diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2ccd50f..fd5f855 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@profullstack/cli-tools",
-  "version": "0.68.3",
+  "version": "0.68.4",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Local command-line tools, in TypeScript, exposed on PATH.",
   "type": "module",
diff --git a/src/gh.ts b/src/gh.ts
index 97db2f6..4757a6d 100644
--- a/src/gh.ts
+++ b/src/gh.ts
@@ -106,6 +106,8 @@ export interface PullRequest {
 export interface Check {
   name: string;
   bucket: Bucket;
+  /** The check's details page; for Actions, `.../actions/runs/<run>/job/<job>`. */
+  link?: string;
 }
 
 function fail(field: string, value: unknown, where: string): never {
@@ -163,10 +165,12 @@ export function parseChecks(raw: unknown, where = 'gh pr checks'): Check[] {
 
   return raw.map((entry) => {
     const record = entry as Record<string, unknown>;
-    return {
+    const check: Check = {
       name: asString(record.name, 'name', where),
       bucket: asEnum(BUCKET, record.bucket, 'bucket', where),
     };
+    if (typeof record.link === 'string' && record.link) check.link = record.link;
+    return check;
   });
 }
 
@@ -398,7 +402,7 @@ export class Gh {
   async checks(url: string): Promise<Check[]> {
     try {
       return await this.json(
-        ['pr', 'checks', url, '--json', 'bucket,name'],
+        ['pr', 'checks', url, '--json', 'bucket,name,link'],
         (raw) => parseChecks(raw),
         { allowNonZero: true },
       );
@@ -470,6 +474,56 @@ export class Gh {
     );
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Red Actions checks whose job GitHub never started, with GitHub's reason.
+   *
+   * A billing block or account lock fails every job in seconds with no runner
+   * and no log, so `gh pr checks` reports `test=fail` exactly as it would for a
+   * broken test. The only place the truth is written is the check run's
+   * annotation ("The job was not started because recent account payments have
+   * failed…"). Reported as `test=fail`, it sends whoever reads the sweep off to
+   * debug code that never ran.
+   *
+   * Best effort: an annotation that cannot be read leaves the plain reason.
+   */
+  async refusedToStart(
+    url: string,
+    checks: Check[],
+  ): Promise<{ names: string[]; message: string } | null> {
+    const target = parsePullRequestUrl(url);
+    if (!target) return null;
+
+    const names: string[] = [];
+    let message = '';
+
+    for (const check of checks) {
+      if (check.bucket !== 'fail') continue;
+      const job = check.link?.match(/\/actions\/runs\/\d+\/job\/(\d+)/)?.[1];
+      if (!job) continue;
+
+      const result = await this.call(['api', `repos/${target.slug}/check-runs/${job}/annotations`]);
+      if (result.code !== 0) continue;
+
+      let annotations: unknown;
+      try {
+        annotations = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
+      } catch {
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (!Array.isArray(annotations)) continue;
+
+      const refusal = annotations
+        .map((a) => (a as Record<string, unknown>).message)
+        .find((m): m is string => typeof m === 'string' && /job was not started/i.test(m));
+      if (refusal) {
+        names.push(check.name);
+        message ||= refusal.trim();
+      }
+    }
+
+    return names.length > 0 ? { names, message } : null;
+  }
+
   async approveRun(url: string, runId: number): Promise<RunResult> {
     const target = parsePullRequestUrl(url);
     if (!target) {
diff --git a/src/prs-merge.ts b/src/prs-merge.ts
index a82ddf7..ef07d74 100644
--- a/src/prs-merge.ts
+++ b/src/prs-merge.ts
@@ -215,7 +215,16 @@ export async function sweep(
 
