diff --git a/design/mvp/CanonicalABI.md b/design/mvp/CanonicalABI.md
index 3c122946..e2007246 100644
--- a/design/mvp/CanonicalABI.md
+++ b/design/mvp/CanonicalABI.md
@@ -712,18 +712,18 @@ called).
 ```
 
 When a `Subtask` finishes, it calls `release_lenders` to allow owned handles
-passed to this subtask to be dropped. In the synchronous or eager case this
-happens immediately before returning to the caller. In the
-asynchronous+blocking case, this happens right before the `CallState.DONE`
-event is delivered to the guest program.
+passed to this subtask to be dropped. In the asynchronous blocking case, this
+happens right before the `CallState.DONE` event is delivered to the guest
+program in `subtask_event()` (above). Otherwise, it happens synchronously
+when the subtask finishes.
 ```python
   def finish(self):
     assert(self.state == CallState.RETURNED)
     self.state = CallState.DONE
-    if self.opts.sync or not self.notify_supertask:
-      self.release_lenders()
-    else:
+    if self.notify_supertask:
       self.maybe_notify_supertask()
+    else:
+      self.release_lenders()
     return self.flat_results
 ```
 
diff --git a/design/mvp/canonical-abi/definitions.py b/design/mvp/canonical-abi/definitions.py
index 55fe2d38..d5aa45b1 100644
--- a/design/mvp/canonical-abi/definitions.py
+++ b/design/mvp/canonical-abi/definitions.py
@@ -520,10 +520,10 @@ def on_return(self, vs):
   def finish(self):
     assert(self.state == CallState.RETURNED)
     self.state = CallState.DONE
-    if self.opts.sync or not self.notify_supertask:
-      self.release_lenders()
-    else:
+    if self.notify_supertask:
       self.maybe_notify_supertask()
+    else:
+      self.release_lenders()
     return self.flat_results
 
   def drop(self):