diff --git a/builtins_reporting_test.go b/builtins_reporting_test.go
index e06bc8d..93c1df5 100644
--- a/builtins_reporting_test.go
+++ b/builtins_reporting_test.go
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func TestHelpAndVersionDestinationFailuresUseReporterObservations(t *testing.T)
 		if !errors.Is(outcome.Presentation.Output.WriteError, writeErr) || outcome.Presentation.Output.State != DeliveryIncomplete {
 			t.Errorf("Execute(%q) presentation = %#v", args, outcome.Presentation)
 		}
-		if !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "ERROR: Command failed.") {
+		if !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "deliver") || !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "output") {
 			t.Errorf("Execute(%q) diagnostics = %q", args, diagnostics.String())
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/docs/roadmap/remediation.md b/docs/roadmap/remediation.md
index 5f50e22..c6ae737 100644
--- a/docs/roadmap/remediation.md
+++ b/docs/roadmap/remediation.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Invocation reporting audit remediation
 
-Status: remediation in progress; 2 of 7 findings complete.
+Status: remediation in progress; 3 of 7 findings complete.
 
 ## Review scope
 
@@ -185,7 +185,12 @@ detail-rendering path as needed to establish that the shared fix applies there.
 
 ## 3. Explain failures introduced by CommandKit presentation
 
-Priority: P2. Status: open.
+Priority: P2. Status: complete.
+
+- [x] Completed: presentation failures that turn success into failure now retain
+  a core-owned rendering/delivery explanation. Supplied explanations and causes,
+  generic handler fallback, quiet rendering, domain status, and failed-sink
+  behavior remain covered. Validation: `GOTOOLCHAIN=local go test ./...` at root.
 
 ### Finding and evidence
 
diff --git a/execute_external_test.go b/execute_external_test.go
index 42a2d0f..092c58a 100644
--- a/execute_external_test.go
+++ b/execute_external_test.go
@@ -518,7 +518,7 @@ func TestHelpEntryFormsPresentReportAndDiagnosticFailures(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, args := range [][]string{nil, {"notes"}, {"--help"}, {"-h"}, {"notes", "--help"}, {"help"}, {"help", "notes"}} {
 		var diagnostics bytes.Buffer
 		result := app.Execute(context.Background(), args, commandkit.Streams{Out: failingWriter{reportErr}, Err: &diagnostics})
-		if result.Kind != commandkit.OutcomeOperational || result.Presentation.Output.State != commandkit.DeliveryIncomplete || !errors.Is(result.Presentation.Output.WriteError, reportErr) || result.Presentation.Diagnostics.State != commandkit.DeliveryComplete || !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "ERROR: Command failed.") {
+		if result.Kind != commandkit.OutcomeOperational || result.Presentation.Output.State != commandkit.DeliveryIncomplete || !errors.Is(result.Presentation.Output.WriteError, reportErr) || result.Presentation.Diagnostics.State != commandkit.DeliveryComplete || (!strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "deliver") || !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "output")) {
 			t.Fatalf("%v: result=%#v diagnostics=%q", args, result, diagnostics.String())
 		}
 		result = app.Execute(context.Background(), args, commandkit.Streams{Out: failingWriter{reportErr}, Err: failingWriter{diagnosticErr}})
diff --git a/execute_reporting_test.go b/execute_reporting_test.go
index 25b030c..5a0c99d 100644
--- a/execute_reporting_test.go
+++ b/execute_reporting_test.go
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ func TestExecuteFinalizesEarlyAndIgnoredWriterFailures(t *testing.T) {
 	if outcome.Kind != OutcomeOperational || outcome.Status != 1 || !errors.Is(outcome.Presentation.Output.WriteError, writeErr) {
 		t.Fatalf("ignored output failure outcome = %#v", outcome)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "ERROR: Command failed.") {
+	if !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "deliver") || !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "output") {
 		t.Fatalf("fallback diagnostic = %q", diagnostics.String())
 	}
 
diff --git a/reporter.go b/reporter.go
index fa89794..13f903e 100644
--- a/reporter.go
+++ b/reporter.go
@@ -281,6 +281,9 @@ func (r *Reporter) finalize(outcome Outcome, completion func(*Reporter)) Outcome
 
 	state.mu.Lock()
 	if presentationFailedLocked(state) {
+		if outcome.Status == 0 && !hasExplanation(outcome.Explanation) {
+			outcome.Explanation.Message = presentationFailureMessage(state)
+		}
 		outcome = applyPresentationFailure(outcome)
 	}
 	if outcome.Status != 0 {
@@ -328,18 +331,38 @@ func applyPresentationFailure(outcome Outcome) Outcome {
 }
 
 func ensureFallbackExplanation(outcome Outcome) Outcome {
-	if outcome.Explanation.Message != "" {
+	if hasExplanation(outcome.Explanation) {
 		return outcome
 	}
-	for _, detail := range outcome.Explanation.Details {
-		if detail != nil {
-			return outcome
-		}
-	}
 	outcome.Explanation = Explanation{Message: "Command failed."}
 	return outcome
 }
 
