diff --git a/go/vt/topo/shard.go b/go/vt/topo/shard.go
index b9554bf789f..827b531e6a5 100644
--- a/go/vt/topo/shard.go
+++ b/go/vt/topo/shard.go
@@ -451,7 +451,8 @@ func (si *ShardInfo) updatePrimaryTabletControl(tc *topodatapb.Shard_TabletContr
 	}
 	if remove {
 		if len(newTables) != 0 {
-			return vterrors.Errorf(vtrpc.Code_INVALID_ARGUMENT, dlTablesNotPresent)
+			// These tables did not exist in the denied list so we don't need to remove them.
+			log.Warningf("%s:%s", dlTablesNotPresent, strings.Join(newTables, ","))
 		}
 		var newDenyList []string
 		if len(tables) != 0 { // legacy uses
diff --git a/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/server.go b/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/server.go
index 00c36b2d3dc..7b4001ffdb7 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/server.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/server.go
@@ -2807,8 +2807,8 @@ func (s *Server) DeleteShard(ctx context.Context, keyspace, shard string, recurs
 	shardInfo, err := s.ts.GetShard(ctx, keyspace, shard)
 	if err != nil {
 		if topo.IsErrType(err, topo.NoNode) {
-			log.Infof("Shard %v/%v doesn't seem to exist, cleaning up any potential leftover", keyspace, shard)
-			return s.ts.DeleteShard(ctx, keyspace, shard)
+			log.Warningf("Shard %v/%v did not exist when attempting to remove it", keyspace, shard)
+			return nil
 		}
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/traffic_switcher.go b/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/traffic_switcher.go
index 9ea1c8b609b..bd79702f36b 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/traffic_switcher.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtctl/workflow/traffic_switcher.go
@@ -26,12 +26,11 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
-	vtctldatapb "vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/proto/vtctldata"
-
 	"golang.org/x/exp/maps"
 	"golang.org/x/sync/errgroup"
 
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/json2"
+	"vitess.io/vitess/go/mysql/sqlerror"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/sqlescape"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/sqltypes"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/binlog/binlogplayer"
@@ -53,6 +52,7 @@ import (
 	tabletmanagerdatapb "vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/proto/tabletmanagerdata"
 	topodatapb "vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/proto/topodata"
 	vschemapb "vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/proto/vschema"
+	vtctldatapb "vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/proto/vtctldata"
 	vtrpcpb "vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/proto/vtrpc"
 )
 
@@ -428,6 +428,10 @@ func (ts *trafficSwitcher) deleteShardRoutingRules(ctx context.Context) error {
 	}
 	srr, err := topotools.GetShardRoutingRules(ctx, ts.TopoServer())
 	if err != nil {
+		if topo.IsErrType(err, topo.NoNode) {
+			log.Warningf("No shard routing rules found when attempting to delete the ones for the %s keyspace", ts.targetKeyspace)
+			return nil
+		}
 		return err
 	}
 	for _, si := range ts.TargetShards() {
@@ -537,6 +541,9 @@ func (ts *trafficSwitcher) removeSourceTables(ctx context.Context, removalType T
 				DisableForeignKeyChecks: true,
 			})
 			if err != nil {
+				if mysqlErr, ok := err.(*sqlerror.SQLError); ok && mysqlErr.Num == sqlerror.ERNoSuchTable {
+					ts.Logger().Warningf("%s: Table %s did not exist when attempting to remove it", source.GetPrimary().String(), tableName)
+				}
 				ts.Logger().Errorf("%s: Error removing table %s: %v", source.GetPrimary().String(), tableName, err)
 				return err
 			}
@@ -833,6 +840,7 @@ func (ts *trafficSwitcher) deleteReverseVReplication(ctx context.Context) error
 	return ts.ForAllSources(func(source *MigrationSource) error {
 		query := fmt.Sprintf(sqlDeleteWorkflow, encodeString(source.GetPrimary().DbName()), encodeString(ts.reverseWorkflow))
 		if _, err := ts.TabletManagerClient().VReplicationExec(ctx, source.GetPrimary().Tablet, query); err != nil {
+			// vreplication.exec returns no error on delete if the rows do not exist.
 			return err
 		}
 		ts.ws.deleteWorkflowVDiffData(ctx, source.GetPrimary().Tablet, ts.reverseWorkflow)
@@ -1112,6 +1120,7 @@ func (ts *trafficSwitcher) dropTargetVReplicationStreams(ctx context.Context) er
 		ts.Logger().Infof("Deleting target streams and related data for workflow %s db_name %s", ts.WorkflowName(), target.GetPrimary().DbName())
 		query := fmt.Sprintf(sqlDeleteWorkflow, encodeString(target.GetPrimary().DbName()), encodeString(ts.WorkflowName()))
 		if _, err := ts.TabletManagerClient().VReplicationExec(ctx, target.GetPrimary().Tablet, query); err != nil {
+			// vreplication.exec returns no error on delete if the rows do not exist.
 			return err
 		}
 		ts.ws.deleteWorkflowVDiffData(ctx, target.GetPrimary().Tablet, ts.WorkflowName())
@@ -1125,6 +1134,7 @@ func (ts *trafficSwitcher) dropSourceReverseVReplicationStreams(ctx context.Cont
 		ts.Logger().Infof("Deleting reverse streams and related data for workflow %s db_name %s", ts.WorkflowName(), source.GetPrimary().DbName())
 		query := fmt.Sprintf(sqlDeleteWorkflow, encodeString(source.GetPrimary().DbName()), encodeString(ReverseWorkflowName(ts.WorkflowName())))
 		if _, err := ts.TabletManagerClient().VReplicationExec(ctx, source.GetPrimary().Tablet, query); err != nil {
+
 			return err
 		}
 		ts.ws.deleteWorkflowVDiffData(ctx, source.GetPrimary().Tablet, ReverseWorkflowName(ts.WorkflowName()))
@@ -1156,8 +1166,12 @@ func (ts *trafficSwitcher) removeTargetTables(ctx context.Context) error {
 			})
 			log.Infof("Removed target table with result: %+v", res)
 			if err != nil {
-				ts.Logger().Errorf("%s: Error removing table %s: %v",
-					target.GetPrimary().String(), tableName, err)
+				if mysqlErr, ok := err.(*sqlerror.SQLError); ok && mysqlErr.Num == sqlerror.ERNoSuchTable {
+					// The table was already gone, so we can ignore the error.
+					ts.Logger().Warningf("%s: Table %s did not exist when attempting to remove it", target.GetPrimary().String(), tableName)
+					return nil
+				}
+				ts.Logger().Errorf("%s: Error removing table %s: %v", target.GetPrimary().String(), tableName, err)
 				return err
 			}
 			ts.Logger().Infof("%s: Removed table %s.%s\n",