diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/fetch.go b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/fetch.go
index 6dc0e424..91fd3176 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/fetch.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/fetch.go
@@ -49,6 +49,51 @@ type FetchResult struct {
 	// Beside are the sibling repositories placed as plain directories under the workspace's beside directory, which
 	// build_go_test hands to the tests as MESH_CHECK_BESIDE (ADR 0484 clause 4).
 	Beside []Sibling `json:"beside,omitempty"`
+	// Took is how long each phase of the fetch ran, in seconds (issue 1921, the try speed-up's first measurement): what
+	// the checker reports as one "clone" time, split.
+	Took *FetchTook `json:"took,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// FetchTook is the time of each phase of a fetch, in seconds; its phases add up to Total. Mirror is bringing the
+// repository's mirror to the commit, Fetch the fetch and checkout into the tree, Merge the merge preview, Dissociate
+// the repack that makes the tree independent of the mirror, Beside the placing of the siblings (their own mirror,
+// fetch and repack), Other the narrowing and the listing of the go.mod directories, and Modules the download and
+// verify of the Go modules.
+type FetchTook struct {
+	Mirror     float64 `json:"mirror"`
+	Fetch      float64 `json:"fetch"`
+	Merge      float64 `json:"preview"` // named for the merge preview, apart from the result's merge commit
+	Dissociate float64 `json:"dissociate"`
+	Beside     float64 `json:"siblings"`
+	Other      float64 `json:"other"`
+	Modules    float64 `json:"modules"`
+	Total      float64 `json:"total"`
+}
+
+// phaseClock stamps the phases of a fetch: each lap is the time since the one before, so the laps add up to the total.
+type phaseClock struct {
+	now          func() time.Time
+	start, since time.Time
+}
+
+func newPhaseClock(now func() time.Time) *phaseClock {
+	t := now()
+	return &phaseClock{now: now, start: t, since: t}
+}
+
+// lap adds the time since the last lap to *into.
+func (c *phaseClock) lap(into *float64) {
+	t := c.now()
+	*into += t.Sub(c.since).Seconds()
+	c.since = t
+}
+
+func (c *phaseClock) total() float64 { return c.since.Sub(c.start).Seconds() }
+
+// String is the one log line a fetch says of its phases.
+func (t FetchTook) String() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("mirror %.1fs, fetch %.1fs, merge %.1fs, dissociate %.1fs, beside %.1fs, other %.1fs, modules %.1fs, total %.1fs",
+		t.Mirror, t.Fetch, t.Merge, t.Dissociate, t.Beside, t.Other, t.Modules, t.Total)
 }
 
 // fetchTool is the fetch step tool.
@@ -109,43 +154,71 @@ func (m *Module) fetch(ctx context.Context, args map[string]any) (res any, err e
 }
 
 func (m *Module) fetchInto(ctx context.Context, req buildstep.FetchRequest, id string, siblings []siblingArg) (any, error) {
+	res, err := m.fetchPhases(ctx, req, id, siblings)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if m.Say != nil && res.Took != nil {
+		m.Say("the fetch of %s at %s took %s", req.Repository, short(req.Commit), res.Took)
+	}
+	return res, nil
+}
+
+func short(commit string) string {
+	if len(commit) > 12 {
+		return commit[:12]
+	}
+	return commit
+}
+
+func (m *Module) fetchPhases(ctx context.Context, req buildstep.FetchRequest, id string, siblings []siblingArg) (FetchResult, error) {
 	repository, commit, ref, base := req.Repository, req.Commit, req.Ref, req.Base
 	var err error
+	took := &FetchTook{}
+	clock := newPhaseClock(m.now)
+	defer func() { took.Total = clock.total() }()
 	root := filepath.Join(m.Work, id)
 	tree := filepath.Join(root, "tree")
 	if err := os.MkdirAll(tree, 0o700); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return FetchResult{}, err
 	}
 	remote := m.remote(repository)
-	if err := buildstep.FetchCommit(ctx, m.Run, tree, remote, commit, ref, m.fetchOptions(ctx, repository, commit, ref)...); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	opts := m.fetchOptions(ctx, repository, commit, ref)
+	clock.lap(&took.Mirror)
+	if err := buildstep.FetchCommit(ctx, m.Run, tree, remote, commit, ref, opts...); err != nil {
+		return FetchResult{}, err
 	}
-	res := FetchResult{Workspace: id, Commit: commit}
+	clock.lap(&took.Fetch)
+	res := FetchResult{Workspace: id, Commit: commit, Took: took}
 	if base != "" {
 		if err := m.merge(ctx, &res, tree, remote, base, commit); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return FetchResult{}, err
 		}
 	}
+	clock.lap(&took.Merge)
 	if err := m.dissociate(ctx, tree); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return FetchResult{}, err
 	}
+	clock.lap(&took.Dissociate)
 	if res.Beside, err = m.placeSiblings(ctx, root, siblings); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return FetchResult{}, err
 	}
+	clock.lap(&took.Beside)
 	if (base == "" || res.Merge != "") && len(req.Paths) > 0 {
 		if err := buildstep.Narrow(tree, req); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return FetchResult{}, err
 		}
 		// Said beside the tree, so the steps that list the tree's go.mod files leave out those narrowed away.
