diff --git a/web/src/lib/api/lexicons/types/sh/tangled/ci/subscribePipelineLogs.ts b/web/src/lib/api/lexicons/types/sh/tangled/ci/subscribePipelineLogs.ts
index 4b5723337..b7bba9d7f 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/api/lexicons/types/sh/tangled/ci/subscribePipelineLogs.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/api/lexicons/types/sh/tangled/ci/subscribePipelineLogs.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,12 @@ const _controlSchema = /*#__PURE__*/ v.object({
   kind: /*#__PURE__*/ v.optional(
     /*#__PURE__*/ v.literalEnum(["system", "user"]),
   ),
+  /**
+   * How the step ended, only set on end frames for steps that can fail
+   */
+  outcome: /*#__PURE__*/ v.optional(
+    /*#__PURE__*/ v.literalEnum(["failed", "success"]),
+  ),
   /**
    * Step status
    */
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/repo/pipelines/logs.test.ts b/web/src/lib/components/repo/pipelines/logs.test.ts
index 6e0551918..626dda1dd 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/repo/pipelines/logs.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/repo/pipelines/logs.test.ts
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ const start = (step: number, name: string, over: Record<string, unknown> = {}):
 	}
 });
 
-const end = (step: number, time: string): LogFrame => ({
+const end = (step: number, time: string, outcome?: "success" | "failed"): LogFrame => ({
 	kind: "control",
-	control: { time, workflow: "build", step, content: "", status: "end" }
+	control: { time, workflow: "build", step, content: "", status: "end", outcome }
 });
 
 const line = (step: number, content: string): LogFrame => ({
@@ -194,6 +194,42 @@ describe("stepStatuses", () => {
 	it("returns an empty list when there are no steps", () => {
 		expect(stepStatuses([], "running")).toEqual([]);
 	});
+
+	const debugged = () =>
+		drain([
+			start(3, "build"),
+			end(3, "2026-08-06T12:00:10Z", "success"),
+			start(4, "deploy"),
+			start(6, "Debug shell", { kind: "system" }),
+			end(6, "2026-08-06T12:00:20Z"),
+			end(4, "2026-08-06T12:00:20Z", "failed")
+		]);
+
+	it("marks the step the spindle says failed, not the runner step after it", () => {
+		expect(stepStatuses(debugged(), "failed")).toEqual(["done", "error", "done"]);
+	});
+
+	it("shows a reported failure while the workflow still says running", () => {
+		expect(stepStatuses(debugged(), "running")).toEqual(["done", "error", "done"]);
+	});
+
+	it("keeps the open last step active when outcomes are reported", () => {
+		const steps = drain([
+			start(1, "One"),
+			end(1, "2026-08-06T12:00:10Z", "success"),
+			start(2, "Two")
+		]);
+		expect(stepStatuses(steps, "running")).toEqual(["done", "active"]);
+	});
+
+	it("blames an open last step when a reporting run ends badly without saying why", () => {
+		const steps = drain([
+			start(1, "One"),
+			end(1, "2026-08-06T12:00:10Z", "success"),
+			start(2, "Two")
+		]);
+		expect(stepStatuses(steps, "timeout")).toEqual(["done", "error"]);
+	});
 });
 
 describe("narrate", () => {
@@ -244,6 +280,16 @@ describe("narrate", () => {
 		expect(narrate(steps, "timeout")).toBe("Timed out at build the site");
 	});
 
+	it("says failed, not running, when a step failed before the workflow status caught up", () => {
+		const steps = drain([
+			start(1, "One"),
+			end(1, "2026-08-06T12:00:10Z", "success"),
+			start(2, "deploy"),
+			end(2, "2026-08-06T12:00:20Z", "failed")
+		]);
+		expect(narrate(steps, "running")).toBe("Failed at deploy");
+	});
+
 	it("announces completion once every step is done and the workflow succeeded", () => {
 		const steps = drain([
 			start(1, "One"),
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/repo/pipelines/logs.ts b/web/src/lib/components/repo/pipelines/logs.ts
index 4a57e0cde..98b7a9f7f 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/repo/pipelines/logs.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/repo/pipelines/logs.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export interface LogStep {
 	system: boolean;
 	startedAt: number;
 	finishedAt?: number;
+	outcome?: "success" | "failed";
 	// ansi resolved to html
 	lines: string[];
 }
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ export const createLogAccumulator = (): LogAccumulator => {
 				}
 				if (c.status === "end") {
 					step.finishedAt = stamp(c.time);
+					step.outcome = c.outcome;
 					return true;
 				}
 				return false;
@@ -129,6 +131,15 @@ export const stepStatuses = (steps: LogStep[], workflow: PipelineStatus): StepSt
 	if (steps.length === 0) return [];
 	const last = steps.length - 1;
 
+	if (steps.some((step) => step.outcome)) {
+		return steps.map((step, i) => {
+			if (step.outcome === "failed") return "error";
+			if (step.finishedAt || i !== last) return "done";
+			if (isLive(workflow)) return "active";
+			return workflow === "success" ? "done" : "error";
+		});
+	}
+
 	if (isLive(workflow)) {
 		return steps.map((step, i) => (step.finishedAt || i !== last ? "done" : "active"));
 	}
@@ -149,7 +160,11 @@ export const narrate = (steps: LogStep[], workflow: PipelineStatus): string => {
 	}
 
 	const errorIndex = statuses.indexOf("error");
-	if (errorIndex !== -1) return `${STATUS_LABELS[workflow]} at ${steps[errorIndex].name}`;
+	if (errorIndex !== -1) {
+		// a step can report its failure before the workflow status catches up
+		const label = isLive(workflow) ? STATUS_LABELS.failed : STATUS_LABELS[workflow];
+		return `${label} at ${steps[errorIndex].name}`;
+	}
 
 	if (workflow === "success" && statuses.every((status) => status === "done")) {
 		const step = steps.length === 1 ? "step" : "steps";