diff --git a/tests/integration.rs b/tests/integration.rs
index 81966af87..5f6615ea0 100644
--- a/tests/integration.rs
+++ b/tests/integration.rs
@@ -3775,6 +3775,19 @@ mod tests {
                 u32::from(desired_vcpus)
             );
 
+            // Resize the VM back up to 4
+            let desired_vcpus = 4;
+            resize_command(&api_socket, Some(desired_vcpus), None);
+
+            guest.ssh_command("echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/bus/cpu/devices/cpu2/online")?;
+            guest.ssh_command("echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/bus/cpu/devices/cpu3/online")?;
+            thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::new(10, 0));
+            aver_eq!(
+                tb,
+                guest.get_cpu_count().unwrap_or_default(),
+                u32::from(desired_vcpus)
+            );
+
             let _ = child.kill();
             let _ = child.wait();
             Ok(())
diff --git a/vmm/src/cpu.rs b/vmm/src/cpu.rs
index 237cd1ec7..572684971 100644
--- a/vmm/src/cpu.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/cpu.rs
@@ -750,6 +750,7 @@ impl CpuManager {
         Ok(vcpu_clone)
     }
 
+    /// Only create new vCPUs if there aren't any inactive ones to reuse
     fn create_vcpus(&mut self, desired_vcpus: u8, entry_point: Option<EntryPoint>) -> Result<()> {
         info!(
             "Request to create new vCPUs: desired = {}, max = {}, allocated = {}, present = {}",
@@ -763,7 +764,8 @@ impl CpuManager {
             return Err(Error::DesiredVCPUCountExceedsMax);
         }
 
-        for cpu_id in self.present_vcpus()..desired_vcpus {
+        // Only create vCPUs in excess of all the allocated vCPUs.
+        for cpu_id in self.vcpus.len() as u8..desired_vcpus {
             let vcpu = self.create_vcpu(cpu_id, entry_point, None)?;
             self.vcpus.push(vcpu);
         }
@@ -859,6 +861,7 @@ impl CpuManager {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    /// Start up as many vCPUs threads as needed to reach `desired_vcpus`
     fn activate_vcpus(&mut self, desired_vcpus: u8, inserting: bool) -> Result<()> {
         if desired_vcpus > self.config.max_vcpus {
             return Err(Error::DesiredVCPUCountExceedsMax);
@@ -875,6 +878,7 @@ impl CpuManager {
             self.present_vcpus()
         );
 
+        // This reuses any inactive vCPUs as well as any that were newly created
         for cpu_id in self.present_vcpus()..desired_vcpus {
             let vcpu = Arc::clone(&self.vcpus[cpu_id as usize]);
             self.start_vcpu(vcpu, vcpu_thread_barrier.clone(), inserting)?;