diff --git a/internal/manager/persistence/jobs.go b/internal/manager/persistence/jobs.go
index 250d8e7a..ab9cf465 100644
--- a/internal/manager/persistence/jobs.go
+++ b/internal/manager/persistence/jobs.go
@@ -466,7 +466,7 @@ func (db *DB) FetchTask(ctx context.Context, taskUUID string) (*Task, error) {
 		return nil, taskError(err, "fetching task %s", taskUUID)
 	}
 
-	convertedTask, err := convertSqlcTask(taskRow)
+	convertedTask, err := convertSqlcTask(taskRow.Task, taskRow.JobUUID.String, taskRow.WorkerUUID.String)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -605,32 +605,60 @@ func (db *DB) SaveTaskActivity(ctx context.Context, t *Task) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// TaskAssignToWorker assigns the given task to the given worker.
+// This function is only used by unit tests. During normal operation, Flamenco
+// uses the code in task_scheduler.go to assign tasks to workers.
 func (db *DB) TaskAssignToWorker(ctx context.Context, t *Task, w *Worker) error {
-	tx := db.gormDB.WithContext(ctx).
-		Model(t).
-		Select("WorkerID").
-		Updates(Task{WorkerID: &w.ID})
-	if tx.Error != nil {
-		return taskError(tx.Error, "assigning task %s to worker %s", t.UUID, w.UUID)
+	queries, err := db.queries()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
-	// Gorm updates t.WorkerID itself, but not t.Worker (even when it's added to
-	// the Updates() call above).
+	err = queries.TaskAssignToWorker(ctx, sqlc.TaskAssignToWorkerParams{
+		UpdatedAt: db.now(),
+		WorkerID: sql.NullInt64{
+			Int64: int64(w.ID),
+			Valid: true,
+		},
+		ID: int64(t.ID),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return taskError(err, "assigning task %s to worker %s", t.UUID, w.UUID)
+	}
+
+	// Update the task itself.
 	t.Worker = w
+	t.WorkerID = &w.ID
 
 	return nil
 }
 
 func (db *DB) FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatus(ctx context.Context, worker *Worker, taskStatus api.TaskStatus) ([]*Task, error) {
-	result := []*Task{}
-	tx := db.gormDB.WithContext(ctx).
-		Model(&Task{}).
-		Joins("Job").
-		Where("tasks.worker_id = ?", worker.ID).
-		Where("tasks.status = ?", taskStatus).
-		Scan(&result)
-	if tx.Error != nil {
-		return nil, taskError(tx.Error, "finding tasks of worker %s in status %q", worker.UUID, taskStatus)
+	queries, err := db.queries()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rows, err := queries.FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatus(ctx, sqlc.FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatusParams{
+		WorkerID: sql.NullInt64{
+			Int64: int64(worker.ID),
+			Valid: true,
+		},
+		TaskStatus: string(taskStatus),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, taskError(err, "finding tasks of worker %s in status %q", worker.UUID, taskStatus)
+	}
+
+	result := make([]*Task, len(rows))
+	for i := range rows {
+		gormTask, err := convertSqlcTask(rows[i].Task, rows[i].JobUUID.String, worker.UUID)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		gormTask.Worker = worker
+		gormTask.WorkerID = &worker.ID
+		result[i] = gormTask
 	}
 	return result, nil
 }
@@ -902,37 +930,37 @@ func convertSqlcJob(job sqlc.Job) (*Job, error) {
 // model expected by the rest of the code. This is mostly in place to aid in the
 // GORM to SQLC migration. It is intended that eventually the rest of the code
 // will use the same SQLC-generated model.
-func convertSqlcTask(taskRow sqlc.FetchTaskRow) (*Task, error) {
+func convertSqlcTask(task sqlc.Task, jobUUID string, workerUUID string) (*Task, error) {
 	dbTask := Task{
 		Model: Model{
-			ID:        uint(taskRow.Task.ID),
-			CreatedAt: taskRow.Task.CreatedAt,
-			UpdatedAt: taskRow.Task.UpdatedAt.Time,
+			ID:        uint(task.ID),
+			CreatedAt: task.CreatedAt,
+			UpdatedAt: task.UpdatedAt.Time,
 		},
 
-		UUID:          taskRow.Task.UUID,
-		Name:          taskRow.Task.Name,
-		Type:          taskRow.Task.Type,
-		Priority:      int(taskRow.Task.Priority),
-		Status:        api.TaskStatus(taskRow.Task.Status),
-		LastTouchedAt: taskRow.Task.LastTouchedAt.Time,
-		Activity:      taskRow.Task.Activity,
+		UUID:          task.UUID,
+		Name:          task.Name,
+		Type:          task.Type,
+		Priority:      int(task.Priority),
+		Status:        api.TaskStatus(task.Status),
+		LastTouchedAt: task.LastTouchedAt.Time,
+		Activity:      task.Activity,
 
-		JobID:      uint(taskRow.Task.JobID),
-		JobUUID:    taskRow.JobUUID.String,
-		WorkerUUID: taskRow.WorkerUUID.String,
+		JobID:      uint(task.JobID),
+		JobUUID:    jobUUID,
+		WorkerUUID: workerUUID,
 	}
 
 	// TODO: convert dependencies?
 
