diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/builds.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/builds.go
index 2d52daa..7c3eacd 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/builds.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/builds.go
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ func (b *Builds) PathOf(module, repository string) (string, bool) {
 // of it names it: the repository, the directory of its manifest there ("" or "." for the root) and the commit it was
 // built at.
 type Registration struct {
-	Module, Repository, Path, Commit string
+	Module, Repository, Path, Commit, Ref string
 }
 
 // registered is whether the record is an outcome that did not fail: what registers a module. Unlike IsTrunkBuild it
@@ -112,18 +112,47 @@ func registered(r delivery.BuildRecord) bool {
 // first that holds the module's manifest is the one indexed.
 func (b *Builds) RegistrationsOf(module string) []Registration {
 	type place struct{ repository, path string }
-	best := map[place]delivery.BuildRecord{}
+	byPlace := map[place][]delivery.BuildRecord{}
 	b.mu.Lock()
 	for _, r := range b.records {
-		if r.Module != module || !registered(r) {
-			continue
-		}
-		k := place{delivery.RepositoryName(r.Repository), pathOf(strings.Trim(r.Path, "/"))}
-		if cur, ok := best[k]; !ok || newer(r, cur) {
-			best[k] = r
+		if r.Module == module && registered(r) {
+			k := place{delivery.RepositoryName(r.Repository), pathOf(strings.Trim(r.Path, "/"))}
+			byPlace[k] = append(byPlace[k], r)
 		}
 	}
 	b.mu.Unlock()
+	// Within one place the record is that of the ref a registration comes from, never a newer pull request's or try's: a
+	// trunk's ref (main, master, trunk, none), else the ref most of the place's records name (the registered photos, de-spiegel
+	// and link2pay were built from nox-mesh), the newer of two equal; then its newest record.
+	best := map[place]delivery.BuildRecord{}
+	for k, recs := range byPlace {
+		count, latest := map[string]int{}, map[string]delivery.BuildRecord{}
+		for _, r := range recs {
+			count[r.Ref]++
+			if cur, ok := latest[r.Ref]; !ok || newer(r, cur) {
+				latest[r.Ref] = r
+			}
+		}
+		var pick string
+		first := true
+		for ref, rec := range latest {
+			switch {
+			case first:
+			case trunkLike[ref] != trunkLike[pick]:
+				if !trunkLike[ref] {
+					continue
+				}
+			case count[ref] != count[pick]:
+				if count[ref] < count[pick] {
+					continue
+				}
+			case !newer(rec, latest[pick]):
+				continue
+			}
+			pick, first = ref, false
+		}
+		best[k] = latest[pick]
+	}
 	recs := slices.Collect(maps.Values(best))
 	slices.SortFunc(recs, func(x, y delivery.BuildRecord) int {
 		switch {
@@ -141,7 +170,7 @@ func (b *Builds) RegistrationsOf(module string) []Registration {
 	})
 	out := make([]Registration, 0, len(recs))
 	for _, r := range recs {
-		out = append(out, Registration{Module: r.Module, Repository: r.Repository, Path: r.Path, Commit: r.Commit})
+		out = append(out, Registration{Module: r.Module, Repository: r.Repository, Path: r.Path, Commit: r.Commit, Ref: r.Ref})
 	}
 	return out
 }
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/registered.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/registered.go
index 08e067e..3223844 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/registered.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/registered.go
@@ -75,12 +75,6 @@ func (ix *Indexer) IndexRegistered(ctx context.Context, r Registration) error {
 	ix.tried[tried] = true
 	ix.mu.Unlock()
 	read, err := ix.Read(ctx, repository, commit, dir)
-	if err != nil && r.Commit != "" && r.Commit != commit {
-		// A head the forge no longer holds (a history that was rewritten) leaves the commit the module was registered at.
