diff --git a/crates/polars-stream/src/async_primitives/distributor_channel.rs b/crates/polars-stream/src/async_primitives/distributor_channel.rs
index 21af7b53d7d1..fa8685f88925 100644
--- a/crates/polars-stream/src/async_primitives/distributor_channel.rs
+++ b/crates/polars-stream/src/async_primitives/distributor_channel.rs
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ use super::task_parker::TaskParker;
 /// The FIFO order is only guaranteed per receiver. That is, each receiver is
 /// guaranteed to see a subset of the data sent by the sender in the order the
 /// sender sent it in, but not necessarily contiguously.
+///
+/// When one or more receivers are closed no attempt is made to avoid filling
+/// those receivers' buffers. The values in the buffer of a closed receiver are
+/// lost forever, they're not redistributed among the others, and simply
+/// dropped when the channel is dropped.
 pub fn distributor_channel<T>(
     num_receivers: usize,
     bufsize: usize,
@@ -108,6 +113,8 @@ unsafe impl<T: Send> Send for Sender<T> {}
 unsafe impl<T: Send> Send for Receiver<T> {}
 
 impl<T: Send> Sender<T> {
+    /// Note: This intentionally takes `&mut` to ensure it is only accessed in a single-threaded
+    /// manner.
     pub async fn send(&mut self, mut value: T) -> Result<(), T> {
         let num_receivers = self.inner.receivers.len();
         loop {
@@ -128,7 +135,7 @@ impl<T: Send> Sender<T> {
                 }
             }
 
-            match self.try_send(hungriest_idx, value) {
+            match unsafe { self.try_send(hungriest_idx, value) } {
                 Ok(()) => return Ok(()),
                 Err(SendError::Full(v)) => value = v,
                 Err(SendError::Closed(v)) => value = v,
@@ -141,7 +148,7 @@ impl<T: Send> Sender<T> {
             let mut idx = ((self.rng.gen::<u32>() as u64 * num_receivers as u64) >> 32) as usize;
             let mut all_closed = true;
             for _ in 0..num_receivers {
-                match self.try_send(idx, value) {
+                match unsafe { self.try_send(idx, value) } {
                     Ok(()) => return Ok(()),
                     Err(SendError::Full(v)) => {
                         all_closed = false;
@@ -164,6 +171,8 @@ impl<T: Send> Sender<T> {
         }
     }
 
+    // Returns the upper bound on the length of the queue of the given receiver.
+    // It is an upper bound because racy reads can reduce it in the meantime.
     fn upper_bound_len(&self, recv_idx: usize) -> usize {
         let read_head = self.inner.receivers[recv_idx]
             .read_head
@@ -172,7 +181,9 @@ impl<T: Send> Sender<T> {
         write_head.wrapping_sub(read_head)
     }
 
-    fn try_send(&self, recv_idx: usize, value: T) -> Result<(), SendError<T>> {
+    /// # Safety
+    /// May only be called from one thread at a time.
+    unsafe fn try_send(&self, recv_idx: usize, value: T) -> Result<(), SendError<T>> {
         let read_head = self.inner.receivers[recv_idx]
             .read_head
             .load(Ordering::SeqCst);
@@ -203,7 +214,7 @@ impl<T: Send> Receiver<T> {
     pub async fn recv(&mut self) -> Result<T, ()> {
         loop {
             // Fast-path.
-            match self.try_recv() {
+            match unsafe { self.try_recv() } {
                 Ok(v) => return Ok(v),
                 Err(RecvError::Closed) => return Err(()),
                 Err(RecvError::Empty) => {},
@@ -211,7 +222,7 @@ impl<T: Send> Receiver<T> {
 
             // Try again, threatening to park if there's still nothing.
             let park = self.inner.receivers[self.index].parker.park();
-            match self.try_recv() {
+            match unsafe { self.try_recv() } {
                 Ok(v) => return Ok(v),
                 Err(RecvError::Closed) => return Err(()),
                 Err(RecvError::Empty) => {},
@@ -220,27 +231,36 @@ impl<T: Send> Receiver<T> {
         }
     }
 
-    fn try_recv(&self) -> Result<T, RecvError> {
-        let read_head = self.inner.receivers[self.index]
-            .read_head
-            .load(Ordering::Relaxed);
-        let write_head = self.inner.write_heads[self.index].load(Ordering::SeqCst);
-        if read_head != write_head {
-            let idx = self.inner.reduce_index(read_head);
-            let read;
-            unsafe {
-                let ptr = self.inner.receivers[self.index].data[idx].get();
-                read = ptr.read().assume_init();
-                self.inner.receivers[self.index]
-                    .read_head
-                    .store(read_head.wrapping_add(1), Ordering::SeqCst);
+    /// # Safety
+    /// May only be called from one thread at a time.
+    unsafe fn try_recv(&self) -> Result<T, RecvError> {
+        loop {
+            let read_head = self.inner.receivers[self.index]
+                .read_head
+                .load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+            let write_head = self.inner.write_heads[self.index].load(Ordering::SeqCst);
+            if read_head != write_head {
+                let idx = self.inner.reduce_index(read_head);
+                let read;
+                unsafe {
+                    let ptr = self.inner.receivers[self.index].data[idx].get();
+                    read = ptr.read().assume_init();
+                    self.inner.receivers[self.index]
+                        .read_head
+                        .store(read_head.wrapping_add(1), Ordering::SeqCst);
+                }
+                self.inner.send_parker.unpark();
+                return Ok(read);
+            } else if self.inner.send_closed.load(Ordering::SeqCst) {
+                // Check write head again, sender could've sent something right
+                // before closing. We can do this relaxed because we'll read it
+                // again in the next iteration with SeqCst if it's a new value.
+                if write_head == self.inner.write_heads[self.index].load(Ordering::Relaxed) {
+                    return Err(RecvError::Closed);
+                }
+            } else {
+                return Err(RecvError::Empty);
             }
-            self.inner.send_parker.unpark();
-            Ok(read)
-        } else if self.inner.send_closed.load(Ordering::SeqCst) {
-            Err(RecvError::Closed)
-        } else {
-            Err(RecvError::Empty)
         }
     }
 }