diff --git a/io_uring/io-wq.c b/io_uring/io-wq.c
index 97523ccc7a71..433c003a83e5 100644
--- a/io_uring/io-wq.c
+++ b/io_uring/io-wq.c
@@ -655,9 +655,15 @@ static void io_worker_handle_work(struct io_wq_acct *acct,
 
 			next_hashed = wq_next_work(work);
 
-			if (do_kill &&
-			    (work_flags & IO_WQ_WORK_UNBOUND))
+			/*
+			 * io_wq_exit_workers() signals us once, so that we
+			 * don't sleep for ever. If that was before this work
+			 * became the current one, the signal is gone.
+			 */
+			if (do_kill && (work_flags & IO_WQ_WORK_UNBOUND))
 				atomic_or(IO_WQ_WORK_CANCEL, &work->flags);
+			else if (do_kill)
+				set_notify_signal(current);
 			req = container_of(work, struct io_kiocb, work);
 			kcov_remote_start_common(req->ctx->kcov_handle);
 			io_wq_submit_work(work);