diff --git a/src/libstore/build/local-derivation-goal.cc b/src/libstore/build/local-derivation-goal.cc
index 9c14c06b4..3de12c6ff 100644
--- a/src/libstore/build/local-derivation-goal.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/build/local-derivation-goal.cc
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ void LocalDerivationGoal::killChild()
 void LocalDerivationGoal::tryLocalBuild() {
     unsigned int curBuilds = worker.getNrLocalBuilds();
     if (curBuilds >= settings.maxBuildJobs) {
+        state = &DerivationGoal::tryToBuild;
         worker.waitForBuildSlot(shared_from_this());
         outputLocks.unlock();
         return;