diff --git a/swarm-controller/src/jobq.rs b/swarm-controller/src/jobq.rs
index d30b281f..19a25693 100644
--- a/swarm-controller/src/jobq.rs
+++ b/swarm-controller/src/jobq.rs
@@ -790,10 +790,7 @@ async fn update_meta(
                 .to_owned(),
         );
     };
-    await_queue_connection(|| wanted.is_connected()).await?;
-    let placements = placements(wanted, &meta.hives)
-        .await
-        .map_err(|e| format!("{e:#}"))?;
+    let placements = read_placements(wanted, &meta.hives).await?;
     let agents = placed_agents(queue, &placements)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| format!("{e:#}"))?;
@@ -837,6 +834,18 @@ async fn await_queue_connection(connected: impl Fn() -> bool) -> Result<(), Stri
     ))
 }
 
+/// [`placements`], once the queue client has connected: the read hangs on a
+/// client that has not. `Err` is the node's failure.
+async fn read_placements(
+    wanted: &wanted::WantedWriter,
+    hives: &[String],
+) -> Result<std::collections::BTreeSet<(String, String)>, String> {
+    await_queue_connection(|| wanted.is_connected()).await?;
+    placements(wanted, hives)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| format!("{e:#}"))
+}
+
 /// The `UpdateMeta` node's outcome from what [`update_meta`] decided, with the
 /// deploys declared into `builder` (the scheduler inserts them under the node
 /// when it completes). Synchronous: the builder is not `Sync`, so it cannot be
@@ -4562,6 +4571,29 @@ mod tests {
             "unclear message: {err}"
         );
     }
+
+    /// The placements read waits for the client first: over a client that
+    /// never connected it fails with the bounded-wait message, not with the
+    /// `client state: Pending` the read itself would give.
+    #[tokio::test(start_paused = true)]
+    async fn reading_placements_waits_on_a_client_that_never_connected() {
+        let client = async_nats::ConnectOptions::new()
+            .retry_on_initial_connect()
+            .connect("127.0.0.1:1")
+            .await
+            .expect("retry_on_initial_connect returns without waiting for a real connection");
+        let wanted = crate::wanted::WantedWriter::new(client);
+        let hives = ["h1".to_owned()];
+
+        let err = super::read_placements(&wanted, &hives)
+            .await
+            .expect_err("never connected");
+        assert!(
+            err.contains("still not connected after 60s"),
+            "unexpected error: {err}"
+        );
+        assert!(!err.contains("Pending"), "reached the read: {err}");
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]