diff --git a/components/driver/test/test_pcnt.c b/components/driver/test/test_pcnt.c
index 28f9087fde..a7b33d2940 100644
--- a/components/driver/test/test_pcnt.c
+++ b/components/driver/test/test_pcnt.c
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #define PULSE_IO 21
 #define PCNT_INPUT_IO 4
 #define PCNT_CTRL_VCC_IO 5
-#define PCNT_CTRL_GND_IO 19
+#define PCNT_CTRL_GND_IO 2
 #define HIGHEST_LIMIT 10
 #define LOWEST_LIMIT 0
 #define MAX_THRESHOLD 5
diff --git a/components/esp32c3/ld/esp32c3.peripherals.ld b/components/esp32c3/ld/esp32c3.peripherals.ld
index b23ca368ac..5446f28d9b 100644
--- a/components/esp32c3/ld/esp32c3.peripherals.ld
+++ b/components/esp32c3/ld/esp32c3.peripherals.ld
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ PROVIDE ( UHCI1  = 0x6000c000 );
 PROVIDE ( HOST = 0x60015000 );
 PROVIDE ( RMT = 0x60016000 );
 PROVIDE ( RMTMEM = 0x60016400 );
-PROVIDE ( PCNT = 0x60017000 );
 PROVIDE ( SLC = 0x60018000 );
 PROVIDE ( LEDC = 0x60019000 );
 PROVIDE ( TIMERG0 = 0x6001F000 );
diff --git a/docs/en/api-reference/peripherals/pcnt.rst b/docs/en/api-reference/peripherals/pcnt.rst
index 723c5e268e..22433e8358 100644
--- a/docs/en/api-reference/peripherals/pcnt.rst
+++ b/docs/en/api-reference/peripherals/pcnt.rst
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 Pulse Counter
 =============
 
+{IDF_TARGET_PCNT_UNIT_NUM:default="8", esp32s2="4"}
+{IDF_TARGET_PCNT_MAX_UNIT_NUM:default="7", esp32s2="3"}
+
 Introduction
 ------------
 
@@ -22,13 +25,8 @@ Description of functionality of this API has been broken down into four sections
 
 Configuration
 -------------
-.. only:: esp32
 
-    The PCNT module has eight independent counting "units" numbered from 0 to 7. In the API they are referred to using :cpp:type:`pcnt_unit_t`. Each unit has two independent channels numbered as 0 and 1 and specified with :cpp:type:`pcnt_channel_t`.
-
-.. only:: esp32s2
-
-    The PCNT module has four independent counting "units" numbered from 0 to 3. In the API they are referred to using :cpp:type:`pcnt_unit_t`. Each unit has two independent channels numbered as 0 and 1 and specified with :cpp:type:`pcnt_channel_t`.
+The PCNT module has {IDF_TARGET_PCNT_UNIT_NUM} independent counting "units" numbered from 0 to {IDF_TARGET_PCNT_MAX_UNIT_NUM}. In the API they are referred to using :cpp:type:`pcnt_unit_t`. Each unit has two independent channels numbered as 0 and 1 and specified with :cpp:type:`pcnt_channel_t`.
 
 The configuration is provided separately per unit's channel using :cpp:type:`pcnt_config_t` and covers:
 
diff --git a/examples/peripherals/pcnt/rotary_encoder/components/rotary_encoder/src/rotary_encoder_pcnt_ec11.c b/examples/peripherals/pcnt/rotary_encoder/components/rotary_encoder/src/rotary_encoder_pcnt_ec11.c
index afaec8e35f..d771ceafd3 100644
--- a/examples/peripherals/pcnt/rotary_encoder/components/rotary_encoder/src/rotary_encoder_pcnt_ec11.c
+++ b/examples/peripherals/pcnt/rotary_encoder/components/rotary_encoder/src/rotary_encoder_pcnt_ec11.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "esp_compiler.h"
 #include "esp_log.h"
 #include "driver/pcnt.h"
+#include "sys/lock.h"
 #include "hal/pcnt_hal.h"
 #include "rotary_encoder.h"
 
@@ -34,6 +35,13 @@ static const char *TAG = "rotary_encoder";
 #define EC11_PCNT_DEFAULT_HIGH_LIMIT (100)
 #define EC11_PCNT_DEFAULT_LOW_LIMIT  (-100)
 
+// A flag to identify if pcnt isr service has been installed.
+static bool is_pcnt_isr_service_installed = false;
+// A lock to avoid pcnt isr service being installed twice in multiple threads.
+static _lock_t isr_service_install_lock;
+#define LOCK_ACQUIRE() _lock_acquire(&isr_service_install_lock)
+#define LOCK_RELEASE() _lock_release(&isr_service_install_lock)
+
 typedef struct {
     int accumu_count;
     rotary_encoder_t parent;
@@ -141,8 +149,16 @@ esp_err_t rotary_encoder_new_ec11(const rotary_encoder_config_t *config, rotary_
     pcnt_counter_pause(ec11->pcnt_unit);
     pcnt_counter_clear(ec11->pcnt_unit);
 
-    // register interrupt handler
-    ROTARY_CHECK(pcnt_isr_service_install(0) == ESP_OK, "install isr service failed", err, ESP_FAIL);
+
+    // register interrupt handler in a thread-safe way
+    LOCK_ACQUIRE();
+    if (!is_pcnt_isr_service_installed) {
+        ROTARY_CHECK(pcnt_isr_service_install(0) == ESP_OK, "install isr service failed", err, ESP_FAIL);
+        // make sure pcnt isr service won't be installed more than one time
+        is_pcnt_isr_service_installed = true;
+    }
+    LOCK_RELEASE();
+
     pcnt_isr_handler_add(ec11->pcnt_unit, ec11_pcnt_overflow_handler, ec11);
 
     pcnt_event_enable(ec11->pcnt_unit, PCNT_EVT_H_LIM);