   /** Judge a PR believed to be settled, and merge it when it is eligible. */
   const judgeAndMerge = async (pr: PullRequest, checks: Check[]): Promise<void> => {
-    const reason = reasonNotMergeable(pr, checks, options.allowNoChecks);
+    let reason = reasonNotMergeable(pr, checks, options.allowNoChecks);
+
+    if (reason && checks.some((c) => c.bucket === 'fail')) {
+      const refused = await gh.refusedToStart(pr.url, checks);
+      if (refused) {
+        reason += ` — GitHub never started ${refused.names.join(', ')}, so nothing was ` +
+          `tested: "${refused.message}" (account billing, not the code; run the gate ` +
+          'locally and merge by hand)';
+      }
+    }
 
     if (reason) {
       emit({ kind: 'skip', url: pr.url, reason, title: pr.title });
diff --git a/test/prs-merge.test.ts b/test/prs-merge.test.ts
index 0e55e76..50dbe5b 100644
--- a/test/prs-merge.test.ts
+++ b/test/prs-merge.test.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ interface StubStep {
   mergeStateStatus?: string;
   isDraft?: boolean;
   state?: string;
-  checks?: { name: string; bucket: string }[];
+  checks?: { name: string; bucket: string; link?: string }[];
 }
 
 /**
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ function stubGh(options: {
   /** Workflow runs GitHub is holding for maintainer approval on the head. */
   heldRuns?: { id: number; name: string; event: string }[];
   approveFails?: boolean;
+  /** Annotation messages on every check run. */
+  annotations?: string[];
 }) {
   const calls: string[] = [];
   let viewIndex = 0;
@@ -140,6 +142,10 @@ function stubGh(options: {
       );
     }
 
+    if (args[0] === 'api' && args.some((a) => /\/check-runs\/\d+\/annotations$/.test(a))) {
+      return ok(JSON.stringify((options.annotations ?? []).map((message) => ({ message }))));
+    }
+
     if (args[0] === 'api' && args.some((a) => a.endsWith('/approve'))) {
       return options.approveFails
         ? { code: 1, stdout: '', stderr: 'HTTP 403: Must have admin rights' }
@@ -934,3 +940,48 @@ describe('fork CI held for maintainer approval', () => {
     expect(out.find((l) => l.kind === 'skip')).toMatchObject({ reason: 'no CI checks found' });
   });
 });
+
+describe('checks GitHub never started', () => {
+  const JOB = 'https://github.com/acme/repo/actions/runs/39262578125/job/118093807961';
+  const BILLING =
+    "The job was not started because recent account payments have failed or your " +
+    "spending limit needs to be increased. Please check the 'Billing & plans' section in your settings";
+
+  const run = async (annotations: string[]) => {
+    const { gh, calls } = stubGh({
+      steps: [{ mergeStateStatus: 'UNSTABLE', checks: [{ name: 'test', bucket: 'fail', link: JOB }] }],
+      annotations,
+    });
+    const lines: Line[] = [];
+    const summary = await sweep(baseOptions({ apply: true }), gh, (l) => lines.push(l));
+    return { summary, calls, text: lines.map(render).join('\n') };
+  };
+
+  it('says the job was refused, not that the test failed', async () => {
+    const { summary, calls, text } = await run([
+      '"The ubuntu-latest label will migrate to Ubuntu 26 beginning October 19, 2026."',
+      BILLING,
+    ]);
+    expect(summary.merged).toBe(0);
+    expect(summary.skipped).toBe(1);
+    expect(calls).toContain('api repos/acme/repo/check-runs/118093807961/annotations');
+    expect(text).toContain('checks not green: test=fail — GitHub never started test');
+    expect(text).toContain('recent account payments have failed');
+    expect(text).toContain('not the code');
+  });
+
+  it('leaves a real failure as a plain failure', async () => {
+    const { text } = await run(['Process completed with exit code 1.']);
+    expect(text).toContain('checks not green: test=fail — stub pr');
+    expect(text).not.toContain('never started');
+  });
+
+  it('reads the job link from gh pr checks', () => {
+    expect(parseChecks([{ name: 'test', bucket: 'fail', link: JOB }])).toEqual([
+      { name: 'test', bucket: 'fail', link: JOB },
+    ]);
+    expect(parseChecks([{ name: 'test', bucket: 'pass', link: '' }])).toEqual([
+      { name: 'test', bucket: 'pass' },
+    ]);
+  });
+});