diff --git a/internal/catalogue/foundation_manifests_test.go b/internal/catalogue/foundation_manifests_test.go
index f8f524e..44f95d8 100644
--- a/internal/catalogue/foundation_manifests_test.go
+++ b/internal/catalogue/foundation_manifests_test.go
@@ -70,8 +70,15 @@ func TestTheFilterModuleNeverFlushesTheRuleset(t *testing.T) {
 			"[Service]\nExecStop=\nExecStop=nft delete table inet mesh\n") {
 		t.Fatalf("the stock unit's stop is not replaced with deleting the mesh's table: %v", stock)
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(load["restart-on"], []any{"filtering", "unit", "stock-unit-stop"}) {
-		t.Fatalf("the filter is not reloaded when its rules, its unit or the stock unit's drop-in "+
-			"change: %v", load["restart-on"])
+	// A changed rule set is RELOADED — ExecReload replaces the table in one `nft -f`, so the node
+	// is never unfiltered — and only the units themselves restart it, which is the one change a
+	// reload cannot carry.
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(load["reload-on"], []any{"filtering"}) {
+		t.Fatalf("the filter is restarted rather than reloaded when its rules change, leaving the "+
+			"node unfiltered in between: %v", load)
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(load["restart-on"], []any{"unit", "stock-unit-stop"}) {
+		t.Fatalf("the filter is not restarted when its unit or the stock unit's drop-in changes: %v",
+			load["restart-on"])
 	}
 }