diff --git a/rclcpp/src/rclcpp/executor.cpp b/rclcpp/src/rclcpp/executor.cpp
index 42a4d274dc..95b0d7fcc8 100644
--- a/rclcpp/src/rclcpp/executor.cpp
+++ b/rclcpp/src/rclcpp/executor.cpp
@@ -366,24 +366,52 @@ Executor::spin_some_impl(std::chrono::nanoseconds max_duration, bool exhaustive)
   }
   RCPPUTILS_SCOPE_EXIT(this->spinning.store(false); );
 
+  // clear the wait result and wait for work without blocking to collect the work
+  // for the first time
+  // both spin_some and spin_all wait for work at the beginning
+  wait_result_.reset();
+  wait_for_work(std::chrono::milliseconds(0));
+  bool just_waited = true;
+
+  // The logic of this while loop is as follows:
+  //
+  // - while not shutdown, and spinning (not canceled), and not max duration reached...
+  // - try to get an executable item to execute, and execute it if available
+  // - otherwise, reset the wait result, and ...
+  // - if there was no work available just after waiting, break the loop unconditionally
+  //   - this is appropriate for both spin_some and spin_all which use this function
+  // - else if exhaustive = true, then wait for work again
+  //   - this is only used for spin_all and not spin_some
+  // - else break
+  //   - this only occurs with spin_some
+  //
+  // The logic of this loop is subtle and should be carefully changed if at all.
+  // See also:
+  //   https://github.com/ros2/rclcpp/issues/2508
+  //   https://github.com/ros2/rclcpp/pull/2517
   while (rclcpp::ok(context_) && spinning.load() && max_duration_not_elapsed()) {
-    if (!wait_result_.has_value()) {
-      wait_for_work(std::chrono::milliseconds(0));
-    }
-
     AnyExecutable any_exec;
     if (get_next_ready_executable(any_exec)) {
       execute_any_executable(any_exec);
+      just_waited = false;
     } else {
-      // If nothing is ready, reset the result to signal we are
-      // ready to wait again
+      // if nothing is ready, reset the result to clear it
       wait_result_.reset();
-    }
 
-    if (!wait_result_.has_value() && !exhaustive) {
-      // In the case of spin some, then we can exit
-      // In the case of spin all, then we will allow ourselves to wait again.
-      break;
+      if (just_waited) {
+        // there was no work after just waiting, always exit in this case
+        // before the exhaustive condition can be checked
+        break;
+      }
+
+      if (exhaustive) {
+        // if exhaustive, wait for work again
+        // this only happens for spin_all; spin_some only waits at the start
+        wait_for_work(std::chrono::milliseconds(0));
+        just_waited = true;
+      } else {
+        break;
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/rclcpp/test/rclcpp/executors/test_executors.cpp b/rclcpp/test/rclcpp/executors/test_executors.cpp
index 1a538eaa30..a82b702db5 100644
--- a/rclcpp/test/rclcpp/executors/test_executors.cpp
+++ b/rclcpp/test/rclcpp/executors/test_executors.cpp
@@ -357,6 +357,7 @@ class TestWaitable : public rclcpp::Waitable
   bool
   is_ready(const rcl_wait_set_t & wait_set) override
   {
+    is_ready_count_++;
     for (size_t i = 0; i < wait_set.size_of_guard_conditions; ++i) {
       auto rcl_guard_condition = wait_set.guard_conditions[i];
       if (&gc_.get_rcl_guard_condition() == rcl_guard_condition) {
@@ -424,8 +425,15 @@ class TestWaitable : public rclcpp::Waitable
     return count_;
   }
 
+  size_t
+  get_is_ready_call_count() const
+  {
+    return is_ready_count_;
+  }
+
 private:
   std::atomic<size_t> trigger_count_ = 0;
+  std::atomic<size_t> is_ready_count_ = 0;
   std::atomic<size_t> count_ = 0;
   rclcpp::GuardCondition gc_;
   std::function<void()> on_execute_callback_ = nullptr;
@@ -869,3 +877,155 @@ TEST(TestExecutors, testSpinWithNonDefaultContext)
 
