diff --git a/localworker.go b/localworker.go
index f3f12e8c1..a92f01a89 100644
--- a/localworker.go
+++ b/localworker.go
@@ -211,6 +211,10 @@ func (l *LocalWorker) Info(context.Context) (storiface.WorkerInfo, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
+func (l *LocalWorker) Closing(ctx context.Context) (<-chan struct{}, error) {
+	return make(chan struct{}), nil
+}
+
 func (l *LocalWorker) Close() error {
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/manager.go b/manager.go
index f4408b6e0..065370ed6 100644
--- a/manager.go
+++ b/manager.go
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ type Worker interface {
 
 	Info(context.Context) (storiface.WorkerInfo, error)
 
+	// returns channel signalling worker shutdown
+	Closing(context.Context) (<-chan struct{}, error)
+
 	Close() error
 }
 
diff --git a/sched.go b/sched.go
index aaf8b9e26..3822a8683 100644
--- a/sched.go
+++ b/sched.go
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ type scheduler struct {
 	workers    map[WorkerID]*workerHandle
 
 	newWorkers chan *workerHandle
+
+	watchClosing  chan WorkerID
+	workerClosing chan WorkerID
+
 	schedule   chan *workerRequest
 	workerFree chan WorkerID
 	closing    chan struct{}
@@ -47,10 +51,14 @@ func newScheduler(spt abi.RegisteredProof) *scheduler {
 		nextWorker: 0,
 		workers:    map[WorkerID]*workerHandle{},
 
-		newWorkers: make(chan *workerHandle),
-		schedule:   make(chan *workerRequest),
-		workerFree: make(chan WorkerID),
-		closing:    make(chan struct{}),
+		newWorkers:  make(chan *workerHandle),
+
+		watchClosing:  make(chan WorkerID),
+		workerClosing: make(chan WorkerID),
+
+		schedule:    make(chan *workerRequest),
+		workerFree:  make(chan WorkerID),
+		closing:     make(chan struct{}),
 
 		schedQueue: list.New(),
 	}
@@ -128,12 +136,14 @@ type workerHandle struct {
 }
 
 func (sh *scheduler) runSched() {
+	go sh.runWorkerWatcher()
+
 	for {
 		select {
 		case w := <-sh.newWorkers:
-			wid := sh.schedNewWorker(w)
-
-			sh.onWorkerFreed(wid)
+			sh.schedNewWorker(w)
+		case wid := <-sh.workerClosing:
+			sh.schedDropWorker(wid)
 		case req := <-sh.schedule:
 			scheduled, err := sh.maybeSchedRequest(req)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -155,10 +165,18 @@ func (sh *scheduler) runSched() {
 }
 
 func (sh *scheduler) onWorkerFreed(wid WorkerID) {
+	sh.workersLk.Lock()
+	w, ok := sh.workers[wid]
+	sh.workersLk.Unlock()
+	if !ok {
+		log.Warnf("onWorkerFreed on invalid worker %d", wid)
+		return
+	}
+
 	for e := sh.schedQueue.Front(); e != nil; e = e.Next() {
 		req := e.Value.(*workerRequest)
 
-		ok, err := req.sel.Ok(req.ctx, req.taskType, sh.workers[wid])
+		ok, err := req.sel.Ok(req.ctx, req.taskType, w)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Errorf("onWorkerFreed req.sel.Ok error: %+v", err)
 			continue
@@ -411,15 +429,36 @@ func (a *activeResources) utilization(wr storiface.WorkerResources) float64 {
 	return max
 }
 
-func (sh *scheduler) schedNewWorker(w *workerHandle) WorkerID {
+func (sh *scheduler) schedNewWorker(w *workerHandle) {
 	sh.workersLk.Lock()
-	defer sh.workersLk.Unlock()
 
 	id := sh.nextWorker
 	sh.workers[id] = w
 	sh.nextWorker++
 
-	return id
+	sh.workersLk.Unlock()
+
+	select {
+	case sh.watchClosing <- id:
+	case <-sh.closing:
+		return
+	}
+
+	sh.onWorkerFreed(id)
+}
+
+func (sh *scheduler) schedDropWorker(wid WorkerID) {
+	sh.workersLk.Lock()
+	defer sh.workersLk.Unlock()
+
+	w := sh.workers[wid]
+	delete(sh.workers, wid)
+
+	go func() {
+		if err := w.w.Close(); err != nil {
+			log.Warnf("closing worker %d: %+v", err)
+		}
+	}()
 }
 
 func (sh *scheduler) schedClose() {
diff --git a/sched_watch.go b/sched_watch.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c2716aae9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sched_watch.go
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+package sectorstorage
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"reflect"
+)
+
+func (sh *scheduler) runWorkerWatcher() {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.TODO())
+	defer cancel()
+
+	nilch := reflect.ValueOf(new(chan struct{})).Elem()
+
+	cases := []reflect.SelectCase{
+		{
+			Dir:  reflect.SelectRecv,
+			Chan: reflect.ValueOf(sh.closing),
+		},
+		{
+			Dir:  reflect.SelectRecv,
+			Chan: reflect.ValueOf(sh.watchClosing),
+		},
+	}
+
+	caseToWorker := map[int]WorkerID{}
+
+	for {
+		n, rv, ok := reflect.Select(cases)
+
+		switch {
+		case n == 0: // sh.closing
+			return
+		case n == 1: // sh.watchClosing
+			if !ok {
+				log.Errorf("watchClosing channel closed")
+				return
+			}
+
+			wid, ok := rv.Interface().(WorkerID)
+			if !ok {
+				panic("got a non-WorkerID message")
+			}
+
+			sh.workersLk.Lock()
+			workerClosing, err := sh.workers[wid].w.Closing(ctx)
+			sh.workersLk.Unlock()
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Errorf("getting worker closing channel: %+v", err)
+				select {
+				case sh.workerClosing <- wid:
+				case <-sh.closing:
+					return
+				}
+
+				continue
+			}
+
+			toSet := -1
+			for i, sc := range cases {
+				if sc.Chan == nilch {
+					toSet = i
+					break
+				}
+			}
+			if toSet == -1 {
+				toSet = len(cases)
+				cases = append(cases, reflect.SelectCase{})
+			}
+
+			cases[toSet] = reflect.SelectCase{
+				Dir: reflect.SelectRecv,
+				Chan: reflect.ValueOf(workerClosing),
+			}
+
+			caseToWorker[toSet] = wid
+		default:
+			wid := caseToWorker[n]
+
+			delete(caseToWorker, n)
+			cases[n] = reflect.SelectCase{
+				Dir: reflect.SelectRecv,
+				Chan: nilch,
+			}
+
+			log.Warnf("worker %d dropped", wid)
+			select {
+			case sh.workerClosing <- wid:
+			case <-sh.closing:
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}