diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/module_health.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/module_health.go
index 58f0d0ac..41c027e3 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/module_health.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/module_health.go
@@ -497,9 +497,11 @@ func moduleUnhealthyObservation(module, node string, rs []inventory.ResourceHeal
 			continue
 		}
 		words = append(words, fmt.Sprintf("its %s %s %s", r.Kind, r.Resource, reasonWords(r)))
-		said = append(said, fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s %s): %s, %d look(s) in a row, %d restart(s) counted, since %s",
-			r.Resource, r.Kind, r.Target, orNotSaid(r.Reason), r.Streak, r.Restarts,
-			r.Since.UTC().Format("2006-01-02 15:04:05 MST")))
+		// The restart count runs from when the engine began watching it, not from the state's since (novox/hq
+		// issue 458).
+		said = append(said, fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s %s): %s, since %s, %d look(s) in a row, %s",
+			r.Resource, r.Kind, r.Target, orNotSaid(r.Reason), r.Since.UTC().Format("2006-01-02 15:04:05 MST"),
+			r.Streak, restartsWords(r.Restarts)))
 	}
 	return conditions.Observation{Scope: conditions.ScopeModule, ID: module + "." + node, Token: "unhealthy",
 		Kind: kindModuleUnhealthy, Machine: node, Severity: conditions.Warning, Source: sourceHealth,
@@ -513,6 +515,15 @@ func moduleUnhealthyObservation(module, node string, rs []inventory.ResourceHeal
 		Resolved: fmt.Sprintf("%s works again on %s", module, node)}
 }
 
+// restartsWords is a restart count as what it is (novox/hq issue 458). The engine reports its own count
+// (mesh-host's liveness judge, kept.Counted): every rise of systemd's NRestarts or the runtime's RestartCount
+// after a start's grace, so only restarts by the Restart= setting or the restart policy. It keeps the count
+// across a recreate, a start by hand and its own restarts, and forgets it only when the resource is no longer
+// declared. So it counts automatic restarts since the engine began watching it, never since a state's "since".
+func restartsWords(n int) string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%d automatic restart(s) since the node-engine began watching it", n)
+}
+
 // reasonWords is why a resource is unhealthy, as a person reads it.
 func reasonWords(r inventory.ResourceHealth) string {
 	// An account waiting for a new login (ADR 0252) is said in the mesh's words, not the engine's.
@@ -521,7 +532,7 @@ func reasonWords(r inventory.ResourceHealth) string {
 	}
 	switch r.Reason {
 	case "restarting":
-		return fmt.Sprintf("keeps restarting (%d restart(s) counted)", r.Restarts)
+		return fmt.Sprintf("keeps restarting (%s)", restartsWords(r.Restarts))
 	case "down":
 		return "is not running"
 	case "":
@@ -725,7 +736,7 @@ func healthLines(h inventory.NodeHealth, had bool, now time.Time) []string {
 			line += " — " + r.Reason
 		}
 		if r.Restarts > 0 {
-			line += fmt.Sprintf(", %d restart(s) counted", r.Restarts)
+			line += ", " + restartsWords(r.Restarts)
 		}
 		if r.State == link.StateUnhealthy && h.Streaks[r.Module] < moduleUnhealthyAfter {
 			line += " (unconfirmed: said once)"
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/restarts_words_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/restarts_words_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fe1dfb44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/restarts_words_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/novox/mesh-controller/internal/inventory"
+	"github.com/novox/mesh-controller/internal/link"
+)
+
+// A restart count runs from when the node-engine began watching the resource, so it is never said beside
+// "since" as if it counted from there (novox/hq issue 458): 3890 restarts beside "since 00:58" sent a reader after a crash loop that was not.
+func TestARestartCountSaysItCountsFromWhenTheEngineBeganWatching(t *testing.T) {
+	since := time.Date(2026, 10, 11, 0, 58, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	r := inventory.ResourceHealth{Module: "messenger", Resource: "messenger.own-runtime", Kind: "process",
+		Target: "messenger-runtime.service", State: link.StateUnhealthy, Reason: "restarting", Since: since,
+		Streak: 2, Restarts: 3890}
+	h := inventory.NodeHealth{HeardAt: since, Resources: []inventory.ResourceHealth{r},
+		Streaks: map[string]int{"messenger": 2}}
+	lines := strings.Join(healthLines(h, true, since.Add(time.Minute)), "\n")
+	o := moduleUnhealthyObservation("messenger", "anchor", []inventory.ResourceHealth{r})
+	for name, said := range map[string]string{"node show": lines, "evidence": o.Said, "summary": o.Summary} {
+		if !strings.Contains(said, "3890 automatic restart(s) since the node-engine began watching it") || strings.Contains(said, "counted") {
+			t.Errorf("%s says the restart count as if it were since then:\n%s", name, said)
+		}
+	}
+}