diff --git a/cmd/vela-worker/exec.go b/cmd/vela-worker/exec.go
index 33069499..2f9e99c6 100644
--- a/cmd/vela-worker/exec.go
+++ b/cmd/vela-worker/exec.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"net/http"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -19,7 +20,7 @@ import (
 // exec is a helper function to poll the queue
 // and execute Vela pipelines for the Worker.
 //
-//nolint:nilerr // ignore returning nil - don't want to crash worker
+//nolint:nilerr,funlen // ignore returning nil - don't want to crash worker
 func (w *Worker) exec(index int) error {
 	var err error
 
@@ -37,9 +38,16 @@ func (w *Worker) exec(index int) error {
 	}
 
 	// retrieve a build token from the server to setup the execBuildClient
-	bt, _, err := w.VelaClient.Build.GetBuildToken(item.Repo.GetOrg(), item.Repo.GetName(), item.Build.GetNumber())
+	bt, resp, err := w.VelaClient.Build.GetBuildToken(item.Repo.GetOrg(), item.Repo.GetName(), item.Build.GetNumber())
 	if err != nil {
 		logrus.Errorf("unable to retrieve build token: %s", err)
+
+		// build is not in pending state — user canceled build while it was in queue. Pop, discard, move on.
+		if resp != nil && resp.StatusCode == http.StatusConflict {
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		// something else is amiss (auth, server down, etc.) — shut down worker, will have to re-register if registration enabled.
 		return err
 	}
 
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index b7f9ac9b..5cd9d6ff 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/docker/go-units v0.5.0
 	github.com/gin-gonic/gin v1.9.0
 	github.com/go-vela/sdk-go v0.19.2
-	github.com/go-vela/server v0.19.2
+	github.com/go-vela/server v0.19.3-0.20230510141710-f99a894333d4
 	github.com/go-vela/types v0.19.2
 	github.com/golang-jwt/jwt/v5 v5.0.0
 	github.com/google/go-cmp v0.5.9
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 3a199982..50498b1c 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -145,8 +145,8 @@ github.com/go-playground/validator/v10 v10.11.2/go.mod h1:NieE624vt4SCTJtD87arVL
 github.com/go-task/slim-sprig v0.0.0-20210107165309-348f09dbbbc0 h1:p104kn46Q8WdvHunIJ9dAyjPVtrBPhSr3KT2yUst43I=
 github.com/go-vela/sdk-go v0.19.2 h1:bEMnEnEZxI27ZCjFx5fNRFc0EYHr2NsR2jb//0J5SJk=
 github.com/go-vela/sdk-go v0.19.2/go.mod h1:p0WwKyBLslyhPjSQnA78SVZpLDkOL/P030BtzdRDjtE=
-github.com/go-vela/server v0.19.2 h1:b5kQLbQzzY1PQ2/GJN5MHCmlo4wS9C3cyy4fErOl4/o=
-github.com/go-vela/server v0.19.2/go.mod h1:N6ej04/c6kc/0sJK15jCLr3Au9L9Zs9TjcMtkJoyJx8=
+github.com/go-vela/server v0.19.3-0.20230510141710-f99a894333d4 h1:hAj76WkNt+CZfkionu86xlpM3YpupZkX1OWHzWbeEpA=
+github.com/go-vela/server v0.19.3-0.20230510141710-f99a894333d4/go.mod h1:N6ej04/c6kc/0sJK15jCLr3Au9L9Zs9TjcMtkJoyJx8=
 github.com/go-vela/types v0.19.2 h1:xU61CX2jdMuBCtLOg8a7Z2aEWYM1zZt37Ygx1oHGbjM=
 github.com/go-vela/types v0.19.2/go.mod h1:ZvDjYCKU36yJS3sLxPLCny/HLF1U6YtlOienzv/cXB4=
 github.com/goccy/go-json v0.10.0 h1:mXKd9Qw4NuzShiRlOXKews24ufknHO7gx30lsDyokKA=