-	if taskRow.Task.WorkerID.Valid {
-		workerID := uint(taskRow.Task.WorkerID.Int64)
+	if task.WorkerID.Valid {
+		workerID := uint(task.WorkerID.Int64)
 		dbTask.WorkerID = &workerID
 	}
 
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(taskRow.Task.Commands, &dbTask.Commands); err != nil {
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(task.Commands, &dbTask.Commands); err != nil {
 		return nil, taskError(err, fmt.Sprintf("task %s of job %s has invalid commands: %v",
-			taskRow.Task.UUID, taskRow.JobUUID.String, err))
+			task.UUID, jobUUID, err))
 	}
 
 	return &dbTask, nil
diff --git a/internal/manager/persistence/sqlc/query_jobs.sql b/internal/manager/persistence/sqlc/query_jobs.sql
index bb37b454..8fe44f6b 100644
--- a/internal/manager/persistence/sqlc/query_jobs.sql
+++ b/internal/manager/persistence/sqlc/query_jobs.sql
@@ -69,6 +69,13 @@ LEFT JOIN jobs ON (tasks.job_id = jobs.id)
 LEFT JOIN workers ON (tasks.worker_id = workers.id)
 WHERE tasks.uuid = @uuid;
 
+-- name: FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatus :many
+SELECT sqlc.embed(tasks), jobs.UUID as jobUUID
+FROM tasks
+LEFT JOIN jobs ON (tasks.job_id = jobs.id)
+WHERE tasks.worker_id = @worker_id
+  AND tasks.status = @task_status;
+
 -- name: FetchTaskJobUUID :one
 SELECT jobs.UUID as jobUUID
 FROM tasks
@@ -100,3 +107,9 @@ UPDATE tasks SET
   updated_at = @updated_at,
   activity = @activity
 WHERE id=@id;
+
+-- name: TaskAssignToWorker :exec
+UPDATE tasks SET
+  updated_at = @updated_at,
+  worker_id = @worker_id
+WHERE id=@id;
diff --git a/internal/manager/persistence/sqlc/query_jobs.sql.go b/internal/manager/persistence/sqlc/query_jobs.sql.go
index 1ebe76a1..6f9e8d16 100644
--- a/internal/manager/persistence/sqlc/query_jobs.sql.go
+++ b/internal/manager/persistence/sqlc/query_jobs.sql.go
@@ -285,6 +285,62 @@ func (q *Queries) FetchTaskJobUUID(ctx context.Context, uuid string) (sql.NullSt
 	return jobuuid, err
 }
 
+const fetchTasksOfWorkerInStatus = `-- name: FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatus :many
+SELECT tasks.id, tasks.created_at, tasks.updated_at, tasks.uuid, tasks.name, tasks.type, tasks.job_id, tasks.priority, tasks.status, tasks.worker_id, tasks.last_touched_at, tasks.commands, tasks.activity, jobs.UUID as jobUUID
+FROM tasks
+LEFT JOIN jobs ON (tasks.job_id = jobs.id)
+WHERE tasks.worker_id = ?1
+  AND tasks.status = ?2
+`
+
+type FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatusParams struct {
+	WorkerID   sql.NullInt64
+	TaskStatus string
+}
+
+type FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatusRow struct {
+	Task    Task
+	JobUUID sql.NullString
+}
+
+func (q *Queries) FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatus(ctx context.Context, arg FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatusParams) ([]FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatusRow, error) {
+	rows, err := q.db.QueryContext(ctx, fetchTasksOfWorkerInStatus, arg.WorkerID, arg.TaskStatus)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var items []FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatusRow
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var i FetchTasksOfWorkerInStatusRow
+		if err := rows.Scan(
+			&i.Task.ID,
+			&i.Task.CreatedAt,
+			&i.Task.UpdatedAt,
+			&i.Task.UUID,
+			&i.Task.Name,
+			&i.Task.Type,
+			&i.Task.JobID,
+			&i.Task.Priority,
+			&i.Task.Status,
+			&i.Task.WorkerID,
+			&i.Task.LastTouchedAt,
+			&i.Task.Commands,
+			&i.Task.Activity,
+			&i.JobUUID,
+		); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		items = append(items, i)
+	}
+	if err := rows.Close(); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return items, nil
+}
+
 const requestJobDeletion = `-- name: RequestJobDeletion :exec
 UPDATE jobs SET
   updated_at = ?1,
@@ -380,6 +436,24 @@ func (q *Queries) SaveJobStorageInfo(ctx context.Context, arg SaveJobStorageInfo
 	return err
 }
 
+const taskAssignToWorker = `-- name: TaskAssignToWorker :exec
+UPDATE tasks SET
+  updated_at = ?1,
+  worker_id = ?2
+WHERE id=?3
+`
+
+type TaskAssignToWorkerParams struct {
+	UpdatedAt sql.NullTime
+	WorkerID  sql.NullInt64
+	ID        int64
+}
+
+func (q *Queries) TaskAssignToWorker(ctx context.Context, arg TaskAssignToWorkerParams) error {
+	_, err := q.db.ExecContext(ctx, taskAssignToWorker, arg.UpdatedAt, arg.WorkerID, arg.ID)
+	return err
+}
+
 const updateTask = `-- name: UpdateTask :exec
 UPDATE tasks SET
   updated_at = ?1,