diff --git a/pkg/arvo/sys/vane/ames.hoon b/pkg/arvo/sys/vane/ames.hoon
index b74e3f627a..4e146cb28b 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/sys/vane/ames.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/sys/vane/ames.hoon
@@ -3635,7 +3635,12 @@
               =/  acc
                 :*  found=`?`%.n
                     resends=*(list static-fragment)
-                    metrics=metrics.state
+                    ::  num-live is still present in pump-metrics but not used
+                    ::  internally by |ga, so we reuse it the +dip traversal to
+                    ::  keep track of the number of packets waiting acks
+                    ::  (also used in the accumulator in +on-done:pu)
+                    ::
+                    metrics=metrics.state(num-live ~(wyt by live.state))
                 ==
               ::
               ^+  [acc live=live.state]
@@ -3647,14 +3652,15 @@
                   ==
               ^-  [new-val=(unit live-packet-val) stop=? _acc]
               ::
-              =/  gauge  (ga metrics.acc ~(wyt by live.state))
+              =/  gauge  (ga metrics.acc num-live.metrics.acc)
               ::  is this the acked packet?
               ::
               ?:  =(key [message-num fragment-num])
                 ::  delete acked packet, update metrics, and stop traversal
                 ::
-                =.  found.acc    %.y
-                =.  metrics.acc  (on-ack:gauge -.val)
+                =.             found.acc  %.y
+                =.           metrics.acc  (on-ack:gauge -.val)
+                =.  num-live.metrics.acc  (dec num-live.metrics.acc)
                 [new-val=~ stop=%.y acc]
               ::  is this a duplicate ack?
               ::
@@ -3686,6 +3692,9 @@
                   (pu-trace snd.veb |.("done {<num=message-num show:gauge>}"))
               ::
               ^+  [metrics=metrics.state live=live.state]
+              ::  number of sent packets awaiting ack
+              ::
+              =.  num-live.metrics.state  ~(wyt by live.state)
               ::
               %^  (dip:packet-queue pump-metrics)  live.state  acc=metrics.state
               |=  $:  metrics=pump-metrics
@@ -3694,7 +3703,7 @@
                   ==
               ^-  [new-val=(unit live-packet-val) stop=? pump-metrics]
               ::
-              =/  gauge  (ga metrics ~(wyt by live.state))
+              =/  gauge  (ga metrics num-live.metrics)
               ::  if we get an out-of-order ack for a message, skip until it
               ::
               ?:  (lth message-num.key message-num)
@@ -3702,7 +3711,8 @@
               ::  if packet was from acked message, delete it and continue
               ::
               ?:  =(message-num.key message-num)
-                [new-val=~ stop=%.n metrics=(on-ack:gauge -.val)]
+                =.  metrics  (on-ack:gauge -.val)
+                [new-val=~ stop=%.n metrics(num-live (dec num-live.metrics))]
               ::  we've gone past the acked message; we're done
               ::
               [new-val=`val stop=%.y metrics]