Stapling cable inside of a box when there is no room

Question

There are rules that Romex cable has to be stapled within a foot or so from the electrical box. However, there is an exception when doing rewiring (because wall is not open).

I am rewiring from knob-and-tube. I would still like to fasten the cable as good as I can before putting in the new old work box. However, there is no way to do this with conventional cable stables. There is just no room for hammering.

Here is one example:

This is hole in the ceiling for a light fixture. You can see I fished the new Romex already. There is a beam right next to the hole where I could fix it to, before inserting the box.

Are there any creative tricks and/or alternatives to conventional cable staples?

Answer 1

Just another example strap ("one hole Romex/NM") that might need less side access: (similar straps are very cheap and widely available)

Answer 2

Try harder. You don't have a lot of room to swing a hammer there, but a staple can be tapped in by getting the head of the hammer into the ceiling and then moving only as far as the hole permits the handle to move. It will take many small taps. Sometimes another steel object that will act as a hammer works better for the limited space.

Or, screw in a ring-end cable tie.

Or, screw in a NM/B cable clip such as this example:

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