/versions.cmake b/external/versions.cmake
index 9420b41c33..cbf8d475f9 100644
--- a/external/versions.cmake
+++ b/external/versions.cmake
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ set(TA_INSTALL_EIGEN_PREVIOUS_VERSION 3.3.7)
 set(TA_INSTALL_EIGEN_URL_HASH SHA256=b4c198460eba6f28d34894e3a5710998818515104d6e74e5cc331ce31e46e626)
 set(TA_INSTALL_EIGEN_PREVIOUS_URL_HASH MD5=b9e98a200d2455f06db9c661c5610496)
 
-set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_TAG 51c70885f368fcbdaac3db462b5e8d28eed4dbf7)
-set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_PREVIOUS_TAG 3208474a1dec9a08b8ca7185ca5c168795385372)
+set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_TAG ef97ad1f0080da04f9592f03185c1a331cd5e001)
+set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_PREVIOUS_TAG 51c70885f368fcbdaac3db462b5e8d28eed4dbf7)
 set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_VERSION 0.10.1)
 set(TA_TRACKED_MADNESS_PREVIOUS_VERSION 0.10.1)
 
diff --git a/src/TiledArray/einsum/tiledarray.h b/src/TiledArray/einsum/tiledarray.h
index 1f6a9e13f2..708511745a 100644
--- a/src/TiledArray/einsum/tiledarray.h
+++ b/src/TiledArray/einsum/tiledarray.h
@@ -411,12 +411,6 @@ template <DeNest DeNestFlag = DeNest::False, typename ArrayA_, typename ArrayB_,
 auto einsum(expressions::TsrExpr<ArrayA_> A, expressions::TsrExpr<ArrayB_> B,
             std::tuple<Einsum::Index<std::string>, Indices...> cs,
             World &world) {
-  // hotfix: process all preceding tasks before entering this code with many
-  // blocking calls
-  // TODO figure out why having free threads left after blocking MPI split
-  //  still not enough to ensure progress
-  world.gop.fence();
-
   using ArrayA = std::remove_cv_t<ArrayA_>;
   using ArrayB = std::remove_cv_t<ArrayB_>;
 
@@ -746,7 +740,8 @@ auto einsum(expressions::TsrExpr<ArrayA_> A, expressions::TsrExpr<ArrayB_> B,
     for (Index h : H.tiles) {
       auto &[A, B] = AB;
       auto own = A.own(h) || B.own(h);
-      auto comm = world.mpi.comm().Split(own, world.rank());
+      auto comm = madness::blocking_invoke(&SafeMPI::Intracomm::Split,
+                                           world.mpi.comm(), own, world.rank());
       worlds.push_back(std::make_unique<World>(comm));
       auto &owners = worlds.back();
       if (!own) continue;