diff --git a/build.sbt b/build.sbt
index 6d6989da..e0512ad7 100644
--- a/build.sbt
+++ b/build.sbt
@@ -252,6 +252,9 @@ lazy val mcas = crossProject(JVMPlatform, JSPlatform)
       // there is no backward compat for `choam-mcas`:
       ProblemFilters.exclude[DirectMissingMethodProblem]("dev.tauri.choam.internal.mcas.Descriptor.versionCas"),
       ProblemFilters.exclude[ReversedMissingMethodProblem]("dev.tauri.choam.internal.mcas.AbstractDescriptor.hwdIterator"),
+      ProblemFilters.exclude[DirectMissingMethodProblem]("dev.tauri.choam.internal.mcas.LogEntry.cleanForGc"),
+      ProblemFilters.exclude[DirectMissingMethodProblem]("dev.tauri.choam.internal.mcas.WdLike.cleanForGc"),
+      ProblemFilters.exclude[ReversedMissingMethodProblem]("dev.tauri.choam.internal.mcas.WdLike.wasFinalized"),
     ),
   )
 
diff --git a/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/WdLike.scala b/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/WdLike.scala
index 80dc6942..ae3dab58 100644
--- a/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/WdLike.scala
+++ b/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/WdLike.scala
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ sealed trait WdLike[A] extends Hamt.HasKey[MemoryLocation[A]] {
   def ov: A
   def nv: A
   val oldVersion: Long
-  def cleanForGc(wasSuccessful: Boolean, sentinel: A): Unit
+  def wasFinalized(wasSuccessful: Boolean, sentinel: A): Unit
 
   final override def key: MemoryLocation[A] =
     this.address
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ final class LogEntry[A] private ( // formerly called HWD
 
   require(Version.isValid(oldVersion))
 
-  final override def cleanForGc(wasSuccessful: Boolean, sentinel: A): Unit =
+  final override def wasFinalized(wasSuccessful: Boolean, sentinel: A): Unit =
     ()
 
   private[choam] final def cast[B]: LogEntry[B] =
diff --git a/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasDescriptor.scala b/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasDescriptor.scala
index 6824d93b..9054d556 100644
--- a/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasDescriptor.scala
+++ b/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasDescriptor.scala
@@ -130,11 +130,7 @@ private[mcas] final class EmcasDescriptor private[this] (
       this.getOrInitFallback(fb)
     }
 
-    // we can clean up to help the GC
-    // (even if we have to retry with
-    // the fallback, we already copied
-    // the array):
-    this.cleanWordsForGc(EmcasStatus.isSuccessful(finalResult))
+    this.wasFinalized(EmcasStatus.isSuccessful(finalResult))
   }
 
   private[emcas] final def fallback: EmcasDescriptor = {
diff --git a/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasDescriptorBase.java b/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasDescriptorBase.java
index d924291d..cb4025e0 100644
--- a/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasDescriptorBase.java
+++ b/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasDescriptorBase.java
@@ -105,9 +105,13 @@ final EmcasDescriptor getOrInitFallback(EmcasDescriptor candidate) {
     }
   }
 
-  final void cleanWordsForGc(boolean wasSuccessful) {
-    // We're the only ones cleaning, so
-    // `_words` is never `null` here:
+  final void wasFinalized(boolean wasSuccessful) {
+    // We can clean up to help the GC
+    // (even if we have to retry with
+    // the fallback, we already copied
+    // the array). We're the only ones
+    // cleaning up, so `_words` is never
+    // `null` here:
     WdLike<?>[] words = this.getWordsO();
     int len = words.length;
     VarHandle.releaseFence();
@@ -124,7 +128,7 @@ final void cleanWordsForGc(boolean wasSuccessful) {
       @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
       WdLike<Object> wd = (WdLike<Object>) words[idx];
       WORDS_ARR.setOpaque(words, idx, (WdLike<?>) null);
-      wd.cleanForGc(wasSuccessful, sentinel);
+      wd.wasFinalized(wasSuccessful, sentinel);
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasWordDescBase.java b/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasWordDescBase.java
index ef951e07..27a301f7 100644
--- a/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasWordDescBase.java
+++ b/mcas/jvm/src/main/scala/dev/tauri/choam/internal/mcas/emcas/EmcasWordDescBase.java
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public final A nv() {
     return this.getNvP();
   }
 
-  public final void cleanForGc(boolean wasSuccessful, A sentinel) {
+  public final void wasFinalized(boolean wasSuccessful, A sentinel) {
     if (wasSuccessful) {
       OV.setOpaque(this, sentinel);
     } else {