DNA replication recruits a friend to overcome a challenging break-up.

Replication complexes, or replisomes, are removed from DNA upon completion of DNA synthesis, but the importance of replisome removal, as well as how cells might respond to defects in this process, has remained elusive. New work by Polo Rivera et al (2024) and Olson et al (2024) reveals that leftover replisomes are an obstacle to replication and provides a first glimpse into the biochemical mechanisms that solve this problem.