diff --git a/src/documents/signals/handlers.py b/src/documents/signals/handlers.py
index fe1d1f94d..30c682cbf 100644
--- a/src/documents/signals/handlers.py
+++ b/src/documents/signals/handlers.py
@@ -1134,6 +1134,11 @@ def before_task_publish_handler(
         return
 
     try:
+        # Close stale connections without disrupting a transaction publishing a task
+        for connection in connections.all(initialized_only=True):
+            if not connection.in_atomic_block:
+                connection.close_if_unusable_or_obsolete()
+
         _, task_kwargs, _ = body
         task_id = headers["id"]
 
diff --git a/src/documents/tests/test_task_signals.py b/src/documents/tests/test_task_signals.py
index 2c9fde16f..83652b5df 100644
--- a/src/documents/tests/test_task_signals.py
+++ b/src/documents/tests/test_task_signals.py
@@ -56,6 +56,32 @@ def send_publish(
 
 @pytest.mark.django_db
 class TestBeforeTaskPublishHandler:
+    @mock.patch("documents.signals.handlers.connections.all")
+    def test_closes_old_connections_outside_atomic_blocks(
+        self,
+        connections_all,
+    ) -> None:
+        connection = mock.Mock(in_atomic_block=False)
+        connections_all.return_value = [connection]
+
+        task_id = send_publish("documents.tasks.train_classifier", (), {})
+
+        connection.close_if_unusable_or_obsolete.assert_called_once_with()
+        assert PaperlessTask.objects.filter(task_id=task_id).exists()
+
+    @mock.patch("documents.signals.handlers.connections.all")
+    def test_keeps_connections_open_inside_atomic_blocks(
+        self,
+        connections_all,
+    ) -> None:
+        connection = mock.Mock(in_atomic_block=True)
+        connections_all.return_value = [connection]
+
+        task_id = send_publish("documents.tasks.train_classifier", (), {})
+
+        connection.close_if_unusable_or_obsolete.assert_not_called()
+        assert PaperlessTask.objects.filter(task_id=task_id).exists()
+
     def test_creates_task_for_consume_file(
         self,
         consume_input_doc,