diff --git a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
--- a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
+++ b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
@@ -1113,6 +1113,7 @@
     'DrydockResourceDatasource' => 'applications/drydock/typeahead/DrydockResourceDatasource.php',
     'DrydockResourceListController' => 'applications/drydock/controller/DrydockResourceListController.php',
     'DrydockResourceListView' => 'applications/drydock/view/DrydockResourceListView.php',
+    'DrydockResourceLockException' => 'applications/drydock/exception/DrydockResourceLockException.php',
     'DrydockResourcePHIDType' => 'applications/drydock/phid/DrydockResourcePHIDType.php',
     'DrydockResourceQuery' => 'applications/drydock/query/DrydockResourceQuery.php',
     'DrydockResourceReclaimLogType' => 'applications/drydock/logtype/DrydockResourceReclaimLogType.php',
@@ -6344,6 +6345,7 @@
     'DrydockResourceDatasource' => 'PhabricatorTypeaheadDatasource',
     'DrydockResourceListController' => 'DrydockResourceController',
     'DrydockResourceListView' => 'AphrontView',
+    'DrydockResourceLockException' => 'Exception',
     'DrydockResourcePHIDType' => 'PhabricatorPHIDType',
     'DrydockResourceQuery' => 'DrydockQuery',
     'DrydockResourceReclaimLogType' => 'DrydockLogType',
diff --git a/src/applications/drydock/exception/DrydockResourceLockException.php b/src/applications/drydock/exception/DrydockResourceLockException.php
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/applications/drydock/exception/DrydockResourceLockException.php
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+<?php
+
+final class DrydockResourceLockException
+  extends Exception {}
diff --git a/src/applications/drydock/storage/DrydockLease.php b/src/applications/drydock/storage/DrydockLease.php
--- a/src/applications/drydock/storage/DrydockLease.php
+++ b/src/applications/drydock/storage/DrydockLease.php
@@ -213,30 +213,75 @@
       }
     }
 
-    $this->openTransaction();
+    // Before we associate the lease with the resource, we lock the resource
+    // and reload it to make sure it is still pending or active. If we don't
+    // do this, the resource may have just been reclaimed. (Once we acquire
+    // the resource that stops it from being released, so we're nearly safe.)
+
+    $resource_phid = $resource->getPHID();
+    $hash = PhabricatorHash::digestForIndex($resource_phid);
+    $lock_key = 'drydock.resource:'.$hash;
+    $lock = PhabricatorGlobalLock::newLock($lock_key);
 
     try {
-      DrydockSlotLock::acquireLocks($this->getPHID(), $this->slotLocks);
-      $this->slotLocks = array();
-    } catch (DrydockSlotLockException $ex) {
-      $this->killTransaction();
+      $lock->lock(15);
+    } catch (Exception $ex) {
+      throw new DrydockResourceLockException(
+        pht(
+          'Failed to acquire lock for resource ("%s") while trying to '.
+          'acquire lease ("%s").',
+          $resource->getPHID(),
+          $this->getPHID()));
+    }
 
-      $this->logEvent(
-        DrydockSlotLockFailureLogType::LOGCONST,
-        array(
-          'locks' => $ex->getLockMap(),
-        ));
+    $resource->reload();
 
-      throw $ex;
+    if (($resource->getStatus() !== DrydockResourceStatus::STATUS_ACTIVE) &&
+        ($resource->getStatus() !== DrydockResourceStatus::STATUS_PENDING)) {
+      throw new DrydockAcquiredBrokenResourceException(
+        pht(
+          'Trying to acquire lease ("%s") on a resource ("%s") in the '.
+          'wrong status ("%s").',
+          $this->getPHID(),
+          $resource->getPHID(),
+          $resource->getStatus()));
     }
 
-    $this
-      ->setResourcePHID($resource->getPHID())
-      ->attachResource($resource)
-      ->setStatus($new_status)
-      ->save();
+    $caught = null;
+    try {
+      $this->openTransaction();
 
-    $this->saveTransaction();
+      try {
+        DrydockSlotLock::acquireLocks($this->getPHID(), $this->slotLocks);
+        $this->slotLocks = array();
+      } catch (DrydockSlotLockException $ex) {
+        $this->killTransaction();
+
+        $this->logEvent(
+          DrydockSlotLockFailureLogType::LOGCONST,
+          array(
+            'locks' => $ex->getLockMap(),
+          ));
+
+        throw $ex;
+      }
+
+      $this
+        ->setResourcePHID($resource->getPHID())
+        ->attachResource($resource)
+        ->setStatus($new_status)
+        ->save();
+
+      $this->saveTransaction();
+    } catch (Exception $ex) {
+      $caught = $ex;
+    }
+
+    $lock->unlock();
+
+    if ($caught) {
+      throw $caught;
+    }
 
     $this->isAcquired = true;
 
diff --git a/src/applications/drydock/worker/DrydockLeaseUpdateWorker.php b/src/applications/drydock/worker/DrydockLeaseUpdateWorker.php
--- a/src/applications/drydock/worker/DrydockLeaseUpdateWorker.php
+++ b/src/applications/drydock/worker/DrydockLeaseUpdateWorker.php
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 
       $lease
         ->setStatus(DrydockLeaseStatus::STATUS_PENDING)
+        ->setResourcePHID(null)
         ->save();
 
       $lease->logEvent(
@@ -301,23 +302,38 @@
     $resources = $this->rankResources($resources, $lease);
 
     $exceptions = array();
+    $yields = array();
     $allocated = false;
     foreach ($resources as $resource) {
       try {
         $this->acquireLease($resource, $lease);
         $allocated = true;
         break;
+      } catch (DrydockResourceLockException $ex) {
+        // We need to lock the resource to actually acquire it. If we aren't
+        // able to acquire the lock quickly enough, we can yield and try again
+        // later.
+        $yields[] = $ex;
+      } catch (DrydockAcquiredBrokenResourceException $ex) {
+        // If a resource was reclaimed or destroyed by the time we actually
+        // got around to acquiring it, we just got unlucky. We can yield and
+        // try again later.
+        $yields[] = $ex;
       } catch (Exception $ex) {
         $exceptions[] = $ex;
       }
     }
 
     if (!$allocated) {
-      throw new PhutilAggregateException(
-        pht(
-          'Unable to acquire lease "%s" on any resource.',
-          $lease->getPHID()),
-        $exceptions);
+      if ($yields) {
+        throw new PhabricatorWorkerYieldException(15);
+      } else {
+        throw new PhutilAggregateException(
+          pht(
+            'Unable to acquire lease "%s" on any resource.',
+            $lease->getPHID()),
+          $exceptions);
+      }
     }
   }