diff --git a/deploy/ops/check6.sh b/deploy/ops/check6.sh
index 30a8c34..28b2a4a 100755
--- a/deploy/ops/check6.sh
+++ b/deploy/ops/check6.sh
@@ -63,21 +63,43 @@ PYD
 fi
 echo "$now $comp $failed $disk" > "$STATE"
 
-# Nested windows. A trend requires these to move together.
-printf 'rate windows:'
+# The backfill-era numbers below (crawl rate, per-repo cost, batch troughs) are
+# meaningless once bootstrap is over. Report merge/serving state instead, or a
+# reader sees "1.3 repos/s" in phase 2 and thinks the thing has died.
+if [ "$phase" != "1" ]; then
+  echo "--- phase $phase: bootstrap is over, backfill rates below do not apply ---"
+  for m in merge_events_kept_total merge_events_dropped_total merge_segments_consumed_total; do
+    printf '  %s = %s\n' "$m" "$(Q "jetstream_orchestrator_$m" | scalar)"
+  done
+  printf '  compaction_watermark_seq = %s  (0 = compaction has not started)\n' \
+    "$(Q stream_compaction_watermark_seq | scalar)"
+  printf '  pending (repos left in the pending pass) = %s\n' \
+    "$(Q 'stream_backfill_repos_durable%7Bstatus%3D%22pending%22%7D' | scalar)"
+  code=$(S 'cd /opt/stream-experiment; docker compose exec -T prometheus wget -S -qO- http://172.18.0.2:8080/xrpc/jetstream.listSegments 2>&1 | grep -m1 -oE "HTTP/1.1 [0-9]+"')
+  printf '  listSegments -> %s   (503 until steady_state; 200 is the win)\n' "${code:-unreadable}"
+  printf '  backfill tree = %s   (GONE means merge cleanup finished)\n' \
+    "$(S 'du -sh /data/stream/backfill 2>/dev/null | cut -f1 || echo GONE')"
+  echo "  replay window: run 'ssh root@37.27.43.39 /usr/local/bin/wsprobe 32408688748'"
+  echo "                 101 + a binary frame = still replayable"
+fi
+
+# Nested windows. A trend requires these to move together. BOOTSTRAP ONLY.
+[ "$phase" = "1" ] && printf 'rate windows:'
+if [ "$phase" = "1" ]; then
 for w in 1h 6h 12h; do
   r=$(Q "rate(stream_backfill_repos_durable%7Bstatus%3D%22complete%22%7D%5B$w%5D)" | scalar)
   printf '  %s=%s' "$w" "$(python3 -c "print(round(float('${r:-0}'),1))")"
 done; echo
+fi
 
 # Queue state qualifies the 1h number: near-zero not_started == batch trough.
-if [ -n "$notstarted" ] && [ "${notstarted%.*}" -lt 1000 ]; then
+if [ "$phase" = "1" ] && [ -n "$notstarted" ] && [ "${notstarted%.*}" -lt 1000 ]; then
   echo "  ^ NOTE: not_started=$notstarted (batch trough) — a low 1h rate here is EXPECTED, not a fault"
 fi
 
 # Per-repo cost: rising means big repos, falling means the tail is thinning.
 pr=$(Q 'rate(jetstream_backfill_handle_repo_duration_seconds_sum%5B2h%5D)/rate(jetstream_backfill_handle_repo_duration_seconds_count%5B2h%5D)' | scalar)
-[ -n "$pr" ] && printf 'per-repo: %.1f ms  (falling => tail thinning, NOT degradation; bytes/s falls with it)\n' \
+[ "$phase" = "1" ] && [ -n "$pr" ] && printf 'per-repo: %.1f ms  (falling => tail thinning, NOT degradation; bytes/s falls with it)\n' \
   "$(python3 -c "print(float('$pr')*1000)")"
 
 # Per-process counter: it RESETS on every restart, so only increase() is