diff --git a/pkg/cmd/roachtest/tests/versionupgrade.go b/pkg/cmd/roachtest/tests/versionupgrade.go
index cf87d9c476c3..d4321e007aeb 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/roachtest/tests/versionupgrade.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/roachtest/tests/versionupgrade.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/cmd/roachtest/cluster"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/cmd/roachtest/option"
+	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/cmd/roachtest/roachtestutil"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/cmd/roachtest/roachtestutil/clusterupgrade"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/cmd/roachtest/roachtestutil/mixedversion"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/cmd/roachtest/test"
@@ -102,8 +103,12 @@ func runVersionUpgrade(ctx context.Context, t test.Test, c cluster.Cluster) {
 	if c.IsLocal() && runtime.GOARCH == "arm64" {
 		t.Skip("Skip under ARM64. See https://github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/issues/89268")
 	}
-
+	c.Put(ctx, t.DeprecatedWorkload(), "./workload", c.All())
 	mvt := mixedversion.NewTest(ctx, t, t.L(), c, c.All())
+	mvt.OnStartup("setup schema changer workload", func(ctx context.Context, l *logger.Logger, r *rand.Rand, helper *mixedversion.Helper) error {
+		// Execute the workload init.
+		return c.RunE(ctx, c.All(), "./workload init schemachange")
+	})
 	mvt.InMixedVersion("run backup", func(ctx context.Context, l *logger.Logger, rng *rand.Rand, h *mixedversion.Helper) error {
 		// Verify that backups can be created in various configurations. This is
 		// important to test because changes in system tables might cause backups to
@@ -126,6 +131,15 @@ func runVersionUpgrade(ctx context.Context, t test.Test, c cluster.Cluster) {
 			return nil
 		},
 	)
+	mvt.InMixedVersion(
+		"test schema change step",
+		func(ctx context.Context, l *logger.Logger, rng *rand.Rand, h *mixedversion.Helper) error {
+			l.Printf("running schema workload step")
+			runCmd := roachtestutil.NewCommand("./workload run schemachange").Flag("verbose", 1).Flag("max-ops", 10).Flag("concurrency", 2).Arg("{pgurl:1-%d}", len(c.All()))
+			randomNode := h.RandomNode(rng, c.All())
+			return c.RunE(ctx, option.NodeListOption{randomNode}, runCmd.String())
+		},
+	)
 	mvt.AfterUpgradeFinalized(
 		"check if GC TTL is pinned",
 		func(ctx context.Context, l *logger.Logger, rng *rand.Rand, h *mixedversion.Helper) error {
diff --git a/pkg/workload/schemachange/operation_generator.go b/pkg/workload/schemachange/operation_generator.go
index bb89630ab114..50633fb12845 100644
--- a/pkg/workload/schemachange/operation_generator.go
+++ b/pkg/workload/schemachange/operation_generator.go
@@ -1135,6 +1135,15 @@ func (og *operationGenerator) createSequence(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx) (*o
 		{code: pgcode.UndefinedSchema, condition: !schemaExists},
 		{code: pgcode.DuplicateRelation, condition: sequenceExists && !ifNotExists},
 	}.add(stmt.expectedExecErrors)
+	// Descriptor ID generator may be temporarily unavailable, so
+	// allow this to be detected.
+	potentialDescIDGeneratorError, err := maybeExpectPotentialDescIDGenerationError(ctx, tx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	codesWithConditions{
+		{code: pgcode.Uncategorized, condition: potentialDescIDGeneratorError},
+	}.add(stmt.potentialExecErrors)
 
 	var seqOptions tree.SequenceOptions
 	// Decide if the sequence should be owned by a column. If so, it can
@@ -1296,6 +1305,15 @@ func (og *operationGenerator) createTable(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx) (*opSt
 		{code: pgcode.FeatureNotSupported, condition: hasUnsupportedTSQuery},
 		{code: pgcode.FeatureNotSupported, condition: hasUnsupportedForwardQueries},
 	}.add(opStmt.potentialExecErrors)
+	// Descriptor ID generator may be temporarily unavailable, so
+	// allow uncategorized errors temporarily.
