diff --git a/crates/eureka-state/tests/client.rs b/crates/eureka-state/tests/client.rs
index ff7d50c..6a054ea 100644
--- a/crates/eureka-state/tests/client.rs
+++ b/crates/eureka-state/tests/client.rs
@@ -423,15 +423,18 @@ fn smallest_request_over() -> HuginnMindRequest {
     padded_admit(pad_for(MAX_REQUEST_BYTES + 1))
 }
 
-/// A message that encodes to exactly `target` bytes: the largest request that
-/// fits under it, topped up with a source runtime id, which rides outside the
-/// payload and moves the size a byte at a time.
+/// A message that encodes to exactly `target` bytes: a request a little under
+/// it, topped up with a source runtime id, which rides outside the payload and
+/// moves the size a byte at a time once the field is there at all.
 fn message_of_size(target: usize) -> CultNetMessage {
-    let request = padded_admit(pad_for(target + 1) - 1);
-    for pad in 0..16 {
-        let message = message_for(&request, (pad > 0).then(|| "r".repeat(pad)));
-        if encoded_bytes(&message) == target {
-            return message;
+    let fitting = pad_for(target + 1) - 1;
+    for padding in (fitting.saturating_sub(80)..=fitting).rev() {
+        let request = padded_admit(padding);
+        for source in 1..80 {
+            let message = message_for(&request, Some("r".repeat(source)));
+            if encoded_bytes(&message) == target {
+                return message;
+            }
         }
     }
     panic!("no message encodes to {target} bytes");
diff --git a/crates/eureka-state/tests/mcp.rs b/crates/eureka-state/tests/mcp.rs
index f6def4c..3a51eb0 100644
--- a/crates/eureka-state/tests/mcp.rs
+++ b/crates/eureka-state/tests/mcp.rs
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ fn an_oversize_admit_is_a_typed_too_large_error() {
 /// is a typed refusal, and nothing is committed.
 #[test]
 fn admit_refuses_an_unusable_attribution() {
-    let (root, daemon) = mind(vec![]);
+    let (root, daemon) = mind(vec![vec![stewardship()]]);
     let server = serve(root, daemon);
     let mut mcp = Mcp::at(INSTANCE, server.addr);
     for (field, value) in [
@@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ fn admit_refuses_an_unusable_attribution() {
         );
     }
     let (_, whoami) = mcp.call("whoami", json!({}));
-    assert_eq!(whoami["status"]["receipts"], json!(1), "only the seed is committed: {whoami}");
+    assert_eq!(whoami["status"]["receipts"], json!(2), "only the seed is committed: {whoami}");
     let (error, admitted) = mcp.call("admit", faculty_args(vec![campaign_json()]));
     assert!(!error);
     assert!(admitted.get("Committed").is_some(), "{admitted}");