 		if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(root, narrowedMark), nil, 0o600); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return FetchResult{}, err
 		}
 	}
 	dirs, err := m.goModDirs(ctx, tree)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return FetchResult{}, err
 	}
 	res.Modules = dirs
+	clock.lap(&took.Other)
 	if base != "" && res.Merge == "" {
 		return res, nil // a conflict: the tree is at the trunk, nothing of the head is built or tested
 	}
@@ -168,9 +241,10 @@ func (m *Module) fetchInto(ctx context.Context, req buildstep.FetchRequest, id s
 		}()
 	}
 	wg.Wait()
+	clock.lap(&took.Modules)
 	for _, err := range errs {
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return FetchResult{}, err
 		}
 	}
 	return res, nil
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/fetch_test.go b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/fetch_test.go
index 04874659..a6734ac3 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/fetch_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/fetch_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package main
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
@@ -302,3 +303,60 @@ func TestWorkAndCacheAreTheDirectoriesTheManifestPlacesOutsideTheHome(t *testing
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// 1921/S1: the fetch says how long each phase ran (mirror, fetch, merge, dissociate, beside, other, modules), and the
+// phases add up to its total, so a try's "clone" time is split into its parts.
+func TestTheFetchSaysTheTimeOfEachPhaseAndTheyAddUpToTheTotal(t *testing.T) {
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	now := time.Date(2026, 10, 25, 9, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	advance := func(s int) {
+		mu.Lock()
+		now = now.Add(time.Duration(s) * time.Second)
+		mu.Unlock()
+	}
+	f := &fakeStep{gomods: "go.mod\n", files: map[string]string{"go.mod": "module x\n", "go.sum": ""}, rule: func(line string) (forgekey.Ran, bool) {
+		switch {
+		case strings.Contains(line, "/mirror/") && strings.Contains(line, " fetch "):
+			advance(1)
+		case strings.Contains(line, " fetch --no-tags --depth 1 "):
+			advance(2)
+		case strings.Contains(line, " merge --no-ff "):
+			advance(3)
+		case strings.Contains(line, " repack "):
+			advance(4)
+		case strings.HasSuffix(line, " mod download"):
+			advance(5)
+		}
+		return forgekey.Ran{}, false
+	}}
+	m, states := fetchModule(t, f)
+	said := []string{}
+	m.Say = func(format string, a ...any) { said = append(said, fmt.Sprintf(format, a...)) }
+	m.Now = func() time.Time { mu.Lock(); defer mu.Unlock(); return now }
+	args := map[string]any{"repository": "novox/mesh-sdk", "commit": commitSHA, "base": strings.Repeat("b", 40)}
+	if _, err := fetchTool(t, m)(args); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	st := states.waitEnd(t)
+	if st.State != delivery.StepPassed {
+		t.Fatalf("the step ended %s: %s", st.State, st.Reason)
+	}
+	var res FetchResult
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(st.Result, &res); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if res.Took == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("the result says no phase times: %s", st.Result)
+	}
+	got := *res.Took
+	want := FetchTook{Mirror: 1, Fetch: 2, Merge: 3, Dissociate: 4, Modules: 5, Total: 15}
+	if got != want {
+		t.Errorf("phases = %+v, want %+v", got, want)
+	}
+	if sum := got.Mirror + got.Fetch + got.Merge + got.Dissociate + got.Beside + got.Other + got.Modules; sum != got.Total {
+		t.Errorf("the phases add up to %v, not the total %v", sum, got.Total)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(strings.Join(said, "\n"), "dissociate 4.0s") {
+		t.Errorf("no log line names the phases: %q", said)
+	}
+}