diff --git a/distributed/client.py b/distributed/client.py
index 4e424a7386..5dfc436553 100644
--- a/distributed/client.py
+++ b/distributed/client.py
@@ -2210,8 +2210,8 @@ async def _gather(self, futures, errors="raise", direct=None, local_worker=None)
         if mismatched_futures:
             raise ValueError(
                 "Cannot gather Futures created by another client. "
-                f"These are the {len(mismatched_futures)} (out of {len(futures)}) mismatched Futures and their client IDs "
-                f"(this client is {self.id}): "
+                f"These are the {len(mismatched_futures)} (out of {len(futures)}) "
+                f"mismatched Futures and their client IDs (this client is {self.id}): "
                 f"{ {f: f.client.id for f in mismatched_futures} }"
             )
         keys = [stringify(future.key) for future in future_set]
diff --git a/distributed/scheduler.py b/distributed/scheduler.py
index 3d59b15982..e83e97c7eb 100644
--- a/distributed/scheduler.py
+++ b/distributed/scheduler.py
@@ -5887,7 +5887,6 @@ async def gather(
         self, keys: Collection[str], serializers: list[str] | None = None
     ) -> dict[str, Any]:
         """Collect data from workers to the scheduler"""
-        stimulus_id = f"gather-{time()}"
         data = {}
         missing_keys = list(keys)
         failed_keys: list[str] = []
@@ -5924,20 +5923,6 @@ async def gather(
             for key in failed_keys
         }
         logger.error("Couldn't gather keys: %s", failed_states)
-
-        if missing_workers:
-            with log_errors():
-                # Remove suspicious workers from the scheduler and shut them down.
-                await asyncio.gather(
-                    *(
-                        self.remove_worker(
-                            address=worker, close=True, stimulus_id=stimulus_id
-                        )
-                        for worker in missing_workers
-                    )
-                )
-                logger.error("Shut down unresponsive workers:: %s", missing_workers)
-
         return {"status": "error", "keys": list(failed_keys)}
 
     @log_errors
diff --git a/distributed/tests/test_scheduler.py b/distributed/tests/test_scheduler.py
index 890b4d8dd1..95d0ee9849 100644
--- a/distributed/tests/test_scheduler.py
+++ b/distributed/tests/test_scheduler.py
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
     varying,
     wait_for_state,
 )
-from distributed.worker import dumps_function, get_worker, secede
+from distributed.worker import dumps_function, secede
 
 pytestmark = pytest.mark.ci1
 
@@ -2860,56 +2860,41 @@ async def test_gather_no_workers(c, s, a, b):
     assert list(res["keys"]) == ["x"]
 
 
-@gen_cluster(client=True, client_kwargs={"direct_to_workers": False})
-async def test_gather_bad_worker_removed(c, s, a, b):
-    """
-    Upon connection failure or missing expected keys during gather, a worker is
-    shut down. The tasks should be rescheduled onto different workers, transparently
-    to `client.gather`.
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("direct", [False, True])
+@gen_cluster(
+    client=True,
+    nthreads=[("", 1)],
+    # This behaviour is independent of retries.
+    # Disable them to reduce the complexity of this test.
+    config={"distributed.comm.retry.count": 0},
+)
+async def test_gather_bad_worker(c, s, a, direct):
+    """Upon connection failure, gather() tries again indefinitely and transparently,
+    for as long as the batched comms channel is active.
     """
-    x = c.submit(slowinc, 1, workers=[a.address], allow_other_workers=True)
-
-    def finalizer(*args):
-        return get_worker().address
+    x = c.submit(inc, 1, key="x")
+    c.rpc = await FlakyConnectionPool(failing_connections=3)
+    s.rpc = await FlakyConnectionPool(failing_connections=1)
 
-    fin = c.submit(
-        finalizer, x, key="final", workers=[a.address], allow_other_workers=True
-    )
+    with captured_logger("distributed.scheduler") as sched_logger:
+        with captured_logger("distributed.client") as client_logger:
+            assert await c.gather(x, direct=direct) == 2
 
-    s.rpc = await FlakyConnectionPool(failing_connections=1)
+    assert "Couldn't gather keys: {'x': 'memory'}" in sched_logger.getvalue()
+    assert "Couldn't gather 1 keys, rescheduling ('x',)" in client_logger.getvalue()
 
-    # This behaviour is independent of retries. Remove them to reduce complexity
-    # of this setup
-    with dask.config.set({"distributed.comm.retry.count": 0}):
-        with captured_logger(
-            logging.getLogger("distributed.scheduler")
-        ) as sched_logger, captured_logger(
-            logging.getLogger("distributed.client")
-        ) as client_logger:
-            # Gather using the client (as an ordinary user would)
-            # Upon a missing key, the client will remove the bad worker and
-            # reschedule the computations
-
-            # Both tasks are rescheduled onto `b`, since `a` was removed.
-            assert await fin == b.address
-
-            await a.finished()
-            assert list(s.workers) == [b.address]
-
-            sched_logger = sched_logger.getvalue()
-            client_logger = client_logger.getvalue()
-            assert "Shut down unresponsive workers" in sched_logger
-
-            assert "Couldn't gather 1 keys, rescheduling" in client_logger
-
-            assert s.tasks[fin.key].who_has == {s.workers[b.address]}
-            assert a.state.executed_count == 2
-            assert b.state.executed_count >= 1
-            # ^ leave room for a future switch from `remove_worker` to `retire_workers`
-
-    # Ensure that the communication was done via the scheduler, i.e. we actually hit a
-    # bad connection
-    assert s.rpc.cnn_count > 0
+    if direct:
+        # 1. try direct=True; fail
+        # 2. fall back to direct=False; fail
+        # 3. try direct=True again; fail
+        # 4. fall back to direct=False again; success
+        assert c.rpc.cnn_count == 2
+        assert s.rpc.cnn_count == 2
+    else:
+        # 1. try direct=False; fail
+        # 2. try again direct=False; success
+        assert c.rpc.cnn_count == 0
+        assert s.rpc.cnn_count == 2
 
 
 @gen_cluster(client=True)