diff --git a/cmd/auth-acceptance-harness/main.go b/cmd/auth-acceptance-harness/main.go
index 2c74727..d38b948 100644
--- a/cmd/auth-acceptance-harness/main.go
+++ b/cmd/auth-acceptance-harness/main.go
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func main() {
 		Session identity.CreatorSession
 	}
 	if err := c.post(ctx, "/v1/acceptance/sessions", nil, &issued); err != nil {
-		fail("acceptance authentication failed")
+		fail("acceptance authentication failed: " + err.Error())
 	}
 	if issued.Token == "" || issued.Session.PrincipalKind != identity.PrincipalKindService {
 		fail("acceptance principal was not authenticated as service")
@@ -52,11 +52,11 @@ func main() {
 	c.token = issued.Token
 	var first interaction.ChatMessageResponse
 	if err := c.post(ctx, "/v1/creator/chat/messages", interaction.ChatMessageRequest{Message: "synthetic acceptance statement", CorrelationID: "acceptance-harness", SyntheticAcceptance: true, SyntheticScopeID: "synthetic-acceptance-scope"}, &first); err != nil {
-		fail("synthetic interaction failed")
+		fail("synthetic interaction failed: " + err.Error())
 	}
 	var corrected interaction.ChatMessageResponse
 	if err := c.post(ctx, "/v1/creator/chat/messages", interaction.ChatMessageRequest{ConversationID: first.ConversationID, Message: "synthetic acceptance correction", CorrelationID: "acceptance-harness-correction", CorrectsUtteranceID: first.UtteranceID, SyntheticAcceptance: true, SyntheticScopeID: "synthetic-acceptance-scope"}, &corrected); err != nil {
-		fail("synthetic correction failed")
+		fail("synthetic correction failed: " + err.Error())
 	}
 	var summary struct {
 		LearningSignals  int `json:"learning_signals"`
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func main() {
 		LearningLedger   int `json:"learning_ledger"`
 	}
 	if err := c.get(ctx, "/v1/acceptance/self/summary", &summary); err != nil {
-		fail("acceptance SELF summary unavailable")
+		fail("acceptance SELF summary unavailable: " + err.Error())
 	}
 	fmt.Printf("acceptance_pass learning_signals=%d improvement_needs=%d learning_ledger=%d\n", summary.LearningSignals, summary.ImprovementNeeds, summary.LearningLedger)
 }