diff --git a/crates/glass-android/src/doctor.rs b/crates/glass-android/src/doctor.rs
index eca374a1..811b6fda 100644
--- a/crates/glass-android/src/doctor.rs
+++ b/crates/glass-android/src/doctor.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 //! Reports `Check` statuses; never errors.
 
 use glass_core::Deadline;
-use glass_core::{Check, CheckStatus};
+use glass_core::{BoundedRun, Check, CheckStatus};
 
 use crate::a11y::{Attempt, adb_runner, attempt_deadline, dump_once};
 use crate::adb::Adb;
@@ -254,14 +254,14 @@ fn first_line(s: &str) -> String {
 fn list_avds(bin: &str, budget: std::time::Duration) -> AvdList {
     let mut cmd = std::process::Command::new(bin);
     cmd.arg("-list-avds");
-    match glass_core::run_bounded(&mut cmd, budget, "emulator:-list-avds") {
-        Ok(o) => AvdList::Listed(parse_list_avds(&String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout))),
-        Err(e) => {
-            // A timeout is reported, not logged (the detail carries the budget); every other
-            // failure is logged the way the other doctor probes are.
-            if e.bound() == Some(glass_core::BoundKind::TimedOut) {
-                return AvdList::TimedOut(e.to_string());
-            }
+    match glass_core::run_bounded_classified(&mut cmd, budget, "emulator:-list-avds") {
+        BoundedRun::Answered(o) => {
+            AvdList::Listed(parse_list_avds(&String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout)))
+        }
+        // A timeout is reported, not logged (the detail carries the budget); every other
+        // failure is logged the way the other doctor probes are.
+        BoundedRun::TimedOut(e) => AvdList::TimedOut(e.to_string()),
+        BoundedRun::NotStarted(e) | BoundedRun::Failed(e) => {
             eprintln!("glass-android doctor: {e}");
             AvdList::Unreadable(e.to_string())
         }
diff --git a/crates/glass-core/src/bounded.rs b/crates/glass-core/src/bounded.rs
index ea017ca2..f341f05b 100644
--- a/crates/glass-core/src/bounded.rs
+++ b/crates/glass-core/src/bounded.rs
@@ -50,6 +50,31 @@ pub const KILL_REAP: Duration = Duration::from_millis(500);
 /// AVD, a `uiautomator dump` is ~12KB and the largest, `exec-out screencap`, is ~10MB.
 const MAX_CAPTURE: usize = 64 * 1024 * 1024;
 
