diff --git a/src/python/pants/core/goals/fmt.py b/src/python/pants/core/goals/fmt.py
index 8e2c7fa4da70..3aef75e0eb62 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/core/goals/fmt.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/core/goals/fmt.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import TypeVar, cast
 
-from pants.core.goals.style_request import StyleRequest
+from pants.core.goals.style_request import StyleRequest, style_batch_size_help
 from pants.core.util_rules.source_files import SourceFiles, SourceFilesRequest
 from pants.engine.console import Console
 from pants.engine.engine_aware import EngineAwareReturnType
@@ -139,7 +139,11 @@ def register_options(cls, register) -> None:
             removal_version="2.11.0.dev0",
             removal_hint=(
                 "Formatters are now broken into multiple batches by default using the "
-                "`--batch-size` argument."
+                "`--batch-size` argument.\n"
+                "\n"
+                "To keep (roughly) this option's behavior, set [fmt].batch_size = 1. However, "
+                "you'll likely get better performance by using a larger batch size because of "
+                "reduced overhead launching processes."
             ),
             help=(
                 "Rather than formatting all files in a single batch, format each file as a "
@@ -156,20 +160,7 @@ def register_options(cls, register) -> None:
             advanced=True,
             type=int,
             default=128,
-            help=(
-                "The target minimum number of files that will be included in each formatter batch.\n"
-                "\n"
-                "Formatter processes are batched for a few reasons:\n"
-                "\n"
-                "1. to avoid OS argument length limits (in processes which don't support argument "
-                "files)\n"
-                "2. to support more stable cache keys than would be possible if all files were "
-                "operated on in a single batch.\n"
-                "3. to allow for parallelism in formatter processes which don't have internal "
-                "parallelism, or -- if they do support internal parallelism -- to improve scheduling "
-                "behavior when multiple processes are competing for cores and so internal "
-                "parallelism cannot be used perfectly.\n"
-            ),
+            help=style_batch_size_help(uppercase="Formatter", lowercase="formatter"),
         )
 
     @property
diff --git a/src/python/pants/core/goals/lint.py b/src/python/pants/core/goals/lint.py
index 8985dd6fc6d3..609bd9c84f14 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/core/goals/lint.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/core/goals/lint.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import Any, Iterable, cast
 
-from pants.core.goals.style_request import StyleRequest, write_reports
+from pants.core.goals.style_request import StyleRequest, style_batch_size_help, write_reports
 from pants.core.util_rules.distdir import DistDir
 from pants.engine.console import Console
 from pants.engine.engine_aware import EngineAwareReturnType
@@ -157,7 +157,11 @@ def register_options(cls, register) -> None:
             removal_version="2.11.0.dev0",
             removal_hint=(
                 "Linters are now broken into multiple batches by default using the "
-                "`--batch-size` argument."
+                "`--batch-size` argument.\n"
+                "\n"
+                "To keep (roughly) this option's behavior, set [lint].batch_size = 1. However, "
+                "you'll likely get better performance by using a larger batch size because of "
+                "reduced overhead launching processes."
             ),
             help=(
                 "Rather than linting all files in a single batch, lint each file as a "
@@ -174,20 +178,7 @@ def register_options(cls, register) -> None:
             advanced=True,
             type=int,
             default=128,
-            help=(
-                "The target minimum number of files that will be included in each linter batch.\n"
-                "\n"
-                "Linter processes are batched for a few reasons:\n"
-                "\n"
-                "1. to avoid OS argument length limits (in processes which don't support argument "
-                "files)\n"
-                "2. to support more stable cache keys than would be possible if all files were "
-                "operated on in a single batch.\n"
-                "3. to allow for parallelism in linter processes which don't have internal "
-                "parallelism, or -- if they do support internal parallelism -- to improve scheduling "
-                "behavior when multiple processes are competing for cores and so internal "
-                "parallelism cannot be used perfectly.\n"
-            ),
+            help=style_batch_size_help(uppercase="Linter", lowercase="linter"),
         )
 
     @property
@@ -235,10 +226,10 @@ def address_str(fs: FieldSet) -> str:
             return fs.address.spec
 
         all_batch_results = await MultiGet(
-            Get(LintResults, LintRequest, request.__class__(field_sets))
+            Get(LintResults, LintRequest, request.__class__(field_set_batch))
             for request in requests
             if request.field_sets
-            for field_sets in partition_sequentially(
+            for field_set_batch in partition_sequentially(
                 request.field_sets, key=address_str, size_min=lint_subsystem.batch_size
             )
         )
@@ -262,7 +253,7 @@ def key_fn(results: LintResults):
                     sorted_all_batch_results, key=key_fn
                 )
             ),
-            key=lambda results: results.linter_name,
+            key=key_fn,
         )
     )
 
diff --git a/src/python/pants/core/goals/style_request.py b/src/python/pants/core/goals/style_request.py
index 51a7a08d4dab..0fe9ef49e19b 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/core/goals/style_request.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/core/goals/style_request.py
@@ -24,6 +24,23 @@
 _FS = TypeVar("_FS", bound=FieldSet)
 
