diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/go.mod b/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/go.mod
index c6af02f8..a55bcf38 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/go.mod
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/go.mod
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ require (
 	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-contracts/go/clients/containerimageregistryclient v0.0.0-00010101000000-000000000000 // indirect
 	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-contracts/go/seats/containerimageregistry v0.0.0-00010101000000-000000000000 // indirect
 	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-contracts/go/seats/ociartifactregistry v0.0.0-00010101000000-000000000000 // indirect
-	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-sdk v0.0.0-00010101000000-000000000000 // indirect
+	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-sdk v0.0.0-00010101000000-000000000000
 	github.com/antithesishq/antithesis-sdk-go v0.8.0-default-no-op // indirect
 	github.com/minio/highwayhash v1.0.4 // indirect
 	github.com/nats-io/jwt/v2 v2.8.2 // indirect
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/place.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/place.go
index 68f5864d..2037f55a 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/place.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/place.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
 	"sort"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -53,10 +54,21 @@ var moduleSteps = []string{seat.StepResultStepComposition, seat.StepResultStepRe
 // kindImage is the form of an acting rule's `on` naming an artifact kind (§324).
 const kindImage = "kind: image"
 
-// AskID is a step's ask id, the same for the same pipeline, artifact and step, so a start asked again asks nothing new.
-func AskID(pipeline, artifact, step string) string {
+// AskID is a step's ask id in the usual ask id form the holders accept (buildstep.CheckAskID): base 36 of started in
+// milliseconds, then six hex digits of the sha256 of the pipeline, the artifact and the step, so the same placement makes
+// the same id at every start and the bus dedupes on it; started is the pipeline's start time, or a rerun's own (design 47
+// G A-297).
+func AskID(started time.Time, pipeline, artifact, step string) string {
 	sum := sha256.Sum256([]byte(pipeline + "\n" + artifact + "\n" + step))
-	return "step-" + hex.EncodeToString(sum[:12])
+	return strconv.FormatInt(started.UnixMilli(), 36) + hex.EncodeToString(sum[:3])
+}
+
+// startOf is a pipeline's start time, the time its step ask ids open with (A-297); now for a pipeline that records none.
+func startOf(p seat.Pipeline, now time.Time) time.Time {
+	if p.Started != nil {
+		return *p.Started
+	}
+	return now
 }
 
 // Place places a pipeline's steps (design 47 G §21, §23, §323; A-91): only the steps the module's registration policy
@@ -74,7 +86,7 @@ func Place(p seat.Pipeline, reg catalog.Registration, entries map[string]catalog
 	// The build step is every pipeline's first, required whatever the policy names, asked of the seat mesh-builds for the
 	// module's own entry only (A-99, A-97): a group's other members are built by their own pipelines.
 	build := seat.StepResult{Step: seat.StepResultStepBuild, Status: seat.StepResultStatusRequired, Fingerprint: p.Fingerprint,
-		Seat: builds.Seat, Outcome: seat.StepResultOutcomeRunning, Started: &now, Ask: AskID(p.Pipeline, "", seat.StepResultStepBuild)}
+		Seat: builds.Seat, Outcome: seat.StepResultOutcomeRunning, Started: &now, Ask: AskID(startOf(p, now), p.Pipeline, "", seat.StepResultStepBuild)}
 	steps = append(steps, build)
 	asks = append(asks, Asked{Seat: builds.Seat, ID: build.Ask, Ask: builds.StepRun{Pipeline: p.Pipeline, Step: builds.StepRunStepBuild, Branch: p.Branch,
 		Revision: p.Revision, Source: p.Source, Entries: []builds.BuildEntry{{Module: p.Module, Commit: p.Commit, Fingerprint: p.Fingerprint}}}})
@@ -102,7 +114,7 @@ func Place(p seat.Pipeline, reg catalog.Registration, entries map[string]catalog
 				continue
 			}
 			s.Seat, s.Outcome, s.Started = bs, seat.StepResultOutcomeRunning, &now
-			s.Ask = AskID(p.Pipeline, a.Ref, step)
+			s.Ask = AskID(startOf(p, now), p.Pipeline, a.Ref, step)
 			steps = append(steps, s)
 			ask := Asked{Seat: bs, ID: s.Ask, Ask: stepAsk(p, entry, a, step, s.Ask, asker, now)}
 			if a.Package != nil {
@@ -124,7 +136,7 @@ func Place(p seat.Pipeline, reg catalog.Registration, entries map[string]catalog
 		// running at once, and its end is heard from that seat as the build seats' are. Review and approval wait.
 		if step == seat.StepResultStepComposition && status != seat.StepResultStatusBypass {
 			s.Seat, s.Outcome, s.Started, s.Fingerprint = wants.Seat, seat.StepResultOutcomeRunning, &now, p.Fingerprint
-			s.Ask = AskID(p.Pipeline, "", step)
+			s.Ask = AskID(startOf(p, now), p.Pipeline, "", step)
 			asks = append(asks, Asked{Seat: wants.Seat, ID: s.Ask, Ask: wants.StepRun{Branch: p.Branch, Commit: p.Commit, Fingerprint: p.Fingerprint,
 				Module: p.Module, Pipeline: p.Pipeline, Revision: p.Revision, Source: p.Source, Step: wants.StepRunStepComposition}})
 		}
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/place_test.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/place_test.go
index 1c26872d..e6c234dc 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/place_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/place_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package pipeline
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	seat "git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-contracts/go/seats/meshpipelinerunner"
 	wants "git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-contracts/go/seats/meshwants"
 	nodebuildgo "git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-contracts/go/seats/nodebuildgo"
+	"git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/modules/mesh-delivery-sdk/buildstep"
 )
 
