diff --git a/.kiro/specs/eliminate-frontend-makefile/tasks.md b/.kiro/specs/eliminate-frontend-makefile/tasks.md
index 80b6b11a..248acfb7 100644
--- a/.kiro/specs/eliminate-frontend-makefile/tasks.md
+++ b/.kiro/specs/eliminate-frontend-makefile/tasks.md
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
   - _Boundary: run-resource-verify.sh_
   - _Depends: 1.1, 2_
 
-- [ ] 3.2 (P) Update deploy-ha.sh's and run.sh's stale message strings
+- [x] 3.2 (P) Update deploy-ha.sh's and run.sh's stale message strings
   - `deploy-ha.sh`: update its `/tmp/apiserver`-fallback branch's two log lines and the preceding block comment describing "two ways" to build apiserver, dropping the `make build-server` mention; its meson-first/`/tmp/apiserver`-fallback discovery logic itself is unchanged
   - `tests/regression/run.sh`: update the `XCE` binary-not-found error to name `/xce-build apiserver` instead of reproducing the deleted `build-cli` target's manual `go build` recipe; its `XCE="${XCE:-/tmp/xce_static}"` default is left as-is (an inert placeholder — callers are still expected to pass `XCE=` explicitly)
   - Observable: neither file's live text names a `make` target anywhere; deleting `src/frontend/Makefile` and re-running each script's own failure path shows only Meson-based guidance
diff --git a/src/frontend/tests/regression/run.sh b/src/frontend/tests/regression/run.sh
index debc45c2..68dcc3aa 100755
--- a/src/frontend/tests/regression/run.sh
+++ b/src/frontend/tests/regression/run.sh
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ echo ""
 
 if [[ ! -x "$XCE" ]]; then
     echo "ERROR: xce binary not found at $XCE"
-    echo "Build with: cd xcecli && CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o /tmp/xce_static ./cmd/main.go"
+    echo "Build with: /xce-build apiserver"
     exit 1
 fi
 
diff --git a/src/tools/deploy-ha.sh b/src/tools/deploy-ha.sh
index e0bb57b3..5550c945 100755
--- a/src/tools/deploy-ha.sh
+++ b/src/tools/deploy-ha.sh
@@ -136,16 +136,14 @@ if [ ! -x "$SCHED_BIN" ]; then
 fi
 
 # Apiserver binary check -- same opt-in-by-presence spirit as WORKER_BIN/
-# SCHED_BIN above. The apiserver is buildable TWO ways (tech.md's Build
-# Systems table): (1) meson, via `tools/go_build` (`/xce-build apiserver`
-# or `/xce-build all`) -- lands in $BINARY_BUILD_DIR like every other
-# component this script resolves, so it IS a same-build-generation sibling
-# lookup, same as xceadmin/worker/scheduler above; (2) the standalone Go
-# workflow (`cd src/frontend && make build-server`), whose Makefile target
-# hardcodes its output to a fixed `/tmp/apiserver` regardless of meson
-# profile -- NOT guaranteed to be the same build generation as $BINARY.
-# Prefer (1) exactly like xceadmin's own same-generation-first preference
-# above; fall back to (2) with a caveat echoed, matching that precedent.
+# SCHED_BIN above. Prefer the meson-built binary, via `tools/go_build`
+# (`/xce-build apiserver` or `/xce-build all`) -- lands in
+# $BINARY_BUILD_DIR like every other component this script resolves, so
+# it IS a same-build-generation sibling lookup, same as
+# xceadmin/worker/scheduler above. Fall back to a binary already present
+# at the fixed legacy path `/tmp/apiserver` if the preferred location is
+# empty, with a caveat echoed: that path is NOT guaranteed to be the same
+# build generation as $BINARY.
 # deploy-ha.sh does NOT invoke either build itself -- building remains a
 # caller prerequisite (same "run /xce-build controller first if stale"
 # convention SKILL.md's Prerequisites section documents for the controller).
@@ -159,9 +157,9 @@ if [ -x "$BINARY_BUILD_DIR/frontend/apiserver/xce_apiserver" ]; then
     echo "Using apiserver: $APISERVER_BIN (same build dir as $BINARY)"
 elif [ -x "/tmp/apiserver" ]; then
     APISERVER_BIN="/tmp/apiserver"
-    echo "Using apiserver: $APISERVER_BIN (make build-server output; NOT guaranteed to be the same build generation as $BINARY)"
+    echo "Using apiserver: $APISERVER_BIN (legacy /tmp/apiserver path; NOT guaranteed to be the same build generation as $BINARY)"
 else
-    echo "Warning: no apiserver binary found at $BINARY_BUILD_DIR/frontend/apiserver/xce_apiserver or /tmp/apiserver -- skipping scripts/start-apiserver.sh generation (run '/xce-build apiserver' or 'cd src/frontend && make build-server' first if you need it)"
+    echo "Warning: no apiserver binary found at $BINARY_BUILD_DIR/frontend/apiserver/xce_apiserver or /tmp/apiserver -- skipping scripts/start-apiserver.sh generation (run '/xce-build apiserver' first if you need it)"
 fi
 
 # xceadmin wheel (same-build-generation sibling again): /xce-build xceadmin