diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/module.go b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/module.go
index a6bb9e2a..b85e097f 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/module.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/module.go
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ func (m *Module) Start(ctx context.Context) {
 			m.Say("the toolchain: %v", err)
 		}
 		m.CleanWorkspaces(time.Now())
+		buildstep.EndStaleRound(m.stepScan(), m.Node, m.Say) // asks past the step bound, on the module's own round (issue 1890)
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/go.mod b/modules/mesh-build-go/go.mod
index 1831697c..78118bd6 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/go.mod
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/go.mod
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module meshbuildgo
 go 1.26.0
 
 require (
-	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204
+	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297
 	github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 v3.1.2
 	github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.11.17
 	github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.54.0
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/go.sum b/modules/mesh-build-go/go.sum
index d99f0495..7896d000 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/go.sum
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/go.sum
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204 h1:4d1l+pPE+FQF8jNEjTrRdzw+4GDgNm6Yhf++SMDVtBs=
-git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204/go.mod h1:ouERNpZizzwZ0HLEtAypsY9FR20FyUgUYRni6J7kVCY=
+git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297 h1:k31FtFp/DGXGatRjKV1S0z1gBAHfVgtvBX6xF0g1Vgw=
+git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297/go.mod h1:ouERNpZizzwZ0HLEtAypsY9FR20FyUgUYRni6J7kVCY=
 github.com/alicebob/miniredis/v2 v2.35.0 h1:QwLphYqCEAo1eu1TqPRN2jgVMPBweeQcR21jeqDCONI=
 github.com/alicebob/miniredis/v2 v2.35.0/go.mod h1:TcL7YfarKPGDAthEtl5NBeHZfeUQj6OXMm/+iu5cLMM=
 github.com/antithesishq/antithesis-sdk-go v0.7.0-default-no-op h1:Z/MZK75wC/NSrkgqeNIa7jexam9uWzhLmFTSCPI/kn0=
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-image/cmd/mesh-build-image/module.go b/modules/mesh-build-image/cmd/mesh-build-image/module.go
index d5d932c9..d723d13d 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-image/cmd/mesh-build-image/module.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-image/cmd/mesh-build-image/module.go
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ func (m *Module) Start(ctx context.Context) {
 			m.Say("this machine cannot build images: %v", err)
 		}
 		m.CleanWorkspaces(m.clock())
+		buildstep.EndStaleRound(m.stepScan(), m.Node, m.Say) // asks past the step bound, on the module's own round (issue 1890)
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-image/go.mod b/modules/mesh-build-image/go.mod
index 2734f1d8..2b826ecd 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-image/go.mod
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-image/go.mod
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module meshbuildimage
 go 1.26.0
 
 require (
-	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204
+	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297
 	github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 v2.11.17
 	github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.54.0
 )
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-image/go.sum b/modules/mesh-build-image/go.sum
index 06ab5ad8..06def8ba 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-image/go.sum
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-image/go.sum
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204 h1:4d1l+pPE+FQF8jNEjTrRdzw+4GDgNm6Yhf++SMDVtBs=
-git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204/go.mod h1:ouERNpZizzwZ0HLEtAypsY9FR20FyUgUYRni6J7kVCY=
+git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297 h1:k31FtFp/DGXGatRjKV1S0z1gBAHfVgtvBX6xF0g1Vgw=
+git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297/go.mod h1:ouERNpZizzwZ0HLEtAypsY9FR20FyUgUYRni6J7kVCY=
 github.com/antithesishq/antithesis-sdk-go v0.7.0-default-no-op h1:Z/MZK75wC/NSrkgqeNIa7jexam9uWzhLmFTSCPI/kn0=
 github.com/antithesishq/antithesis-sdk-go v0.7.0-default-no-op/go.mod h1:FQyySiasQQM8735Ddel3MRojmy4dA1IqCeyJ5jmPMbI=
 github.com/google/go-tpm v0.9.8 h1:slArAR9Ft+1ybZu0lBwpSmpwhRXaa85hWtMinMyRAWo=
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-node/cmd/mesh-build-node/module.go b/modules/mesh-build-node/cmd/mesh-build-node/module.go
index 0b6ecf8e..34987b9c 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-node/cmd/mesh-build-node/module.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-node/cmd/mesh-build-node/module.go
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ func (m *Module) Start(ctx context.Context) {
 			m.Say("the toolchain: %v", err)
 		}
 		m.CleanWorkspaces(m.now())
+		buildstep.EndStaleRound(m.stepScan(), m.Node, m.Say) // asks past the step bound, on the module's own round (issue 1890)
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-node/go.mod b/modules/mesh-build-node/go.mod
index c5cfba46..3c52bd28 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-node/go.mod
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-node/go.mod
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module meshbuildnode
 go 1.26.0
 
 require (
-	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204
+	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297
 	github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 v3.1.2
 	github.com/nats-io/nats.go v1.54.0
 )
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-node/go.sum b/modules/mesh-build-node/go.sum
index 8501986c..dc1e6039 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-node/go.sum
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-node/go.sum
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204 h1:4d1l+pPE+FQF8jNEjTrRdzw+4GDgNm6Yhf++SMDVtBs=
-git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026124305-e66c6fea6204/go.mod h1:ouERNpZizzwZ0HLEtAypsY9FR20FyUgUYRni6J7kVCY=
+git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297 h1:k31FtFp/DGXGatRjKV1S0z1gBAHfVgtvBX6xF0g1Vgw=
+git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261026125154-6b8497314297/go.mod h1:ouERNpZizzwZ0HLEtAypsY9FR20FyUgUYRni6J7kVCY=
 github.com/alicebob/miniredis/v2 v2.35.0 h1:QwLphYqCEAo1eu1TqPRN2jgVMPBweeQcR21jeqDCONI=
 github.com/alicebob/miniredis/v2 v2.35.0/go.mod h1:TcL7YfarKPGDAthEtl5NBeHZfeUQj6OXMm/+iu5cLMM=
 github.com/antithesishq/antithesis-sdk-go v0.7.0-default-no-op h1:Z/MZK75wC/NSrkgqeNIa7jexam9uWzhLmFTSCPI/kn0=