diff --git a/src/story-mode.ts b/src/story-mode.ts
index 786782b9..e9224a60 100644
--- a/src/story-mode.ts
+++ b/src/story-mode.ts
@@ -2595,7 +2595,9 @@ function decorate(draft: DraftPanel, events: StoryEvent[], turn: StoryTurn, inde
               ? 'Claude searches the code.'
               : savedBefore && evs.every((e) => e.tool === 'Bash' && GIT_LOOK.test(e.label.trim()))
                 ? 'Claude checks what it saved.'
-                : 'Claude looks around the project.';
+                : checking
+                  ? 'Claude checks the work that came back.'
+                  : 'Claude looks around the project.';
       // A tool lookup's query (`select:EnterPlanMode,ExitPlanMode`) means nothing to a reader.
       if (evs.every((e) => e.tool === 'ToolSearch')) panel.notes = [];
       break;
diff --git a/test/fixtures/story-corpus/text-plan-dry-run-helper.expected.json b/test/fixtures/story-corpus/text-plan-dry-run-helper.expected.json
index 249de36a..cd8202bb 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/story-corpus/text-plan-dry-run-helper.expected.json
+++ b/test/fixtures/story-corpus/text-plan-dry-run-helper.expected.json
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@
       {
         "kind": "investigate",
         "ok": null,
-        "story": "Claude looks around the project.",
+        "story": "Claude checks the work that came back.",
         "unaskedSave": false,
         "director": "Bash · git log --oneline && git status --short && git show --stat…",
         "balloon": null,
diff --git a/test/story-corpus.test.ts b/test/story-corpus.test.ts
index 15eb9302..e835c3e7 100644
--- a/test/story-corpus.test.ts
+++ b/test/story-corpus.test.ts
@@ -216,6 +216,11 @@ describe('Story Mode on real sessions', () => {
     expect(marked('question-tests-first-push')).toEqual([]);
   });
 
+  it('in a turn a helper report started, looking around is checking what came back (round 12)', () => {
+    const [, report] = pagesOf('text-plan-dry-run-helper');
+    expect(report.panels.map((p) => p.story)).toContain('Claude checks the work that came back.');
+  });
+
   it('a helper reporting back is heard in its own words, not only "finished" (round 9)', () => {
     const [, readme, extra] = pagesOf('background-helpers-reports');
     expect(readme.panels[0].balloon).toBe(