Crossovers form between homologous chromosomes after the generation of double-strand breaks (DSBs) and support accurate chromosome segregation during meiosis. Although DSB frequency varies among meiotic cells, the number of crossovers is tightly regulated to avoid fetal aneuploidy. Here, Cole et al. propose a progressive mechanism for homeostatic crossover control in mammals. In mouse spermatocytes, the number of early recombination intermediates at early zygonema varied among meiotic cells and exceeded the number of late recombination intermediates at early pachynema as well as the number of crossovers at mid-pachynema. Unlike the early intermediates, crossover numbers remained constant among spermatocytes, even when DSB frequency was genetically altered. In addition, homeostatic crossover control operated at at least two stages, and the authors propose that it may also be involved in the control of the distance between crossovers on one chromosome.