diff --git a/xen/common/cpupool.c b/xen/common/cpupool.c
index e79850b..8e7b723 100644
--- a/xen/common/cpupool.c
+++ b/xen/common/cpupool.c
@@ -261,19 +261,13 @@ int cpupool_move_domain(struct domain *d, struct cpupool *c)
 static int cpupool_assign_cpu_locked(struct cpupool *c, unsigned int cpu)
 {
     int ret;
-    struct cpupool *old;
     struct domain *d;
 
     if ( (cpupool_moving_cpu == cpu) && (c != cpupool_cpu_moving) )
         return -EBUSY;
-    old = per_cpu(cpupool, cpu);
-    per_cpu(cpupool, cpu) = c;
     ret = schedule_cpu_switch(cpu, c);
     if ( ret )
-    {
-        per_cpu(cpupool, cpu) = old;
         return ret;
-    }
 
     cpumask_clear_cpu(cpu, &cpupool_free_cpus);
     if (cpupool_moving_cpu == cpu)
@@ -326,7 +320,6 @@ static long cpupool_unassign_cpu_helper(void *info)
             cpumask_clear_cpu(cpu, &cpupool_free_cpus);
             goto out;
         }
-        per_cpu(cpupool, cpu) = NULL;
         cpupool_moving_cpu = -1;
         cpupool_put(cpupool_cpu_moving);
         cpupool_cpu_moving = NULL;
diff --git a/xen/common/schedule.c b/xen/common/schedule.c
index d7e2d98..9072540 100644
--- a/xen/common/schedule.c
+++ b/xen/common/schedule.c
@@ -1486,6 +1486,17 @@ void __init scheduler_init(void)
         BUG();
 }
 
+/*
+ * Move a pCPU outside of the influence of the scheduler of its current
+ * cpupool, or subject it to the scheduler of a new cpupool.
+ *
+ * For the pCPUs that are removed from their cpupool, their scheduler becomes
+ * &ops (the default scheduler, selected at boot, which also services the
+ * default cpupool). However, as these pCPUs are not really part of any pool,
+ * there won't be any scheduling event on them, not even from the default
+ * scheduler. Basically, they will just sit idle until they are explicitly
+ * added back to a cpupool.
+ */
 int schedule_cpu_switch(unsigned int cpu, struct cpupool *c)
 {
     unsigned long flags;
@@ -1494,9 +1505,24 @@ int schedule_cpu_switch(unsigned int cpu, struct cpupool *c)
     void *ppriv, *ppriv_old, *vpriv, *vpriv_old;
     struct scheduler *old_ops = per_cpu(scheduler, cpu);
     struct scheduler *new_ops = (c == NULL) ? &ops : c->sched;
+    struct cpupool *old_pool = per_cpu(cpupool, cpu);
+
+    /*
+     * pCPUs only move from a valid cpupool to free (i.e., out of any pool),
+     * or from free to a valid cpupool. In the former case (which happens when
+     * c is NULL), we want the CPU to have been marked as free already, as
+     * well as to not be valid for the source pool any longer, when we get to
+     * here. In the latter case (which happens when c is a valid cpupool), we
+     * want the CPU to still be marked as free, as well as to not yet be valid
+     * for the destination pool.
+     */
+    ASSERT(c != old_pool && (c != NULL || old_pool != NULL));
+    ASSERT(cpumask_test_cpu(cpu, &cpupool_free_cpus));
+    ASSERT((c == NULL && !cpumask_test_cpu(cpu, old_pool->cpu_valid)) ||
+           (c != NULL && !cpumask_test_cpu(cpu, c->cpu_valid)));
 
     if ( old_ops == new_ops )
-        return 0;
+        goto out;
 
     idle = idle_vcpu[cpu];
     ppriv = SCHED_OP(new_ops, alloc_pdata, cpu);
@@ -1524,6 +1550,9 @@ int schedule_cpu_switch(unsigned int cpu, struct cpupool *c)
     SCHED_OP(old_ops, free_vdata, vpriv_old);
     SCHED_OP(old_ops, free_pdata, ppriv_old, cpu);
 
+ out:
+    per_cpu(cpupool, cpu) = c;
+
     return 0;
 }