diff --git a/src/scriptworker/context.py b/src/scriptworker/context.py
index 8a5d04df..5249bdd4 100644
--- a/src/scriptworker/context.py
+++ b/src/scriptworker/context.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 from taskcluster.aio import Queue
 
 from scriptworker import task_process
-from scriptworker.exceptions import CoTError
+from scriptworker.exceptions import CoTError, ScriptWorkerException
 from scriptworker.utils import load_json_or_yaml_from_url, makedirs, scriptworker_session
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -235,13 +235,21 @@ def projects(self, projects: Optional[Dict[str, Any]]) -> None:
 
     @property
     def event_loop(self) -> asyncio.AbstractEventLoop:
-        """asyncio.BaseEventLoop: the running event loop.
+        """asyncio.BaseEventLoop: the event loop set on the context, or the running one.
 
         This fixture mainly exists to allow for overrides during unit tests.
 
+        Raises:
+            ScriptWorkerException: if no loop has been set and none is running.
+
         """
         if not self._event_loop:
-            self._event_loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
+            try:
+                self._event_loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+            except RuntimeError as exc:
+                raise ScriptWorkerException(
+                    "No event loop is running and none was set on the context. Set ``context.event_loop`` before use, or read it from a coroutine."
+                ) from exc
         return self._event_loop
 
     @event_loop.setter
diff --git a/src/scriptworker/worker.py b/src/scriptworker/worker.py
index 4f370b71..3283e3cc 100644
--- a/src/scriptworker/worker.py
+++ b/src/scriptworker/worker.py
@@ -236,14 +236,16 @@ def main(event_loop=None):
 
     Args:
         event_loop (asyncio.BaseEventLoop, optional): the event loop to use.
-            If None, use ``asyncio.get_event_loop()``. Defaults to None.
+            If None, create one with ``asyncio.new_event_loop()``. Defaults to None.
 
     """
     context, credentials = get_context_from_cmdln(sys.argv[1:])
     log.info("Scriptworker starting up at {} UTC".format(arrow.utcnow().format()))
     log.info("Worker FQDN: {}".format(socket.getfqdn()))
     cleanup(context)
-    context.event_loop = event_loop or asyncio.get_event_loop()
+    if event_loop is None:
+        event_loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
+    context.event_loop = event_loop
 
     done = False
 
diff --git a/tests/__init__.py b/tests/__init__.py
index c6153728..cc8cec84 100644
--- a/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/tests/__init__.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import json
 import os
 import sys
+from contextlib import contextmanager
 
 import aiohttp
 import arrow
@@ -46,6 +47,26 @@ def touch(path):
         print(path, file=fh, end="")
 
 
+@contextmanager
+def no_ambient_event_loop():
+    """Run a block with no current event loop set for this thread.
+
+    ``pytest-asyncio``'s auto mode installs a current event loop in the main
+    thread, so tests exercising the no-current-loop path have to remove it
+    first.  The previous loop is restored on the way out, since sibling tests
+    run in a random order and expect to find it.
+    """
+    try:
+        previous_loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
+    except RuntimeError:
+        previous_loop = None
+    asyncio.set_event_loop(None)
+    try:
+        yield
+    finally:
+        asyncio.set_event_loop(previous_loop)
+
+
 class FakeResponse(aiohttp.client_reqrep.ClientResponse):
     """Integration tests allow us to test everything's hooked up to aiohttp
     correctly.  When we don't want to actually hit an external url, have
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index d14b907d..4e13b45a 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -171,5 +171,6 @@ def _craft_rw_context(tmp, cot_product, session, private=False):
         for rule in context.config["trusted_vcs_rules"]:
             rule["require_secret"] = True
     context.config["verbose"] = VERBOSE
-    context.event_loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
+    # only reached from the async ``*_rw_context`` fixtures, so a loop is always running
+    context.event_loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
     return context
diff --git a/tests/test_context.py b/tests/test_context.py
index eaad1f4f..db4f50eb 100644
--- a/tests/test_context.py
+++ b/tests/test_context.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 import pytest
 
 import scriptworker.context as swcontext
-from scriptworker.exceptions import CoTError
+from scriptworker.exceptions import CoTError, ScriptWorkerException
 
 
 # constants helpers and fixtures {{{1
@@ -155,12 +155,18 @@ def test_get_credentials(rw_context):
     assert rw_context.credentials == expected
 
 
-def test_new_event_loop(mocker):
-    """The default rw_context.event_loop is from `asyncio.get_event_loop`"""
-    fake_loop = mock.MagicMock()
-    mocker.patch.object(asyncio, "get_event_loop", return_value=fake_loop)
+def test_event_loop_no_running_loop():
+    """`context.event_loop` raises when nothing is set and no loop is running."""
     rw_context = swcontext.Context()
-    assert rw_context.event_loop is fake_loop
+    with pytest.raises(ScriptWorkerException):
+        rw_context.event_loop
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_event_loop_prefers_running_loop():
+    """`context.event_loop` returns the running loop when nothing is set."""
+    rw_context = swcontext.Context()
+    assert rw_context.event_loop is asyncio.get_running_loop()
 
 
 def test_set_event_loop(mocker):
diff --git a/tests/test_worker.py b/tests/test_worker.py
index 3fefbdfb..410fa348 100644
--- a/tests/test_worker.py
+++ b/tests/test_worker.py
@@ -20,7 +20,18 @@
 from scriptworker.exceptions import ScriptWorkerException, WorkerShutdownDuringTask
 from scriptworker.worker import RunTasks, do_run_task
 
-from . import AT_LEAST_PY38, KILLED_SCRIPT, TIMEOUT_SCRIPT, create_async, create_finished_future, create_slow_async, create_sync, noop_async, noop_sync
+from . import (
+    AT_LEAST_PY38,
+    KILLED_SCRIPT,
+    TIMEOUT_SCRIPT,
+    create_async,
+    create_finished_future,
+    create_slow_async,
+    create_sync,
+    no_ambient_event_loop,
+    noop_async,
+    noop_sync,
+)
 
 
 # constants helpers and fixtures {{{1
@@ -62,6 +73,35 @@ async def foo(arg, credentials):
         os.remove(tmp)
 
 
+def test_main_no_ambient_event_loop(mocker, context):
+    """``main()`` runs with a loop it creates itself when none is current."""
+    config = dict(context.config)
+    config["poll_interval"] = 1
+    config["credentials"] = {"fake_creds": True}
+
+    loops = []
+
+    async def foo(arg, credentials):
+        loops.append(arg.event_loop)
+        raise ScriptWorkerException("foo")
+
+    _, tmp = tempfile.mkstemp()
+    try:
+        with open(tmp, "w") as fh:
+            json.dump(config, fh)
+        del config["credentials"]
+        mocker.patch.object(worker, "async_main", new=foo)
+        mocker.patch.object(sys, "argv", new=["x", tmp])
+        with no_ambient_event_loop():
+            with pytest.raises(ScriptWorkerException):
+                worker.main()
+    finally:
+        os.remove(tmp)
+
+    assert len(loops) == 1
+    assert isinstance(loops[0], asyncio.AbstractEventLoop)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("running", (True, False))
 def test_main_running_sigterm(mocker, context, running):
     """Test that sending SIGTERM causes the main loop to stop after the next