diff --git a/src/brainy.ts b/src/brainy.ts
index 3426dcce..70d46973 100644
--- a/src/brainy.ts
+++ b/src/brainy.ts
@@ -1760,7 +1760,11 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         const storedArtifact = await this.storage
           .readRawObject(LOG_AUTHORITY_PATH)
           .catch(() => null)
-        const authority = await readLogAuthority(this.storage)
+        const authority = await step(
+          'read-log-authority',
+          'reading the stored storage-authority artifact',
+          () => readLogAuthority(this.storage)
+        )
         this._logAuthority = authority
         if (authority.authority === 'log') {
           this.generationStore.setLogDurability('at-ack')
@@ -1771,7 +1775,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           this.generationStore.getFactLog() !== null
         ) {
           try {
-            await this.adoptLogAuthority()
+            await step(
+              'adopt-log-authority',
+              'the adoption oracle: verifying the log against canonical before flipping this ' +
+                'brain to durable-at-ack, and backfilling any curable divergence',
+              () => this.adoptLogAuthority()
+            )
             prodLog.info(
               '[Brainy] storage authority adopted at open: generation log ' +
                 '(fleet default; oracle green; durable-at-ack enabled)'
@@ -1811,8 +1820,16 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       // this is where it lands.
       if (!this.isReadOnly) {
         try {
-          await this.bridgeLegacyPendingEmbedSidecars()
-          await this.recoverPendingEmbedsFromLog()
+          await step(
+            'bridge-pending-embed-sidecars',
+            'migrating any pre-log deferred-embed marker files into the generation log',
+            () => this.bridgeLegacyPendingEmbedSidecars()
+          )
+          await step(
+            'recover-pending-embeds',
+            'folding the generation log\'s deferred-embed markers back into the pending set',
+            () => this.recoverPendingEmbedsFromLog()
+          )
           if (this._pendingEmbedIds.size > 0) {
             prodLog.info(
               `[Brainy] ${this._pendingEmbedIds.size} deferred embed(s) pending from a previous ` +