diff --git a/pkg/atproto/atproto.go b/pkg/atproto/atproto.go
index fb28b0ded..fe4f90484 100644
--- a/pkg/atproto/atproto.go
+++ b/pkg/atproto/atproto.go
@@ -171,6 +171,10 @@ func (atsync *ATProtoSynchronizer) SyncBlueskyRepo(ctx context.Context, handle s
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to add repo to stateful DB for %s: %w", ident.DID.String(), err)
 	}
 
+	// The one Info line a sync gets. The walks it took are Debug; this is the
+	// state change that matters: the repo is servable from here.
+	log.Log(ctx, "shallow sync complete", "rev", result.Rev, "deepSyncDone", done)
+
 	return &newRepo, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/atproto/backfill_walk.go b/pkg/atproto/backfill_walk.go
index bc2828428..d30fc0f60 100644
--- a/pkg/atproto/backfill_walk.go
+++ b/pkg/atproto/backfill_walk.go
@@ -332,7 +332,11 @@ func (atsync *ATProtoSynchronizer) walkBackfill(ctx context.Context, ident *iden
 		return "", "", err
 	}
 
-	log.Log(ctx, "walked repo", "did", did, "handle", ident.Handle.String(), "rev", head.Rev, "root", head.Root.String(), "records", records)
+	// Debug: this fires once per walk, and a deepening repo walks one window
+	// at a time -- at Info it was nearly half of a boot's log. The Info-level
+	// story is one line per repo: "shallow sync complete" when it becomes
+	// servable, "deep sync complete" when its history is all in.
+	log.Debug(ctx, "walked repo", "did", did, "handle", ident.Handle.String(), "rev", head.Rev, "root", head.Root.String(), "records", records)
 	return head.Rev, head.Root.String(), nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/atproto/sweep.go b/pkg/atproto/sweep.go
index 65702c0f9..117a58548 100644
--- a/pkg/atproto/sweep.go
+++ b/pkg/atproto/sweep.go
@@ -677,7 +677,7 @@ func (atsync *ATProtoSynchronizer) sweepWindow(ctx context.Context, progress *sw
 	progress.window(step.DID, backfillFloorTime(floor))
 	if done {
 		progress.deepened(step.DID)
-		log.Log(ctx, "finished deepening repo history", "did", step.DID, "handle", step.Handle, "windows", step.Windows+1)
+		log.Log(ctx, "deep sync complete", "did", step.DID, "handle", step.Handle, "windows", step.Windows+1)
 		return false
 	}
 	return true
diff --git a/pkg/model/indexed.go b/pkg/model/indexed.go
index 0bc60f0bc..dee06a726 100644
--- a/pkg/model/indexed.go
+++ b/pkg/model/indexed.go
@@ -115,7 +115,10 @@ func createOrVerify[T any, PT interface {
 		return ErrAlreadyIndexed
 	}
 
-	log.Log(ctx, "record changed on redelivery, updated",
+	// Debug: an updated record arriving again with a new CID is routine --
+	// every place.stream.livestream heartbeat does it -- not an anomaly worth
+	// a line per occurrence.
+	log.Debug(ctx, "record changed on redelivery, updated",
 		"uri", row.recordURI(), "oldCid", PT(&existing).recordCID(), "newCid", row.recordCID())
 	return m.DB.WithContext(ctx).Save(row).Error
 }