diff --git a/chitchat/src/lib.rs b/chitchat/src/lib.rs
index 890d9cb..5eedc50 100644
--- a/chitchat/src/lib.rs
+++ b/chitchat/src/lib.rs
@@ -86,8 +86,7 @@ impl Chitchat {
     }
 
     pub(crate) fn create_syn_message(&self) -> ChitchatMessage {
-        let dead_nodes: HashSet<_> = self.dead_nodes().collect();
-        let digest = self.compute_digest(&dead_nodes);
+        let digest = self.compute_digest();
         ChitchatMessage::Syn {
             cluster_id: self.config.cluster_id.clone(),
             digest,
@@ -107,7 +106,7 @@ impl Chitchat {
                 }
                 // Ensure for every reply from this node, at least the heartbeat is changed.
                 let dead_nodes: HashSet<_> = self.dead_nodes().collect();
-                let self_digest = self.compute_digest(&dead_nodes);
+                let self_digest = self.compute_digest();
                 let empty_delta = Delta::default();
                 let delta_mtu = MAX_UDP_DATAGRAM_PAYLOAD_SIZE
                     - syn_ack_serialized_len(&self_digest, &empty_delta);
@@ -168,6 +167,7 @@ impl Chitchat {
                 }
             } else {
                 self.failure_detector.report_unknown(chitchat_id);
+                self.failure_detector.update_node_liveness(chitchat_id);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -280,8 +280,8 @@ impl Chitchat {
     }
 
     /// Computes the node's digest.
-    fn compute_digest(&self, dead_nodes: &HashSet<&ChitchatId>) -> Digest {
-        self.cluster_state.compute_digest(dead_nodes)
+    fn compute_digest(&self) -> Digest {
+        self.cluster_state.compute_digest()
     }
 
     /// Subscribes a callback that will be called every time a key matching the supplied prefix
diff --git a/chitchat/src/server.rs b/chitchat/src/server.rs
index 3602c0f..43ad6dc 100644
--- a/chitchat/src/server.rs
+++ b/chitchat/src/server.rs
@@ -594,11 +594,11 @@ mod tests {
         test_transport.send(server_addr, syn_ack).await.unwrap();
 
         // Wait for delta to ensure heartbeat key was incremented.
-        let (_, chitchat_message) = timeout(test_transport.recv()).await.unwrap();
-        let delta = if let ChitchatMessage::Ack { delta } = chitchat_message {
-            delta
-        } else {
-            panic!("Expected ack");
+        let delta = loop {
+            let (_, chitchat_message) = timeout(test_transport.recv()).await.unwrap();
+            if let ChitchatMessage::Ack { delta } = chitchat_message {
+                break delta;
+            };
         };
 
         let node_delta = &delta.node_deltas.get(&server_id).unwrap();
diff --git a/chitchat/src/state.rs b/chitchat/src/state.rs
index 7a71e14..35384a0 100644
--- a/chitchat/src/state.rs
+++ b/chitchat/src/state.rs
@@ -313,12 +313,11 @@ impl ClusterState {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn compute_digest(&self, dead_nodes: &HashSet<&ChitchatId>) -> Digest {
+    pub fn compute_digest(&self) -> Digest {
         Digest {
             node_digests: self
                 .node_states
                 .iter()
-                .filter(|(chitchat_id, _)| !dead_nodes.contains(chitchat_id))
                 .map(|(chitchat_id, node_state)| (chitchat_id.clone(), node_state.digest()))
                 .collect(),
         }
@@ -366,8 +365,8 @@ impl ClusterState {
         }
         let mut delta_writer = DeltaWriter::with_mtu(mtu);
 
-        for chitchat_id in nodes_to_reset {
-            if !delta_writer.add_node_to_reset(chitchat_id.clone()) {
+        for chitchat_id in &nodes_to_reset {
+            if !delta_writer.add_node_to_reset((*chitchat_id).clone()) {
                 break;
             }
         }
@@ -375,12 +374,30 @@ impl ClusterState {
             if !delta_writer.add_node(stale_node.chitchat_id.clone(), stale_node.heartbeat) {
                 break;
             }
+            let mut added_something = false;
             for (key, versioned_value) in stale_node.stale_key_values() {
+                added_something = true;
                 if !delta_writer.add_kv(key, versioned_value.clone()) {
                     let delta: Delta = delta_writer.into();
                     return delta;
                 }
             }
+            if !added_something && nodes_to_reset.contains(&stale_node.chitchat_id) {
+                // send a sentinel element to update the max_version. Otherwise the node's vision
+                // of max_version will be 0, and it may accept writes that are supposed to be
+                // stale, but it can tell they are.
+                if !delta_writer.add_kv(
+                    "",
+                    VersionedValue {
+                        value: String::new(),
+                        version: stale_node.node_state.max_version,
+                        tombstone: Some(0),
+                    },
+                ) {
+                    let delta: Delta = delta_writer.into();
+                    return delta;
+                }
+            }
         }
         delta_writer.into()
     }
@@ -817,23 +834,13 @@ mod tests {
         node2_state.set("key_a", "");
         node2_state.set("key_b", "");
 
-        let dead_nodes = HashSet::new();
-        let digest = cluster_state.compute_digest(&dead_nodes);
+        let digest = cluster_state.compute_digest();
 
         let mut expected_node_digests = Digest::default();
         expected_node_digests.add_node(node1.clone(), Heartbeat(0), 1);
         expected_node_digests.add_node(node2.clone(), Heartbeat(0), 2);
 
         assert_eq!(&digest, &expected_node_digests);
-
-        // Consider node 1 dead:
-        let dead_nodes = HashSet::from_iter([&node1]);
-        let digest = cluster_state.compute_digest(&dead_nodes);
-
-        let mut expected_node_digests = Digest::default();
-        expected_node_digests.add_node(node2.clone(), Heartbeat(0), 2);
-
-        assert_eq!(&digest, &expected_node_digests);
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/chitchat/tests/cluster_test.rs b/chitchat/tests/cluster_test.rs
index a41906d..a711f11 100644
--- a/chitchat/tests/cluster_test.rs
+++ b/chitchat/tests/cluster_test.rs
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ async fn test_marked_for_deletion_gc_with_network_partition() {
         },
         // Relink node 3
         Operation::AddNetworkLink(chitchat_id_1.clone(), chitchat_id_3.clone()),
-        Operation::AddNetworkLink(chitchat_id_1.clone(), chitchat_id_2.clone()),
+        Operation::AddNetworkLink(chitchat_id_2.clone(), chitchat_id_3.clone()),
         Operation::NodeStateAssert {
             server_chitchat_id: chitchat_id_3.clone(),
             chitchat_id: chitchat_id_1.clone(),