diff --git a/processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/AsyncResources.java b/processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/AsyncResources.java
index d4cf84ffa6c1..e4f23726eb9d 100644
--- a/processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/AsyncResources.java
+++ b/processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/AsyncResources.java
@@ -118,6 +118,9 @@ public static <T, R> AsyncResource<R> transform(
   /**
    * Returns an {@link AsyncResource} that collects a list of underlying resources into a single lifecycle.
    *
+   * <p>The returned resource becomes ready once every resource in {@code asyncResources} has succeeded, or as soon as
+   * any of them fails.
+   *
    * <p>Once this method returns, the returned {@link AsyncResource} is the caller's to close, and closing it also
    * closes every resource in {@code asyncResources}, so the caller must not close them itself. If this method throws,
    * nothing has been taken over and the caller still owns all of them.
diff --git a/processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/CollectAsyncResource.java b/processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/CollectAsyncResource.java
index 3955e0b25a48..600d441a1754 100644
--- a/processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/CollectAsyncResource.java
+++ b/processing/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/CollectAsyncResource.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
 
 /**
@@ -37,6 +38,12 @@ public class CollectAsyncResource<T> implements AsyncResource<List<T>>
   private final AtomicInteger readyCount = new AtomicInteger(0);
   private final SettableAsyncResource<List<T>> targetResource = new SettableAsyncResource<>();
 
+  /**
+   * Whether a source has failed. Only the first failure is reported, since {@link #targetResource} can only be
+   * completed once.
+   */
+  private final AtomicBoolean failed = new AtomicBoolean(false);
+
   /**
    * Constructor. Can also be created with {@link AsyncResources#collect(List)}.
    */
@@ -48,7 +55,7 @@ public class CollectAsyncResource<T> implements AsyncResource<List<T>>
       targetResource.set(List.of(), null);
     } else {
       for (final AsyncResource<T> asyncResource : sourceResources) {
-        asyncResource.addReadyCallback(this::onOneSourceReady);
+        asyncResource.addReadyCallback(() -> onOneSourceReady(asyncResource));
       }
     }
   }
@@ -80,9 +87,23 @@ public void close()
     CloseableUtils.closeAndWrapExceptions(closer);
   }
 
