diff --git a/services/cassandra/backend-deployment.yaml b/services/cassandra/backend-deployment.yaml
index 2e8430433..8c12a3f12 100644
--- a/services/cassandra/backend-deployment.yaml
+++ b/services/cassandra/backend-deployment.yaml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ spec:
       labels:
         app: cassandra-backend
       annotations:
-        cassandra.bstein.dev/redeploy: "2026-07-29-0.8.52-lab-progress"
+        cassandra.bstein.dev/redeploy: "2026-07-29-0.8.53-compass-fallback"
         vault.hashicorp.com/agent-inject: "true"
         vault.hashicorp.com/agent-init-first: "true"
         vault.hashicorp.com/agent-pre-populate-only: "true"
diff --git a/services/cassandra/configmap.yaml b/services/cassandra/configmap.yaml
index 660d8df8f..0caa8bcee 100644
--- a/services/cassandra/configmap.yaml
+++ b/services/cassandra/configmap.yaml
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ data:
   CASSANDRA_OWNER_USER_ID_ALIASES: veles-dev=d357688e-e3e4-4f18-9491-a4ed5622deb6;a21a286c-6c82-4180-9243-7c916442ecf0=d357688e-e3e4-4f18-9491-a4ed5622deb6
   CASSANDRA_SIM_IMAGE: registry.bstein.dev/cassandra/cassandra-sim-worker:0.8.53 # {"$imagepolicy": "cassandra:cassandra-sim-worker"}
   CASSANDRA_GENERATOR_WORKER_IMAGE: registry.bstein.dev/cassandra/cassandra-generator-worker:0.8.53 # {"$imagepolicy": "cassandra:cassandra-generator-worker"}
-  CASSANDRA_SIM_WORKER_VERSION: "0.8.52"
-  CASSANDRA_GENERATOR_WORKER_VERSION: "0.8.52"
+  CASSANDRA_SIM_WORKER_VERSION: "0.8.53"
+  CASSANDRA_GENERATOR_WORKER_VERSION: "0.8.53"
   CASSANDRA_SIM_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: cassandra-sim
   CASSANDRA_GENERATOR_WORKER_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: cassandra-generator
   CASSANDRA_SIM_PRIORITY_CLASS: cassandra-sim