diff --git a/src/control/cmd/daos/pool.go b/src/control/cmd/daos/pool.go
index 42b69cab5207..8839d0617cc8 100644
--- a/src/control/cmd/daos/pool.go
+++ b/src/control/cmd/daos/pool.go
@@ -599,34 +599,48 @@ func (cmd *poolAutoTestCmd) Execute(_ []string) error {
 }
 
 func getPoolList(log logging.Logger, sysName string, queryEnabled bool) ([]*daos.PoolInfo, error) {
-	var rc C.int
-	bufSize := C.size_t(0)
-
-	// First, fetch the total number of pools in the system.
-	// We may not have access to all of them, so this is an upper bound.
-	rc = C.daos_mgmt_list_pools(nil, &bufSize, nil, nil)
-	if err := daosError(rc); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	if bufSize < 1 {
-		return nil, nil
-	}
-
 	var cSysName *C.char
 	if sysName != "" {
 		cSysName := C.CString(sysName)
 		defer freeString(cSysName)
 	}
 
-	// Now, we actually fetch the pools into the buffer that we've created.
-	cPools := make([]C.daos_mgmt_pool_info_t, bufSize)
-	rc = C.daos_mgmt_list_pools(nil, &bufSize, &cPools[0], nil)
-	if err := daosError(rc); err != nil {
+	var cPools []C.daos_mgmt_pool_info_t
+	for {
+		var rc C.int
+		var poolCount C.size_t
+
+		// First, fetch the total number of pools in the system.
+		// We may not have access to all of them, so this is an upper bound.
+		rc = C.daos_mgmt_list_pools(cSysName, &poolCount, nil, nil)
+		if err := daosError(rc); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		log.Debugf("pools in system: %d", poolCount)
+
+		if poolCount < 1 {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+
+		// Now, we actually fetch the pools into the buffer that we've created.
+		cPools = make([]C.daos_mgmt_pool_info_t, poolCount)
+		rc = C.daos_mgmt_list_pools(cSysName, &poolCount, &cPools[0], nil)
+		err := daosError(rc)
+		if err == nil {
+			cPools = cPools[:poolCount] // adjust the slice to the number of pools retrieved
+			log.Debugf("fetched %d pools", len(cPools))
+			break
+		}
+		if err == daos.StructTooSmall {
+			log.Notice("server-side pool list changed; re-fetching")
+			continue
+		}
+		log.Errorf("failed to fetch pool list: %s", err)
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	pools := make([]*daos.PoolInfo, 0, bufSize)
-	for i := 0; i < int(bufSize); i++ {
+
+	pools := make([]*daos.PoolInfo, 0, len(cPools))
+	for i := 0; i < len(cPools); i++ {
 		cPool := &cPools[i]
 
 		svcRanks, err := rankSetFromC(cPool.mgpi_svc)
diff --git a/src/engine/drpc_client.c b/src/engine/drpc_client.c
index 54db5c15e0eb..ddf33bd6dfdc 100644
--- a/src/engine/drpc_client.c
+++ b/src/engine/drpc_client.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * (C) Copyright 2019-2021 Intel Corporation.
+ * (C) Copyright 2019-2024 Intel Corporation.
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent
  */
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ ds_get_pool_list(uint64_t *npools, daos_mgmt_pool_info_t *pools)
 	if (*npools > 0 && lp_resp->n_pools > *npools) {
 		D_ERROR("pool list exceeds request buffer (req: %lu, actual: %lu)", *npools,
 			lp_resp->n_pools);
-		D_GOTO(out_resp, rc = -DER_TRUNC);
+		D_GOTO(out_resp, rc = -DER_OVERFLOW);
 	}
 
 	*npools = lp_resp->n_pools;
diff --git a/src/mgmt/cli_mgmt.c b/src/mgmt/cli_mgmt.c
index 354b0ef794b1..95e76d0e4e58 100644
--- a/src/mgmt/cli_mgmt.c
+++ b/src/mgmt/cli_mgmt.c
@@ -1374,10 +1374,8 @@ dc_mgmt_pool_list(tse_task_t *task)
 	}
 
 	rc = out->plo_op.mo_rc;
-	if (rc != 0) {
-		DL_ERROR(rc, "failed to list pools");
+	if (rc != 0)
 		D_GOTO(out_put_req, rc);
-	}
 
 	*args->npools = out->plo_npools;
 
diff --git a/src/mgmt/srv.c b/src/mgmt/srv.c
index cea08b359ac1..db738a88ed13 100644
--- a/src/mgmt/srv.c
+++ b/src/mgmt/srv.c
@@ -530,6 +530,15 @@ ds_mgmt_pool_list_hdlr(crt_rpc_t *rpc)
 send_resp:
 	out->plo_op.mo_rc = rc;
 
+	if (rc == 0) {
+		if (n_rpc > 0)
+			D_DEBUG(DB_MGMT, "returning %zu/%zu pools\n", n_rpc, n_mgmt);
+		else
+			D_DEBUG(DB_MGMT, "returning %zu pools\n", n_mgmt);
+	} else {
+		DL_ERROR(rc, "failed to list pools");
+	}
+
 	rc = crt_reply_send(rpc);
 	if (rc != 0)
 		DL_ERROR(rc, "crt_reply_send() failed");