diff --git a/internal/catalogue/replay166_test.go b/internal/catalogue/replay166_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7611666b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/catalogue/replay166_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package catalogue
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// Replay of novox/hq issue 166: every soft dependency had become a hard requirement. grafana runs without a
+// data source, yet a manifest could not say so: a mesh without influxdb could not register a grafana that
+// said its influxdb-api was optional, and with influxdb only in the catalogue, assigning grafana installed
+// influxdb for it. Written only with what the catalogue had before its fix (mesh-controller #281):
+// ParseManifest, Resolve, and the resolve tests' shelf, reachable machine and names, so it is laid over the
+// commit before.
+func TestReplay166(t *testing.T) {
+	grafana, err := ParseManifest([]byte(`{"module":"grafana","version":"1",
+		"requires":[{"name":"influxdb-api","optional":true}]}`))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("a manifest cannot say grafana runs without influxdb-api: %v", err)
+	}
+	catalogue := shelf(
+		Manifest{Module: "influxdb", Version: "1", Provides: FromAnywhere("influxdb-api")},
+		grafana,
+	)
+	// Nothing in the mesh runs influxdb; it is only in the catalogue.
+	got, err := Resolve(catalogue, []string{"grafana"}, reachable(), World{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("grafana could not be assigned on a mesh without influxdb: %v", err)
+	}
+	if have := strings.Join(names(got), " "); have != "grafana" {
+		t.Fatalf("assigning grafana put %s on the machine; nothing is installed for an optional requirement", have)
+	}
+	if len(got.Needs) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("grafana was given a binding with nothing providing it: %+v", got.Needs)
+	}
+	// And once influxdb runs somewhere, grafana binds to it as before.
+	got, err = Resolve(catalogue, []string{"grafana"}, reachable(), World{Offered: map[string][]Provider{
+		"influxdb-api": {{Node: "anchor", At: "anchor.internal", Module: "influxdb"}}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(got.Needs) != 1 || got.Needs[0].From != "anchor" || got.Needs[0].For != "grafana" {
+		t.Fatalf("grafana did not bind to influxdb on anchor: %+v", got.Needs)
+	}
+}