diff --git a/.github/workflows/comment_bot.yml b/.github/workflows/comment_bot.yml
index ceff6c41d21a..8816ba7d078d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/comment_bot.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/comment_bot.yml
@@ -61,7 +61,10 @@ jobs:
     name: "Assign issue"
     permissions:
       issues: write
-    if: github.event.comment.body == 'take'
+    if: |
+      github.event.comment.body == 'take' &&
+      github.event.issue.pull_request == null &&
+      github.event.issue.assignee == null
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/github-script@v9
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index f23c18f326b0..2bb7669638bf 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ The Arrow project uses GitHub as a bug tracker.  To report a bug, sign in to
 your GitHub account, navigate to [GitHub issues](https://github.com/apache/arrow/issues)
 and click on **New issue** .
 
-To be assigned to an issue, add a comment "take" to that issue.
+To be assigned to an unassigned issue, add a comment "take" to that issue.
 
 Before you create a new bug entry, we recommend you first search among existing
 Arrow issues in
diff --git a/docs/source/developers/bug_reports.rst b/docs/source/developers/bug_reports.rst
index 307261617acc..e1c8e769ba8e 100644
--- a/docs/source/developers/bug_reports.rst
+++ b/docs/source/developers/bug_reports.rst
@@ -243,5 +243,5 @@ Issue assignment
 ++++++++++++++++
 
 Assignment signals commitment to work on an issue, and contributors should
-self-assign issues when that work starts. Anyone can now self-assign issues
-by commenting ``take``.
+self-assign issues when that work starts. Anyone can self-assign an
+unassigned issue by commenting ``take``.