diff --git a/app/services/leases.ts b/app/services/leases.ts
index 9a9b385..d558679 100644
--- a/app/services/leases.ts
+++ b/app/services/leases.ts
@@ -7,23 +7,30 @@ import type { Lease } from '#lib/edge/index'
 export class LeaseLost extends Error {}
 
 /**
- * Ranges for workers (REBUILD.md, coordinator): the next range whose first
- * chunk is spooled, by priority (oldest era first); a lease whose worker
- * went quiet for LEASE_TTL_SECONDS is taken over and resumes at its resume
- * point.
+ * Ranges for workers (REBUILD.md, coordinator): the next range with chunks
+ * spooled, by priority (oldest era first), else the next planned one (the
+ * prefetcher fetches leased ranges first; the worker's stream waits). A
+ * worker never waits for prefetching to choose its range: refused leases
+ * left workers idle for 30 s, so fewer ranges were leased and fewer
+ * prefetched (LOG.md 2026-10-09). A lease whose worker went quiet for
+ * LEASE_TTL_SECONDS is taken over and resumes at its resume point.
  */
 class Leases {
   async lease(nodeId: number): Promise<Lease | null> {
     const rules = await RuleSets.current()
-    const { rows } = await db.rawQuery(
-      `UPDATE ranges r SET status = 'leased', node_id = ?, leased_at = now(), heartbeat_at = now(), attempts = attempts + 1, rule_version = ?
-       WHERE r.id = (
-         SELECT id FROM ranges
-         WHERE spooled_chunks > 0 AND next_id <= end_id AND (status = 'planned' OR (status = 'leased' AND heartbeat_at < now() - make_interval(secs => ?)))
-         ORDER BY priority, id LIMIT 1 FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED)
-       RETURNING r.id, r.group_id, r.start_id, r.end_id, r.next_id`,
-      [nodeId, rules.version, coordinatorConfig.leaseTtlSeconds]
-    )
+    const take = (spooled: boolean) =>
+      db.rawQuery(
+        `UPDATE ranges r SET status = 'leased', node_id = ?, leased_at = now(), heartbeat_at = now(), attempts = attempts + 1, rule_version = ?
+         WHERE r.id = (
+           SELECT id FROM ranges
+           WHERE ${spooled ? 'spooled_chunks > 0' : 'true'} AND next_id <= end_id
+             AND (status = 'planned' OR (status = 'leased' AND heartbeat_at < now() - make_interval(secs => ?)))
+           ORDER BY priority, id LIMIT 1 FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED)
+         RETURNING r.id, r.group_id, r.start_id, r.end_id, r.next_id`,
+        [nodeId, rules.version, coordinatorConfig.leaseTtlSeconds]
+      )
+    let { rows } = await take(true)
+    if (rows.length === 0) ({ rows } = await take(false))
     const row = rows[0]
     if (!row) return null
     await db.from('nodes').where('id', nodeId).update({ last_seen_at: new Date() })
diff --git a/lib/edge/range_indexer.ts b/lib/edge/range_indexer.ts
index e8b2d7c..2a23a16 100644
--- a/lib/edge/range_indexer.ts
+++ b/lib/edge/range_indexer.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
+import { hash } from 'node:crypto'
 import type { Overview } from '../nntp/index.js'
 import { FileAggregator, type AggregatedFile, isArchiveStart, isLaterVolume, sevenZipVolume } from '../files/index.js'
 import { RuleSet, isRandomFile, uploadTool, type Rules } from '../rules/index.js'
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ export class RangeIndexer {
 
 /** The release key; a file without a recognisable release becomes a release of its own. */
 export function releaseKeyOf(s: EdgeSegment): string {
-  return s.file.release?.key ?? createHash('sha1').update(`file\n${s.fileKey}`).digest('hex')
+  return s.file.release?.key ?? hash('sha1', `file\n${s.fileKey}`)
 }
 
 function postedOf(segments: EdgeSegment[]): number | null {
diff --git a/lib/headers/file_key.ts b/lib/headers/file_key.ts
index 56f2061..d5f49f0 100644
--- a/lib/headers/file_key.ts
+++ b/lib/headers/file_key.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
+import { hash } from 'node:crypto'
 
 /**
  * Identity of one uploaded file: every segment of it has the same poster, the
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
  * See CONCEPT.md (D12).
  */
 export function fileKey(poster: string, base: string, totalSegments: number): string {
-  return createHash('sha1').update(`${poster}\n${base}\n${totalSegments}`).digest('hex')
+  return hash('sha1', `${poster}\n${base}\n${totalSegments}`)
 }
 
 /** True when a yEnc name looks like a real filename (it has an extension), not a random token. */
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export function looksLikeFilename(name: string): boolean {
  */
 export function weakFileKey(name: string, size: number, totalParts: number): string {
   const identity = looksLikeFilename(name) ? `name\n${name}` : 'shape'
-  return createHash('sha1').update(`weak\n${identity}\n${size}\n${totalParts}`).digest('hex')
+  return hash('sha1', `weak\n${identity}\n${size}\n${totalParts}`)
 }
 
 /**
@@ -41,7 +41,5 @@ export function counterFileKey(segment: { poster: string; subject: string; total
   const counter = /\[(\d+)\/(\d+)\]/.exec(segment.subject)
   if (!counter || segment.totalParts < 2) return null
   const day = segment.postedAt && !Number.isNaN(segment.postedAt.getTime()) ? segment.postedAt.toISOString().slice(0, 10) : ''
-  return createHash('sha1')
-    .update(`counter\n${segment.poster}\n${Number(counter[1])}/${Number(counter[2])}\n${segment.totalParts}\n${day}`)
-    .digest('hex')
+  return hash('sha1', `counter\n${segment.poster}\n${Number(counter[1])}/${Number(counter[2])}\n${segment.totalParts}\n${day}`)
 }
diff --git a/lib/release/identity.ts b/lib/release/identity.ts
index f8b5778..98faf88 100644
--- a/lib/release/identity.ts
+++ b/lib/release/identity.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
+import { hash as digest } from 'node:crypto'
 import { looksLikeFilename } from '../headers/file_key.js'
 
 export interface ReleaseIdentity {
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ export function namesRelease(remainder: string): boolean {
 }
 
 function hash(...parts: (string | number | undefined)[]) {
-  return createHash('sha1').update(parts.map((p) => p ?? '').join('\n')).digest('hex')
+  return digest('sha1', parts.map((p) => p ?? '').join('\n'))
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/rules/upload_tools.ts b/lib/rules/upload_tools.ts
index f99590f..57e9a79 100644
--- a/lib/rules/upload_tools.ts
+++ b/lib/rules/upload_tools.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
+import { hash } from 'node:crypto'
 
 /**
  * Upload signatures (CONCEPT.md D42): which tool posted an article, read from
@@ -48,5 +48,5 @@ export function signatureKey(tool: string, group: string) {
  */
 export function explored(key: string, percent: number): boolean {
   if (percent <= 0) return false
-  return createHash('md5').update(key).digest().readUInt32BE(0) % 10_000 < percent * 100
+  return hash('md5', key, 'buffer').readUInt32BE(0) % 10_000 < percent * 100
 }