diff --git a/src/Databases/DatabaseReplicated.cpp b/src/Databases/DatabaseReplicated.cpp
index 0ac71793e5d..b8ce48a4d5c 100644
--- a/src/Databases/DatabaseReplicated.cpp
+++ b/src/Databases/DatabaseReplicated.cpp
@@ -351,7 +351,6 @@ void DatabaseReplicated::recoverLostReplica(const ZooKeeperPtr & current_zookeep
     else if (!tables_to_detach.empty())
         LOG_WARNING(log, "Will DETACH PERMANENTLY {} broken tables to recover replica", tables_to_detach.size());
 
-    auto db_guard = DatabaseCatalog::instance().getDDLGuard(getDatabaseName(), "");
     for (const auto & table_name : tables_to_detach)
     {
         String to_name = fmt::format("{}_{}_{}_{}", BROKEN_TABLE_PREFIX, table_name, max_log_ptr, thread_local_rng() % 1000);
@@ -517,12 +516,12 @@ void DatabaseReplicated::renameTable(const Context & context, const String & tab
             throw Exception(ErrorCodes::UNKNOWN_TABLE, "Table {} does not exist", to_table_name);
 
         String statement = readMetadataFile(table_name);
-        String statement_to = readMetadataFile(to_table_name);
         String metadata_zk_path = txn->zookeeper_path + "/metadata/" + escapeForFileName(table_name);
         String metadata_zk_path_to = txn->zookeeper_path + "/metadata/" + escapeForFileName(to_table_name);
         txn->ops.emplace_back(zkutil::makeRemoveRequest(metadata_zk_path, -1));
         if (exchange)
         {
+            String statement_to = readMetadataFile(to_table_name);
             txn->ops.emplace_back(zkutil::makeRemoveRequest(metadata_zk_path_to, -1));
             txn->ops.emplace_back(zkutil::makeCreateRequest(metadata_zk_path, statement_to, zkutil::CreateMode::Persistent));
         }
diff --git a/src/Interpreters/DDLWorker.cpp b/src/Interpreters/DDLWorker.cpp
index 975eaeaca1b..9a398df07b5 100644
--- a/src/Interpreters/DDLWorker.cpp
+++ b/src/Interpreters/DDLWorker.cpp
@@ -788,15 +788,33 @@ void DDLWorker::cleanupQueue(Int64, const ZooKeeperPtr & zookeeper)
             /// Now we can safely delete entry
             LOG_INFO(log, "Task {} is outdated, deleting it", node_name);
 
-            /// We recursively delete all nodes except entry/finished to prevent staled hosts from
-            /// creating entry/active node (see createStatusDirs(...))
+            /// We recursively delete all nodes except node_path/finished to prevent staled hosts from
+            /// creating node_path/active node (see createStatusDirs(...))
             zookeeper->tryRemoveChildrenRecursive(node_path, "finished");
 
-            /// And then we remove entry and entry/finished in a single transaction
+            /// And then we remove node_path and node_path/finished in a single transaction
             Coordination::Requests ops;
+            Coordination::Responses res;
+            ops.emplace_back(zkutil::makeCheckRequest(node_path, -1));  /// See a comment below
             ops.emplace_back(zkutil::makeRemoveRequest(fs::path(node_path) / "finished", -1));
             ops.emplace_back(zkutil::makeRemoveRequest(node_path, -1));
-            zookeeper->multi(ops);
+            auto rm_entry_res = zookeeper->tryMulti(ops, res);
+            if (rm_entry_res == Coordination::Error::ZNONODE)
+            {
+                /// Most likely both node_path/finished and node_path were removed concurrently.
+                bool entry_removed_concurrently = res[0]->error == Coordination::Error::ZNONODE;
+                if (entry_removed_concurrently)
+                    continue;
+
+                /// Possible rare case: initiator node has lost connection after enqueueing entry and failed to create status dirs.
+                /// No one has started to process the entry, so node_path/active and node_path/finished nodes were never created, node_path has no children.
+                /// Entry became outdated, but we cannot remove remove it in a transaction with node_path/finished.
+                assert(res[0]->error == Coordination::Error::ZOK && res[1]->error == Coordination::Error::ZNONODE);
+                rm_entry_res = zookeeper->tryRemove(node_path);
+                assert(rm_entry_res != Coordination::Error::ZNOTEMPTY);
+                continue;
+            }
+            zkutil::KeeperMultiException::check(rm_entry_res, ops, res);
         }
         catch (...)
         {
@@ -828,12 +846,27 @@ void DDLWorker::createStatusDirs(const std::string & node_path, const ZooKeeperP
 
     Coordination::Responses responses;
     Coordination::Error code = zookeeper->tryMulti(ops, responses);
+
     bool both_created = code == Coordination::Error::ZOK;
+
+    /// Failed on attempt to create node_path/active because it exists, so node_path/finished must exist too
     bool both_already_exists = responses.size() == 2 && responses[0]->error == Coordination::Error::ZNODEEXISTS
-                                                     && responses[1]->error == Coordination::Error::ZNODEEXISTS;
+                                                     && responses[1]->error == Coordination::Error::ZRUNTIMEINCONSISTENCY;
+    assert(!both_already_exists || (zookeeper->exists(fs::path(node_path) / "active") && zookeeper->exists(fs::path(node_path) / "finished")));
+
+    /// Failed on attempt to create node_path/finished, but node_path/active does not exist
+    bool is_currently_deleting = responses.size() == 2 && responses[0]->error == Coordination::Error::ZOK
+                                                       && responses[1]->error == Coordination::Error::ZNODEEXISTS;
     if (both_created || both_already_exists)
         return;
-    throw Coordination::Exception(code);
+
+    if (is_currently_deleting)
+        throw Exception(ErrorCodes::UNFINISHED, "Cannot create status dirs for {}, "
+                        "most likely because someone is deleting it concurrently", node_path);
+
+    /// Connection lost or entry was removed
+    assert(Coordination::isHardwareError(code) || code == Coordination::Error::ZNONODE);
+    zkutil::KeeperMultiException::check(code, ops, responses);
 }