diff --git a/distributed/scheduler.py b/distributed/scheduler.py
index d0e31aa131f..98a4174775d 100644
--- a/distributed/scheduler.py
+++ b/distributed/scheduler.py
@@ -3288,20 +3288,7 @@ def bulk_schedule_after_adding_worker(self, ws: WorkerState) -> Recs:
 
         Returns priority-ordered recommendations.
         """
-        maybe_runnable: list[TaskState] = []
-        # Schedule any queued tasks onto the new worker
-        if not math.isinf(self.WORKER_SATURATION) and self.queued:
-            for qts in reversed(
-                list(
-                    self.queued.peekn(_task_slots_available(ws, self.WORKER_SATURATION))
-                )
-            ):
-                if self.validate:
-                    assert qts.state == "queued"
-                    assert not qts.processing_on
-                    assert not qts.waiting_on
-
-                maybe_runnable.append(qts)
+        maybe_runnable = list(_next_queued_tasks_for_worker(self, ws))[::-1]
 
         # Schedule any restricted tasks onto the new worker, if the worker can run them
         for ts in self.unrunnable:
@@ -5338,6 +5325,14 @@ def handle_long_running(
         ws.add_to_long_running(ts)
         self.check_idle_saturated(ws)
 
+        recommendations = {
+            qts.key: "processing" for qts in _next_queued_tasks_for_worker(self, ws)
+        }
+        if self.validate:
+            assert len(recommendations) <= 1, (ws, recommendations)
+
+        self.transitions(recommendations, stimulus_id)
+
     def handle_worker_status_change(
         self, status: str | Status, worker: str | WorkerState, stimulus_id: str
     ) -> None:
@@ -7886,21 +7881,32 @@ def _exit_processing_common(
     state.check_idle_saturated(ws)
     state.release_resources(ts, ws)
 
-    # If a slot has opened up for a queued task, schedule it.
-    if state.queued and not _worker_full(ws, state.WORKER_SATURATION):
-        qts = state.queued.peek()
+    for qts in _next_queued_tasks_for_worker(state, ws):
         if state.validate:
-            assert qts.state == "queued", qts.state
             assert qts.key not in recommendations, recommendations[qts.key]
-
-        # NOTE: we don't need to schedule more than one task at once here. Since this is
-        # called each time 1 task completes, multiple tasks must complete for multiple
-        # slots to open up.
         recommendations[qts.key] = "processing"
 
     return ws
 
 
+def _next_queued_tasks_for_worker(
+    state: SchedulerState, ws: WorkerState
+) -> Iterator[TaskState]:
+    """Queued tasks to run, in priority order, on all open slots on a worker"""
+    if not state.queued or ws.status != Status.running:
+        return
+
+    # NOTE: this is called most frequently because a single task has completed, so there
+    # are <= 1 task slots available on the worker.
+    # `peekn` has fast paths for the cases N<=0 and N==1.
+    for qts in state.queued.peekn(_task_slots_available(ws, state.WORKER_SATURATION)):
+        if state.validate:
+            assert qts.state == "queued", qts.state
+            assert not qts.processing_on
+            assert not qts.waiting_on
+        yield qts
+
+
 def _add_to_memory(
     state: SchedulerState,
     ts: TaskState,
diff --git a/distributed/tests/test_scheduler.py b/distributed/tests/test_scheduler.py
index 6e84db227d9..db231c317dd 100644
--- a/distributed/tests/test_scheduler.py
+++ b/distributed/tests/test_scheduler.py
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
     varying,
     wait_for_state,
 )
-from distributed.worker import dumps_function, dumps_task, get_worker
+from distributed.worker import dumps_function, dumps_task, get_worker, secede
 
 pytestmark = pytest.mark.ci1
 
@@ -479,6 +479,26 @@ async def test_queued_remove_add_worker(c, s, a, b):
         await wait(fs)
 
 
+@gen_cluster(client=True, nthreads=[("", 1)])
+async def test_secede_opens_slot(c, s, a):
+    first = Event()
+    second = Event()
+
+    def func(first, second):
+        first.wait()
+        secede()
+        second.wait()
+
+    fs = c.map(func, [first] * 5, [second] * 5)
+    await async_wait_for(lambda: a.state.executing, timeout=5)
+
+    await first.set()
+    await async_wait_for(lambda: len(a.state.long_running) == len(fs), timeout=5)
+
+    await second.set()
+    await c.gather(fs)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "saturation_config, expected_task_counts",
     [