-		ix.logf("%s: reading %s at the head %s failed (%v), so at the registered commit %s", r.Module, repository, commit, err, r.Commit)
-		commit = r.Commit
-		read, err = ix.Read(ctx, repository, commit, dir)
-	}
 	if err != nil {
 		ix.mu.Lock()
 		delete(ix.tried, tried) // a forge that could not say is asked again
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/registered_test.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/registered_test.go
index efd4fd3..06e2838 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/registered_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/internal/index/registered_test.go
@@ -155,22 +155,45 @@ func TestARegistrationOfAnotherRepositoryDoesNotHideTheRealOne(t *testing.T) { /
 	}
 }
 
-func TestAHeadTheForgeLacksFallsBackToTheRegisteredCommit(t *testing.T) { // car-hunter: the source's head read as a 404
-	ix, mods := modulesIndexer(t, rec(t, "build-1", "snake", "http://novox.internal:20000/jschoubben/snake.git", "", "master", "", "2026-10-19T09:00:00Z", ""))
-	ix.Manifests = newMem()
-	ix.source = sourceNow{rev: 1, heads: map[string]string{"jschoubben/snake": h2}}
-	var asked []string
-	ix.Read = func(_ context.Context, _, sha, _ string) (RepoRead, error) {
-		asked = append(asked, sha)
-		if sha == h2 {
-			return RepoRead{}, errors.New("404")
+func TestAForgeThatCannotSayLeavesTheModuleUnwrittenAndAsksAgain(t *testing.T) { // a timeout or a 404 at the head: no read at an older commit
+	for _, failure := range []string{"timeout", "Gitea API /repos/x/git/trees/y: 404 not found"} {
+		ix, mods := modulesIndexer(t, rec(t, "build-1", "snake", "http://novox.internal:20000/jschoubben/snake.git", "", "master", "", "2026-10-19T09:00:00Z", ""))
+		ix.Manifests = newMem()
+		ix.source = sourceNow{rev: 1, heads: map[string]string{"jschoubben/snake": h2}}
+		var asked []string
+		ix.Read = func(_ context.Context, _, sha, _ string) (RepoRead, error) {
+			asked = append(asked, sha)
+			return RepoRead{}, errors.New(failure)
+		}
+		if err := ix.IndexRegisteredAll(context.Background()); err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("%q: no error", failure)
+		}
+		if _, ok := moduleOf(t, mods, "snake"); ok || len(asked) != 1 || asked[0] != h2 {
+			t.Errorf("%q: written %v, asked %v", failure, ok, asked)
+		}
+		if err := ix.IndexRegisteredAll(context.Background()); err == nil || len(asked) != 2 {
+			t.Errorf("%q: not asked again (asked %v)", failure, asked)
 		}
-		return RepoRead{Root: "r0", Trees: map[string]string{"": "t1"}, Manifests: map[string]string{"": `{"module":"snake","version":"1"}`}}, nil
 	}
-	if err := ix.IndexRegisteredAll(context.Background()); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
+}
+
+func TestARecordOfAPullRequestDoesNotReplaceTheRegisteredRef(t *testing.T) { // a newer feat/x record of the same place
+	const repo = "http://novox.internal:20000/novox/photos.git"
+	b := NewBuilds()
+	for _, r := range [][2]any{
+		rec(t, "b1", "photos", repo, "", "nox-mesh", "", "2026-10-01T09:00:00Z", ""),
+		rec(t, "b2", "photos", repo, "", "nox-mesh", "", "2026-10-02T09:00:00Z", ""),
+		rec(t, "b3", "photos", repo, "", "feat/x", "", "2026-10-09T09:00:00Z", ""),
+	} {
+		b.Put(r[0].(string), r[1].([]byte))
 	}
-	if m, ok := moduleOf(t, mods, "snake"); !ok || m.Commit != "7a74cee83f88e6585a5511c3cc53bdf0f5303d20" || len(asked) != 2 {
-		t.Fatalf("modules.snake = %+v, found %v, asked %v", m, ok, asked)
+	got := b.RegistrationsOf("photos")
+	if len(got) != 1 || got[0].Ref != "nox-mesh" {
+		t.Fatalf("registrations = %+v, want the ref most records name, not the newer feat/x", got)
+	}
+	k, v := record(t, "b4", "photos", repo, "", "main", "", "2026-10-03T09:00:00Z", "")
+	b.Put(k, v) // a trunk's ref beats a branch of its own
+	if got := b.RegistrationsOf("photos"); len(got) != 1 || got[0].Ref != "main" {
+		t.Fatalf("registrations = %+v", got)
 	}
 }