diff --git a/cmd/mesh-control/modules.go b/cmd/mesh-control/modules.go
index 837b26e..743a192 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-control/modules.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-control/modules.go
@@ -243,6 +243,13 @@ func moduleCommand(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+		// A consumer's queue, with its dead-letter, is the substrate's to declare — its own account
+		// may not (ADR 0048). Made now, so it exists before the module binds onto it.
+		if len(m.Consumes) > 0 {
+			if err := management.EnsureModuleQueue(ctx, *forNode, module); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
 
 		known, err := broker.FromEnvironment()
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/broker/management.go b/internal/broker/management.go
index caf8739..3270826 100644
--- a/internal/broker/management.go
+++ b/internal/broker/management.go
@@ -143,6 +143,21 @@ func (m *Management) CreateModuleAccount(ctx context.Context, node, module, pass
 	return account, nil
 }
 
+// EnsureModuleQueue declares a consuming module's queue with its dead-letter exchange, idempotently.
+// The substrate declares it because a scoped module account may not: the broker refuses a queue with
+// a dead-letter exchange to a non-administrator (novox/hq ADR 0048), so a consumer passively checks
+// the queue the mesh made rather than declaring its own.
+func (m *Management) EnsureModuleQueue(ctx context.Context, node, module string) error {
+	queue := ModuleQueueFor(node, module)
+	if err := m.put(ctx, "/api/queues/%2f/"+url.PathEscape(queue), map[string]any{
+		"durable":   true,
+		"arguments": map[string]any{"x-dead-letter-exchange": DeadExchangeName},
+	}); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot declare the queue for %s on %s: %w", module, node, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // EnsureEventExchanges declares the bus's exchanges and the dead-letter home, idempotently. The
 // substrate owns them (a module's account may not declare an exchange), and a dead-letter exchange
 // with no queue behind it drops what it receives — so a durable queue bound to `#` retains a poison