diff --git a/hive-forge/src/verbs/ci_log.rs b/hive-forge/src/verbs/ci_log.rs
index d131c78d..43ac7488 100644
--- a/hive-forge/src/verbs/ci_log.rs
+++ b/hive-forge/src/verbs/ci_log.rs
@@ -14,15 +14,17 @@
 //!    shows and `pr-status` surfaces as a CI context `target_url`).
 //! 2. **Durable persisted-log download** — when the streamer is pruned the
 //!    step-log files still exist on disk (the web UI reads them fine after
-//!    the streamer 500s). We fetch them via the web download route
-//!    `<base>/<owner>/<repo>/actions/runs/<run-id>/jobs/<job>/logs`, keyed
-//!    by the run's GLOBAL id (mirrors `artifact-get`: the REST runs list
-//!    translates run number → global id). This is a flat whole-job log with
-//!    no per-step framing, so `--step` is not honored on this path.
+//!    the streamer 500s). We fetch them via the web download route the run
+//!    page's "view raw logs" link uses,
+//!    `<base>/<owner>/<repo>/actions/runs/<run>/jobs/<job>/attempt/<n>/logs`,
+//!    keyed by the per-repo run NUMBER (same value `--run` takes) with the
+//!    attempt segment. This is a flat whole-job log with no per-step framing,
+//!    so `--step` is not honored on this path.
 //!
 //! Result: live + recent runs get the rich streamed view; older / quickly-
-//! pruned runs (the #1781 case argus + atlas both hit) still print via the
-//! durable fallback instead of a bare "logs garbage-collected" error.
+//! pruned runs (where `act_runner` has already pruned the live task record)
+//! still print via the durable fallback instead of a bare
+//! "logs garbage-collected" error.
 
 use anyhow::{Result, bail};
 use clap::Args as ClapArgs;
@@ -74,29 +76,46 @@ fn step_name(step: Option<&Value>) -> String {
     .to_owned()
 }
 
-/// Try the live run-view streamer. Returns `Ok(true)` when it printed (or
-/// emitted JSON for) actual log lines, `Ok(false)` when the streamer is
-/// reachable but has no lines (pruned task), and `Err` on a transport / HTTP
-/// failure (e.g. the `500 "resource does not exist"` a pruned run returns).
-/// Both the `Ok(false)` and `Err` cases tell the caller to fall back to the
-/// durable persisted-log download.
-fn streamer_logs(client: &Client, path: &str, args: &Args) -> Result<bool> {
+/// Why the live streamer didn't produce logs, so `run` can tell a real usage
+/// error (which must surface) from a pruned/empty run (which falls back to the
+/// durable persisted-log download). Avoids brittle string-matching on the
+/// error message to make that distinction.
+enum StreamerMiss {
+    /// A requested `--step` index is past the job's step count — a usage
+    /// error; `run` surfaces it instead of masking it with the fallback.
+    StepOutOfRange(String),
+    /// The streamer is reachable but has no log lines, OR a transport / HTTP
+    /// failure (e.g. the `500 "resource does not exist"` a pruned run
+    /// returns). Either way `run` falls back to the durable download.
+    Unavailable,
+}
+
+/// Try the live run-view streamer. `Ok(())` means it printed (or emitted JSON
+/// for) actual log lines. `Err(StreamerMiss::StepOutOfRange)` is a usage error
+/// to surface; `Err(StreamerMiss::Unavailable)` tells the caller to fall back
+/// to the durable persisted-log download.
+fn streamer_logs(client: &Client, path: &str, args: &Args) -> Result<(), StreamerMiss> {
     // 1. Discover the job's steps (state is returned regardless of cursors).
-    let view = client.post_json_web(path, &json!({ "logCursors": [] }))?;
+    //    A transport error / pruned-task 500 surfaces here → Unavailable.
+    let view = client
+        .post_json_web(path, &json!({ "logCursors": [] }))
+        .map_err(|_| StreamerMiss::Unavailable)?;
     let steps = steps_of(&view);
     if steps.is_empty() {
-        return Ok(false);
+        return Err(StreamerMiss::Unavailable);
     }
 
     // 2. Request the chosen step(s) from cursor 0, fully expanded.
     let want: Vec<usize> = match args.step {
-        Some(s) if s >= steps.len() => bail!(
-            "step {s} out of range — run #{} job {} has {} step(s) (0..{})",
-            args.run,
-            args.job,
-            steps.len(),
-            steps.len() - 1
-        ),
+        Some(s) if s >= steps.len() => {
+            return Err(StreamerMiss::StepOutOfRange(format!(
+                "step {s} out of range — run #{} job {} has {} step(s) (0..{})",
+                args.run,
+                args.job,
+                steps.len(),
+                steps.len() - 1
+            )));
+        }
         Some(s) => vec![s],
         None => (0..steps.len()).collect(),
     };
@@ -104,7 +123,9 @@ fn streamer_logs(client: &Client, path: &str, args: &Args) -> Result<bool> {
         .iter()
         .map(|&s| json!({ "step": s, "cursor": 0, "expanded": true }))
         .collect();
-    let resp = client.post_json_web(path, &json!({ "logCursors": cursors }))?;
+    let resp = client
+        .post_json_web(path, &json!({ "logCursors": cursors }))
+        .map_err(|_| StreamerMiss::Unavailable)?;
 
     let steps_log = resp
         .get("logs")
@@ -113,12 +134,12 @@ fn streamer_logs(client: &Client, path: &str, args: &Args) -> Result<bool> {
         .cloned()
         .unwrap_or_default();
     if steps_log.is_empty() {
-        return Ok(false);
+        return Err(StreamerMiss::Unavailable);
     }
 
     if client.json_mode() {
-        crate::verbs::print_json(&resp)?;
-        return Ok(true);
+        crate::verbs::print_json(&resp).map_err(|_| StreamerMiss::Unavailable)?;
+        return Ok(());
     }
 
     // Human output: a header per step, then its lines in order.
@@ -138,7 +159,7 @@ fn streamer_logs(client: &Client, path: &str, args: &Args) -> Result<bool> {
             }
         }
     }
-    Ok(true)
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 /// Durable fallback: download the persisted whole-job log via the web route
@@ -189,20 +210,18 @@ pub fn run(client: &Client, args: Args) -> Result<()> {
     let stream_path = format!("/{repo}/actions/runs/{}/jobs/{}", args.run, args.job);
 
     // 1. Live run-view streamer first — rich per-step framing for in-progress
-    //    and recently-finished runs. A pruned run errors or returns no lines;
-    //    both cases fall through to the durable download below. (An
-    //    out-of-range `--step` is a real usage error and propagates.)
+    //    and recently-finished runs.
     match streamer_logs(client, &stream_path, &args) {
-        Ok(true) => return Ok(()),
+        Ok(()) => return Ok(()),
         // An out-of-range `--step` is a real usage error, not a pruned run —
         // surface it instead of masking it with the fallback.
-        Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("out of range") => return Err(e),
-        // Pruned task (Err) or reachable-but-no-lines (Ok(false)) → fall back.
-        Ok(false) | Err(_) => {}
+        Err(StreamerMiss::StepOutOfRange(msg)) => bail!(msg),
+        // Pruned task or reachable-but-no-lines → fall through to the durable
+        // download (survives the act_runner task prune that 500s the streamer).
+        Err(StreamerMiss::Unavailable) => {}
     }
 
-    // 2. Durable persisted-log download (survives the act_runner task prune
-    //    that 500s the streamer — the #1781 case).
+    // 2. Durable persisted-log download (the pruned-run case this verb fixes).
     persisted_logs(client, repo, &args)
 }