diff --git a/pkg/arvo/sys/vane/ames.hoon b/pkg/arvo/sys/vane/ames.hoon
index afebdae12..a2e826c5d 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/sys/vane/ames.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/sys/vane/ames.hoon
@@ -768,7 +768,7 @@
   $%  [%hear =message-num =fragment-num]
       [%done =message-num lag=@dr]
       [%halt ~]
-      [%wake ~]
+      [%wake current=message-num]
   ==
 ::  $packet-pump-gift: effect from |packet-pump
 ::
@@ -2222,6 +2222,7 @@
     =~  (dispatch-task task)
         feed-packets
         (run-packet-pump %halt ~)
+        assert
         [(flop gifts) state]
     ==
   ::  +dispatch-task: perform task-specific processing
@@ -2232,7 +2233,7 @@
     ::
     ?-  -.task
       %memo  (on-memo message-blob.task)
-      %wake  (run-packet-pump task)
+      %wake  (run-packet-pump %wake current.state)
       %hear
         ?-  -.ack-meat.task
           %&  (on-hear [message-num fragment-num=p.ack-meat]:task)
@@ -2391,6 +2392,16 @@
     =.  message-pump  (give i.packet-pump-gifts)
     ::
     $(packet-pump-gifts t.packet-pump-gifts)
+  ::  +assert: sanity checks to isolate error cases
+  ::
+  ++  assert
+    ^+  message-pump
+    =/  top-live
+      (peek:packet-queue:*make-packet-pump live.packet-pump-state.state)
+    ?.  |(?=(~ top-live) (gte current.state message-num.key.u.top-live))
+      ~|  [%strange-current current=current.state key.u.top-live]
+      !!
+    message-pump
   --
 ::  +make-packet-pump: construct |packet-pump core
 ::
@@ -2420,12 +2431,13 @@
     ?-  -.task
       %hear  (on-hear [message-num fragment-num]:task)
       %done  (on-done message-num.task)
-      %wake  on-wake
+      %wake  (on-wake current.task)
       %halt  set-wake
     ==
   ::  +on-wake: handle packet timeout
   ::
   ++  on-wake
+    |=  current=message-num
     ^+  packet-pump
     ::  assert temporal coherence
     ::
@@ -2439,13 +2451,14 @@
     ::
     =-  =*  res  -
         =.  live.state   live.res
-        =.  packet-pump  (give %send static-fragment.res)
-        %-  %+  trace  snd.veb
-            =/  nums  [message-num fragment-num]:static-fragment.res
-            |.("dead {<nums^show:gauge>}")
+        =?  packet-pump  ?=(^ static-fragment)
+          %-  %+  trace  snd.veb
+              =/  nums  [message-num fragment-num]:u.static-fragment.res
+              |.("dead {<nums^show:gauge>}")
+          (give %send u.static-fragment.res)
         packet-pump
     ::
-    =|  acc=static-fragment
+    =|  acc=(unit static-fragment)
     ^+  [static-fragment=acc live=live.state]
     ::
     %^  (traverse:packet-queue _acc)  live.state  acc
@@ -2454,12 +2467,18 @@
             val=live-packet-val
         ==
     ^-  [new-val=(unit live-packet-val) stop=? _acc]
+    ::  if already acked later message, don't resend
+    ::
+    ?:  (lth message-num.key current)
+      %-  %-  slog  :_  ~
+          leaf+"ames: strange wake queue, expected {<current>}, got {<key>}"
+      [~ stop=%.n ~]
     ::  packet has expired; update it in-place, stop, and produce it
     ::
     =.  last-sent.val  now.channel
     =.  retries.val    +(retries.val)
     ::
-    [`val stop=%.y (to-static-fragment key val)]
+    [`val stop=%.y `(to-static-fragment key val)]
   ::  +feed: try to send a list of packets, returning unsent and effects
   ::
   ++  feed