diff --git a/scripts/merge-group-evicted.sh b/scripts/merge-group-evicted.sh
index e38936d1c..a5726ecc0 100755
--- a/scripts/merge-group-evicted.sh
+++ b/scripts/merge-group-evicted.sh
@@ -119,7 +119,16 @@ while :; do
     exit 0
   fi
 
-  [ "$polls" -lt "$max_polls" ] ||
-    fail "#${number} had not merged, or the queue had not drained, after ${max_polls} reads; its outcome is unknown"
+  # The bound ends in one of two different states (#5014), and the failure names which,
+  # with the queued count it last read: this group's own entry may still be queued, or
+  # the PR has left and the answer is waiting for the queue to drain. In the second
+  # case main is NOT restored, so production can keep the unmerged artifact until a
+  # later deploy replaces it.
+  if [ "$polls" -ge "$max_polls" ]; then
+    if [ -z "$left" ]; then
+      fail "#${number}: this merge group's own queue entry was still queued after ${max_polls} reads (last read: ${queued} entries queued); it had neither merged nor left, so its outcome is unknown"
+    fi
+    fail "#${number} left the merge queue (${left}), but the queue had not drained after ${max_polls} reads (last read: ${queued} entries queued); main was not restored, so production may still run this PR's unmerged artifact until a later deploy replaces it"
+  fi
   sleep "$poll_seconds"
 done
diff --git a/scripts/tests/test-merge-group-evicted.sh b/scripts/tests/test-merge-group-evicted.sh
index 512a12b45..c005eed0b 100755
--- a/scripts/tests/test-merge-group-evicted.sh
+++ b/scripts/tests/test-merge-group-evicted.sh
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ run_case() {
     STUB_CALLS="$scratch/calls" STUB_RC="$stub_rc" EVICTED_POLL_SECONDS=0 EVICTED_MAX_POLLS=5 \
     EVICTED_REPOSITORY=devantler-tech/platform EVICTED_HEAD_REF="$ref" EVICTED_GROUP_CREATED_AT="$at" \
     GITHUB_OUTPUT="$scratch/output" "$script" 2>&1)"; then rc=0; else rc=$?; fi
+  printf "%s\n" "$out" >"$scratch/stdout"
   got_output="$(cat "$scratch/output")"
   reads="$(cat "$scratch/calls")"
 
@@ -79,6 +80,17 @@ logged() {
   fi
 }
 
+# <label> <fixed string the last run must have printed>
+said() {
+  assertions=$((assertions + 1))
+  if grep -Fq -- "$2" "$scratch/stdout"; then
+    printf '  ok   %s\n' "$1"
+  else
+    printf '  FAIL %s: output did not contain %s:\n%s\n' "$1" "$2" "$(cat "$scratch/stdout")"
+    failures=$((failures + 1))
+  fi
+}
+
 echo "merge-group-evicted:"
 run_case "already merged is not evicted" 0 "evicted=false" 1 "$queue_ref" "$created" 0 \
   "MERGED false none 0"
@@ -95,6 +107,8 @@ run_case "an entry enqueued at the group's creation is the original" 0 "evicted=
   "OPEN true $created 1" "MERGED false none 0"
 run_case "still queued past the bound writes nothing" 1 "" 5 "$queue_ref" "$created" 0 \
   "OPEN true $before 1"
+# Finding (#5014): the bound ends in two different states, and the failure must say which.
+said "still queued past the bound names its own entry" "own queue entry was still queued after 5 reads (last read: 1 entries queued)"
 
 # Finding: after a dequeue and re-enqueue, isInMergeQueue is true for the REPLACEMENT entry.
 # This group has left; the answer waits for the replacement's outcome.
@@ -111,6 +125,11 @@ run_case "left with other groups queued waits for the queue to drain" 0 "evicted
   "OPEN false none 2" "OPEN false none 1" "OPEN false none 0"
 run_case "left with a queue that never drains writes nothing" 1 "" 5 "$queue_ref" "$created" 0 \
   "OPEN false none 1"
+said "left with a queue that never drains names the drain wait" "left the merge queue (OPEN, no longer queued), but the queue had not drained after 5 reads (last read: 1 entries queued)"
+said "left with a queue that never drains says main was not restored" "main was not restored"
+run_case "re-enqueued with a queue that never drains writes nothing" 1 "" 5 "$queue_ref" "$created" 0 \
+  "OPEN true $after 3" "OPEN true $after 2"
+said "re-enqueued past the bound names the re-enqueue and last count" "left the merge queue (re-enqueued at $after, after this merge group was created at $created), but the queue had not drained after 5 reads (last read: 2 entries queued)"
 run_case "left with nothing queued is evicted" 0 "evicted=true" 1 "$queue_ref" "$created" 0 \
   "OPEN false none 0"
 run_case "closed with nothing queued is evicted" 0 "evicted=true" 1 "$queue_ref" "$created" 0 \