diff --git a/agents.py b/agents.py
index 51cf6c8..1d52cf0 100755
--- a/agents.py
+++ b/agents.py
@@ -582,14 +582,19 @@ def stall_check_one(cfg, agent):
         # of killing it mid-run. Cap how far out it can push its own reboot, so a runaway can't park
         # itself forever ("some max no matter what").
         wu_max = int(cfg["watchdog"].get("waiting_until_max", 7200))
-        # The cap guards against a session that parked itself and is genuinely stuck. A build still
-        # running under the session (cargo-mutants / a coverage run / a remote ssh) is proof of life —
-        # those legitimately run for hours — so it defers to the agent's stated deadline instead of
-        # being guillotined by the cap. Past the deadline (+grace) it reboots either way, so a runaway
-        # can never park forever.
-        if wu_max and idle > wu_max and not _build_running(cfg, agent):
-            reason = (f"WAITING-UNTIL exceeded the {wu_max}s cap (idle {int(idle)}s, no build running) "
+        building = _build_running(cfg, agent)
+        # A build still running under the session (cargo-mutants, a coverage run, a remote ssh) is
+        # PROOF OF LIFE, and it outranks the agent's own deadline: the deadline is only an estimate,
+        # and an agent blocked on a shell cannot re-emit a fresh marker to extend it — so killing a
+        # live build at its estimate throws the work away for nothing. `waiting_until_max` is the one
+        # absolute bound: past it we reboot even mid-build, which is what catches a genuinely HUNG
+        # build (the case the cap exists for).
+        if wu_max and idle > wu_max:
+            reason = (f"idle {int(idle)}s past the {wu_max}s WAITING-UNTIL cap "
+                      f"({'build still running — treating it as hung' if building else 'no build running'}) "
                       f"— rebooting regardless")
+        elif building:
+            return
         elif now <= until + grace:
             return
         else:
diff --git a/tests/test_unit.py b/tests/test_unit.py
index 0b75aa4..1f340e8 100755
--- a/tests/test_unit.py
+++ b/tests/test_unit.py
@@ -709,23 +709,34 @@ class TestBuildAwareStall(unittest.TestCase):
         agents.stall_check_one(self.cfg, self.agent)
         self.assertEqual(self.reboots, [self.agent["name"]])   # idle past cap, no build → rebooted
 
-    def test_waiting_until_cap_yields_to_a_live_build(self):
-        # cargo-mutants / coverage runs legitimately take hours: a build still running is proof of
-        # life, so the cap must NOT guillotine it — the stated deadline governs instead
+    def test_live_build_defers_past_the_stated_deadline(self):
+        # the deadline is only the agent's ESTIMATE, and an agent blocked on a shell cannot re-emit a
+        # fresh marker — so a still-running build (cargo-mutants overrunning its guess) must not be
+        # killed at the estimate. Proof of life outranks the deadline.
+        self.cfg["watchdog"]["waiting_until_max"] = 7200
+        self.patch("_build_running", lambda *a, **k: True)
+        self.patch("_parse_waiting_until", lambda *a, **k: time.time() - 1000)   # deadline already past
+        self._set_idle(3000)                                   # but still under the absolute cap
+        agents.stall_check_one(self.cfg, self.agent)
+        self.assertEqual(self.reboots, [])                     # build running → deferred
+
+    def test_past_deadline_with_no_build_reboots(self):
+        # no build, deadline blown → the self-wake did not fire → reboot
+        self.patch("_build_running", lambda *a, **k: False)
+        self.patch("_parse_waiting_until", lambda *a, **k: time.time() - 1000)
+        self._set_idle(3000)
+        agents.stall_check_one(self.cfg, self.agent)
+        self.assertEqual(self.reboots, [self.agent["name"]])
+
+    def test_cap_is_absolute_and_reboots_a_hung_build(self):
+        # the cap is the ONE absolute bound: past it we reboot even mid-build — that is precisely how
+        # a genuinely HUNG build gets caught, and why a runaway can never park forever
         self.cfg["watchdog"]["waiting_until_max"] = 7200
         self.patch("_build_running", lambda *a, **k: True)
         self.patch("_parse_waiting_until", lambda *a, **k: time.time() + 100000)
-        self._set_idle(8000)                                   # idle > cap, but a build IS running
+        self._set_idle(8000)                                   # idle > cap, build "running" (hung)
         agents.stall_check_one(self.cfg, self.agent)
-        self.assertEqual(self.reboots, [])                     # survives the cap
-
-    def test_waiting_until_past_deadline_reboots_even_with_a_build(self):
-        # the deadline is still the hard bound — a build running does not let it park forever
-        self.patch("_build_running", lambda *a, **k: True)
-        self.patch("_parse_waiting_until", lambda *a, **k: time.time() - 1000)   # deadline long past
-        self._set_idle(3000)
-        agents.stall_check_one(self.cfg, self.agent)
-        self.assertEqual(self.reboots, [self.agent["name"]])   # past WAITING-UNTIL → rebooted
+        self.assertEqual(self.reboots, [self.agent["name"]])
 
     def test_no_build_check_below_base_threshold(self):
         def boom(*a, **k):