diff --git a/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/eni_abandoned_test.go b/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/eni_abandoned_test.go
index a05fbf822..f4cfb9315 100644
--- a/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/eni_abandoned_test.go
+++ b/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/eni_abandoned_test.go
@@ -137,7 +137,8 @@ func TestAbandonedENIBlocksSecurityGroupDelete(t *testing.T) {
 		GroupId: aws.String(sgID),
 	}, testAccountID)
 	require.Error(t, err)
-	assert.Equal(t, awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation, err.Error())
+	assert.ErrorContains(t, err, awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation)
+	assert.ErrorContains(t, err, eniID, "the refusal must name the ENI that blocked it")
 
 	orphans, err := svc.ListAbandonedInstanceENIs(context.Background(), 15*time.Minute)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
diff --git a/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/security_group.go b/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/security_group.go
index ba9c43067..729d57a05 100644
--- a/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/security_group.go
+++ b/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/security_group.go
@@ -346,7 +346,12 @@ func (s *VPCServiceImpl) checkSGDependencies(ctx context.Context, accountID, gro
 			return errors.New(awserrors.ErrorServerInternal)
 		}
 		if slices.Contains(eni.SecurityGroupIds, groupId) {
-			return errors.New(awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation)
+			// Name the blocker in the refusal and in the logs: recovering it
+			// afterwards otherwise means cross-referencing the whole ENI table.
+			slog.WarnContext(ctx, "checkSGDependencies: SG still attached to ENI",
+				"groupId", groupId, "eniId", eni.NetworkInterfaceId, "accountID", accountID)
+			return awserrors.Errorf(awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation,
+				"the security group has a dependent network interface %s that must be detached first", eni.NetworkInterfaceId)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -373,18 +378,30 @@ func (s *VPCServiceImpl) checkSGDependencies(ctx context.Context, accountID, gro
 		}
 		for _, r := range other.IngressRules {
 			if r.SourceSG == groupId {
-				return errors.New(awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation)
+				return sgReferencedByError(ctx, accountID, groupId, other.GroupId, "ingress")
 			}
 		}
 		for _, r := range other.EgressRules {
 			if r.SourceSG == groupId {
-				return errors.New(awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation)
+				return sgReferencedByError(ctx, accountID, groupId, other.GroupId, "egress")
 			}
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+// sgReferencedByError logs and returns the DependencyViolation naming the SG
+// whose rule still references groupId, so the blocking id survives even when
+// the message does not reach the client.
+func sgReferencedByError(ctx context.Context, accountID, groupId, referencingGroupId, direction string) error {
+	slog.WarnContext(ctx, "checkSGDependencies: SG referenced by another SG's rule",
+		"groupId", groupId, "referencingGroupId", referencingGroupId,
+		"direction", direction, "accountID", accountID)
+	return awserrors.Errorf(awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation,
+		"the security group is referenced by a %s rule on security group %s that must be revoked first",
+		direction, referencingGroupId)
+}
+
 // describeSecurityGroupsValidFilters defines the set of filter names accepted by DescribeSecurityGroups.
 var describeSecurityGroupsValidFilters = map[string]bool{
 	"group-id":           true,
diff --git a/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/security_group_test.go b/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/security_group_test.go
index 894525ffd..c89092896 100644
--- a/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/security_group_test.go
+++ b/spinifex/handlers/ec2/vpc/security_group_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws"
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/service/ec2"
@@ -528,6 +529,46 @@ func ingressRuleIDReferencing(t *testing.T, svc *VPCServiceImpl, sgID, srcSG str
 	return ""
 }
 
+// TestDeleteSecurityGroup_DependencyViolationNamesENI pins that the refusal
+// identifies the attached ENI. A bare code forces the blocking id to be
+// recovered by cross-referencing the whole ENI table after the fact.
+func TestDeleteSecurityGroup_DependencyViolationNamesENI(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	svc := setupTestVPCService(t)
+	vpcID := createTestVPC(t, svc, "10.0.0.0/16")
+	subnetID := createTestSubnet(t, svc, vpcID, "10.0.1.0/24")
+	sgID := createTestSG(t, svc, vpcID, "attached-sg")
+	eniID := createAutoENI(t, svc, subnetID, "i-holder", []string{sgID}, time.Hour)
+
+	_, err := svc.DeleteSecurityGroup(context.Background(), &ec2.DeleteSecurityGroupInput{
+		GroupId: aws.String(sgID),
+	}, testAccountID)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	code, _ := awserrors.ResolveErrorCode(err)
+	assert.Equal(t, awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation, code)
+	assert.ErrorContains(t, err, eniID, "the refusal must name the blocking ENI")
+}
+
+// TestDeleteSecurityGroup_DependencyViolationNamesReferencingSG pins the same
+// for the SourceSG case: the group holding the rule is named, not just the code.
+func TestDeleteSecurityGroup_DependencyViolationNamesReferencingSG(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	svc := setupTestVPCService(t)
+	vpcID := createTestVPC(t, svc, "10.0.0.0/16")
+	targetSG := createTestSG(t, svc, vpcID, "referenced-sg")
+	holderSG := createTestSG(t, svc, vpcID, "holder-sg")
+
+	authorizeIngressFromSG(t, svc, holderSG, targetSG)
+
+	_, err := svc.DeleteSecurityGroup(context.Background(), &ec2.DeleteSecurityGroupInput{
+		GroupId: aws.String(targetSG),
+	}, testAccountID)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	code, _ := awserrors.ResolveErrorCode(err)
+	assert.Equal(t, awserrors.ErrorDependencyViolation, code)
+	assert.ErrorContains(t, err, holderSG, "the refusal must name the referencing security group")
+}
+
 // TestRevokeSecurityGroupIngress_ByRuleID_BreaksMutualReferenceTeardown
 // reproduces a Terraform destroy of two mutually-referencing SGs. Modern TF
 // (aws_vpc_security_group_ingress_rule) revokes each rule by SecurityGroupRuleId