diff --git a/go/compose/frombus/frombustest/frombustest_test.go b/go/compose/frombus/frombustest/frombustest_test.go
index c6e3493..84ec290 100644
--- a/go/compose/frombus/frombustest/frombustest_test.go
+++ b/go/compose/frombus/frombustest/frombustest_test.go
@@ -157,6 +157,16 @@ func TestTheProvisionedMeshHandsAPlanWithItsProvision(t *testing.T) {
 		byKey[frombus.PlacementRead+" watched"] != 1 {
 		t.Errorf("the watched reader read %v, want a build by key each time, a manifest once, the placement watched once", byKey)
 	}
+	fetched := 0
+	keep := fromruntime.KeptFetch(func(context.Context, string) ([]byte, error) { fetched++; return []byte("tar"), nil })
+	for range 2 {
+		if body, err := keep(context.Background(), "http://store/restic/files/blobs/sha256:a"); err != nil || string(body) != "tar" {
+			t.Fatalf("the kept fetch answered %q, %v", body, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if fetched != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("a templates archive was fetched %d times, want once", fetched)
+	}
 }
 
 func planned[P any](plans map[string]P, module string) bool { _, ok := plans[module]; return ok }
diff --git a/go/compose/fromruntime/fromruntime.go b/go/compose/fromruntime/fromruntime.go
index ae0f323..997fa5a 100644
--- a/go/compose/fromruntime/fromruntime.go
+++ b/go/compose/fromruntime/fromruntime.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
+	"sync"
 
 	stdio "git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go"
 	"git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go/compose/frombus"
@@ -47,9 +48,39 @@ func (w Watched) Get(state, key string) ([]byte, bool, error) {
 	return w.WatchedStates.Get(state, key)
 }
 
-// WatchedReader is frombus's Reader over w, fetching archives over HTTP.
+// WatchedReader is frombus's Reader over w, fetching each templates archive over HTTP once (KeptFetch): a composition
+// made again on every change reads it again otherwise.
 func WatchedReader(w *stdio.WatchedStates) frombus.Reader {
-	return frombus.StatesReader(Watched{w}, HTTPFetch)
+	return frombus.StatesReader(Watched{w}, KeptFetch(HTTPFetch))
+}
+
+// archivesAtMost bounds the archives KeptFetch keeps; past it they are emptied, which costs only a fetch again.
+const archivesAtMost = 64
+
+// KeptFetch is fetch kept once per URL: an archive's URL names its blob by digest, so its body never changes under it
+// (frombus checks the digest on every read). A failed fetch is not kept.
+func KeptFetch(fetch frombus.Fetch) frombus.Fetch {
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	kept := map[string][]byte{}
+	return func(ctx context.Context, url string) ([]byte, error) {
+		mu.Lock()
+		body, ok := kept[url]
+		mu.Unlock()
+		if ok {
+			return body, nil
+		}
+		body, err := fetch(ctx, url)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		mu.Lock()
+		if len(kept) >= archivesAtMost {
+			clear(kept)
+		}
+		kept[url] = body
+		mu.Unlock()
+		return body, nil
+	}
 }
 
 // HTTPFetch reads an archive over HTTP, at most 256 MiB.
diff --git a/go/state_test.go b/go/state_test.go
index bef4cbd..e8bdc2a 100644
--- a/go/state_test.go
+++ b/go/state_test.go
@@ -262,6 +262,18 @@ func TestABundleKeepsAndWatchesStateThroughTheRuntime(t *testing.T) {
 	if watches["placement"] != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("the state was watched %d times", watches["placement"])
 	}
+	// A read that starts a state's watch before its follower joins loses that follower no change: the follower is run over
+	// the copy's current values when it joins, then hears every later change (review of ADR 0580 §2).
+	if _, _, err := w.Get("haves", "n1.a"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	_ = handles["haves"](StateChange{Key: "n1.b", Op: OpPut, Value: []byte("2")}) // in the gap: no follower yet
+	var joined []string
+	w.Follow("haves", func(c StateChange) error { joined = append(joined, c.Key); return nil })
+	_ = handles["haves"](StateChange{Key: "n2.c", Op: OpPut, Value: []byte("3")})
+	if fmt.Sprint(joined) != "[a n1.b n2.c]" || watches["haves"] != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("a follower joining a watched state heard %v (watched %d times)", joined, watches["haves"])
+	}
 	for range 2 {
 		if v, found, _ := w.Once("manifests", "d1"); !found || string(v) != "d1" {
 			t.Fatalf("once read %q %v", v, found)
diff --git a/go/watched.go b/go/watched.go
index 1cb7578..1f7953e 100644
--- a/go/watched.go
+++ b/go/watched.go
@@ -19,9 +19,14 @@ type WatchedStates struct {
 
 	mu     sync.Mutex
 	states map[string]*watchedState
-	once   map[string][]byte
+	// once holds each value read with Once, by state and key, for the process's life: a few kilobytes per manifest
+	// digest. Past onceAtMost keys it is emptied, which costs only a read again.
+	once map[string][]byte
 }
 
+// onceAtMost bounds the values Once keeps.
+const onceAtMost = 4096
+
 type watchedState struct {
 	ready chan struct{} // closed once the watch's current values are all in the copy, or it was refused
 	err   error
@@ -68,9 +73,7 @@ func (w *WatchedStates) watched(state string, then func(StateChange) error) (*wa
 			return nil, s.err
 		}
 		if then != nil {
-			s.mu.Lock()
-			s.then = append(s.then, then)
-			s.mu.Unlock()
+			s.join(state, then)
 		}
 		return s, nil
 	}
@@ -117,6 +120,28 @@ func (w *WatchedStates) watched(state string, then func(StateChange) error) (*wa
 	return s, nil
 }
 
+// join adds then to a state already watched (a read started its watch first) and runs it over the copy's current values
+// before any later change, so no change that landed before it joined is lost to it (review of ADR 0580 §2: a read
+// beat the follower to the watch at start-up). Under thenMu, so a later change waits for these; a change the copy took
+// just before the snapshot may also be handed again, which a then that wakes work takes as a second wake.
+func (s *watchedState) join(state string, then func(StateChange) error) {
+	s.thenMu.Lock()
+	defer s.thenMu.Unlock()
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	s.then = append(s.then, then)
+	current := make([]StateChange, 0, len(s.values))
+	for k, v := range s.values {
+		current = append(current, StateChange{State: state, Key: k, Op: OpPut, Value: v, Current: true})
+	}
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+	sort.Slice(current, func(i, j int) bool { return current[i].Key < current[j].Key })
+	for _, c := range current {
+		if err := then(c); err != nil {
+			sayf("%s %s: %v", state, c.Key, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // run hands one change, already in the copy, to every then.
 func (s *watchedState) run(state string, c StateChange) error {
 	s.thenMu.Lock()
@@ -207,6 +232,9 @@ func (w *WatchedStates) Once(state, key string) ([]byte, bool, error) {
 		return nil, false, err
 	}
 	w.mu.Lock()
+	if len(w.once) >= onceAtMost {
+		clear(w.once)
+	}
 	w.once[state+" "+key] = v
 	w.mu.Unlock()
 	return v, true, nil