diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/composed_served_integration_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/composed_served_integration_test.go
index dce07570..41819d3d 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/composed_served_integration_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/composed_served_integration_test.go
@@ -230,6 +230,13 @@ func aServedMesh(t *testing.T) *servedMesh {
 		case <-time.After(30 * time.Second):
 			t.Log("the controller did not stop within 30 s")
 		}
+		// A stopping controller refuses every verb from then on as a handover (issue 289), which its process exits
+		// after; this one is the test process, so a later test's verb would be refused without running (issue 1945:
+		// the conditions verb's own process was never started). Its stop marks it once the serving context ends.
+		for deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second); !handingOver.Load() && time.Now().Before(deadline); {
+			time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+		}
+		handingOver.Store(false)
 	})
 	// Served once both nodes have their own composition: the start's pass ran.
 	for _, node := range []string{"anchor", "laptop"} {