diff --git a/swarm-controller/src/agent_state_stream.rs b/swarm-controller/src/agent_state_stream.rs
index 8594d724..4fb75aba 100644
--- a/swarm-controller/src/agent_state_stream.rs
+++ b/swarm-controller/src/agent_state_stream.rs
@@ -51,12 +51,12 @@ const SUBJECT_PREFIX: &str = "$SWARM.agent-state";
             body = String, content_type = "text/event-stream"),
         (status = 400, description = "the agent name is not shaped like an identifier \
             (problem+json)", body = String),
-        (status = 404, description = "the agent has never reported to the swarm, so no \
-            hive is on record to stream its state from (problem+json)", body = String),
+        (status = 404, description = "the agent has never reported to the swarm \
+            (problem+json)", body = String),
         (status = 503, description = "no swarm queue is configured on this host, no \
             agent-status reader is wired up, or the queue could not be reached \
             (problem+json)", body = String),
-        (status = 500, description = "reading the agent's last-known hive failed, or the \
+        (status = 500, description = "reading the agent's status failed, or the \
             subscribe itself failed (problem+json)", body = String),
     ),
     tag = "agents"
@@ -97,10 +97,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn stream_agent_state(
         .ok_or_else(|| {
             crate::error_problem(
                 axum::http::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND,
-                &format!(
-                    "{agent:?} has never reported to the swarm; no hive is on record to \
-                     stream its state from"
-                ),
+                &format!("{agent:?} has never reported to the swarm"),
             )
         })?;
 
diff --git a/swarm-controller/src/term_stream.rs b/swarm-controller/src/term_stream.rs
index 9c72de1d..71ab39ee 100644
--- a/swarm-controller/src/term_stream.rs
+++ b/swarm-controller/src/term_stream.rs
@@ -49,12 +49,12 @@ const SUBJECT_PREFIX: &str = "$SWARM.term";
             body = String, content_type = "text/event-stream"),
         (status = 400, description = "the agent name is not shaped like an identifier \
             (problem+json)", body = String),
-        (status = 404, description = "the agent has never reported to the swarm, so no \
-            hive is on record to stream its terminal from (problem+json)", body = String),
+        (status = 404, description = "the agent has never reported to the swarm \
+            (problem+json)", body = String),
         (status = 503, description = "no swarm queue is configured on this host, no \
             agent-status reader is wired up, or the queue could not be reached \
             (problem+json)", body = String),
-        (status = 500, description = "reading the agent's last-known hive failed, or the \
+        (status = 500, description = "reading the agent's status failed, or the \
             subscribe itself failed (problem+json)", body = String),
     ),
     tag = "agents"
@@ -95,10 +95,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn stream_agent_term(
         .ok_or_else(|| {
             crate::error_problem(
                 axum::http::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND,
-                &format!(
-                    "{agent:?} has never reported to the swarm; no hive is on record to \
-                     stream its terminal from"
-                ),
+                &format!("{agent:?} has never reported to the swarm"),
             )
         })?;