diff --git a/.claude/skills/panama/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/panama/SKILL.md
index 55db7df..904f09d 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/panama/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/panama/SKILL.md
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ Every executable contract under `tests/` is classified in `tests/contracts.manif
   `panama test --allow live-compositor --allow live-desktop keybinds`.
 - Each contract has a 180-second outer timeout by default. Override it with a positive
   `PANAMA_TEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS` value. Failures print the contract's captured stdout and stderr.
+  Successful stdout stays quiet. Successful stderr is surfaced as a warning.
 - Contracts run directly too: `tests/setup/interview-contract`.
 - After changing `PreferenceSchema.qml` or `services/SettingsRoutes.qml`, regenerate:
   `config/dot/quickshell/scripts/panama-settings-docs` (writes `docs/settings.md`) and
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2dd8492..af73cee 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -215,7 +215,8 @@ before it starts any non-hermetic contract. Automation cannot answer that
 prompt, so it must grant every required capability with a repeatable `--allow`.
 Each contract has a 180-second outer timeout by default. Set
 `PANAMA_TEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS` to a positive integer to override it. When a
-contract fails, the runner prints its captured stdout and stderr.
+contract fails, the runner prints its captured stdout and stderr. Successful
+stdout stays quiet. Successful stderr is surfaced as a warning.
 
 They are called contracts rather than unit tests because that is what they are:
 each one pins a decision that was expensive to get right and is cheap to undo by
diff --git a/bin/panama b/bin/panama
index 9b0d76c..6b0f18e 100755
--- a/bin/panama
+++ b/bin/panama
@@ -89,8 +89,10 @@ ${BOLD}Commands:${RESET}
               pattern to run a subset. --safe selects hermetic contracts only.
               Plain terminal runs prompt before non-hermetic work. Automation
               must grant each required capability with a repeatable --allow.
-              Failures print captured stdout/stderr; the default outer timeout
-              is 180 seconds.
+              Failures print captured stdout/stderr. Successful stdout stays
+              quiet; successful stderr is a warning. The default outer timeout
+              is 180 seconds. Set PANAMA_TEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS to a positive
+              integer to override it.
   ${GREEN}contracts${RESET}   Name the contracts that mention a given file, each labeled
               with manifest capabilities. A heuristic over the text of tests/, so it
               answers "what should I run" rather than "what covers this".
@@ -491,7 +493,9 @@ is_contract_capability() {
 # each external capability it skipped. A plain terminal run asks before any
 # selected non-hermetic work. Automation must grant every required capability
 # with repeatable --allow flags. Each contract gets an outer timeout, 180
-# seconds by default, and failures include the captured stdout and stderr.
+# seconds by default. PANAMA_TEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS accepts a positive integer
+# override. Failures include captured stdout and stderr. Successful stdout stays
+# quiet, while successful stderr is surfaced as a warning.
 cmd_test() {
   local timeout_seconds="${PANAMA_TEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS:-180}"
   [[ "$timeout_seconds" =~ ^[1-9][0-9]*$ ]] || {
diff --git a/skills/panama-desktop/SKILL.md b/skills/panama-desktop/SKILL.md
index 3da1339..2dd029d 100644
--- a/skills/panama-desktop/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/panama-desktop/SKILL.md
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ Other tools that beat raw commands:
 A plain `panama test` prompts in a terminal before it starts non-hermetic contracts. Automation
 must grant each required capability with a repeatable `--allow`, such as
 `panama test --allow live-host updates`. Each contract has a 180-second outer timeout by default,
-and failures print captured stdout and stderr.
+which a positive `PANAMA_TEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS` value overrides. Failures print captured stdout
+and stderr. Successful stdout stays quiet. Successful stderr is surfaced as a warning.
 
 ## Settings