diff --git a/core/tests/test_log_call_sites.py b/core/tests/test_log_call_sites.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6d7ac19b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/test_log_call_sites.py
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+"""Every place that reports "it loaded and then broke", checked where it is said.
+
+The wording is not decoration: "did not load" sends a reader to an import that
+never happened, and this project wrote it in six places before noticing. Testing
+`log.broke` on its own does not stop that -- what recurs is a call SITE reaching
+for the wrong function, and a unit test of the right one passes either way. So
+each site is exercised through the code that logs, and asserts on the record.
+
+Three of the six had no such test when this file was written; reverting them to
+`log.failed` left the whole suite green.
+"""
+
+import pytest
+
+from core import log
+from core.contract import ModuleSpec
+
+
+def _said():
+    return [r["message"] for r in log.history()]
+
+
+def test_a_sampler_modifier_that_breaks_while_starting_up(monkeypatch):
+    from core import chain, patching
+
+    def explode(_values, _hooks):
+        raise RuntimeError("the schedule is upside down")
+
+    spec = ModuleSpec(id="breaks", title="B", mount="",
+                      provides={"sampler_modifier": explode})
+
+    log._reset()
+    built, notes = chain.build([spec], {}, ("latent",), patching.Dropped())
+
+    assert any("failed while starting up" in m for m in _said()), _said()
+    assert not any("did not load" in m for m in _said()), _said()
+    assert any("breaks" in note for note in notes), notes
+    assert built.ids == [], "a modifier that could not start is running anyway"
+
+
+def test_a_node_that_breaks_while_describing_itself():
+    from core import nodes as nodes_mod
+
+    class Explodes:
+        @classmethod
+        def GET_SCHEMA(cls):
+            raise RuntimeError("the schema is upside down")
+
+    spec = ModuleSpec(id="breaks", title="B", mount="", nodes=[Explodes])
+
+    class Registry:
+        specs = {"breaks": spec}
+
+    log._reset()
+    collected, rejected = nodes_mod.collect(Registry())
+
+    assert collected == [], collected
+    assert rejected, "a node that could not describe itself was accepted"
+    assert any("failed while describing itself" in m for m in _said()), _said()
+    assert not any("did not load" in m for m in _said()), _said()
+
+
+def test_a_model_module_that_breaks_while_decoding(monkeypatch, comfyui):
+    import torch
+    from core import registry as registry_mod
+    from modules.output.decode import nodes as decode_mod
+
+    class Spec:
+        id = "pretend_model"
+
+    def explode(_latent, **_kw):
+        raise RuntimeError("the audio branch is upside down")
+
+    class Registry:
+        specs = {}
+
+        def providers(self, _capability):
+            return [(Spec(), explode)]
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(registry_mod, "current", Registry)
+    log._reset()
+
+    class Vae:
+        def decode(self, latent):
+            return torch.zeros(1, 8, 8, 3)
+
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="upside down"):
+        decode_mod.FunPackDecode.execute({"samples": torch.zeros(1, 4, 8, 8)}, Vae())
+
+    assert any("failed while decoding" in m for m in _said()), _said()
+    assert not any("did not load" in m for m in _said()), _said()