diff --git a/extern/sector-storage/sched_worker.go b/extern/sector-storage/sched_worker.go
index e56e9056d..29c730b03 100644
--- a/extern/sector-storage/sched_worker.go
+++ b/extern/sector-storage/sched_worker.go
@@ -139,10 +139,17 @@ func (sw *schedWorker) handleWorker() {
 
 			// wait for more tasks to be assigned by the main scheduler or for the worker
 			// to finish precessing a task
-			update, ok := sw.waitForUpdates()
+			update, pokeSched, ok := sw.waitForUpdates()
 			if !ok {
 				return
 			}
+			if pokeSched {
+				// a task has finished preparing, which can mean that we've freed some space on some worker
+				select {
+				case sched.workerChange <- struct{}{}:
+				default: // workerChange is buffered, and scheduling is global, so it's ok if we don't send here
+				}
+			}
 			if update {
 				break
 			}
@@ -257,23 +264,23 @@ func (sw *schedWorker) requestWindows() bool {
 	return true
 }
 
-func (sw *schedWorker) waitForUpdates() (update bool, ok bool) {
+func (sw *schedWorker) waitForUpdates() (update bool, sched bool, ok bool) {
 	select {
 	case <-sw.heartbeatTimer.C:
-		return false, true
+		return false, false, true
 	case w := <-sw.scheduledWindows:
 		sw.worker.wndLk.Lock()
 		sw.worker.activeWindows = append(sw.worker.activeWindows, w)
 		sw.worker.wndLk.Unlock()
-		return true, true
+		return true, false, true
 	case <-sw.taskDone:
 		log.Debugw("task done", "workerid", sw.wid)
-		return true, true
+		return true, true, true
 	case <-sw.sched.closing:
 	case <-sw.worker.closingMgr:
 	}
 
-	return false, false
+	return false, false, false
 }
 
 func (sw *schedWorker) workerCompactWindows() {