diff --git a/.github/workflows/canary.yml b/.github/workflows/canary.yml
index 3dda2ce..c73378a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/canary.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/canary.yml
@@ -76,9 +76,11 @@ jobs:
       #     so both processes select the highest installed major rather than staying on a stable one;
       #   * DOTNET_ROLL_FORWARD_TO_PRERELEASE=1 lets a stable net8 app bind a *prerelease* runtime, which
       #     roll-forward refuses by default.
-      # A guard first confirms a newer major than the build SDK is actually installed, so the canary never
-      # false-passes by silently running on .NET 10. A regression in the preview runtime's roll-forward behaviour
-      # then turns this step red, and the scheduled run notifies the maintainer.
+      # The step PRINTS the installed runtimes and the highest major first, so the log shows the preview it is about
+      # to exercise instead of leaving it to be inferred. It then guards: only a runtime newer than the .NET 10 build
+      # SDK proves anything, so if the preview install did not yield one the run skips neutrally rather than
+      # false-passing on .NET 10. fce runs with --verbose, so the worker additionally logs the exact runtime it bound
+      # to (its "Documenting '…' on .NET <version>." banner).
       - name: Generate documentation on the preview runtime
         if: steps.preview.outcome == 'success'
         env:
@@ -86,8 +88,12 @@ jobs:
           DOTNET_ROLL_FORWARD_TO_PRERELEASE: '1'
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
-          if ! dotnet --list-runtimes | grep -Eq 'Microsoft\.NETCore\.App (1[1-9]|[2-9][0-9])\.'; then
-            echo "::notice::the installed 'preview' is not a newer major than the build SDK; skipping this run"
+          echo "Installed .NET runtimes:"
+          dotnet --list-runtimes
+          newest="$(dotnet --list-runtimes | sed -nE 's/^Microsoft\.NETCore\.App ([0-9]+)\..*/\1/p' | sort -n | tail -1)"
+          echo "Highest installed .NET major: ${newest:-none}"
+          if [ "${newest:-0}" -le 10 ]; then
+            echo "::notice::no runtime newer than the .NET 10 build SDK is installed; skipping this run"
             exit 0
           fi
           dotnet FirstClassErrors.Cli/bin/Release/net8.0/fce.dll generate \
@@ -99,4 +105,4 @@ jobs:
             cat canary-catalog.json
             exit 1
           fi
-          echo "ok: the net8 fce and worker documented a net8 target on the .NET preview runtime"
+          echo "ok: the net8 fce and worker documented a net8 target on the .NET ${newest} preview runtime"
diff --git a/FirstClassErrors.GenDoc.Worker/Program.cs b/FirstClassErrors.GenDoc.Worker/Program.cs
index 2af528f..7c10557 100644
--- a/FirstClassErrors.GenDoc.Worker/Program.cs
+++ b/FirstClassErrors.GenDoc.Worker/Program.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 using System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis;
 using System.Globalization;
 using System.Reflection;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Text.Json;
 using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
 
@@ -17,7 +18,10 @@
 // The worker is meant to be launched by the generator against the target's own dependency closure
 // (dotnet exec --depsfile <target>.deps.json ... worker.dll <target>.dll), so it binds to the target's
 // FirstClassErrors version and starts from a fresh static registry. It writes the ErrorDocumentationExtractionResult
-// as JSON to the output file when provided, otherwise to stdout; diagnostics and fatal errors go to stderr.
+// as JSON to the output file when provided, otherwise to stdout. Fatal errors go to stderr. It also logs a one-line
+// runtime banner (the framework it actually bound to): on stdout when the result goes to a file — stdout then carries
+// no data and the host surfaces the banner as an 'info' diagnostic — and on stderr in the stdout-JSON mode so the
+// result stays pure.
 //
 // When --culture is given, the extraction runs under that culture, so documentation factories that read localized
 // resources produce their text in that language.
@@ -53,6 +57,17 @@
 }
 
 try {
+    // Report the runtime this worker actually bound to. Its runtimeconfig rolls forward independently of the
+    // launching tool (RollForward=LatestMajor), so this can differ from the CLI's runtime and is the authoritative
+    // record of where the target was loaded — which is what the preview canary reads back. See the header note for
+    // the stdout/stderr split.
+    string runtimeBanner = $"Documenting '{assemblyPath}' on {RuntimeInformation.FrameworkDescription}.";
+    if (outputPath is null) {
+        await Console.Error.WriteLineAsync(runtimeBanner);
+    } else {
+        await Console.Out.WriteLineAsync(runtimeBanner);
+    }
+
     Assembly                           assembly = LoadTarget(assemblyPath);
     ErrorDocumentationExtractionResult result   = AssemblyErrorDocumentationReader.GetErrorDocumentationFrom(assembly);