diff --git a/modules/messenger/cmd/messenger/answers_test.go b/modules/messenger/cmd/messenger/answers_test.go
index f14a6903..2a5eed39 100644
--- a/modules/messenger/cmd/messenger/answers_test.go
+++ b/modules/messenger/cmd/messenger/answers_test.go
@@ -848,6 +848,12 @@ func TestBreakGlassIsAFileRootMadeAndTheMinuteGoesOn(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatal("the router's minute hung on a break-glass file")
 		}
 	}
+	// Who owns the file is what the kernel says, faked here both ways: the build seat runs this suite as root, where
+	// every file the test makes is root's, and a person runs it as themselves (the forge's check of 2026-10-09 failed
+	// on the first and passed on the second).
+	was := fileOwner
+	t.Cleanup(func() { fileOwner = was })
+	fileOwner = func(os.FileInfo) uint32 { return 1000 }
 	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(h.StateDir, "unlink.telegram"), nil, 0o600); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -859,8 +865,6 @@ func TestBreakGlassIsAFileRootMadeAndTheMinuteGoesOn(t *testing.T) {
 	if _, err := h.Unlink("telegram"); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	was := fileOwner
-	t.Cleanup(func() { fileOwner = was })
 	fileOwner = func(os.FileInfo) uint32 { return 0 }
 	_ = os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(h.StateDir, "unlink.telegram"), nil, 0o600)
 	tick()