-  private void onOneSourceReady()
+  private void onOneSourceReady(final AsyncResource<T> sourceResource)
   {
+    try {
+      sourceResource.get();
+    }
+    catch (Throwable e) {
+      // Fail without waiting for the other sources, but deliberately leave them open: closing them is up to the
+      // caller, via close().
+      if (failed.compareAndSet(false, true)) {
+        targetResource.setException(e);
+      }
+      return;
+    }
+
     if (readyCount.incrementAndGet() == sourceResources.size()) {
+      // Will only enter this block if all source resources succeeded, because a failed resource
+      // does not increment readyCount.
       try {
         final List<T> resources = new ArrayList<>(sourceResources.size());
         for (final AsyncResource<T> asyncResource : sourceResources) {
diff --git a/processing/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/AsyncResourcesTest.java b/processing/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/AsyncResourcesTest.java
index a612cbf3366e..1da563c7289b 100644
--- a/processing/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/AsyncResourcesTest.java
+++ b/processing/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/AsyncResourcesTest.java
@@ -114,6 +114,24 @@ public void testCollectOfFromFutureReadyWhenAllComplete()
     collected.close();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testCollectOfFromFutureFailsWithoutWaitingAndCancelsOthersOnClose()
+  {
+    final SettableFuture<String> a = SettableFuture.create();
+    final SettableFuture<String> b = SettableFuture.create();
+    final AsyncResource<List<String>> collected =
+        AsyncResources.collect(List.of(AsyncResources.fromFutureUnmanaged(a), AsyncResources.fromFutureUnmanaged(b)));
+
+    final RuntimeException failure = new RuntimeException("boom");
+    b.setException(failure);
+    Assertions.assertTrue(collected.isReady(), "one failure must not wait for the other sources");
+    Assertions.assertSame(failure, Assertions.assertThrows(RuntimeException.class, collected::get));
+    Assertions.assertFalse(a.isCancelled(), "the other sources are left to close()");
+
+    collected.close();
+    Assertions.assertTrue(a.isCancelled());
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void testFromFutureGetBeforeReadyThrows()
   {
diff --git a/processing/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/CollectAsyncResourceTest.java b/processing/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/CollectAsyncResourceTest.java
index e71e19c8054f..5fd0dd7cb074 100644
--- a/processing/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/CollectAsyncResourceTest.java
+++ b/processing/src/test/java/org/apache/druid/common/asyncresource/CollectAsyncResourceTest.java
@@ -96,6 +96,59 @@ public void testSourceFailurePropagates()
     collected.close();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testSourceFailureFailsWithoutWaitingForOtherSources()
+  {
+    final AtomicInteger fired = new AtomicInteger();
+    final AtomicInteger aCancel = new AtomicInteger();
+    final AtomicInteger bClose = new AtomicInteger();
+    final SettableAsyncResource<String> a = new SettableAsyncResource<>();
+    final SettableAsyncResource<String> b = new SettableAsyncResource<>();
+    final SettableAsyncResource<String> c = new SettableAsyncResource<>();
+    a.setCanceler(aCancel::incrementAndGet);
+    b.set("b", bClose::incrementAndGet);
+
+    final AsyncResource<List<String>> collected = AsyncResources.collect(List.of(a, b, c));
+    collected.addReadyCallback(fired::incrementAndGet);
+
+    // a is still pending, but c's failure must not wait for it.
+    final RuntimeException failure = new RuntimeException("boom");
+    c.setException(failure);
+
+    Assertions.assertTrue(collected.isReady());
+    Assertions.assertEquals(1, fired.get());
+    Assertions.assertSame(failure, Assertions.assertThrows(RuntimeException.class, collected::get));
+    Assertions.assertEquals(0, aCancel.get(), "sources must stay open until the collected resource is closed");
+    Assertions.assertEquals(0, bClose.get(), "sources must stay open until the collected resource is closed");
+
+    collected.close();
+    Assertions.assertEquals(1, aCancel.get(), "close must cancel the pending source");
+    Assertions.assertEquals(1, bClose.get(), "close must close the ready source");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testAlreadyFailedSourcesFailOnConstructionWithTheFirstFailure()
+  {
+    final AtomicInteger cCancel = new AtomicInteger();
+    final SettableAsyncResource<String> a = new SettableAsyncResource<>();
+    final SettableAsyncResource<String> b = new SettableAsyncResource<>();
+    final SettableAsyncResource<String> c = new SettableAsyncResource<>();
+    final RuntimeException failure = new RuntimeException("boom");
+    a.setException(failure);
+    b.setException(new RuntimeException("second"));
+    c.setCanceler(cCancel::incrementAndGet);
+
+    // Both failures fire inline while registering; failing the collected resource twice would throw out of collect.
+    final AsyncResource<List<String>> collected = AsyncResources.collect(List.of(a, b, c));
+
+    Assertions.assertTrue(collected.isReady());
+    Assertions.assertSame(failure, Assertions.assertThrows(RuntimeException.class, collected::get));
+    Assertions.assertEquals(0, cCancel.get());
+
+    collected.close();
+    Assertions.assertEquals(1, cCancel.get());
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void testCloseClosesAllReadySources()
   {
@@ -162,8 +215,8 @@ public void testCloseWithAMixOfReadyAndPendingSourcesReportsCancellation()
     collected.addReadyCallback(fired::incrementAndGet);
     Assertions.assertFalse(collected.isReady(), "one source is still pending");
 
-    // The already-ready source counted toward readiness, so closing the pending one brings the internal count to the
-    // source count and runs the collect body against sources this close just tore down. That must stay harmless.
+    // Closing the pending source fires its ready callback while this close is still tearing the sources down. That
+    // must stay harmless.
     collected.close();
 
     Assertions.assertEquals(1, fired.get());