+/// The execution facts from one bounded command, before a caller assigns domain meaning.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum BoundedRun {
+    /// The command ran to completion. A non-zero status is still an answer.
+    Answered(Output),
+    /// The command ran until its effective bound elapsed.
+    TimedOut(GlassError),
+    /// The command was not spawned because no time remained.
+    NotStarted(GlassError),
+    /// The command did not produce a complete answer for another reason.
+    Failed(GlassError),
+}
+
+/// Run one command under `budget` and retain its execution facts as structured values.
+pub fn run_bounded_classified(cmd: &mut Command, budget: Duration, op: &str) -> BoundedRun {
+    match run_bounded(cmd, budget, op) {
+        Ok(output) => BoundedRun::Answered(output),
+        Err(error) => match error.bound() {
+            Some(BoundKind::TimedOut) => BoundedRun::TimedOut(error),
+            Some(BoundKind::NotStarted) => BoundedRun::NotStarted(error),
+            None => BoundedRun::Failed(error),
+        },
+    }
+}
+
 /// Run `cmd` to completion, or kill it and fail once `budget` elapses.
 ///
 /// `op` names the operation in the error (`"adb:uiautomator dump"`), so a timeout says which call
@@ -487,6 +512,65 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(3));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    fn a_classified_run_preserves_a_nonzero_answer() {
+        let run = run_bounded_classified(
+            Command::new("/bin/sh").args(["-c", "printf answered; exit 3"]),
+            Duration::from_secs(10),
+            "test:classified-answer",
+        );
+        let BoundedRun::Answered(out) = run else {
+            panic!("a completed command is an answer");
+        };
+        assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(3));
+        assert_eq!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout), "answered");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    fn a_classified_run_names_a_timeout_without_message_matching() {
+        let run = run_bounded_classified(
+            Command::new("/bin/sh").args(["-c", "sleep 30"]),
+            Duration::from_millis(100),
+            "test:classified-timeout",
+        );
+        let BoundedRun::TimedOut(err) = run else {
+            panic!("a command killed at its bound is timed out");
+        };
+        assert_eq!(err.bound(), Some(BoundKind::TimedOut));
+        assert!(err.to_string().contains("test:classified-timeout"), "{err}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    fn a_classified_run_says_when_it_never_started() {
+        let run = run_bounded_classified(
+            &mut Command::new("/bin/true"),
+            Duration::ZERO,
+            "test:classified-not-started",
+        );
+        let BoundedRun::NotStarted(err) = run else {
+            panic!("a zero-budget command is not started");
+        };
+        assert_eq!(err.bound(), Some(BoundKind::NotStarted));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    fn a_classified_run_keeps_an_ordinary_failure_distinct() {
+        let run = run_bounded_classified(
+            &mut Command::new("/path/glass-test-command-does-not-exist"),
+            Duration::from_secs(10),
+            "test:classified-failure",
+        );
+        let BoundedRun::Failed(err) = run else {
+            panic!("a spawn refusal is an ordinary execution failure");
+        };
+        assert_eq!(err.bound(), None);
+        assert!(err.to_string().contains("failed to start"), "{err}");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     #[cfg(unix)]
     fn stderr_is_captured_alongside_stdout() {
diff --git a/crates/glass-core/src/lib.rs b/crates/glass-core/src/lib.rs
index 9eee48b9..058ccfa4 100644
--- a/crates/glass-core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/glass-core/src/lib.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@ pub mod toolpath;
 pub use toolpath::tool_path;
 
 pub mod bounded;
-pub use bounded::{note_if_skipped, run_bounded, run_bounded_until, run_bounded_with_stdin};
+pub use bounded::{
+    BoundedRun, note_if_skipped, run_bounded, run_bounded_classified, run_bounded_until,
+    run_bounded_with_stdin,
+};
 
 pub mod a11y_thread;
 pub use a11y_thread::A11yThread;
diff --git a/crates/glass-ios/src/doctor.rs b/crates/glass-ios/src/doctor.rs
index 516ff904..b4058eb5 100644
--- a/crates/glass-ios/src/doctor.rs
+++ b/crates/glass-ios/src/doctor.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ use std::path::Path;
 use std::process::{Command, Stdio};
 use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
 
-use glass_core::{BoundKind, Check, CheckStatus, GlassError};
+use glass_core::{BoundedRun, Check, CheckStatus, GlassError};
 use glass_exec_unix::Resolved;
 
 use crate::device::{Resolve, SimDevice, parse_devices, resolve};
@@ -280,20 +280,21 @@ enum Run {
 
 /// One bounded one-shot probe; the cause is kept on the result and logged to stderr.
 fn run_probe(cmd: &mut Command, op: &str) -> Run {
-    match glass_core::run_bounded(cmd, PROBE_BUDGET, op) {
-        Ok(o) => Run::Answered {
+    match glass_core::run_bounded_classified(cmd, PROBE_BUDGET, op) {
+        BoundedRun::Answered(o) => Run::Answered {
             status_ok: o.status.success(),
             stdout: String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stdout).into_owned(),
             stderr: String::from_utf8_lossy(&o.stderr).into_owned(),
         },
-        Err(e) => {
+        BoundedRun::TimedOut(e) => {
             let cause = e.to_string();
             eprintln!("glass-ios doctor: {cause}");
-            if e.bound() == Some(BoundKind::TimedOut) {
-                Run::TimedOut(cause)
-            } else {
-                Run::Failed(cause)
-            }
+            Run::TimedOut(cause)
+        }
+        BoundedRun::NotStarted(e) | BoundedRun::Failed(e) => {
+            let cause = e.to_string();
+            eprintln!("glass-ios doctor: {cause}");
+            Run::Failed(cause)
         }
     }
 }