diff --git a/src/builder/b-sai.c b/src/builder/b-sai.c
index 839211d..b42a031 100644
--- a/src/builder/b-sai.c
+++ b/src/builder/b-sai.c
@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@ static const char * const default_ss_policy =
 				"],"
 			"\"conceal\":"		"99999,"
 			"\"jitterpc\":"		"20,"
-			"\"svalidping\":"	"300,"
-			"\"svalidhup\":"	"350"
+			"\"svalidping\":"	"100,"
+			"\"svalidhup\":"	"110"
 		"}}"
 	  "],"
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ static const char * const default_ss_policy =
 
 	  "\"s\": ["
 		/*
-		 * The main connection to a server carrying events and logs
+		 * The main connection to sai-server
 		 */
 		"{\"sai_builder\": {"
 			"\"endpoint\":"		"\"${url}\","
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ static const char * const default_ss_policy =
 			"\"protocol\":"		"\"ws\","
 			"\"ws_subprotocol\":"	"\"com-warmcat-sai\","
 			"\"http_url\":"		"\"\"," /* filled in by url */
+			"\"nailed_up\":"        "true,"
 			"\"tls\":"		"true,"
 			"\"retry\":"		"\"default\","
 			"\"metadata\": ["
diff --git a/src/common/include/private.h b/src/common/include/private.h
index dfb6c43..22bfbc6 100644
--- a/src/common/include/private.h
+++ b/src/common/include/private.h
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ typedef enum {
 	SAIES_CANCELLED				= 5,
 	SAIES_BEING_BUILT_HAS_FAILURES		= 6,
 	SAIES_DELETED				= 7,
+
+	SAIES_NOT_READY_FOR_BUILD		= 8,
 } sai_event_state_t;
 
 enum {
diff --git a/src/server/s-central.c b/src/server/s-central.c
index 5af8b8d..8d790ae 100644
--- a/src/server/s-central.c
+++ b/src/server/s-central.c
@@ -94,7 +94,26 @@ sais_central_clean_abandoned(struct vhd *vhd)
 			char *err = NULL;
 
 			/*
-			 * Such tasks should go into CANCELLED
+			 * Check for tasks that have waited long enough since
+			 * the notification to allow to be built
+			 */
+
+			lws_snprintf(s, sizeof(s),
+				     "update tasks set state=0 where "
+				     "(state=%u) and last_updated < %llu",
+				     SAIES_NOT_READY_FOR_BUILD, (unsigned long long)
+					     (lws_now_secs() - 5));
+
+			if (sqlite3_exec(pdb, s, NULL, NULL, &err) !=
+					 SQLITE_OK) {
+				lwsl_err("%s: %s: %s: fail\n", __func__, s,
+					 sqlite3_errmsg(pdb));
+				if (err)
+					sqlite3_free(err);
+			}
+
+			/*
+			 * Check for tasks that should go into CANCELLED
 			 */
 
 			lws_snprintf(s, sizeof(s),
diff --git a/src/server/s-comms.c b/src/server/s-comms.c
index 80a45b4..e4727f1 100644
--- a/src/server/s-comms.c
+++ b/src/server/s-comms.c
@@ -410,12 +410,14 @@ callback_ws(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reason, void *user,
 
 		pss->vhd = vhd;
 
-		for (n = 0; n < (int)LWS_ARRAY_SIZE(well_known); n++)
-			if (!strncmp((const char *)in, well_known[n],
-				     strlen(well_known[n]))) {
+		for (n = 0; n < (int)LWS_ARRAY_SIZE(well_known); n++) {
+
+			size_t q = strlen(in), t = strlen(well_known[n]);
+			if (q >= t && !strcmp((const char *)in + q - t, well_known[n])) {
 				mu = n;
 				break;
 			}
+		}
 
 		pss->our_form = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/server/s-notification.c b/src/server/s-notification.c
index d401758..45f3d52 100644
--- a/src/server/s-notification.c
+++ b/src/server/s-notification.c
@@ -224,6 +224,15 @@ sai_tuple_compare(const char *req, size_t req_len, const char *plat)
 
 /*
  * We parse the saifile JSON
+ *
+ * The backdrop of this is the remote's hook that's letting us know all this
+ * won't update his refs to the push described here until he's finished
+ * uploading the saifile POST.
+ *
+ * So although we are going to add the tasks as we parse them, in fact we
+ * can't hand any of them out to builders until a short time after we got to
+ * the end of the POST, otherwise the builders are not going to find the
+ * right refs in the repo yet.
  */
 
 static signed char
@@ -523,7 +532,7 @@ sai_saifile_lejp_cb(struct lejp_ctx *ctx, char reason)
 						pss->sn.e.repo_fetchurl;
 				pss->sn.e.last_updated =
 					(unsigned long long)lws_now_secs();
-				pss->sn.e.state = 0;
+				pss->sn.e.state = SAIES_WAITING;
 				lws_strncpy(pss->sn.t.platform, pl->name,
 					    sizeof(pss->sn.t.platform));
 
@@ -965,11 +974,14 @@ sai_notification_file_upload_cb(void *data, const char *name,
 		lwsl_notice("%s: notification inserted into db\n", __func__);
 
 		/*
-		 * Reassess now if there's a builder we can match to a pending task
+		 * The tasks are all in there but set to state
+		 * NOT_READY_FOR_BUILD, the periodic central scan
+		 * switch them over to WAITING when they have been like that
+		 * for 2s
 		 */
 
 		lws_sul_schedule(pss->vhd->context, 0, &pss->vhd->sul_central,
-				 sais_central_cb, 1);
+				 sais_central_cb, 1 * LWS_US_PER_SEC);
 
 		return 0;
 
diff --git a/src/server/s-task.c b/src/server/s-task.c
index f80d8da..6149701 100644
--- a/src/server/s-task.c
+++ b/src/server/s-task.c
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ static const sai_task_t *
 sais_task_pending(struct vhd *vhd, struct lwsac **pac, const char *platform)
 {
 	struct lwsac *ac = NULL;
-	char esc[96], pf[96];
+	char esc[96], pf[128];
 	lws_dll2_owner_t o;
 	int n;
 
@@ -279,10 +279,11 @@ sais_task_pending(struct vhd *vhd, struct lwsac **pac, const char *platform)
 	 * scope whether we find something or not
 	 */
 
-	n = lws_struct_sq3_deserialize(vhd->server.pdb,
-				       " and (state != 3 and state != 4 and state != 5)",
-				       "created desc ", lsm_schema_sq3_map_event, &o,
-				       &ac, 0, 10);
+	lws_snprintf(pf, sizeof(pf)," and (state != 3 and state != 4 and state != 5) and created < %llu",
+			(unsigned long long)(lws_now_secs() - 10));
+
+	n = lws_struct_sq3_deserialize(vhd->server.pdb, pf, "created desc ",
+				       lsm_schema_sq3_map_event, &o, &ac, 0, 10);
 	if (n < 0 || !o.head) {
 	//	lwsl_notice("%s: all events complete\n", __func__);
 		/* error, or there are no events that aren't complete */