diff --git a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/chttp2_transport.c b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/chttp2_transport.c
index 127e1cdc132..570f2893021 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/chttp2_transport.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/chttp2_transport.c
@@ -111,9 +111,6 @@ static void incoming_byte_stream_update_flow_control(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
 static void incoming_byte_stream_destroy_locked(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
                                                 void *byte_stream,
                                                 grpc_error *error_ignored);
-static void fail_pending_writes(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
-                                grpc_chttp2_transport *t, grpc_chttp2_stream *s,
-                                grpc_error *error);
 
 static void benign_reclaimer(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx, void *t,
                              grpc_error *error);
@@ -428,6 +425,7 @@ static void close_transport_locked(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
     /* flush writable stream list to avoid dangling references */
     grpc_chttp2_stream *s;
     while (grpc_chttp2_list_pop_writable_stream(t, &s)) {
+      grpc_chttp2_leave_writing_lists(exec_ctx, t, s);
       GRPC_CHTTP2_STREAM_UNREF(exec_ctx, s, "chttp2_writing:close");
     }
     end_all_the_calls(exec_ctx, t, GRPC_ERROR_REF(error));
@@ -523,6 +521,10 @@ static void destroy_stream_locked(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx, void *sp,
     }
   }
 
+  if (s->fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error != NULL) {
+    GRPC_ERROR_UNREF(s->fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error);
+  }
+
   GPR_ASSERT(s->send_initial_metadata_finished == NULL);
   GPR_ASSERT(s->fetching_send_message == NULL);
   GPR_ASSERT(s->send_trailing_metadata_finished == NULL);
@@ -704,8 +706,6 @@ static void write_action_end_locked(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx, void *tp,
     }
   }
 
-  grpc_chttp2_end_write(exec_ctx, t, GRPC_ERROR_REF(error));
-
   switch (t->write_state) {
     case GRPC_CHTTP2_WRITE_STATE_IDLE:
       GPR_UNREACHABLE_CODE(break);
@@ -734,6 +734,8 @@ static void write_action_end_locked(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx, void *tp,
       break;
   }
 
+  grpc_chttp2_end_write(exec_ctx, t, GRPC_ERROR_REF(error));
+
   GRPC_CHTTP2_UNREF_TRANSPORT(exec_ctx, t, "writing");
   GPR_TIMER_END("terminate_writing_with_lock", 0);
 }
@@ -1388,6 +1390,7 @@ static void remove_stream(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx, grpc_chttp2_transport *t,
     }
   }
   if (grpc_chttp2_list_remove_writable_stream(t, s)) {
+    grpc_chttp2_leave_writing_lists(exec_ctx, t, s);
     GRPC_CHTTP2_STREAM_UNREF(exec_ctx, s, "chttp2_writing:remove_stream");
   }
 
@@ -1518,9 +1521,41 @@ static grpc_error *removal_error(grpc_error *extra_error, grpc_chttp2_stream *s,
   return error;
 }
 
-static void fail_pending_writes(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
-                                grpc_chttp2_transport *t, grpc_chttp2_stream *s,
-                                grpc_error *error) {
+void grpc_chttp2_leave_writing_lists(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
+                                     grpc_chttp2_transport *t,
+                                     grpc_chttp2_stream *s) {
+  if (s->need_fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished) {
+    grpc_error *error = s->fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error;
+    s->fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error = NULL;
+    s->need_fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished = false;
+    grpc_chttp2_fail_pending_writes(exec_ctx, t, s, error);
+  }
+}
+
+void grpc_chttp2_fail_pending_writes(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
+                                     grpc_chttp2_transport *t,
+                                     grpc_chttp2_stream *s, grpc_error *error) {
+  if (s->need_fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished ||
+      (t->write_state != GRPC_CHTTP2_WRITE_STATE_IDLE &&
+       (s->included[GRPC_CHTTP2_LIST_WRITABLE] ||
+        s->included[GRPC_CHTTP2_LIST_WRITING]))) {
+    /* If a write is in progress, and it involves this stream, wait for the
+     * write to complete before cancelling things out. If we don't do this, then
+     * our combiner lock might think that some operation on its queue might be
+     * covering a completion even though there is none, in which case we might
+     * offload to another thread, which isn't guarateed to exist */
+    if (error != GRPC_ERROR_NONE) {
+      if (s->fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error == GRPC_ERROR_NONE) {
+        s->fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error = GRPC_ERROR_CREATE(
+            "Post-poned fail writes due to in-progress write");
+      }
+      s->fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error = grpc_error_add_child(
+          s->fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error, error);
+    }
+    s->need_fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished = true;
+    return; /* early out */
+  }
+
   error =
       removal_error(error, s, "Pending writes failed due to stream closure");
   s->send_initial_metadata = NULL;
@@ -1529,6 +1564,12 @@ static void fail_pending_writes(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
       "send_initial_metadata_finished");
 
