diff --git a/pkg/sql/distsql/server.go b/pkg/sql/distsql/server.go
index 230c93970554..824861ad4437 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/distsql/server.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/distsql/server.go
@@ -203,6 +203,9 @@ func FlowVerIsCompatible(
 // setupFlow creates a Flow.
 //
 // Args:
+// reserved: Specifies the upfront memory reservation that the flow takes
+//   ownership of. This account is already closed if an error is returned or
+//   will be closed through Flow.Cleanup.
 // localState: Specifies if the flow runs entirely on this node and, if it does,
 //   specifies the txn and other attributes.
 //
@@ -212,23 +215,17 @@ func (ds *ServerImpl) setupFlow(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	parentSpan *tracing.Span,
 	parentMonitor *mon.BytesMonitor,
+	reserved *mon.BoundAccount,
 	req *execinfrapb.SetupFlowRequest,
 	rowSyncFlowConsumer execinfra.RowReceiver,
 	batchSyncFlowConsumer execinfra.BatchReceiver,
 	localState LocalState,
 ) (retCtx context.Context, _ flowinfra.Flow, _ execopnode.OpChains, retErr error) {
-	if !FlowVerIsCompatible(req.Version, execinfra.MinAcceptedVersion, execinfra.Version) {
-		err := errors.Errorf(
-			"version mismatch in flow request: %d; this node accepts %d through %d",
-			req.Version, execinfra.MinAcceptedVersion, execinfra.Version,
-		)
-		log.Warningf(ctx, "%v", err)
-		return ctx, nil, nil, err
-	}
-
 	var sp *tracing.Span          // will be Finish()ed by Flow.Cleanup()
 	var monitor *mon.BytesMonitor // will be closed in Flow.Cleanup()
-	var onFlowCleanup func()
+	onFlowCleanup := func() {
+		reserved.Close(retCtx)
+	}
 	// Make sure that we clean up all resources (which in the happy case are
 	// cleaned up in Flow.Cleanup()) if an error is encountered.
 	defer func() {
@@ -239,13 +236,20 @@ func (ds *ServerImpl) setupFlow(
 			if monitor != nil {
 				monitor.Stop(ctx)
 			}
-			if onFlowCleanup != nil {
-				onFlowCleanup()
-			}
+			onFlowCleanup()
 			retCtx = tracing.ContextWithSpan(ctx, nil)
 		}
 	}()
 
+	if !FlowVerIsCompatible(req.Version, execinfra.MinAcceptedVersion, execinfra.Version) {
+		err := errors.Errorf(
+			"version mismatch in flow request: %d; this node accepts %d through %d",
+			req.Version, execinfra.MinAcceptedVersion, execinfra.Version,
+		)
+		log.Warningf(ctx, "%v", err)
+		return ctx, nil, nil, err
+	}
+
 	const opName = "flow"
 	if parentSpan == nil {
 		ctx, sp = ds.Tracer.StartSpanCtx(ctx, opName)
@@ -275,7 +279,7 @@ func (ds *ServerImpl) setupFlow(
 		noteworthyMemoryUsageBytes,
 		ds.Settings,
 	)
-	monitor.StartNoReserved(ctx, parentMonitor)
+	monitor.Start(ctx, parentMonitor, reserved)
 
 	makeLeaf := func() (*kv.Txn, error) {
 		tis := req.LeafTxnInputState
@@ -307,9 +311,11 @@ func (ds *ServerImpl) setupFlow(
 		// the original state in order to avoid performance regressions.
 		origMon := evalCtx.Mon
 		origTxn := evalCtx.Txn
+		oldOnFlowCleanup := onFlowCleanup
 		onFlowCleanup = func() {
 			evalCtx.Mon = origMon
 			evalCtx.Txn = origTxn
+			oldOnFlowCleanup()
 		}
 		evalCtx.Mon = monitor
 		if localState.MustUseLeafTxn() {
@@ -559,7 +565,8 @@ func (ds *ServerImpl) SetupLocalSyncFlow(
 	localState LocalState,
 ) (context.Context, flowinfra.Flow, execopnode.OpChains, error) {
 	ctx, f, opChains, err := ds.setupFlow(
-		ctx, tracing.SpanFromContext(ctx), parentMonitor, req, output, batchOutput, localState,
+		ctx, tracing.SpanFromContext(ctx), parentMonitor, &mon.BoundAccount{}, /* reserved */
+		req, output, batchOutput, localState,
 	)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, nil, err
@@ -615,14 +622,24 @@ func (ds *ServerImpl) SetupFlow(
 	// Note: the passed context will be canceled when this RPC completes, so we
 	// can't associate it with the flow.
 	ctx = ds.AnnotateCtx(context.Background())
-	ctx, f, _, err := ds.setupFlow(
-		ctx, rpcSpan, ds.memMonitor, req, nil, /* rowSyncFlowConsumer */
-		nil /* batchSyncFlowConsumer */, LocalState{},
-	)
-	if err == nil {
-		err = ds.flowScheduler.ScheduleFlow(ctx, f)
-	}
-	if err != nil {
+	if err := func() error {
+		// Reserve some memory for this remote flow which is a poor man's
+		// admission control based on the RAM usage.
+		reserved := ds.memMonitor.MakeBoundAccount()
+		err := reserved.Grow(ctx, mon.DefaultPoolAllocationSize)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		var f flowinfra.Flow
+		ctx, f, _, err = ds.setupFlow(
+			ctx, rpcSpan, ds.memMonitor, &reserved, req, nil, /* rowSyncFlowConsumer */
+			nil /* batchSyncFlowConsumer */, LocalState{},
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		return ds.flowScheduler.ScheduleFlow(ctx, f)
+	}(); err != nil {
 		// We return flow deployment errors in the response so that they are
 		// packaged correctly over the wire. If we return them directly to this
 		// function, they become part of an rpc error.