diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/build.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/build.go
index 2f360a66..10b20eba 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/build.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/build.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"github.com/novox/mesh-controller/internal/conditions"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
@@ -236,47 +237,56 @@ func buildsCommand(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 	}
 
 	for _, b := range builds {
-		what := b.Module
-		if what == "" {
-			// It failed before knowing what it was building, which is most of the interesting
-			// failures. The repository is what a person has to go and look at.
-			what = "?"
-		}
-		outcome := "built " + short(b.Commit)
-		if !b.Worked() {
-			outcome = "failed"
-		}
-		fmt.Printf("%-18s %-14s %-10s %s  %s\n",
-			what, outcome, b.On, b.At.Local().Format("2006-01-02 15:04"), b.ID)
-		fmt.Printf("    %s", b.Repository)
-		if b.Ref != "" {
-			fmt.Printf(" at %s", b.Ref)
-		}
-		fmt.Println()
-		for _, made := range b.Made {
-			fmt.Printf("    %-10s %s\n", made.Kind, made.Reference)
-		}
-		// What it published and under what reuse key (novox/hq ADR 0408 §1).
-		if p := b.Published; p != nil {
-			if p.Artifact != "" {
-				fmt.Printf("    published  %s\n", p.Artifact)
-			}
-			if p.Package != nil {
-				fmt.Printf("    published  %s@%s\n", p.Package.Name, p.Package.Version)
-			}
-		}
-		if b.ReuseKey != "" {
-			fmt.Printf("    reuse key  %s\n", b.ReuseKey)
-		}
-		if !b.Worked() {
-			// The builder's own first line. The whole failure is often a build log, and printing
-			// it here would bury every other row.
-			fmt.Printf("    %s\n", firstLine(b.Failed))
-		}
+		printBuild(os.Stdout, b)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+// printBuild says one build: what, its outcome, where and when, what it made and published, its reuse key, and its
+// source fingerprint (novox/hq issue 1204: the one tool that reads what the builder recorded it was made from).
+func printBuild(w io.Writer, b inventory.Build) {
+	what := b.Module
+	if what == "" {
+		// It failed before knowing what it was building, which is most of the interesting
+		// failures. The repository is what a person has to go and look at.
+		what = "?"
+	}
+	outcome := "built " + short(b.Commit)
+	if !b.Worked() {
+		outcome = "failed"
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "%-18s %-14s %-10s %s  %s\n",
+		what, outcome, b.On, b.At.Local().Format("2006-01-02 15:04"), b.ID)
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "    %s", b.Repository)
+	if b.Ref != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, " at %s", b.Ref)
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintln(w)
+	for _, made := range b.Made {
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "    %-10s %s\n", made.Kind, made.Reference)
+	}
+	// What it published and under what reuse key (novox/hq ADR 0408 §1).
+	if p := b.Published; p != nil {
+		if p.Artifact != "" {
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "    published  %s\n", p.Artifact)
+		}
+		if p.Package != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "    published  %s@%s\n", p.Package.Name, p.Package.Version)
+		}
+	}
+	if b.ReuseKey != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "    reuse key  %s\n", b.ReuseKey)
+	}
+	if b.SourceFingerprint != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "    source     %s\n", b.SourceFingerprint)
+	}
+	if !b.Worked() {
+		// The builder's own first line. The whole failure is often a build log, and printing
+		// it here would bury every other row.
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "    %s\n", firstLine(b.Failed))
+	}
+}
+
 // builderCommand issues a build machine its own broker credential.
 //
 // **A build machine is not a node**, and giving it a node's account would let it read another
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/build_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/build_test.go
index f7fb0490..ab1bf2e7 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/build_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/build_test.go
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/novox/mesh-controller/internal/inventory"
 	"github.com/novox/mesh-controller/internal/link"
 )
 
@@ -32,3 +35,34 @@ func TestABuildIDSaysWhenItWasAsked(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// novox/hq issue 1204: builds says the source fingerprint the builder recorded, the one tool that reads it.
+func TestBuildsSaysTheSourceFingerprint(t *testing.T) {
+	at := time.Date(2026, 10, 19, 10, 40, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	built := inventory.Build{ID: "build-1", Module: "mailu", Commit: "b4527d9091e972f28cb365623d9280045e7741a3", On: "ace",
+		Repository: "novox/mesh-catalog", At: at, ReuseKey: "r1:abc",
+		SourceFingerprint: "src1:0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"}
+
+	// 1204/AC1
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	printBuild(&out, built)
+	lines := strings.Split(strings.TrimRight(out.String(), "\n"), "\n")
+	if last := lines[len(lines)-1]; last != "    source     "+built.SourceFingerprint {
+		t.Errorf("last line %q; want the source line after the reuse key:\n%s", last, out.String())
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(lines[len(lines)-2], "reuse key  r1:abc") {
+		t.Errorf("the source line does not follow the reuse key:\n%s", out.String())
+	}
+
+	// 1204/AC2
+	without := built
+	without.SourceFingerprint = ""
+	var plain bytes.Buffer
+	printBuild(&plain, without)
+	if strings.Contains(plain.String(), "source") {
+		t.Errorf("a build with no fingerprint says a source line:\n%s", plain.String())
+	}
+	if want := strings.Join(lines[:len(lines)-1], "\n") + "\n"; plain.String() != want {
+		t.Errorf("the other lines changed:\n%s\nwant\n%s", plain.String(), want)
+	}
+}