diff --git a/node-tools/go.mod b/node-tools/go.mod
index 69cda1a..650042f 100644
--- a/node-tools/go.mod
+++ b/node-tools/go.mod
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ require (
 )
 
 require (
-	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261030142317-46d4b4da5ebb
+	git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261030143623-83cf97b690f5
 	github.com/antithesishq/antithesis-sdk-go v0.7.0-default-no-op // indirect
 	github.com/google/go-tpm v0.9.8 // indirect
 	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.20.0 // indirect
diff --git a/node-tools/go.sum b/node-tools/go.sum
index 80f4477..1b0193a 100644
--- a/node-tools/go.sum
+++ b/node-tools/go.sum
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261030142317-46d4b4da5ebb h1:QvNKoCjW1cwKsaY/9iJO0srTFIBQQwEZMkjb664BAPg=
-git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261030142317-46d4b4da5ebb/go.mod h1:ouERNpZizzwZ0HLEtAypsY9FR20FyUgUYRni6J7kVCY=
+git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261030143623-83cf97b690f5 h1:hyyaB1rU7uzlQZvWAxZ9P6pL/4LCFpOVXMRgn9F7fic=
+git.novox.be/novox/mesh-sdk/go v0.1.14-0.20261030143623-83cf97b690f5/go.mod h1:ouERNpZizzwZ0HLEtAypsY9FR20FyUgUYRni6J7kVCY=
 github.com/antithesishq/antithesis-sdk-go v0.7.0-default-no-op h1:Z/MZK75wC/NSrkgqeNIa7jexam9uWzhLmFTSCPI/kn0=
 github.com/antithesishq/antithesis-sdk-go v0.7.0-default-no-op/go.mod h1:FQyySiasQQM8735Ddel3MRojmy4dA1IqCeyJ5jmPMbI=
 github.com/google/go-tpm v0.9.8 h1:slArAR9Ft+1ybZu0lBwpSmpwhRXaa85hWtMinMyRAWo=
diff --git a/node-tools/internal/bus/bus.go b/node-tools/internal/bus/bus.go
index fc4b508..ee01017 100644
--- a/node-tools/internal/bus/bus.go
+++ b/node-tools/internal/bus/bus.go
@@ -470,8 +470,9 @@ func (c *Conn) followGrants(module string) {
 			return // a membership withdrawn is the stream's, or the module's unassignment's, to say
 		}
 		// Read through mesh-sdk's one codec of this state, the grants part's writer's (issue 774): it takes the bare
-		// membership and the wrapper the part wrote before, and refuses a value naming no node or module, which then
-		// leaves the assignments stream's copy in force instead of an empty membership.
+		// membership and a wrapper the part wrote before of one published or unchanged, and refuses a held-back one's
+		// wrapper or a value naming no node or module, which then leaves the assignments stream's copy in force instead.
+		// A refused value arriving after a good one keeps the last good membership: nothing here clears it.
 		var m Membership
 		body, err := membership.BareGrantsMembership(e.Value())
 		if err == nil {
diff --git a/node-tools/internal/bus/state_watch_test.go b/node-tools/internal/bus/state_watch_test.go
index 61166b4..5ca378e 100644
--- a/node-tools/internal/bus/state_watch_test.go
+++ b/node-tools/internal/bus/state_watch_test.go
@@ -125,7 +125,13 @@ func TestAMembershipTheGrantsPartWroteWrappedIsServed(t *testing.T) {
 	mesh.Bucket(t, "gitea_repos")
 	gitea := mt.MembershipOf("gitea", "anchor", false, nil)
 	gitea.State = []bus.StateIssued{{Name: "repos", Bucket: "gitea_repos", Writes: true}}
-	mesh.IssueInGrantsWrapped(t, gitea)
+	mesh.IssueInGrantsWrapped(t, gitea, "published")
+	// The old wrapper of a membership the part held back carries its unpublished composition: refused, so the
+	// assignments stream's copy is served, never what the hold kept back.
+	pages := mt.MembershipOf("pages", "anchor", false, nil)
+	mesh.Issue(t, pages)
+	heldBack := mt.MembershipOf("pages", "anchor", true, nil)
+	mesh.IssueInGrantsWrapped(t, heldBack, "not published, a shadow difference: publishing would lose the last holder of x")
 	conn, err := bus.Connect(bus.Credential{URL: mt.URL(t), Module: "node-tools", Node: "anchor"})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
@@ -148,6 +154,16 @@ func TestAMembershipTheGrantsPartWroteWrappedIsServed(t *testing.T) {
 	if e, err := conn.StateGet("gitea", "repos", "novox.hq"); err != nil || e == nil || string(e.Value) != `{"v":1}` {
 		t.Errorf("the state reads back %+v, %v", e, err)
 	}
+	conn.Follow("pages")
+	mt.Until(t, func() error {
+		if m := conn.Membership("pages"); m == nil || len(m.Serves) == 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("pages' membership is %+v, want the assignments stream's", m)
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	if got, want := fmt.Sprint(conn.ServedOn("pages", "pages_list")), "[{mesh.mod.pages.tool.pages_list.anchor }]"; got != want {
+		t.Errorf("a held-back membership's wrapper is served: pages_list on %s, want the stream's %s", got, want)
+	}
 }
 
 // owedWatcher is the gitea module's view of the checker's owed: the bucket, and a runtime connection
diff --git a/node-tools/internal/meshtest/meshtest.go b/node-tools/internal/meshtest/meshtest.go
index a22fd93..4d9f5d9 100644
--- a/node-tools/internal/meshtest/meshtest.go
+++ b/node-tools/internal/meshtest/meshtest.go
@@ -119,11 +119,12 @@ func (m *Mesh) IssueInGrants(t *testing.T, mem bus.Membership) {
 }
 
 // IssueInGrantsWrapped writes a membership as the grants part wrote it before mesh-sdk's codec (until 2026-10-30, what
-// the live mesh holds until the part writes again): its pass record, the membership inside.
-func (m *Mesh) IssueInGrantsWrapped(t *testing.T, mem bus.Membership) {
+// the live mesh holds until the part writes again): its pass record, the membership inside, published saying what
+// became of it ("published", "unchanged", or why it was held back).
+func (m *Mesh) IssueInGrantsWrapped(t *testing.T, mem bus.Membership, published string) {
 	t.Helper()
 	body, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"node": mem.Node, "module": mem.Module, "digest": "sha256:0",
-		"membership": sdkMembership(t, mem), "published": "published"})
+		"membership": sdkMembership(t, mem), "published": published})
 	m.putGrants(t, mem, body)
 }