diff --git a/scripts/config-edit.sh b/scripts/config-edit.sh
index 9a25283f..24132a32 100755
--- a/scripts/config-edit.sh
+++ b/scripts/config-edit.sh
@@ -580,6 +580,14 @@ install_candidate() {
 
 # -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- the report path
 #
+# Masks basic-auth userinfo (scheme://user:pass@host) in a daemon verdict line before it reaches
+# the terminal. Not routed through redact(): that function's key:value masking does not match this
+# line's prose, and masking anything beyond the userinfo would remove the detail an operator needs
+# to diagnose a refusal.
+mask_verdict_userinfo() {
+  printf '%s\n' "$1" | sed -E 's#://[^@]*@#://<redacted>@#g'
+}
+
 # Prints the literal command the operator (or a test) can run to restore the backup by hand — the
 # absolute path to THIS script plus the overrides actually in force, so it works from any cwd.
 restore_command_line() {
@@ -599,8 +607,8 @@ restore_and_confirm() {
   ok "restored from $backup"
   if wait_for_verdict "$LOG" "$mark2" "$WAIT_SECONDS"; then
     case "$VERDICT_KIND" in
-      refused) warn "the RESTORE was also refused by the daemon: $VERDICT_LINE" ;;
-      *)       ok "restore confirmed: $VERDICT_LINE" ;;
+      refused) warn "the RESTORE was also refused by the daemon: $(mask_verdict_userinfo "$VERDICT_LINE")" ;;
+      *)       ok "restore confirmed: $(mask_verdict_userinfo "$VERDICT_LINE")" ;;
     esac
   else
     warn "the restore is on disk, but no confirming verdict line appeared within ${WAIT_SECONDS}s"
@@ -616,7 +624,7 @@ report_outcome() {
 
   say "waiting for the daemon's verdict (up to ${WAIT_SECONDS}s)"
   if wait_for_verdict "$LOG" "$mark" "$WAIT_SECONDS"; then
-    kind="$VERDICT_KIND"; line="$VERDICT_LINE"
+    kind="$VERDICT_KIND"; line="$(mask_verdict_userinfo "$VERDICT_LINE")"
   else
     kind="none"
   fi
@@ -673,7 +681,7 @@ check_mode() {
   local verdict
   verdict="$(last_verdict_line "$LOG")"
   if [ -n "$verdict" ]; then
-    ok "last verdict in log: $verdict"
+    ok "last verdict in log: $(mask_verdict_userinfo "$verdict")"
   else
     warn "no reload verdict line found in $LOG"
   fi
diff --git a/scripts/test-config-edit.sh b/scripts/test-config-edit.sh
index 56695d0f..326f6648 100755
--- a/scripts/test-config-edit.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-config-edit.sh
@@ -629,6 +629,47 @@ test_refusal_shape_from_parse_failure_wording_is_recognised() {
   assert_equals 4 "$RUN_RC" "the parse-failure refusal shape must also exit 4, not be read as silence"
 }
 
+# A verdict line carrying a credentialed URI has its userinfo masked, with a positive control
+# proving the rest of the line still reaches the output unchanged.
+test_verdict_userinfo_is_masked_with_positive_control() {
+  local dir
+  dir="$(new_fixture)"
+
+  start_run "$dir" 5 --set '.profiles.sonnet.weight=4'
+  sleep 1
+  printf 'config reload from %s refused, keeping the running config: refusing to start: malformed pattern — profiles.local.errorPattern ("amqp://user:hunter2@host/vhost"): Unclosed character class near index 8\n' \
+    "$dir/fleetd.yaml" >> "$dir/fleetd.out"
+  collect_run "$dir"
+
+  assert_equals 4 "$RUN_RC" "refusal-with-userinfo exit code"
+  assert_not_contains "user:hunter2" "$RUN_OUTPUT" "the userinfo must never reach the output"
+  assert_contains "amqp://<redacted>@host/vhost" "$RUN_OUTPUT" \
+    "the userinfo must be MASKED, not deleted — the rest of the quoted value must survive"
+  # Positive control: the diagnostic prose on both sides of the userinfo must still reach the
+  # output. Without this, a mutant that drops the whole verdict line would pass identically.
+  assert_contains "malformed pattern" "$RUN_OUTPUT" "prose BEFORE the userinfo must still reach the output"
+  assert_contains "Unclosed character class near index 8" "$RUN_OUTPUT" \
+    "prose AFTER the userinfo must still reach the output"
+}
+
+# An ordinary refusal line quotes the offending pattern, not a credential, and must survive byte
+# for byte: the rewrite is scoped to userinfo only, and the quoted pattern is the detail an
+# operator needs to fix the refusal.
+test_ordinary_refusal_line_passes_through_unchanged() {
+  local dir real_line
+  dir="$(new_fixture)"
+  real_line="config reload from $dir/fleetd.yaml refused, keeping the running config: refusing to start: malformed pattern — profiles.local.errorPattern (\"[unclosed\"): Unclosed character class near index 8"
+
+  start_run "$dir" 5 --set '.profiles.sonnet.weight=4'
+  sleep 1
+  printf '%s\n' "$real_line" >> "$dir/fleetd.out"
+  collect_run "$dir"
+
+  assert_equals 4 "$RUN_RC" "ordinary refusal exit code"
+  assert_contains "$real_line" "$RUN_OUTPUT" \
+    "an ordinary refusal with no userinfo must pass through byte for byte, unchanged"
+}
+
 # --set runs yq over the whole candidate. It warns when that changes more lines than the requested
 # pairs, but a simple file with only the intended changed line must stay quiet.
 new_fixture_reformat_sensitive() {
@@ -720,6 +761,10 @@ echo "== extra: --check is read-only and always exits 0 =="
 test_check_is_read_only_and_exits_zero
 echo "== extra: the parse-failure refusal shape is also recognised =="
 test_refusal_shape_from_parse_failure_wording_is_recognised
+echo "== verdict-redaction criteria 2+3: verdict userinfo is masked, rest of line survives =="
+test_verdict_userinfo_is_masked_with_positive_control
+echo "== verdict-redaction criterion 4: an ordinary refusal passes through unchanged =="
+test_ordinary_refusal_line_passes_through_unchanged
 echo "== acceptance criterion 17: --set warns about yq formatting churn =="
 test_set_warns_when_yq_reformats_extra_lines
 echo "== acceptance criterion 18: --set stays quiet without formatting churn =="