diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words.go
index 61cab51d..0599d6f2 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words.go
@@ -748,6 +748,22 @@ func stalledWords(l stalledLine, o conditions.Observation) (headline, explanatio
 	actions []conditions.Action) {
 	repository, _, _ := strings.Cut(l.ID, "@")
 	name := repoName(repository)
+	if l.State == "unannounced" {
+		// A pull request the forge never announced (novox/hq issue 347): no delivery exists, so there is nothing to
+		// stop, release or close; a new commit on its branch is announced and checked.
+		long := "for too long"
+		if d, err := time.ParseDuration(l.For); err == nil {
+			long = "for " + humanDuration(d)
+		}
+		if o.Resolver == conditions.ResolverOperator {
+			needs = "push a new commit to its branch; the forge announces it and the mesh checks it."
+		}
+		return fmt.Sprintf("A pull request of %s has had no merge check %s", name, long),
+			fmt.Sprintf("A pull request of %s has been open %s on a branch that requires the merge check, and the "+
+				"mesh was never asked to check it: the forge never announced it. It cannot merge until it is checked.",
+				name, long),
+			fmt.Sprintf("The pull request of %s has a merge check now, or is closed", name), needs, nil
+	}
 	held := l.State
 	if held == "" {
 		held = "held"
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words_test.go
index c0626897..41665ee2 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words_test.go
@@ -309,3 +309,23 @@ func TestANeedNoNotificationAnswersNamesTheMeshMCPServer(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	check("updates held", releaseHeldWords([]string{"openrazer"}, []string{"g14"}))
 }
+
+// **A pull request the forge never announced says what to do about it** (novox/hq issue 347): mesh-delivery says one
+// as a stalled line in state `unannounced` — no delivery exists, so there is nothing to stop, release or close —
+// and the operator's one act is a new commit on its branch, which the forge announces.
+func TestAnUnannouncedPullRequestSaysToPushANewCommit(t *testing.T) {
+	l := stalledLine{ID: "novox/hq@bfe82315f42c", State: "unannounced", For: "11m0s", Bound: "10m0s",
+		H2:   "none: the forge never announced it, so there is no delivery to close — the operator's",
+		Says: "novox/hq#243 is open on main, which requires the merge check, and its head has had no merge check"}
+	obs := stalledObservations([]stalledLine{l})
+	if len(obs) != 1 || obs[0].Resolver != conditions.ResolverOperator {
+		t.Fatalf("an unannounced pull request is not the operator's: %+v", obs)
+	}
+	o := obs[0]
+	if strings.Contains(o.Needs, "stop") || strings.Contains(o.Needs, "release") || !strings.Contains(o.Needs, "commit") {
+		t.Fatalf("it says to %q", o.Needs)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(o.Headline, "no merge check") || !strings.Contains(o.Explanation, "never") {
+		t.Fatalf("it reads %q / %q", o.Headline, o.Explanation)
+	}
+}