diff --git a/database/common/common.go b/database/common/common.go
index 57d3c897..f710e3b1 100644
--- a/database/common/common.go
+++ b/database/common/common.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ type Store interface {
 	FindOrganizationPoolByTags(ctx context.Context, orgID string, tags []string) (params.Pool, error)
 
 	CreateInstance(ctx context.Context, poolID string, param params.CreateInstanceParams) (params.Instance, error)
-	DeleteInstance(ctx context.Context, poolID string, instanceID string) error
+	DeleteInstance(ctx context.Context, poolID string, instanceName string) error
 	UpdateInstance(ctx context.Context, instanceID string, param params.UpdateInstanceParams) (params.Instance, error)
 
 	ListPoolInstances(ctx context.Context, poolID string) ([]params.Instance, error)
diff --git a/runner/pool/common.go b/runner/pool/common.go
index 813f2504..85923b86 100644
--- a/runner/pool/common.go
+++ b/runner/pool/common.go
@@ -535,51 +535,67 @@ func (r *basePool) cleanupOrphanedGithubRunners(runners []*github.Runner) error
 			continue
 		}
 
-		removeRunner := false
-
 		dbInstance, err := r.store.GetInstanceByName(r.ctx, *runner.Name)
 		if err != nil {
 			if !errors.Is(err, runnerErrors.ErrNotFound) {
 				return errors.Wrap(err, "fetching instance from DB")
 			}
-			// We no longer have a DB entry for this instance. Previous forceful
-			// removal may have failed?
-			removeRunner = true
-		} else {
-			pool, err := r.helper.GetPoolByID(dbInstance.PoolID)
-			if err != nil {
-				return errors.Wrap(err, "fetching pool")
-			}
-
-			if providerCommon.InstanceStatus(dbInstance.Status) == providerCommon.InstancePendingDelete {
-				// already marked for deleting. Let consolidate take care of it.
-				continue
-			}
-			// check if the provider still has the instance.
-			provider, ok := r.providers[pool.ProviderName]
-			if !ok {
-				return fmt.Errorf("unknown provider %s for pool %s", pool.ProviderName, pool.ID)
-			}
-
-			if providerCommon.InstanceStatus(dbInstance.Status) == providerCommon.InstanceRunning {
-				// instance is running, but github reports runner as offline. Log the event.
-				// This scenario requires manual intervention.
-				// Perhaps it just came online and github did not yet change it's status?
-				log.Printf("instance %s is online but github reports runner as offline", dbInstance.Name)
-				continue
-			}
-			//start the instance
-			if err := provider.Start(r.ctx, dbInstance.ProviderID); err != nil {
-				return errors.Wrapf(err, "starting instance %s", dbInstance.ProviderID)
-			}
-			// we started the instance. Give it a chance to come online
-			continue
-		}
-
-		if removeRunner {
+			// We no longer have a DB entry for this instance, and the runner appears offline in github.
+			// Previous forceful removal may have failed?
+			log.Printf("Runner %s has no database entry in garm, removing from github", *runner.Name)
 			if err := r.helper.RemoveGithubRunner(*runner.ID); err != nil {
 				return errors.Wrap(err, "removing runner")
 			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if providerCommon.InstanceStatus(dbInstance.Status) == providerCommon.InstancePendingDelete {
+			// already marked for deleting, which means the github workflow finished.
+			// Let consolidate take care of it.
+			continue
+		}
+
+		pool, err := r.helper.GetPoolByID(dbInstance.PoolID)
+		if err != nil {
+			return errors.Wrap(err, "fetching pool")
+		}
+
+		// check if the provider still has the instance.
+		provider, ok := r.providers[pool.ProviderName]
+		if !ok {
+			return fmt.Errorf("unknown provider %s for pool %s", pool.ProviderName, pool.ID)
+		}
+
+		// Check if the instance is still on the provider.
+		_, err = provider.GetInstance(r.ctx, dbInstance.Name)
+		if err != nil {
+			if !errors.Is(err, runnerErrors.ErrNotFound) {
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "fetching instance from provider")
+			}
+			// The runner instance is no longer on the provider, and it appears offline in github.
+			// It should be safe to force remove it.
+			log.Printf("Runner instance for %s is no longer on the provider, removing from github", dbInstance.Name)
+			if err := r.helper.RemoveGithubRunner(*runner.ID); err != nil {
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "removing runner from github")
+			}
+			// Remove the database entry for the runner.
+			log.Printf("Removing %s from database", dbInstance.Name)
+			if err := r.store.DeleteInstance(r.ctx, dbInstance.PoolID, dbInstance.Name); err != nil {
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "removing runner from database")
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if providerCommon.InstanceStatus(dbInstance.Status) == providerCommon.InstanceRunning {
+			// instance is running, but github reports runner as offline. Log the event.
+			// This scenario requires manual intervention.
+			// Perhaps it just came online and github did not yet change it's status?
+			log.Printf("instance %s is online but github reports runner as offline", dbInstance.Name)
+			continue
+		}
+		//start the instance
+		if err := provider.Start(r.ctx, dbInstance.ProviderID); err != nil {
+			return errors.Wrapf(err, "starting instance %s", dbInstance.ProviderID)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/runner/providers/external/external.go b/runner/providers/external/external.go
index dc3da784..63127cd5 100644
--- a/runner/providers/external/external.go
+++ b/runner/providers/external/external.go
@@ -121,6 +121,8 @@ func (e *external) GetInstance(ctx context.Context, instance string) (params.Ins
 		fmt.Sprintf("GARM_INSTANCE_ID=%s", instance),
 	}
 
+	// TODO(gabriel-samfira): handle error types. Of particular insterest is to
+	// know when the error is ErrNotFound.
 	out, err := exec.Exec(ctx, e.execPath, nil, asEnv)
 	if err != nil {
 		return params.Instance{}, garmErrors.NewProviderError("provider binary %s returned error: %s", e.execPath, err)
diff --git a/runner/providers/lxd/lxd.go b/runner/providers/lxd/lxd.go
index 63dd5e89..7d8cb119 100644
--- a/runner/providers/lxd/lxd.go
+++ b/runner/providers/lxd/lxd.go
@@ -310,6 +310,9 @@ func (l *LXD) CreateInstance(ctx context.Context, bootstrapParams params.Bootstr
 func (l *LXD) GetInstance(ctx context.Context, instanceName string) (params.Instance, error) {
 	instance, _, err := l.cli.GetInstanceFull(instanceName)
 	if err != nil {
+		if isNotFoundError(err) {
+			return params.Instance{}, errors.Wrapf(runnerErrors.ErrNotFound, "fetching instance: %q", err)
+		}
 		return params.Instance{}, errors.Wrap(err, "fetching instance")
 	}