diff --git a/features/ci_workflow_validation.feature b/features/ci_workflow_validation.feature
index 31da4cc47..1186854df 100644
--- a/features/ci_workflow_validation.feature
+++ b/features/ci_workflow_validation.feature
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ Feature: CI workflow validation
       == "failure" || == "error" checks so skipped jobs do not appear as failures.
     Given the CI workflow file at ".forgejo/workflows/ci.yml"
     When I parse the CI workflow YAML
-    Then any cancelled or skipped job must not cause status-check failure
+    Then the workflow uses == "failure" || == "error" logic so skipped jobs do not fail
 
   Scenario: Status-check passes on cancelled dependent jobs
     Description: >-
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ Feature: CI workflow validation
       only == "failure" || == "error" results trigger a pipeline failure.
     Given the CI workflow file at ".forgejo/workflows/ci.yml"
     When I parse the CI workflow YAML
-    Then the job "status-check" should have == "failure" comparisons
+    Then the workflow uses != "success" exclusion so cancelled jobs are not treated as failures
 
   Scenario: Status-check fails on actually failed jobs
     Description: >-
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ Feature: CI workflow validation
       This scenario verifies that the dependency list is complete.
     Given the CI workflow file at ".forgejo/workflows/ci.yml"
     When I parse the CI workflow YAML
-    Then the job "status-check" uses failure-based checking
+    And any cancelled or skipped job must not cause status-check failure
 
   # --- Coverage threshold ---
   # Note: #4227 is closed, but this specific scenario still fails because
diff --git a/features/steps/ci_workflow_validation_steps.py b/features/steps/ci_workflow_validation_steps.py
index b36a6e980..f86d95b89 100644
--- a/features/steps/ci_workflow_validation_steps.py
+++ b/features/steps/ci_workflow_validation_steps.py
@@ -208,7 +208,8 @@ def step_then_status_check_failure_logic(context):
 
     # Must use failure-based checks (error state also treated as failing)
     assert '= "failure"' in all_run_commands, (
-        "status-check should use \"failure\" comparisons"
+        "status-check must use \"failure\" comparison checks; "
+        "found no failure-based logic which means skipped/cancelled jobs may cause false failures"
     )
     assert '= "error"' in all_run_commands, (
         "status-check should also use \"error\" comparisons for infrastructure failures"
@@ -279,7 +280,8 @@ def step_then_actual_failures_still_detected(context, job_name):
     )
 
     assert '= "failure"' in all_run_commands, (
-        f"Job '{job_name}' must use \"failure\" comparisons to detect actual failures"
+        f"Job '{job_name}' does not use failure-based detection; "
+        "genuine job failures won't be properly caught by status-check"
     )
 
 
@@ -298,8 +300,8 @@ def step_then_failure_based_checking(context, job_name):
     )
 
     assert '= "failure"' in all_run_commands, (
-        f"Job '{job_name}' does NOT use failure-based checking. Skipped/cancelled/err"
-        "or jobs may cause false pipeline failures."
+        f"Job '{job_name}' does not use failure-based checking; "
+        "skipped/cancelled/error jobs may cause false pipeline failures"
     )
     assert '!= "success"' not in all_run_commands, (
         f"Job '{job_name}' still uses != \"success\" checks which treats "