 func stepSeatOf(t *testing.T, name string) StepSeat {
@@ -81,6 +83,12 @@ func TestStartPlacesTheStepsThePolicyNamesAndAsksEachBuildSeat(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(asks.asks) != 7 {
 		t.Fatalf("asked %d steps, want the build, the five running build steps and the composition", len(asks.asks))
 	}
+	// A-297: every step's ask id is the usual ask id form the holders accept, opened by the pipeline's start time.
+	for i, id := range asks.ids {
+		if err := buildstep.CheckAskID(id); err != nil || !strings.HasPrefix(id, strconv.FormatInt(p.Started.UnixMilli(), 36)) {
+			t.Errorf("ask %d's id %q is not the usual form opened by the pipeline's start: %v", i, id, err)
+		}
+	}
 	// A-99: the build is every pipeline's first step, required whatever the policy names, asked of mesh-builds for the
 	// module's own entry only.
 	b, ok := asks.asks[0].(builds.StepRun)
@@ -181,10 +189,11 @@ func TestCompositionIsAskedOfTheAssignerAndItsEndIsTaken(t *testing.T) {
 // placed under; an ended step, an ended pipeline and another branch's pipeline are asked of no one (design 47 G §88).
 func TestResumeAsksTheStepsPlacedAndNotEnded(t *testing.T) {
 	reg, entries := placeFixture()
+	started := time.Unix(1, 0) // A-297: a step's ask id opens with its pipeline's start, so resuming later places it under the same id
 	placed := func(branch string, source int64) seat.Pipeline {
 		p := seat.Pipeline{Pipeline: Key(branch, source, "app"), Branch: branch, Source: source, Module: "app", Commit: "c1", Fingerprint: "src2:aa",
-			Repository: "o/app", Outcome: seat.PipelineOutcomeRunning}
-		p.Steps, _ = Place(p, reg, entries, time.Unix(1, 0), "the-runner")
+			Repository: "o/app", Outcome: seat.PipelineOutcomeRunning, Started: &started}
+		p.Steps, _ = Place(p, reg, entries, started, "the-runner")
 		return p
 	}
 	main4, main5, beta6 := placed("main", 4), placed("main", 5), placed("beta", 6)
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/verbs.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/verbs.go
index 6ff1d86c..a0118b68 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/verbs.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-pipeline/internal/pipeline/verbs.go
@@ -325,12 +325,12 @@ func (v Verbs) askOf(p seat.Pipeline, s seat.StepResult, caller string, now time
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("the catalog half of %s is not held yet: the step is asked when it is", p.Branch)
 	}
 	_, placed := Place(p, reg, half.Entries, now, v.Starter.Name)
-	base := AskID(p.Pipeline, s.Artifact, s.Step)
+	base := AskID(startOf(p, now), p.Pipeline, s.Artifact, s.Step)
 	for _, a := range placed {
 		if a.ID != base {
 			continue
 		}
-		a.ID = AskID(p.Pipeline, s.Artifact, s.Step+"\nrerun\n"+now.Format(time.RFC3339Nano))
+		a.ID = AskID(now, p.Pipeline, s.Artifact, s.Step)
 		switch b := a.Ask.(type) {
 		case nodebuildgo.StepAsk:
 			b.ID = a.ID