diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/planner_rules_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/planner_rules_test.go
index f6c0c5cf..1622f336 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/planner_rules_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/planner_rules_test.go
@@ -218,14 +218,9 @@ func TestAPlanIsWhatTheChangeTouchedAndWhatIsBuiltOnIt(t *testing.T) {
 		if u := strings.Join(r.Unread, ","); u != c.unread {
 			t.Errorf("%s: unread %q, wanted %q", c.what, u, c.unread)
 		}
-		// BUG found by this test on main (8170fc5): hasCycle reads any edge between two modules of the last
-		// tier as a cycle — a packages edge too, which puts both there by rule — so the merge handler logs
-		// "the last tier depends on itself … built together, in no order" for a plan with no cycle (the
-		// packages rows and the mixed diamond fail here). ADR 0162: a cycle is one last tier, *and said*;
-		// one said where there is none is the rule broken. The expectation stays.
+		// A packages edge in the last tier is no cycle; hasCycle said one on main at 8170fc5.
 		if hasCycle(r.Plan.Tiers, c.edges) != c.cycle {
-			t.Errorf("%s: a cycle said %v, wanted %v (%v) [BUG: hasCycle counts a packages edge]",
-				c.what, !c.cycle, c.cycle, r.Plan.Tiers)
+			t.Errorf("%s: a cycle said %v, wanted %v (%v)", c.what, !c.cycle, c.cycle, r.Plan.Tiers)
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -310,7 +305,7 @@ var sharedRepositoryEdges = []inventory.Edge{
 //     packages — never along built-by or worker-of;
 //   - every stands-on, declared, built-by and worker-of edge with both ends in the plan has the module
 //     depended on in an earlier tier;
-//   - no cycle is said (this one fails on main: see the BUG note below).
+//   - no cycle is said.
 //
 // Seeded, so a failure is replayed by its seed and case.
 func TestAPlanIsTheTouchedModulesAndWhatIsReachableAlongTheWideningEdges(t *testing.T) {
@@ -413,10 +408,10 @@ func TestAPlanIsTheTouchedModulesAndWhatIsReachableAlongTheWideningEdges(t *test
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	// BUG found by this property on main (8170fc5); see the table's cycle check. Said once, after the
-	// other invariants have run over every case, so it hides none of them.
+	// Said once, after the other invariants have run over every case, so it hides none of them (hasCycle
+	// counted a packages edge on main at 8170fc5: 19 of these 500 cases).
 	if falseCycles > 0 {
-		t.Errorf("a cycle said of a graph with none in %d of 500 cases [BUG: hasCycle counts a packages edge]; "+
+		t.Errorf("a cycle said of a graph with none in %d of 500 cases; "+
 			"the first:\n%s", falseCycles, firstFalseCycle)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/release_plan.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/release_plan.go
index c240d478..8688705b 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/release_plan.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/release_plan.go
@@ -157,7 +157,9 @@ func reachableFrom(moved []string, edges []inventory.Edge) []string {
 	return out
 }
 
-// hasCycle says whether the tiers' last tier holds modules that still depend on each other.
+// hasCycle says whether the tiers' last tier holds modules that still depend on each other. A packages
+// edge orders nothing (tiersOf), so a module and what packages its source share a tier by rule: that is
+// no cycle, and saying one was is a false report in every such plan's log.
 func hasCycle(tiers [][]string, edges []inventory.Edge) bool {
 	if len(tiers) == 0 {
 		return false
@@ -167,6 +169,9 @@ func hasCycle(tiers [][]string, edges []inventory.Edge) bool {
 		last[m] = true
 	}
 	for _, e := range edges {
+		if e.Kind == inventory.EdgePackages {
+			continue
+		}
 		if last[e.From] && last[e.To] {
 			return true
 		}