+func hasExplanation(explanation Explanation) bool {
+	if explanation.Message != "" {
+		return true
+	}
+	for _, detail := range explanation.Details {
+		if detail != nil {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func presentationFailureMessage(state *reportingState) string {
+	switch {
+	case state.output.renderError != nil:
+		return "Unable to render command output."
+	case state.output.writeError != nil:
+		return "Unable to deliver command output."
+	case state.diagnostics.renderError != nil:
+		return "Unable to render invocation diagnostics."
+	default:
+		return "Unable to deliver invocation diagnostics."
+	}
+}
+
 func renderTerminalLocked(state *reportingState, explanation Explanation) error {
 	destination := state.destination(destinationDiagnostics)
 	destination.submitted = true
diff --git a/reporter_error_test.go b/reporter_error_test.go
index 90d8835..570765d 100644
--- a/reporter_error_test.go
+++ b/reporter_error_test.go
@@ -1,12 +1,67 @@
 package commandkit
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
 
+func TestReporterExplainsItsOwnFailuresWithoutExposingCauses(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, kind := range []string{"output", "diagnostics"} {
+		for _, quiet := range []bool{false, true} {
+			t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%s/quiet=%t", kind, quiet), func(t *testing.T) {
+				var diagnostics bytes.Buffer
+				reporter := newReporter(Streams{Err: &diagnostics})
+				if quiet {
+					reporter.setVisibility(modeQuiet, false, false)
+				}
+				failure := errors.New("private rendering detail")
+				render := func(io.Writer) error { return failure }
+				if kind == "output" {
+					_ = reporter.RenderOutput(render)
+				} else {
+					_ = reporter.Warn("", render)
+				}
+				cause := errors.New("private application cause")
+				got := reporter.finalize(Domain("example", 0).WithCause(cause), nil)
+				if got.Kind != OutcomeDomain || got.Status != 1 || got.Cause != cause {
+					t.Fatalf("outcome=%#v", got)
+				}
+				if !strings.Contains(got.Explanation.Message, "render") || !strings.Contains(got.Explanation.Message, kind) || !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), got.Explanation.Message) {
+					t.Fatalf("explanation=%#v diagnostics=%q", got.Explanation, diagnostics.String())
+				}
+				if strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "private") {
+					t.Fatalf("private error text was exposed: %q", diagnostics.String())
+				}
+			})
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReporterPreservesExplicitSuccessExplanationOnPresentationFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, message := range []string{"supplied context", ""} {
+		t.Run(message, func(t *testing.T) {
+			var diagnostics bytes.Buffer
+			reporter := newReporter(Streams{Err: &diagnostics})
+			_ = reporter.RenderOutput(func(io.Writer) error { return errors.New("render failed") })
+			calls := 0
+			got := reporter.finalize(Success().WithExplanation(message, func(io.Writer) error {
+				calls++
+				return nil
+			}), nil)
+			if got.Status != 1 || got.Explanation.Message != message || calls != 1 {
+				t.Fatalf("outcome=%#v calls=%d", got, calls)
+			}
+			if message == "" && diagnostics.Len() != 0 {
+				t.Fatalf("explicit zero-byte explanation replaced: %q", diagnostics.String())
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestReporterPreservesJoinedRendererEvidence(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, kind := range []string{"output", "detail"} {
 		for _, test := range []struct {
diff --git a/reporter_test.go b/reporter_test.go
index 0249d43..f532029 100644
--- a/reporter_test.go
+++ b/reporter_test.go
@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ func TestReporterPresentationFailureChangesOutcomeAndPreservesDomain(t *testing.
 	if outcome.Kind != OutcomeOperational || outcome.Status != 1 || !errors.Is(outcome.Cause, cause) {
 		t.Fatalf("success presentation failure outcome = %#v", outcome)
 	}
-	if !errors.Is(outcome.Presentation.Output.WriteError, outputErr) || diagnostics.String() != "ERROR: Command failed.\n" {
+	if !errors.Is(outcome.Presentation.Output.WriteError, outputErr) || (!strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "deliver") || !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "output")) {
 		t.Fatalf("presentation=%#v diagnostics=%q", outcome.Presentation, diagnostics.String())
 	}
 
@@ -644,7 +644,7 @@ func TestReporterUsesHealthyDiagnosticsAfterOutputRenderFailure(t *testing.T) {
 	if outcome.Kind != OutcomeOperational || outcome.Status != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("outcome = %#v", outcome)
 	}
-	if !errors.Is(outcome.Presentation.Output.RenderError, renderErr) || diagnostics.String() != "ERROR: Command failed.\n" {
+	if !errors.Is(outcome.Presentation.Output.RenderError, renderErr) || (!strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "render") || !strings.Contains(diagnostics.String(), "output")) {
 		t.Fatalf("presentation=%#v diagnostics=%q", outcome.Presentation, diagnostics.String())
 	}
 }