diff --git a/common/src/lib.rs b/common/src/lib.rs
index dd4b633de9..de9eef9fd2 100644
--- a/common/src/lib.rs
+++ b/common/src/lib.rs
@@ -61,44 +61,6 @@ impl slog::KV for FileKv {
 
 pub const OMICRON_DPD_TAG: &str = "omicron";
 
-use crate::api::external::Error;
-use crate::progenitor_operation_retry::ProgenitorOperationRetry;
-use crate::progenitor_operation_retry::ProgenitorOperationRetryError;
-use std::future::Future;
-
-/// Retry a progenitor client operation until a known result is returned.
-///
-/// See [`ProgenitorOperationRetry`] for more information.
-// TODO mark this deprecated, `never_bail` is a bad idea
-pub async fn retry_until_known_result<F, T, E, Fut>(
-    log: &slog::Logger,
-    f: F,
-) -> Result<T, progenitor_client::Error<E>>
-where
-    F: FnMut() -> Fut,
-    Fut: Future<Output = Result<T, progenitor_client::Error<E>>>,
-    E: std::fmt::Debug,
-{
-    match ProgenitorOperationRetry::new(f, never_bail).run(log).await {
-        Ok(v) => Ok(v),
-
-        Err(e) => match e {
-            ProgenitorOperationRetryError::ProgenitorError(e) => Err(e),
-
-            ProgenitorOperationRetryError::Gone
-            | ProgenitorOperationRetryError::GoneCheckError(_) => {
-                // ProgenitorOperationRetry::new called with `never_bail` as the
-                // bail check should never return these variants!
-                unreachable!();
-            }
-        },
-    }
-}
-
-async fn never_bail() -> Result<bool, Error> {
-    Ok(false)
-}
-
 /// A wrapper struct that does nothing other than elide the inner value from
 /// [`std::fmt::Debug`] output.
 ///
diff --git a/nexus/db-queries/src/db/datastore/sled.rs b/nexus/db-queries/src/db/datastore/sled.rs
index 9e9d8d1828..3afff7543e 100644
--- a/nexus/db-queries/src/db/datastore/sled.rs
+++ b/nexus/db-queries/src/db/datastore/sled.rs
@@ -99,6 +99,18 @@ impl DataStore {
         Ok((sled, was_modified))
     }
 
+    /// Confirms that a sled exists and is in-service.
+    pub async fn check_sled_in_service(
+        &self,
+        opctx: &OpContext,
+        sled_id: Uuid,
+    ) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        let conn = &*self.pool_connection_authorized(&opctx).await?;
+        Self::check_sled_in_service_on_connection(conn, sled_id)
+            .await
+            .map_err(From::from)
+    }
+
     /// Confirms that a sled exists and is in-service.
     ///
     /// This function may be called from a transaction context.
diff --git a/nexus/src/app/sagas/snapshot_create.rs b/nexus/src/app/sagas/snapshot_create.rs
index dd10fa267b..8381b0f148 100644
--- a/nexus/src/app/sagas/snapshot_create.rs
+++ b/nexus/src/app/sagas/snapshot_create.rs
@@ -104,7 +104,6 @@ use nexus_db_model::Generation;
 use nexus_db_queries::db::identity::{Asset, Resource};
 use nexus_db_queries::db::lookup::LookupPath;
 use omicron_common::api::external::Error;
-use omicron_common::retry_until_known_result;
 use omicron_common::{
     api::external, progenitor_operation_retry::ProgenitorOperationRetry,
 };
@@ -116,6 +115,7 @@ use sled_agent_client::types::CrucibleOpts;
 use sled_agent_client::types::VmmIssueDiskSnapshotRequestBody;
 use sled_agent_client::types::VolumeConstructionRequest;
 use slog::info;
+use slog_error_chain::InlineErrorChain;
 use std::collections::BTreeMap;
 use std::collections::VecDeque;
 use std::net::SocketAddrV6;
@@ -860,7 +860,7 @@ async fn ssc_send_snapshot_request_to_sled_agent(
         .await
         .map_err(ActionError::action_failed)?;
 
-    retry_until_known_result(log, || async {
+    let snapshot_operation = || async {
         sled_agent_client
             .vmm_issue_disk_snapshot_request(
                 &PropolisUuid::from_untyped_uuid(propolis_id),
@@ -868,10 +868,23 @@ async fn ssc_send_snapshot_request_to_sled_agent(
                 &VmmIssueDiskSnapshotRequestBody { snapshot_id },
             )
             .await
-    })
-    .await
-    .map_err(|e| e.to_string())
-    .map_err(ActionError::action_failed)?;
+    };
+    let gone_check = || async {
+        osagactx.datastore().check_sled_in_service(&opctx, sled_id).await?;
+        // `check_sled_in_service` returns an error if the sled is no longer in
+        // service; if it succeeds, the sled is not gone.
+        Ok(false)
+    };
+
+    ProgenitorOperationRetry::new(snapshot_operation, gone_check)
+        .run(log)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| {
+            ActionError::action_failed(format!(
+                "failed to issue VMM disk snapshot request: {}",
+                InlineErrorChain::new(&e)
+            ))
+        })?;
 
     Ok(())
 }