diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/code-reviews/prompts/council-prompt.test.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/code-reviews/prompts/council-prompt.test.ts
index c25f9b210b..cc54f2796e 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/code-reviews/prompts/council-prompt.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/code-reviews/prompts/council-prompt.test.ts
@@ -98,6 +98,27 @@ describe('buildCouncilOrchestratorPrompt', () => {
     // Coordinator must not compute the decision itself.
     expect(prompt.toLowerCase()).toContain('do not compute an overall decision');
   });
+
+  it('instructs the coordinator to narrate progress (startup, per-specialist, done)', () => {
+    const prompt = buildCouncilOrchestratorPrompt({
+      basePrompt: 'BASE',
+      specialists: [
+        specialist({ id: 'security', name: 'Security' }),
+        specialist({ id: 'performance', name: 'Performance', role: 'performance' }),
+      ],
+      aggregationStrategy: 'majority',
+    });
+
+    // 1. Startup line names the specialists AND the formatted governance label — assert the
+    // full fragment so it isn't satisfied by the separate `describeAggregationStrategy` text.
+    expect(prompt).toContain(
+      'Starting council review with 2 specialists (Security, Performance) using Majority governance.'
+    );
+    // 2. Per-specialist start. 3. All-done. 4. Done message.
+    expect(prompt).toContain('Starting <name> review...');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('All specialists complete');
+    expect(prompt).toContain('Council review complete.');
+  });
 });
 
 describe('buildSpecialistAgentPrompt', () => {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/code-reviews/prompts/council-prompt.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/code-reviews/prompts/council-prompt.ts
index 168ae19ab3..bde081f5b1 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/code-reviews/prompts/council-prompt.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/code-reviews/prompts/council-prompt.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import type { RuntimeAgentInput } from '@kilocode/worker-utils/cloud-agent-next-
 import {
   COUNCIL_RESULT_MARKER_TAG,
   describeAggregationStrategy,
+  formatAggregationStrategy,
 } from '@kilocode/worker-utils/code-review-council';
 
 /**
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ export function buildCouncilOrchestratorPrompt(params: {
   const roster = specialists
     .map(s => `- subagent_type "${s.id}" — ${s.name}: ${s.lens}`)
     .join('\n');
+  const specialistNames = specialists.map(s => s.name).join(', ');
 
   const coordination = [
     '# COUNCIL MODE',
@@ -69,6 +71,15 @@ export function buildCouncilOrchestratorPrompt(params: {
     '',
     `Governance (for context only — our system computes the final decision): ${describeAggregationStrategy(aggregationStrategy)}`,
     '',
+    // A council coordinator is mostly quiet (it delegates and waits), so the live session log
+    // looks empty and the run appears stuck. Narrate progress so the operator sees it working.
+    'Progress updates — print each of the following as a plain-text status line on its own',
+    'line, at the moment you reach it, so the run shows live progress in the session log:',
+    `- At the very start, before delegating: "Starting council review with ${specialists.length} specialists (${specialistNames}) using ${formatAggregationStrategy(aggregationStrategy)} governance."`,
+    '- Immediately before you start each specialist, name it: "Starting <name> review..."',
+    '- Once every specialist has reported back: "All specialists complete. Aggregating results..."',
+    '- When you are finished (right before the manifest below): "Council review complete."',
+    '',
     'When every specialist has reported, emit EXACTLY ONE machine-readable manifest on its',
     'own line in your final message, verbatim on a line by itself. It does NOT need to be',
     'the very last line — if any other trailing markers are required, they may follow it:',