diff --git a/START_HERE.md b/START_HERE.md
index 6acc73c..08705fd 100644
--- a/START_HERE.md
+++ b/START_HERE.md
@@ -23,9 +23,22 @@ Your job is:
 1. Run `./scripts/ratchet`.
 2. Do only what it says under `DO THIS NOW`.
 3. Ignore every other command unless `DO THIS NOW` tells you to run it.
-4. After a watch finishes, run `./scripts/ratchet` again.
+4. If it tells you to run `./scripts/ratchet watch 2`, start it, leave the terminal open, and come back after about 2 hours.
 5. If you manually place a Braiins canary, write down the order details outside this repo and wait through the maturity window before judging it.
 
+## Who Is In Control?
+
+If `watch` is running, the Python process is in control of that terminal.
+
+You do not need to babysit it. It will:
+
+1. Collect samples every 5 minutes.
+2. Write the run report when it finishes.
+3. Print the cockpit again.
+4. Return control to your shell prompt.
+
+If you want the technical report, run `./scripts/ratchet report`. The normal workflow intentionally shows the cockpit first.
+
 ## What The Actions Mean
 
 `observe` means do not bid.
diff --git a/docs/OPERATOR_GUIDE.md b/docs/OPERATOR_GUIDE.md
index c3607e3..c00b107 100644
--- a/docs/OPERATOR_GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/OPERATOR_GUIDE.md
@@ -106,8 +106,8 @@ During the watch:
 
 - Leave the terminal open.
 - Do not babysit every line.
-- If it prints `observe`, do nothing.
-- If it prints `manual_bid`, stop and run `./scripts/ratchet report` before deciding manually.
+- Ignore intermediate cycle lines unless you intentionally want to stop early.
+- Wait for the final cockpit. The final `DO THIS NOW` section is the instruction that matters.
 
 Stop early with `Ctrl-C`.
 
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ When the watch completes normally, it writes:
 
 - `reports/EXPERIMENT_LOG.md`: the master ratchet ledger.
 - `reports/run-*.md`: the detailed report for this one run.
+- The final cockpit, then control returns to your shell prompt.
 
 Read the ledger with:
 
diff --git a/scripts/ratchet b/scripts/ratchet
index 86add55..1c59baa 100755
--- a/scripts/ratchet
+++ b/scripts/ratchet
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ Braiins Ratchet
 Commands:
   next               Show exactly what to do next. Default command.
   setup              Create the local .venv and initialize the local database.
-  once               Run one full monitor cycle, then print the human report.
+  once               Fetch one fresh sample, then print the cockpit.
   watch [hours]      Run repeated monitor cycles for N hours. Default: 6.
   report             Print the latest stored report without fetching new data.
   experiments        Print the Karpathy-style experiment ledger.
@@ -58,7 +58,8 @@ cmd_next() {
 cmd_once() {
   run_python -m braiins_ratchet.cli cycle >/dev/null
   echo
-  run_python -m braiins_ratchet.cli report
+  echo "Fresh sample collected. Reading the cockpit now."
+  echo "Technical report is available with: ./scripts/ratchet report"
   echo
   run_python -m braiins_ratchet.cli next
 }
@@ -78,9 +79,12 @@ cmd_watch() {
   fi
 
   cycles=$((hours * 3600 / interval_seconds))
-  echo "Running $cycles cycles over about $hours hour(s), one cycle every $interval_seconds seconds."
-  echo "Stop early with Ctrl-C. This only reads public/OCEAN data and writes local snapshots."
-  echo "At completion it writes reports/EXPERIMENT_LOG.md and reports/run-*.md."
+  echo "Watch started. This terminal is now controlled by Braiins Ratchet for about $hours hour(s)."
+  echo "You do not need to babysit it. Leave this terminal open and come back later."
+  echo "It will run $cycles cycles, one cycle every $interval_seconds seconds."
+  echo "It only reads public/OCEAN data and writes local snapshots inside this repo."
+  echo "At the end it writes reports/EXPERIMENT_LOG.md plus a run report, then prints DO THIS NOW."
+  echo "Stop early only if you intentionally want a partial run: Ctrl-C."
   echo
 
   set +e
@@ -91,7 +95,7 @@ cmd_watch() {
     exit "$status"
   fi
   echo
-  run_python -m braiins_ratchet.cli report
+  echo "Watch finished. Reading the cockpit now."
   echo
   run_python -m braiins_ratchet.cli next
   return "$status"
diff --git a/src/braiins_ratchet/guidance.py b/src/braiins_ratchet/guidance.py
index ecafbd4..85fecec 100644
--- a/src/braiins_ratchet/guidance.py
+++ b/src/braiins_ratchet/guidance.py
@@ -81,7 +81,8 @@ def _do_this_now(
     if active_watch:
         return [
             "  WAIT.",
-            "  A watch is already running. Do not start another command.",
+            "  The running watch process is in control. Do not start another ratchet command.",
+            "  You can leave it alone; it will write the experiment report when it finishes.",
             "  After the watch terminal finishes by itself, run exactly:",
             "    ./scripts/ratchet",
         ]
@@ -113,7 +114,9 @@ def _do_this_now(
         return [
             "  Run exactly:",
             "    ./scripts/ratchet watch 2",
-            "  Reason: manual_canary means the model sees a bounded learning opportunity, not proven profit. The watch command will print this cockpit again when it ends.",
+            "  Then leave that terminal alone for about 2 hours.",
+            "  The watch command keeps control, writes the run report, and prints this cockpit again when it ends.",
+            "  Reason: manual_canary means the model sees a bounded learning opportunity, not proven profit.",
         ]
 
     return [