diff --git a/.github/scripts/demo-runtime-transaction.py b/.github/scripts/demo-runtime-transaction.py
index 1bec825f82..3cd8824742 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/demo-runtime-transaction.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/demo-runtime-transaction.py
@@ -438,13 +438,14 @@ class Transaction:
 
         if self.receipt["observation_failures"]:
             unverified()
+        terminal = self.receipt["status"] if self.receipt["observation_failures"] else status
         try:
-            self.save(self.receipt["status"] if self.receipt["observation_failures"] else status)
+            self.save(terminal)
         except (OSError, Failure) as error:
             if isinstance(error, Failure) and str(error) != "receipt-observation":
                 raise
-            if self.receipt["status"] not in self.receipt["observation_failures"]:
-                self.receipt["observation_failures"].append(self.receipt["status"])
+            if terminal not in self.receipt["observation_failures"]:
+                self.receipt["observation_failures"].append(terminal)
             unverified()
             # One bounded attempt to retain the failure, not to obtain a pass.
             self.recovery_save("observation_failed")
diff --git a/.github/scripts/tests/test_demo_runtime_transaction.py b/.github/scripts/tests/test_demo_runtime_transaction.py
index e249f17e0b..3900e32a01 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/tests/test_demo_runtime_transaction.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/tests/test_demo_runtime_transaction.py
@@ -339,6 +339,7 @@ class TransactionTest(unittest.TestCase):
                 self.assertEqual(engine.estate_hash(self.paths), self.before)
                 self.assertEqual(tx.receipt["recovery"]["elapsed_seconds"], 300)
                 self.assertEqual(tx.receipt["failure"], "new-service-crash")
+                self.assertIn(phase, tx.receipt["observation_failures"])
                 self.assertEqual(tx.receipt, json.loads((self.attempt / "receipt.json").read_text()))
                 # Keep each independent snapshot/intent; never reuse its path.
                 self.attempt = self.root / "attempts" / ("b" * 64)