diff --git a/src/libstore/build/derivation-goal.cc b/src/libstore/build/derivation-goal.cc
index 17a2b04f1..bcef9807b 100644
--- a/src/libstore/build/derivation-goal.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/build/derivation-goal.cc
@@ -701,8 +701,7 @@ Goal::WorkResult DerivationGoal::tryToBuild()
         if (!actLock)
             actLock = std::make_unique<Activity>(*logger, lvlWarn, actBuildWaiting,
                 fmt("waiting for lock on %s", Magenta(showPaths(lockFiles))));
-        worker.waitForAWhile(shared_from_this());
-        return StillAlive{};
+        return WaitForAWhile{};
     }
 
     actLock.reset();
@@ -753,9 +752,8 @@ Goal::WorkResult DerivationGoal::tryToBuild()
                 if (!actLock)
                     actLock = std::make_unique<Activity>(*logger, lvlTalkative, actBuildWaiting,
                         fmt("waiting for a machine to build '%s'", Magenta(worker.store.printStorePath(drvPath))));
-                worker.waitForAWhile(shared_from_this());
                 outputLocks.unlock();
-                return StillAlive{};
+                return WaitForAWhile{};
             case rpDecline:
                 /* We should do it ourselves. */
                 break;
diff --git a/src/libstore/build/goal.hh b/src/libstore/build/goal.hh
index bf3677bb2..f41fbea2f 100644
--- a/src/libstore/build/goal.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/build/goal.hh
@@ -107,12 +107,13 @@ public:
 
     struct [[nodiscard]] StillAlive {};
     struct [[nodiscard]] WaitForSlot {};
+    struct [[nodiscard]] WaitForAWhile {};
     struct [[nodiscard]] Finished {
         ExitCode result;
         std::unique_ptr<Error> ex;
     };
 
-    struct [[nodiscard]] WorkResult : std::variant<StillAlive, WaitForSlot, Finished>
+    struct [[nodiscard]] WorkResult : std::variant<StillAlive, WaitForSlot, WaitForAWhile, Finished>
     {
         WorkResult() = delete;
         using variant::variant;
diff --git a/src/libstore/build/local-derivation-goal.cc b/src/libstore/build/local-derivation-goal.cc
index 975e21b49..3618aa191 100644
--- a/src/libstore/build/local-derivation-goal.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/build/local-derivation-goal.cc
@@ -201,8 +201,7 @@ Goal::WorkResult LocalDerivationGoal::tryLocalBuild()
             if (!actLock)
                 actLock = std::make_unique<Activity>(*logger, lvlWarn, actBuildWaiting,
                     fmt("waiting for a free build user ID for '%s'", Magenta(worker.store.printStorePath(drvPath))));
-            worker.waitForAWhile(shared_from_this());
-            return StillAlive{};
+            return WaitForAWhile{};
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/libstore/build/worker.cc b/src/libstore/build/worker.cc
index 46f1d50e6..722956e0d 100644
--- a/src/libstore/build/worker.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/build/worker.cc
@@ -188,6 +188,7 @@ void Worker::handleWorkResult(GoalPtr goal, Goal::WorkResult how)
         overloaded{
             [&](Goal::StillAlive) {},
             [&](Goal::WaitForSlot) { waitForBuildSlot(goal); },
+            [&](Goal::WaitForAWhile) { waitForAWhile(goal); },
             [&](Goal::Finished & f) { goalFinished(goal, f); },
         },
         how
diff --git a/src/libstore/build/worker.hh b/src/libstore/build/worker.hh
index 101e553fd..3644039fb 100644
--- a/src/libstore/build/worker.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/build/worker.hh
@@ -114,6 +114,14 @@ private:
      */
     void waitForBuildSlot(GoalPtr goal);
 
+    /**
+     * Wait for a few seconds and then retry this goal.  Used when
+     * waiting for a lock held by another process.  This kind of
+     * polling is inefficient, but POSIX doesn't really provide a way
+     * to wait for multiple locks in the main select() loop.
+     */
+    void waitForAWhile(GoalPtr goal);
+
 public:
 
     const Activity act;
@@ -239,14 +247,6 @@ public:
      */
     void childTerminated(Goal * goal);
 
-    /**
-     * Wait for a few seconds and then retry this goal.  Used when
-     * waiting for a lock held by another process.  This kind of
-     * polling is inefficient, but POSIX doesn't really provide a way
-     * to wait for multiple locks in the main select() loop.
-     */
-    void waitForAWhile(GoalPtr goal);
-
     /**
      * Loop until the specified top-level goals have finished.
      */