diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/delivery_conditions.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/delivery_conditions.go
index 942bd9aa..d5fefbe8 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/delivery_conditions.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/delivery_conditions.go
@@ -55,6 +55,17 @@ type stalledLine struct {
 	Bound string `json:"bound"`
 	H2    string `json:"h2"`
 	Says  string `json:"says"`
+	// Severity is "urgent" for a group held or half merged and a refused member (novox/hq issues 1275, 1278); empty
+	// or anything else is a warning, as before.
+	Severity string `json:"severity,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// severity is the condition's severity a stalled line asks: urgent when it says so, a warning otherwise.
+func (l stalledLine) severity() conditions.Severity {
+	if l.Severity == string(conditions.Urgent) {
+		return conditions.Urgent
+	}
+	return conditions.Warning
 }
 
 // waitingCheck is one merge check a stalled line waits on, as mesh-delivery gives it: its context, its state —
@@ -165,7 +176,7 @@ func stalledObservations(lines []stalledLine) []conditions.Observation {
 	out := make([]conditions.Observation, 0, len(lines))
 	for _, l := range lines {
 		o := conditions.Observation{Scope: conditions.ScopeDelivery, ID: l.ID, Kind: kindDeliveryStalled,
-			Severity: conditions.Warning,
+			Severity: l.severity(),
 			Summary: fmt.Sprintf("the delivery %s has been %s for %s, past its bound of %s (%s): healer H2 may %s — "+
 				"`mesh-delivery.show %s`", l.ID, l.State, l.For, l.Bound, l.Says, l.H2, l.ID),
 			Said: fmt.Sprintf("%s for %s", l.State, l.For)}
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/delivery_stalled_severity_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/delivery_stalled_severity_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d59eb346
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/delivery_stalled_severity_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/novox/mesh-controller/internal/conditions"
+)
+
+func severityRaisedFor(t *testing.T, line string) conditions.Severity {
+	t.Helper()
+	var l stalledLine
+	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &l); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	got := stalledObservations([]stalledLine{l})
+	if len(got) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("%d conditions", len(got))
+	}
+	return got[0].Severity
+}
+
+func TestAnUrgentStalledLineRaisesAnUrgentCondition(t *testing.T) { // 1278/AC1
+	line := `{"id":"novox/mesh-delivery#5","state":"held","for":"3m0s","bound":"0s","h2":"close","says":"held","severity":"urgent"}`
+	if got := severityRaisedFor(t, line); got != conditions.Urgent {
+		t.Errorf("an urgent line raised %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAStalledLineWithoutOrWithAnUnknownSeverityRaisesAWarning(t *testing.T) { // 1278/AC2
+	for _, extra := range []string{``, `,"severity":""`, `,"severity":"critical"`, `,"severity":"warning"`} {
+		line := `{"id":"novox/a#1","state":"unanswered","for":"3m0s","bound":"2m0s","h2":"close","says":"x"` + extra + `}`
+		if got := severityRaisedFor(t, line); got != conditions.Warning {
+			t.Errorf("the line %s raised %q", extra, got)
+		}
+	}
+}