diff --git a/runner/network/consensus/sequencer_consensus.go b/runner/network/consensus/sequencer_consensus.go
index 661bb5fa..f5ca8ac6 100644
--- a/runner/network/consensus/sequencer_consensus.go
+++ b/runner/network/consensus/sequencer_consensus.go
@@ -121,11 +121,12 @@ func (f *SequencerConsensusClient) generatePayloadAttributes(sequencerTxs [][]by
 	var b8 eth.Bytes8
 	copy(b8[:], eip1559.EncodeHolocene1559Params(50, 1))
 
+	// Always keep timestamps at or ahead of wall clock so the builder
+	// never sees "FCU arrived too late" and produces empty blocks.
+	now := uint64(time.Now().Unix())
 	lastTimestamp := f.lastTimestamp
-
-	// if the last timestamp is more than 2 seconds in the past, set it to the current time
-	if int64(lastTimestamp)-time.Now().Unix() < -2 {
-		lastTimestamp = uint64(time.Now().Unix())
+	if now > lastTimestamp {
+		lastTimestamp = now
 	}
 
 	timestamp := lastTimestamp + 1