diff --git a/node-tools/internal/launch/launch.go b/node-tools/internal/launch/launch.go
index 0044ea5..bcb593c 100644
--- a/node-tools/internal/launch/launch.go
+++ b/node-tools/internal/launch/launch.go
@@ -345,6 +345,7 @@ func Start(module, entry string, env []string, mesh Bus, logf func(string, ...an
 					go func(m message) {
 						var result any = map[string]any{}
 						var err error
+						asked := time.Now()
 						switch m.Method {
 						case "mesh/publish":
 							err = mesh.Publish(m.Params)
@@ -479,6 +480,13 @@ func Start(module, entry string, env []string, mesh Bus, logf func(string, ...an
 							}
 							return
 						}
+						// A state or log operation the bus refused or let time out reaches a caller as a call that
+						// does not answer: say it here, with how long it took, so the next hang is readable.
+						if err != nil && (strings.HasPrefix(m.Method, "mesh/state.") || strings.HasPrefix(m.Method, "mesh/log.") ||
+							busStateCalls[m.Method]) {
+							logf("[mesh-tools] %s's bundle asked %s and it failed after %s: %v", module, m.Method,
+								time.Since(asked).Round(time.Millisecond), err)
+						}
 						if len(m.ID) == 0 {
 							return
 						}
diff --git a/node-tools/internal/launch/state_failed_test.go b/node-tools/internal/launch/state_failed_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ee0f99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/node-tools/internal/launch/state_failed_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package launch
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+type refusingState struct{ subscribing }
+
+func (*refusingState) State(string, json.RawMessage) (json.RawMessage, error) {
+	return nil, errors.New("the bus did not answer in 10s")
+}
+
+// A bundle that asks the runtime for a state once it is started, as a tool does.
+const askingBundle = `#!/bin/sh
+while IFS= read -r line; do
+  id=$(printf '%s' "$line" | sed -n 's/.*"id":\([0-9]*\)[,}].*/\1/p')
+  case "$line" in
+    *'"method":"initialize"'*) printf '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":%s,"result":{}}\n' "$id" ;;
+    *'"method":"tools/list"'*) printf '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":%s,"result":{"tools":[]}}\n' "$id"
+       printf '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"q1","method":"mesh/state.get","params":{"state":"copied","key":"k"}}\n' ;;
+  esac
+done
+`
+
+// A state operation the bus refuses or lets time out is said in the runtime's log with its method, its bundle and its
+// time (issue 1966: a hand-act seat whose calls hung said nothing).
+func TestAFailedStateOperationIsSaidInTheRuntimesLog(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	entry := filepath.Join(dir, "bundle")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(entry, []byte(askingBundle), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	var lines []string
+	logf := func(f string, a ...any) {
+		mu.Lock()
+		defer mu.Unlock()
+		lines = append(lines, fmt.Sprintf(f, a...))
+	}
+	l, err := Start("asker", entry, os.Environ(), &refusingState{}, logf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(l.Stop)
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		mu.Lock()
+		all := strings.Join(lines, "\n")
+		mu.Unlock()
+		if strings.Contains(all, "asker's bundle asked mesh/state.get and it failed after") && strings.Contains(all, "did not answer in 10s") {
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(20 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	t.Fatalf("the failed state operation was not said; the log: %v", lines)
+}