diff --git a/brozzler/frontier.py b/brozzler/frontier.py
index 7a6f826..86bfe48 100644
--- a/brozzler/frontier.py
+++ b/brozzler/frontier.py
@@ -102,28 +102,21 @@ class RethinkDbFrontier:
                         ["ACTIVE", r.minval], ["ACTIVE", r.maxval],
                         index="sites_last_disclaimed")
                     .order_by(index="sites_last_disclaimed")
-                    .filter(r.row["claimed"] != True)
-                    # XXX
-                    # .filter((r.row["claimed"] != True) | (
-                    #     r.row["last_claimed"] < r.now() - 60*60))
+                    .filter((r.row["claimed"] != True) | (
+                        r.row["last_claimed"] < r.now() - 60*60))
                     .limit(1)
                     .update(
                         # try to avoid a race condition resulting in multiple
                         # brozzler-workers claiming the same site
                         # see https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/issues/3235#issuecomment-60283038
-                        r.branch(r.row["claimed"] != True, {
+                        r.branch((r.row["claimed"] != True) | (
+                            r.row["last_claimed"] < r.now() - 60*60), {
                                 "claimed": True, "last_claimed_by": worker_id,
                                 "last_claimed": doublethink.utcnow()}, {}),
-                        # XXX
-                        # r.branch((r.row["claimed"] != True) | (
-                        #     r.row["last_claimed"] < r.now() - 60*60), {
-                        #         "claimed": True, "last_claimed_by": worker_id,
-                        #         "last_claimed": doublethink.utcnow()}, {}),
                             return_changes=True)).run()
             self._vet_result(result, replaced=[0,1], unchanged=[0,1])
             if result["replaced"] == 1:
                 if result["changes"][0]["old_val"]["claimed"]:
-                    # XXX impossible at the moment
                     self.logger.warn(
                             "re-claimed site that was still marked 'claimed' "
                             "because it was last claimed a long time ago "
diff --git a/brozzler/worker.py b/brozzler/worker.py
index f7a72db..7a7a246 100644
--- a/brozzler/worker.py
+++ b/brozzler/worker.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import tempfile
 import urlcanon
 from requests.structures import CaseInsensitiveDict
 import rethinkdb as r
+import datetime
 
 class ExtraHeaderAdder(urllib.request.BaseHandler):
     def __init__(self, extra_headers):
@@ -156,7 +157,18 @@ class BrozzlerWorker:
         else:
             return bool(site.proxy or self._warcprox_auto)
 
+
     def _youtube_dl(self, destdir, site):
+        def ydl_progress(*args, **kwargs):
+            # in case youtube-dl takes a long time, heartbeat site.last_claimed
+            # to prevent another brozzler-worker from claiming the site
+            if site.rr and doublethink.utcnow() - site.last_claimed > datetime.timedelta(minutes=7):
+                self.logger.debug(
+                        'heartbeating site.last_claimed to prevent another '
+                        'brozzler-worker claiming this site id=%r', site.id)
+                site.last_claimed = doublethink.utcnow()
+                site.save()
+
         ydl_opts = {
             "outtmpl": "{}/ydl%(autonumber)s.out".format(destdir),
             "verbose": False,
@@ -167,6 +179,7 @@ class BrozzlerWorker:
             "noprogress": True,
             "nopart": True,
             "no_color": True,
+            "progress_hooks": [ydl_progress],
         }
         if self._proxy_for(site):
             ydl_opts["proxy"] = "http://{}".format(self._proxy_for(site))
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 7c3e695..8d2f6f2 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ def find_package_data(package):
 
 setuptools.setup(
         name='brozzler',
-        version='1.1b12.dev258',
+        version='1.1b12.dev259',
         description='Distributed web crawling with browsers',
         url='https://github.com/internetarchive/brozzler',
         author='Noah Levitt',
diff --git a/tests/test_frontier.py b/tests/test_frontier.py
index 7c2a328..f4fcec3 100644
--- a/tests/test_frontier.py
+++ b/tests/test_frontier.py
@@ -723,17 +723,14 @@ def test_claim_site():
     with pytest.raises(brozzler.NothingToClaim):
         claimed_site = frontier.claim_site(worker_id='test_claim_site')
 
-    ### temporarily changing this behavior
-    ### # site last_claimed more than 1 hour ago can be reclaimed
+    # site last_claimed more than 1 hour ago can be reclaimed
     site = claimed_site
     claimed_site = None
     site.last_claimed = doublethink.utcnow() - datetime.timedelta(minutes=65)
     site.save()
-    ### claimed_site = frontier.claim_site(worker_id='test_claim_site')
-    ### assert claimed_site.id == site.id
-    with pytest.raises(brozzler.NothingToClaim):
-        claimed_site = frontier.claim_site(worker_id='test_claim_site')
+    claimed_site = frontier.claim_site(worker_id='test_claim_site')
+    assert claimed_site.id == site.id
 
     # clean up
-    rr.table('sites').get(site.id).delete().run()
+    rr.table('sites').get(claimed_site.id).delete().run()