 
+def style_batch_size_help(uppercase: str, lowercase: str) -> str:
+    return (
+        f"The target minimum number of files that will be included in each {lowercase} batch.\n"
+        "\n"
+        f"{uppercase} processes are batched for a few reasons:\n"
+        "\n"
+        "1. to avoid OS argument length limits (in processes which don't support argument "
+        "files)\n"
+        "2. to support more stable cache keys than would be possible if all files were "
+        "operated on in a single batch.\n"
+        f"3. to allow for parallelism in {lowercase} processes which don't have internal "
+        "parallelism, or -- if they do support internal parallelism -- to improve scheduling "
+        "behavior when multiple processes are competing for cores and so internal "
+        "parallelism cannot be used perfectly.\n"
+    )
+
+
 @frozen_after_init
 @dataclass(unsafe_hash=True)
 class StyleRequest(Generic[_FS], EngineAwareParameter, metaclass=ABCMeta):
diff --git a/src/python/pants/util/collections.py b/src/python/pants/util/collections.py
index c665784048a4..79d882892a4f 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/util/collections.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/util/collections.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 import collections
 import collections.abc
 import math
-from typing import Any, Callable, Iterable, Iterator, MutableMapping, Sequence, TypeVar
+from typing import Any, Callable, Iterable, Iterator, MutableMapping, TypeVar
 
 from pants.engine.internals import native_engine
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ def ensure_str_list(val: str | Iterable[str], *, allow_single_str: bool = False)
 
 
 def partition_sequentially(
-    items: Sequence[_T],
+    items: Iterable[_T],
     *,
     key: Callable[[_T], str],
     size_min: int,
@@ -95,7 +95,12 @@ def partition_sequentially(
     # To stably partition the arguments into ranges of at least `size_min`, we sort them, and
     # create a new batch sequentially once we have the minimum number of entries, _and_ we encounter
     # an item hash prefixed with a threshold of zeros.
-    zero_prefix_threshold = math.log(size_min // 8, 2)
+    #
+    # The hashes act like a (deterministic) series of rolls of an evenly distributed die. The
+    # probability of a hash prefixed with Z zero bits is 1/2^Z, and so to break after N items on
+    # average, we look for `Z == log2(N)` zero bits.
+    #
+    zero_prefix_threshold = math.log(max(4, size_min) // 4, 2)
     size_max = size_min * 2 if size_max is None else size_max
 
     batch: list[_T] = []
diff --git a/src/python/pants/util/collections_test.py b/src/python/pants/util/collections_test.py
index fb69eab83f90..2acf605f94e0 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/util/collections_test.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/util/collections_test.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
     assert_single_element,
     ensure_list,
     ensure_str_list,
+    partition_sequentially,
     recursively_update,
 )
 
@@ -85,3 +86,23 @@ def test_ensure_str_list() -> None:
         ensure_str_list(0)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
         ensure_str_list([0, 1])  # type: ignore[list-item]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("size_min", [0, 1, 16, 32, 64, 128])
+def test_partition_sequentially(size_min: int) -> None:
+    # Adding an item at any position in the input sequence should affect either 1 or 2 (if the added
+    # item becomes a boundary) buckets in the output.
+
+    def partitioned_buckets(items: list[str]) -> set[tuple[str, ...]]:
+        return set(tuple(p) for p in partition_sequentially(items, key=str, size_min=size_min))
+
+    # We start with base items containing every other element from a sorted sequence.
+    all_items = sorted((f"item{i}" for i in range(0, 64)))
+    base_items = [item for i, item in enumerate(all_items) if i % 2 == 0]
+    base_partitions = partitioned_buckets(base_items)
+
+    # Then test that adding any of the remaining items elements (which will be interspersed in the
+    # base items) only affects 1 or 2 buckets in the output.
+    for to_add in [item for i, item in enumerate(all_items) if i % 2 == 1]:
+        updated_partitions = partitioned_buckets([to_add, *base_items])
+        assert 1 <= len(base_partitions ^ updated_partitions) <= 2