+	potentialDescIDGeneratorError, err := maybeExpectPotentialDescIDGenerationError(ctx, tx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	codesWithConditions{
+		{code: pgcode.Uncategorized, condition: potentialDescIDGeneratorError},
+	}.add(opStmt.potentialExecErrors)
 	opStmt.sql = tree.Serialize(stmt)
 	return opStmt, nil
 }
@@ -1314,6 +1332,15 @@ func (og *operationGenerator) createEnum(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx) (*opStm
 		{code: pgcode.DuplicateObject, condition: typeExists},
 		{code: pgcode.InvalidSchemaName, condition: !schemaExists},
 	}.add(opStmt.expectedExecErrors)
+	// Descriptor ID generator may be temporarily unavailable, so
+	// allow uncategorized errors temporarily.
+	potentialDescIDGeneratorError, err := maybeExpectPotentialDescIDGenerationError(ctx, tx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	codesWithConditions{
+		{code: pgcode.Uncategorized, condition: potentialDescIDGeneratorError},
+	}.add(opStmt.potentialExecErrors)
 	stmt := randgen.RandCreateType(og.params.rng, typName.Object(), "asdf")
 	stmt.(*tree.CreateType).TypeName = typName.ToUnresolvedObjectName()
 	opStmt.sql = tree.Serialize(stmt)
@@ -1436,7 +1463,15 @@ func (og *operationGenerator) createTableAs(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx) (*op
 		{code: pgcode.DuplicateAlias, condition: duplicateSourceTables},
 		{code: pgcode.DuplicateColumn, condition: duplicateColumns},
 	}.add(opStmt.expectedExecErrors)
-
+	// Descriptor ID generator may be temporarily unavailable, so
+	// allow uncategorized errors temporarily.
+	potentialDescIDGeneratorError, err := maybeExpectPotentialDescIDGenerationError(ctx, tx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	codesWithConditions{
+		{code: pgcode.Uncategorized, condition: potentialDescIDGeneratorError},
+	}.add(opStmt.potentialExecErrors)
 	// Confirm the select itself doesn't run into any column generation errors,
 	// by executing it independently first until we add validation when adding
 	// generated columns. See issue: #81698?, which will allow us to remove this
@@ -1566,7 +1601,15 @@ func (og *operationGenerator) createView(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx) (*opStm
 		{code: pgcode.DuplicateAlias, condition: duplicateSourceTables},
 		{code: pgcode.DuplicateColumn, condition: duplicateColumns},
 	}.add(opStmt.expectedExecErrors)
-
+	// Descriptor ID generator may be temporarily unavailable, so
+	// allow uncategorized errors temporarily.
+	potentialDescIDGeneratorError, err := maybeExpectPotentialDescIDGenerationError(ctx, tx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	codesWithConditions{
+		{code: pgcode.Uncategorized, condition: potentialDescIDGeneratorError},
+	}.add(opStmt.potentialExecErrors)
 	opStmt.sql = fmt.Sprintf(`CREATE VIEW %s AS %s`,
 		destViewName, selectStatement.String())
 	return opStmt, nil
@@ -3665,3 +3708,10 @@ func isFkConstraintsEnabled(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx) (bool, error) {
 		clusterversion.ByKey(clusterversion.TODODelete_V22_2Start))
 	return !fkConstraintDisabledVersion, err
 }
+
+func maybeExpectPotentialDescIDGenerationError(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx) (bool, error) {
+	descIDGenerationVersion := clusterversion.ByKey(clusterversion.V23_1DescIDSequenceForSystemTenant)
+	descIDGenerationErrorPossible, err := isClusterVersionLessThan(ctx,
+		tx, descIDGenerationVersion)
+	return descIDGenerationErrorPossible, err
+}