   s->send_trailing_metadata = NULL;
+  if (s->send_trailing_metadata_finished) {
+    const char *why = grpc_error_string(error);
+    gpr_log(GPR_DEBUG, "cancel send_trailing_metadata: writing=%d %s",
+            t->write_state, why);
+    grpc_error_free_string(why);
+  }
   grpc_chttp2_complete_closure_step(
       exec_ctx, t, s, &s->send_trailing_metadata_finished,
       GRPC_ERROR_REF(error), "send_trailing_metadata_finished");
@@ -1574,7 +1615,7 @@ void grpc_chttp2_mark_stream_closed(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
   if (close_writes && !s->write_closed) {
     s->write_closed_error = GRPC_ERROR_REF(error);
     s->write_closed = true;
-    fail_pending_writes(exec_ctx, t, s, GRPC_ERROR_REF(error));
+    grpc_chttp2_fail_pending_writes(exec_ctx, t, s, GRPC_ERROR_REF(error));
     grpc_chttp2_maybe_complete_recv_trailing_metadata(exec_ctx, t, s);
   }
   if (s->read_closed && s->write_closed) {
diff --git a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/internal.h b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/internal.h
index b74233d9923..6cba1e7fd20 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/internal.h
+++ b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/internal.h
@@ -409,6 +409,9 @@ struct grpc_chttp2_stream {
   grpc_error *read_closed_error;
   /** the error that resulted in this stream being write-closed */
   grpc_error *write_closed_error;
+  /** should any writes be cleared once this stream becomes non-writable */
+  bool need_fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished;
+  grpc_error *fail_pending_writes_on_writes_finished_error;
 
   grpc_published_metadata_method published_metadata[2];
   bool final_metadata_requested;
@@ -689,4 +692,11 @@ void grpc_chttp2_maybe_complete_recv_trailing_metadata(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
                                                        grpc_chttp2_transport *t,
                                                        grpc_chttp2_stream *s);
 
+void grpc_chttp2_leave_writing_lists(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
+                                     grpc_chttp2_transport *t,
+                                     grpc_chttp2_stream *s);
+void grpc_chttp2_fail_pending_writes(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
+                                     grpc_chttp2_transport *t,
+                                     grpc_chttp2_stream *s, grpc_error *error);
+
 #endif /* GRPC_CORE_EXT_TRANSPORT_CHTTP2_TRANSPORT_INTERNAL_H */
diff --git a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/writing.c b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/writing.c
index 139e7387c4d..769b229a0da 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/writing.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/writing.c
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ bool grpc_chttp2_begin_write(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
         GRPC_CHTTP2_STREAM_UNREF(exec_ctx, s, "chttp2_writing:already_writing");
       }
     } else {
+      grpc_chttp2_leave_writing_lists(exec_ctx, t, s);
       GRPC_CHTTP2_STREAM_UNREF(exec_ctx, s, "chttp2_writing:no_write");
     }
   }
@@ -252,6 +253,7 @@ void grpc_chttp2_end_write(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx, grpc_chttp2_transport *t,
       grpc_chttp2_mark_stream_closed(exec_ctx, t, s, !t->is_client, 1,
                                      GRPC_ERROR_REF(error));
     }
+    grpc_chttp2_leave_writing_lists(exec_ctx, t, s);
     GRPC_CHTTP2_STREAM_UNREF(exec_ctx, s, "chttp2_writing:end");
   }
   grpc_slice_buffer_reset_and_unref(&t->outbuf);
diff --git a/src/core/lib/iomgr/combiner.c b/src/core/lib/iomgr/combiner.c
index 60ee14eb232..cfc67020ae7 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/iomgr/combiner.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/iomgr/combiner.c
@@ -90,6 +90,12 @@ static bool is_covered_by_poller(grpc_combiner *lock) {
          gpr_atm_acq_load(&lock->elements_covered_by_poller) > 0;
 }
 
+#define IS_COVERED_BY_POLLER_FMT "(final=%d elems=%" PRIdPTR ")->%d"
+#define IS_COVERED_BY_POLLER_ARGS(lock)                      \
+  (lock)->final_list_covered_by_poller,                      \
+      gpr_atm_acq_load(&(lock)->elements_covered_by_poller), \
+      is_covered_by_poller((lock))
+
 grpc_combiner *grpc_combiner_create(grpc_workqueue *optional_workqueue) {
   grpc_combiner *lock = gpr_malloc(sizeof(*lock));
   lock->next_combiner_on_this_exec_ctx = NULL;
@@ -197,9 +203,10 @@ bool grpc_combiner_continue_exec_ctx(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx) {
   GRPC_COMBINER_TRACE(
       gpr_log(GPR_DEBUG,
               "C:%p grpc_combiner_continue_exec_ctx workqueue=%p "
-              "is_covered_by_poller=%d exec_ctx_ready_to_finish=%d "
+              "is_covered_by_poller=" IS_COVERED_BY_POLLER_FMT
+              " exec_ctx_ready_to_finish=%d "
               "time_to_execute_final_list=%d",
-              lock, lock->optional_workqueue, is_covered_by_poller(lock),
+              lock, lock->optional_workqueue, IS_COVERED_BY_POLLER_ARGS(lock),
               grpc_exec_ctx_ready_to_finish(exec_ctx),
               lock->time_to_execute_final_list));