diff --git a/src/agent_harness/adapters/docker.py b/src/agent_harness/adapters/docker.py
index 65ed2e4..950d36a 100644
--- a/src/agent_harness/adapters/docker.py
+++ b/src/agent_harness/adapters/docker.py
@@ -177,28 +177,62 @@ def close(self) -> None:
         self.started = False
 
 
+def _diagnosis(stderr: str) -> str:
+    """The line a person can act on, not the last line the CLI printed.
+
+    Go template noise is dropped: it is a consequence of the daemon being
+    absent, never the reason, and letting it win means readiness blames
+    reflection for a stopped service.
+    """
+    lines = [line.strip() for line in stderr.splitlines() if line.strip()]
+    useful = [
+        line
+        for line in lines
+        if not line.startswith("template:") and "reflect:" not in line and line != "ERROR:"
+    ]
+    return (useful or lines or ["no reason given"])[0].removeprefix("ERROR: ").strip()
+
+
+def _server_version(stdout: str) -> str:
+    for line in stdout.splitlines():
+        stripped = line.strip()
+        if stripped.startswith("Server Version:"):
+            return stripped.split(":", 1)[1].strip()
+    return ""
+
+
 class DockerEnvironmentFactory:
     name = "docker"
     api_version = API_VERSION
     version = "docker-cli"
 
     def check(self) -> tuple[bool, str]:
+        """Is a daemon reachable, and what should an operator be told?
+
+        `docker info` is asked **without** `--format`. With a format string,
+        an unreachable daemon does not produce the message a person needs: the
+        CLI still renders a mostly-nil `Info` struct, so the last line of
+        stderr is a Go template error about "indirection through nil pointer
+        to embedded struct field Info", and the line that actually says the
+        daemon could not be reached is buried above it. Readiness then reports
+        a reflect error, which names the wrong component — the failure mode
+        this repository keeps paying for.
+        """
         if shutil.which("docker") is None:
             return False, "docker is not installed or is not on PATH"
         try:
             result = subprocess.run(
-                ["docker", "info", "--format", "{{.ServerVersion}}"],
+                ["docker", "info"],
                 capture_output=True,
                 text=True,
-                timeout=5,
+                timeout=10,
                 check=False,
             )
         except (OSError, subprocess.SubprocessError) as exc:
             return False, f"Docker daemon check failed: {exc}"
         if result.returncode != 0:
-            detail = result.stderr.strip().splitlines()
-            return False, detail[-1] if detail else "Docker daemon is unavailable"
-        return True, f"Docker daemon {result.stdout.strip() or 'available'}"
+            return False, f"Docker daemon is unreachable: {_diagnosis(result.stderr)}"
+        return True, f"Docker daemon {_server_version(result.stdout) or 'available'}"
 
     def reap(self, worktree: Path) -> None:
         """Remove containers left by a killed controller for one item tree."""
diff --git a/tests/test_execution_environment.py b/tests/test_execution_environment.py
index 4514caf..528b5d0 100644
--- a/tests/test_execution_environment.py
+++ b/tests/test_execution_environment.py
@@ -8,7 +8,12 @@
 
 import pytest
 
-from agent_harness.adapters.docker import DockerEnvironmentFactory, DockerItemEnvironment
+from agent_harness.adapters.docker import (
+    DockerEnvironmentFactory,
+    DockerItemEnvironment,
+    _diagnosis,
+    _server_version,
+)
 from agent_harness.execution_environment import EnvironmentMount, EnvironmentSpec
 from agent_harness.execution_environments import names, probe, resolve
 
@@ -21,6 +26,39 @@ def test_docker_backend_is_selected_by_installed_metadata() -> None:
     assert backend.name == "docker"
 
 
+def test_readiness_names_the_daemon_not_a_go_template_error() -> None:
+    """What an operator reads when the fleet will not start.
+
+    Asked with `--format`, an unreachable daemon makes the CLI render a nil
+    `Info` struct, so the LAST line of stderr is a Go template error and the
+    line that says the daemon could not be reached is above it. Reporting the
+    last line blamed reflection for a stopped service -- found when this image
+    was first built, where the CLI is installed and no daemon answers.
+    """
+    stderr = (
+        "Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. "
+        "Is the docker daemon running?\n"
+        'template: :1:2: executing "" at <.ServerVersion>: reflect: '
+        "indirection through nil pointer to embedded struct field Info\n"
+    )
+
+    assert _diagnosis(stderr).startswith("Cannot connect to the Docker daemon")
+    assert "reflect:" not in _diagnosis(stderr)
+    assert "template:" not in _diagnosis(stderr)
+    # Nothing usable at all still says which component is being reported on.
+    assert _diagnosis("") == "no reason given"
+    assert _diagnosis("template: bad\n") == "template: bad"
+
+
+def test_readiness_reports_the_server_version_when_a_daemon_answers() -> None:
+    info = (
+        "Client:\n Version: 28.0.1\nServer:\n Server Version: 28.0.1\n Storage Driver: overlay2\n"
+    )
+
+    assert _server_version(info) == "28.0.1"
+    assert _server_version("Client:\n Version: 28.0.1\n") == ""
+
+
 def test_environment_spec_rejects_host_networking_and_unsafe_mounts(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="host networking"):
         EnvironmentSpec(image="rust:1", worktree=tmp_path.resolve(), network="host")