diff --git a/crates/solstone-linux/src/capture_stats.rs b/crates/solstone-linux/src/capture_stats.rs
index 9805f0e..1a6a258 100644
--- a/crates/solstone-linux/src/capture_stats.rs
+++ b/crates/solstone-linux/src/capture_stats.rs
@@ -188,17 +188,18 @@ pub fn compute_quarantine_stats(root: &Path, now: f64) -> QuarantineStats {
     }
 }
 
+/// A held segment has two possible histories and the suffix does not record which: the
+/// journal declined it, or startup recovery could not finalize an interrupted one and it
+/// was never sent at all. Naming either cause asserts something we cannot know — say only
+/// what is true of both, which is that the segment is held and will not be retried.
 pub fn format_quarantine_line(stats: &QuarantineStats) -> Option<String> {
     if stats.count == 0 {
         return None;
     }
     match stats.oldest_age_seconds {
-        None => Some(format!(
-            "Quarantine: {} rejected segment(s) held",
-            stats.count
-        )),
+        None => Some(format!("Held: {} segment(s) not sent", stats.count)),
         Some(age) => Some(format!(
-            "Quarantine: {} rejected segment(s) held, oldest {}d",
+            "Held: {} segment(s) not sent, oldest {}d",
             stats.count,
             (age / 86_400.0) as u64
         )),
@@ -309,7 +310,7 @@ mod tests {
                 oldest_age_seconds: None
             })
             .as_deref(),
-            Some("Quarantine: 2 rejected segment(s) held")
+            Some("Held: 2 segment(s) not sent")
         );
     }
     #[test]
@@ -320,7 +321,7 @@ mod tests {
                 oldest_age_seconds: Some(5.9 * 86_400.0)
             })
             .as_deref(),
-            Some("Quarantine: 2 rejected segment(s) held, oldest 5d")
+            Some("Held: 2 segment(s) not sent, oldest 5d")
         );
     }
     // AC: injected now clamps future mtimes to zero age.
diff --git a/crates/solstone-linux/src/doctor.rs b/crates/solstone-linux/src/doctor.rs
index 39aaca1..7bfc32e 100644
--- a/crates/solstone-linux/src/doctor.rs
+++ b/crates/solstone-linux/src/doctor.rs
@@ -548,15 +548,19 @@ mod tests {
     // tests/test_doctor.py::test_run_doctor_omits_empty_quarantine_line
     #[test]
     fn quarantine_optional() {
-        for value in [Some("Quarantine: 1 rejected segment(s) held".into()), None] {
+        for value in [Some("Held: 1 segment(s) not sent".to_owned()), None] {
             let mut checks = FakeChecks::all(Severity::Ok);
             checks.quarantine = value.clone();
             let mut out = Vec::new();
             run_doctor(&mut checks, &mut out);
-            assert_eq!(
-                String::from_utf8(out).unwrap().contains("Quarantine:"),
-                value.is_some()
-            );
+            let rendered = String::from_utf8(out).unwrap();
+            // Assert against the fixture itself rather than a separately-copied literal:
+            // the previous form pinned its own substring and silently stopped matching the
+            // line it was meant to be checking when that line's wording changed.
+            match &value {
+                Some(line) => assert!(rendered.contains(line.as_str())),
+                None => assert!(!rendered.contains("segment(s) not sent")),
+            }
         }
     }
     // AC: aggregation keeps warnings non-fatal and failures fatal for each warn-capable slot.