diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe.go
index ec8eeb29..e97a02df 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe.go
@@ -35,10 +35,17 @@ const (
 	presenceSilent
 )
 
-// applyPresence sets what the watchman says of a machine: the verdict of its stuck presence key (nil when there is none)
-// and, when presence.<node> has an entry, its time as when the machine was last heard from. Without a presence entry,
-// last heard stays the store's last_seen.
-func applyPresence(m *machineFacts, stuck *sdkdelivery.Stuck, at time.Time) {
+// presenceEntry is presence.<node> as the watchman wrote it: whether the machine is online and when the entry was made.
+// The watchman writes it only when it changes, so for an online machine the time is when it connected.
+type presenceEntry struct {
+	Online bool
+	At     time.Time
+}
+
+// applyPresence sets what the watchman says of a machine: the verdict of its stuck presence key (nil when there is none).
+// A presence entry that says online counts the machine as heard now; otherwise last heard is the later of the store's
+// last_seen and the entry's time (the time it went offline).
+func applyPresence(m *machineFacts, stuck *sdkdelivery.Stuck, entry *presenceEntry, now time.Time) {
 	switch {
 	case stuck == nil:
 		m.presence = presenceUnsaid
@@ -47,8 +54,12 @@ func applyPresence(m *machineFacts, stuck *sdkdelivery.Stuck, at time.Time) {
 	default:
 		m.presence = presenceSilent
 	}
-	if !at.IsZero() {
-		m.lastHeard = at
+	switch {
+	case entry == nil:
+	case entry.Online:
+		m.lastHeard = now
+	case entry.At.After(m.lastHeard):
+		m.lastHeard = entry.At
 	}
 }
 
@@ -137,8 +148,8 @@ func readStuck(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn) (map[string]sdkdelivery.Stu
 	return out, nil
 }
 
-// readPresenceTimes is, by node, the time of presence.<node>'s entry; a node without an entry is left out.
-func readPresenceTimes(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn, nodes []string) (map[string]time.Time, error) {
+// readPresence is, by node, presence.<node>'s entry; a node without an entry is left out.
+func readPresence(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn, nodes []string) (map[string]presenceEntry, error) {
 	api, err := jetstream.New(conn)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -150,7 +161,7 @@ func readPresenceTimes(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn, nodes []string) (ma
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("the watchman's presence bucket: %w", err)
 	}
-	out := map[string]time.Time{}
+	out := map[string]presenceEntry{}
 	for _, node := range nodes {
 		key, err := sdkdelivery.PresenceNodeKey(node)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -163,13 +174,18 @@ func readPresenceTimes(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn, nodes []string) (ma
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		out[node] = e.Created()
+		p, err := sdkdelivery.DecodePresence(e.Value())
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("the presence key %s is not read: %v\n", key, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		out[node] = presenceEntry{Online: p.Online, At: e.Created()}
 	}
 	return out, nil
 }
 
 // withPresence says of each machine what the watchman says: its stuck presence key and its presence entry's time.
-func withPresence(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn, machines []machineFacts) error {
+func withPresence(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn, machines []machineFacts, now time.Time) error {
 	stuck, err := readStuck(ctx, conn)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -178,7 +194,7 @@ func withPresence(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn, machines []machineFacts)
 	for i, m := range machines {
 		names[i] = m.name
 	}
-	times, err := readPresenceTimes(ctx, conn, names)
+	entries, err := readPresence(ctx, conn, names)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -189,7 +205,11 @@ func withPresence(ctx context.Context, conn *nats.Conn, machines []machineFacts)
 				said = &s
 			}
 		}
-		applyPresence(&machines[i], said, times[machines[i].name])
+		var entry *presenceEntry
+		if e, ok := entries[machines[i].name]; ok {
+			entry = &e
+		}
+		applyPresence(&machines[i], said, entry, now)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe_integration_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe_integration_test.go
index a3e9bcac..acf070c8 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe_integration_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe_integration_test.go
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ func TestAStuckKeyWrittenAndThenMovedRaisesAndClearsACondition(t *testing.T) { /
 		t.Fatalf("a stuck key written: %+v %v", got, err)
 	}
 	machines := []machineFacts{{name: "ace", lastHeard: time.Now()}}
-	if err := withPresence(ctx, js.Conn(), machines); err != nil {
+	if err := withPresence(ctx, js.Conn(), machines, time.Now()); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	if !machines[0].silent(time.Now()) {
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func TestAStuckKeyWrittenAndThenMovedRaisesAndClearsACondition(t *testing.T) { /
 		t.Fatalf("a stuck key written as moved: %+v %v", got, err)
 	}
 	machines = []machineFacts{{name: "ace", lastHeard: time.Now().Add(-time.Hour), every: time.Minute}}
-	if err := withPresence(ctx, js.Conn(), machines); err != nil {
+	if err := withPresence(ctx, js.Conn(), machines, time.Now()); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	if machines[0].silent(time.Now()) {
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe_test.go
index d3b258c2..aab335ea 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/stuck_probe_test.go
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ func TestAStuckPresenceKeyIsTheSilentVerdict(t *testing.T) { // 1156/AC2
 	f := calm(now)
 	f.machines = append(f.machines, aMachineHeardAt(now, 10*time.Second))
 	notMoved := sdkdelivery.Stuck{Bucket: sdkdelivery.PresenceBucket, Key: "laptop", Waited: "its return", Since: now.Add(-3 * time.Minute)}
-	applyPresence(&f.machines[1], &notMoved, now.Add(-3*time.Minute))
+	applyPresence(&f.machines[1], &notMoved, nil, now)
 	got := watchHeartbeats(f)
 	if len(got) != 1 || got[0].Machine != "laptop" || got[0].Kind != "silent" {
 		t.Fatalf("a presence key not moved: %+v", got)
@@ -85,24 +85,38 @@ func TestAStuckPresenceKeyIsTheSilentVerdict(t *testing.T) { // 1156/AC2
 	f.machines[1].lastHeard = now.Add(-2 * time.Hour)
 	moved := notMoved
 	moved.Moved = true
-	applyPresence(&f.machines[1], &moved, now.Add(-time.Minute))
+	applyPresence(&f.machines[1], &moved, nil, now)
 	if got := watchHeartbeats(f); len(got) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("a presence key that moved raised %+v", got)
 	}
 }
 