   rclcpp::shutdown(non_default_context);
 }
+
+template<typename T>
+class TestBusyWaiting : public ::testing::Test
+{
+public:
+  void SetUp() override
+  {
+    rclcpp::init(0, nullptr);
+
+    const auto test_info = ::testing::UnitTest::GetInstance()->current_test_info();
+    std::stringstream test_name;
+    test_name << test_info->test_case_name() << "_" << test_info->name();
+    node = std::make_shared<rclcpp::Node>("node", test_name.str());
+    callback_group = node->create_callback_group(
+      rclcpp::CallbackGroupType::MutuallyExclusive,
+      /* automatically_add_to_executor_with_node =*/ false);
+
+    auto waitable_interfaces = node->get_node_waitables_interface();
+    waitable = std::make_shared<TestWaitable>();
+    waitable_interfaces->add_waitable(waitable, callback_group);
+
+    executor = std::make_shared<T>();
+    executor->add_callback_group(callback_group, node->get_node_base_interface());
+  }
+
+  void TearDown() override
+  {
+    rclcpp::shutdown();
+  }
+
+  void
+  set_up_and_trigger_waitable(std::function<void()> extra_callback = nullptr)
+  {
+    this->has_executed = false;
+    this->waitable->set_on_execute_callback([this, extra_callback]() {
+        if (!this->has_executed) {
+        // trigger once to see if the second trigger is handled or not
+        // this follow up trigger simulates new entities becoming ready while
+        // the executor is executing something else, e.g. subscription got data
+        // or a timer expired, etc.
+        // spin_some would not handle this second trigger, since it collects
+        // work only once, whereas spin_all should handle it since it
+        // collects work multiple times
+          this->waitable->trigger();
+          this->has_executed = true;
+        }
+        if (nullptr != extra_callback) {
+          extra_callback();
+        }
+    });
+    this->waitable->trigger();
+  }
+
+  void
+  check_for_busy_waits(std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point start_time)
+  {
+    // rough time based check, since the work to be done was very small it
+    // should be safe to check that we didn't use more than half the
+    // max duration, which itself is much larger than necessary
+    // however, it could still produce a false-positive
+    EXPECT_LT(
+      std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - start_time,
+      max_duration / 2)
+      << "executor took a long time to execute when it should have done "
+      << "nothing and should not have blocked either, but this could be a "
+      << "false negative if the computer is really slow";
+
+    // this check is making some assumptions about the implementation of the
+    // executors, but it should be safe to say that a busy wait may result in
+    // hundreds or thousands of calls to is_ready(), but "normal" executor
+    // behavior should be within an order of magnitude of the number of
+    // times that the waitable was executed
+    ASSERT_LT(waitable->get_is_ready_call_count(), 10u * this->waitable->get_count());
+  }
+
+  static constexpr auto max_duration = 10s;
+
+  rclcpp::Node::SharedPtr node;
+  rclcpp::CallbackGroup::SharedPtr callback_group;
+  std::shared_ptr<TestWaitable> waitable;
+  std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point start_time;
+  std::shared_ptr<T> executor;
+  bool has_executed;
+};
+
+TYPED_TEST_SUITE(TestBusyWaiting, ExecutorTypes, ExecutorTypeNames);
+
+TYPED_TEST(TestBusyWaiting, test_spin_all)
+{
+  this->set_up_and_trigger_waitable();
+
+  auto start_time = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+  this->executor->spin_all(this->max_duration);
+  this->check_for_busy_waits(start_time);
+  // this should get the initial trigger, and the follow up from in the callback
+  ASSERT_EQ(this->waitable->get_count(), 2u);
+}
+
+TYPED_TEST(TestBusyWaiting, test_spin_some)
+{
+  this->set_up_and_trigger_waitable();
+
+  auto start_time = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+  this->executor->spin_some(this->max_duration);
+  this->check_for_busy_waits(start_time);
+  // this should get the inital trigger, but not the follow up in the callback
+  ASSERT_EQ(this->waitable->get_count(), 1u);
+}
+
+TYPED_TEST(TestBusyWaiting, test_spin)
+{
+  std::condition_variable cv;
+  std::mutex cv_m;
+  bool first_check_passed = false;
+
+  this->set_up_and_trigger_waitable([&cv, &cv_m, &first_check_passed]() {
+      cv.notify_one();
+      if (!first_check_passed) {
+        std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lk(cv_m);
+        cv.wait_for(lk, 1s, [&]() {return first_check_passed;});
+      }
+  });
+
+  auto start_time = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+  std::thread t([this]() {
+      this->executor->spin();
+    });
+
+  // wait until thread has started (first execute of waitable)
+  {
+    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lk(cv_m);
+    cv.wait_for(lk, 10s);
+  }
+  EXPECT_GT(this->waitable->get_count(), 0u);
+
+  first_check_passed = true;
+  cv.notify_one();
+
+  // wait until the executor has finished (second execute of waitable)
+  {
+    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lk(cv_m);
+    cv.wait_for(lk, 10s);
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ(this->waitable->get_count(), 2u);
+
+  this->executor->cancel();
+  t.join();
+
+  this->check_for_busy_waits(start_time);
+  // this should get the initial trigger, and the follow up from in the callback
+  ASSERT_EQ(this->waitable->get_count(), 2u);
+}