diff --git a/changes/bug9731 b/changes/bug9731
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..828496af3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug9731
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+  o Major bugfixes:
+    - Do not apply connection_consider_empty_read/write_buckets to
+      cpuworker connections.
diff --git a/src/or/connection.c b/src/or/connection.c
index 6e754a0f7a..78cc31e894 100644
--- a/src/or/connection.c
+++ b/src/or/connection.c
@@ -2483,6 +2483,9 @@ connection_consider_empty_read_buckets(connection_t *conn)
   } else
     return; /* all good, no need to stop it */
 
+  if (conn->type == CONN_TYPE_CPUWORKER)
+    return; /* Always okay. */
+
   LOG_FN_CONN(conn, (LOG_DEBUG, LD_NET, "%s", reason));
   conn->read_blocked_on_bw = 1;
   connection_stop_reading(conn);
@@ -2507,6 +2510,9 @@ connection_consider_empty_write_buckets(connection_t *conn)
   } else
     return; /* all good, no need to stop it */
 
+  if (conn->type == CONN_TYPE_CPUWORKER)
+    return; /* Always okay. */
+
   LOG_FN_CONN(conn, (LOG_DEBUG, LD_NET, "%s", reason));
   conn->write_blocked_on_bw = 1;
   connection_stop_writing(conn);