-// 1156/AC3: a machine's last heard is the presence key's entry time when there is one, and last_seen when there is none.
-func TestLastHeardIsThePresenceKeysTimeWhenThereIsOne(t *testing.T) { // 1156/AC3
+// 1156/AC3: with a presence entry that says offline, last heard is the later of last_seen and the entry's time; with none,
+// last_seen. An entry that says online counts as heard now: the watchman writes it only when it changes, so its time is
+// when the machine connected, and a machine online for hours with no stuck key is not silent, whatever last_seen says.
+func TestLastHeardFollowsThePresenceEntry(t *testing.T) { // 1156/AC3
 	now := time.Now()
 	seen := now.Add(-time.Hour)
-	m := machineFacts{name: "laptop", lastHeard: seen}
-	applyPresence(&m, nil, time.Time{})
+	m := machineFacts{name: "laptop", lastHeard: seen, every: time.Minute}
+	applyPresence(&m, nil, nil, now)
 	if !m.lastHeard.Equal(seen) {
-		t.Fatalf("with no presence key last heard is %v, want last_seen %v", m.lastHeard, seen)
+		t.Fatalf("with no presence entry last heard is %v, want last_seen %v", m.lastHeard, seen)
 	}
-	at := now.Add(-5 * time.Minute)
-	applyPresence(&m, nil, at)
-	if !m.lastHeard.Equal(at) {
-		t.Fatalf("with a presence key last heard is %v, want %v", m.lastHeard, at)
+	offlineAt := now.Add(-5 * time.Minute)
+	applyPresence(&m, nil, &presenceEntry{Online: false, At: offlineAt}, now)
+	if !m.lastHeard.Equal(offlineAt) {
+		t.Fatalf("offline since %v: last heard is %v", offlineAt, m.lastHeard)
+	}
+	m = machineFacts{name: "laptop", lastHeard: now.Add(-time.Minute), every: time.Minute}
+	applyPresence(&m, nil, &presenceEntry{Online: false, At: now.Add(-time.Hour)}, now)
+	if !m.lastHeard.Equal(now.Add(-time.Minute)) {
+		t.Fatalf("an older entry replaced a newer last_seen: %v", m.lastHeard)
+	}
+	for _, lastSeen := range []time.Duration{10 * time.Second, 5 * time.Hour} {
+		m := machineFacts{name: "laptop", lastHeard: now.Add(-lastSeen), every: time.Minute}
+		applyPresence(&m, nil, &presenceEntry{Online: true, At: now.Add(-6 * time.Hour)}, now)
+		if m.silent(now) {
+			t.Fatalf("a machine online since hours ago (last_seen %v ago) with no stuck key is silent", lastSeen)
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/watchdogs.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/watchdogs.go
index 2e5c2e4e..ce29a2f1 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/watchdogs.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/watchdogs.go
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ func (w *watchdogs) gatherMachines(ctx context.Context, inv *inventory.Inventory
 	// What the watchman says of each machine: its stuck presence key is the silent verdict, and presence.<node>'s time when
 	// it was last heard (ADR 0433 §3). Unreadable is said, and the heartbeat rule judges as before.
 	if w.js != nil {
-		if err := withPresence(ctx, w.js.Conn(), out); err != nil {
+		if err := withPresence(ctx, w.js.Conn(), out, now); err != nil {
 			fmt.Printf("what the watchman says of the machines' presence cannot be read: %v\n", err)
 		} else {
 			for _, m := range out {