diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/asks_test.go b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/asks_test.go
index 20f6d788..7759b452 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/asks_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/asks_test.go
@@ -144,10 +144,10 @@ func TestManifestClaimsTheGoBuildSeatAndReadsItsCapacity(t *testing.T) {
 	if w, fault := buildstep.NodeBuildHours(moduleDir+"/files/settings.json", "g14", t.Errorf)(); w != nil || fault != "" {
 		t.Errorf("the settings template holds build hours %v (%s)", w, fault)
 	}
-	var capacity string
+	var capacity float64
 	_ = json.Unmarshal(doc.Config[buildstep.CapacitySetting].Default, &capacity)
-	if capacity != buildstep.DefaultCapacities {
-		t.Errorf("the capacity's default = %q, want %q", capacity, buildstep.DefaultCapacities)
+	if capacity != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("the capacity's default = %g, want 0", capacity)
 	}
 	settings := resource(t, m, "settings")
 	if settings["path"] != "${dir:state}/settings.json" {
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/files/settings.json b/modules/mesh-build-go/files/settings.json
index 56bb28d4..3b65dd1c 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/files/settings.json
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/files/settings.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "capacity": "shanks=3,ace=2,g14=0,novox=0",
+  "capacity": 0,
   "cores-per-step": 6,
   "build-hours": ""
 }
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/module.json b/modules/mesh-build-go/module.json
index 7526d1a0..6cd433e4 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/module.json
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/module.json
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@
   ],
   "config": {
     "capacity": {
-      "type": "string",
-      "description": "How many asks of the Go build seat this module runs at once on each node, as node=asks pairs separated by commas, such as shanks=3,ace=2 (novox/hq ADR 0525 §5); a node set to 0 pulls nothing, a node not named runs one at a time. The control-node and the laptop build nothing.",
-      "pattern": "|[a-z0-9_-]+=[0-9]+(,[a-z0-9_-]+=[0-9]+)*",
-      "default": "shanks=3,ace=2,g14=0,novox=0"
+      "type": "number",
+      "description": "How many asks of the Go build seat this module runs at once on this node (novox/hq ADR 0525 §5); 0 pulls nothing. It is set per node in the mesh's configuration; a node with no value builds nothing.",
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "default": 0
     },
     "build-hours": {
       "type": "string",
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-image/files/settings.json b/modules/mesh-build-image/files/settings.json
index 73ee4fa8..4a445c34 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-image/files/settings.json
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-image/files/settings.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "capacity": "shanks=3,ace=2,g14=0,novox=0",
+  "capacity": 0,
   "cores-per-step": 2,
   "build-hours": ""
 }
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-image/module.json b/modules/mesh-build-image/module.json
index c83b9d88..b19d36b3 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-image/module.json
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-image/module.json
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@
   ],
   "config": {
     "capacity": {
-      "type": "string",
-      "description": "How many asks of the image build seat this module runs at once on each node, as node=asks pairs separated by commas, such as shanks=3,ace=2 (novox/hq ADR 0525 §5); a node set to 0 pulls nothing, a node not named runs one at a time. The control-node and the laptop build nothing.",
-      "pattern": "|[a-z0-9_-]+=[0-9]+(,[a-z0-9_-]+=[0-9]+)*",
-      "default": "shanks=3,ace=2,g14=0,novox=0"
+      "type": "number",
+      "description": "How many asks of the image build seat this module runs at once on this node (novox/hq ADR 0525 §5); 0 pulls nothing. It is set per node in the mesh's configuration; a node with no value builds nothing.",
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "default": 0
     },
     "build-hours": {
       "type": "string",
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-node/cmd/mesh-build-node/asks_test.go b/modules/mesh-build-node/cmd/mesh-build-node/asks_test.go
index 8ae9a43d..5a2f0172 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-node/cmd/mesh-build-node/asks_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-node/cmd/mesh-build-node/asks_test.go
@@ -102,10 +102,10 @@ func TestManifestTakesTheBuildCapacity(t *testing.T) {
 	if w, fault := buildstep.NodeBuildHours(moduleDir+"/files/settings.json", "g14", t.Errorf)(); w != nil || fault != "" {
 		t.Errorf("the settings template holds build hours %v (%s)", w, fault)
 	}
-	var capacity string
+	var capacity float64
 	_ = json.Unmarshal(doc.Config[buildstep.CapacitySetting].Default, &capacity)
-	if capacity != buildstep.DefaultCapacities {
-		t.Errorf("the capacity's default = %q", capacity)
+	if capacity != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("the capacity's default = %g, want 0", capacity)
 	}
 	if resource(t, m, "settings")["path"] != "${dir:state}/settings.json" {
 		t.Error("no settings file")
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-node/files/settings.json b/modules/mesh-build-node/files/settings.json
index 73ee4fa8..4a445c34 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-node/files/settings.json
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-node/files/settings.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "capacity": "shanks=3,ace=2,g14=0,novox=0",
+  "capacity": 0,
   "cores-per-step": 2,
   "build-hours": ""
 }
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-node/module.json b/modules/mesh-build-node/module.json
index baf8b291..ebd4dd72 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-node/module.json
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-node/module.json
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@
   ],
   "config": {
     "capacity": {
-      "type": "string",
-      "description": "How many asks of the Node build seat this module runs at once on each node, as node=asks pairs separated by commas, such as shanks=3,ace=2 (novox/hq ADR 0525 §5); a node set to 0 pulls nothing, a node not named runs one at a time. The control-node and the laptop build nothing.",
-      "pattern": "|[a-z0-9_-]+=[0-9]+(,[a-z0-9_-]+=[0-9]+)*",
-      "default": "shanks=3,ace=2,g14=0,novox=0"
+      "type": "number",
+      "description": "How many asks of the Node build seat this module runs at once on this node (novox/hq ADR 0525 §5); 0 pulls nothing. It is set per node in the mesh's configuration; a node with no value builds nothing.",
+      "minimum": 0,
+      "default": 0
     },
     "build-hours": {
       "type": "string",