diff --git a/frontend/src/components/Modals.tsx b/frontend/src/components/Modals.tsx
index f7c935e..10a4565 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/Modals.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/Modals.tsx
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ export function RunModal(p: {
     const current = run.plan.steps.find((s) => stateOf(s) === "running");
     const logRef = useRef<HTMLPreElement>(null);
     const dialog = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+    const headingRef = useRef<HTMLHeadingElement>(null);
     const [now, setNow] = useState(Date.now());
     const [end, setEnd] = useState<number | null>(null);
     const [showLog, setShowLog] = useState(p.advanced);
@@ -54,6 +55,13 @@ export function RunModal(p: {
     // installation is a deliberate act with its own button.
     useModal(dialog, run.running ? undefined : p.onClose);
 
+    // The button pressed to start (or Stop, when the run ends) disappears, which would drop focus to the page.
+    // The heading is a stable place that also announces the new state.
+    useEffect(() => {
+        const a = document.activeElement;
+        if (!a || a === document.body || !dialog.current?.contains(a)) headingRef.current?.focus({preventScroll: true});
+    }, [started, finished]);
+
     useEffect(() => { logRef.current?.scrollTo?.(0, logRef.current.scrollHeight); }, [run.log, showLog]);
     useEffect(() => {
         if (!run.running) return;
@@ -81,6 +89,10 @@ export function RunModal(p: {
             : <span className="avatar recipe" style={{width: 26, height: 26}}><Icon name="settings" size={14}/></span>;
     };
     const currentApp = current && current.kind !== "recipe" ? p.byId.get(current.id) : undefined;
+    // Spoken once per step, not per tick: the elapsed time and the download percent stay out of it.
+    const announce = !started ? ""
+        : run.running ? `${current ? t("run.working", {name: current.name}) : t("run.installing")} ${t("run.stepOf", {done, total: cells.length})}`
+        : `${heading}. ${t("run.stepOf", {done: done - failedCount, total: cells.length})}${failedCount > 0 ? `, ${t("run.status.failed")}: ${failedCount}` : ""}`;
 
     return (
         <div className="overlay">
@@ -91,7 +103,7 @@ export function RunModal(p: {
                             {finished ? <Icon name={failedCount ? "alert" : "check"} size={30}/> : <span className="ringnum">{done}<small>/{cells.length}</small></span>}
                         </Ring>
                         <div className="grow">
-                            <h3>{heading}</h3>
+                            <h3 tabIndex={-1} ref={headingRef}>{heading}</h3>
                             {current && (
                                 <p className="now">
                                     {currentApp ? <AppIcon id={currentApp.id} name={currentApp.name} category={currentApp.category} size={28}/> : null}
@@ -103,7 +115,8 @@ export function RunModal(p: {
                             <span className="mono muted small">{t("run.stepOf", {done, total: cells.length})}{elapsed && ` · ${elapsed}`}</span>
                         </div>
                     </div>
-                ) : <h3>{heading}</h3>}
+                ) : <h3 tabIndex={-1} ref={headingRef}>{heading}</h3>}
+                <p className="sr-only" aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true">{announce}</p>
 
                 {!started && run.plan.needsAdmin && !p.admin && (
                     <div className="banner warn">
@@ -124,7 +137,7 @@ export function RunModal(p: {
                                 {s.admin && <span className="tag"><Icon name="lock" size={11}/></span>}
                                 <span className={`stat ${st}`} role="img" aria-label={t(`run.status.${st}` as Key)}><Icon name={ICON[st]} size={15}/></span>
                                 {st === "running" && (run.percent[stepKey(s)] ?? 0) > 0 && (
-                                    <progress className="dl" value={run.percent[stepKey(s)]} max={100} aria-label={`${run.percent[stepKey(s)]}%`}/>
+                                    <progress className="dl" value={run.percent[stepKey(s)]} max={100} aria-label={`${s.name}: ${run.percent[stepKey(s)]}%`}/>
                                 )}
                                 {st === "failed" && reasonOf(s) && <p className="why">{t(`run.reason.${reasonOf(s)}` as Key)}</p>}
                             </li>
diff --git a/frontend/src/style.css b/frontend/src/style.css
index 09abfcd..81cf0a1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/style.css
+++ b/frontend/src/style.css
@@ -179,6 +179,10 @@ aside .row.on { background: var(--surface); border-color: var(--line); box-shado
 
 /* dialogs */
 .overlay { position: fixed; inset: 0; background: rgba(6, 9, 12, .6); display: grid; place-items: center; padding: 20px; }
+/* A definite row lets the dialog's max-height apply, so its steps and log shrink instead of pushing the buttons off a short window. */
+.overlay { grid-template: minmax(0, 1fr) / minmax(0, 1fr); }
+.sr-only { position: absolute; width: 1px; height: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); white-space: nowrap; border: 0; }
+.modal h3[tabindex="-1"]:focus-visible { outline: none; }
 .modal { background: var(--surface); border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: 14px; padding: 22px; width: min(720px, 100%); max-height: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 14px; box-shadow: 0 24px 60px rgba(0, 0, 0, .45); }
 .modal.small { width: 440px; }
 .modal h3 { margin: 0; font: 600 20px var(--font-display); }
diff --git a/frontend/src/test/app.test.tsx b/frontend/src/test/app.test.tsx
index 170b5ae..fdff6ec 100644
--- a/frontend/src/test/app.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/test/app.test.tsx
@@ -98,6 +98,38 @@ describe("installing", () => {
         expect(within(dialog).queryByLabelText("ok")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     });
 
+    it("keeps focus in the run dialog when the start button goes away, and announces each step", async () => {
+        const user = await openApp();
+        const dialog = await openFirefoxPlan(user);
+        await user.click(within(dialog).getByRole("button", {name: "Run 1 steps"}));
+        // The pressed button is gone; focus must not fall to the page behind the dialog.
+        await waitFor(() => expect(document.activeElement).toBe(within(dialog).getByRole("heading", {name: "Installing…"})));
+        const live = dialog.querySelector("[aria-live=polite]") as HTMLElement;
+        expect(live).toHaveTextContent("Installing… 0 of 1");
+        await emit.install({step: step("firefox", "Firefox"), status: "start"});
+        await waitFor(() => expect(live).toHaveTextContent("Installing Firefox… 0 of 1"));
+        await emit.install({step: step("firefox", "Firefox"), status: "output", line: "Downloading 40%", percent: 40});
+        expect(await within(dialog).findByRole("progressbar", {name: "Firefox: 40%"})).toBeInTheDocument();
+        await emit.install({step: step("firefox", "Firefox"), status: "ok"});
+        await emit.done([]);
+        // Stop disappeared too: focus moves to the new heading, which says how it ended.
+        await waitFor(() => expect(document.activeElement).toBe(within(dialog).getByRole("heading", {name: "Done"})));
+        expect(live).toHaveTextContent("Done. 1 of 1");
+    });
+
+    it("announces a failed run with its count and keeps the retry button reachable", async () => {
+        const user = await openApp();
+        const dialog = await openFirefoxPlan(user);
+        await user.click(within(dialog).getByRole("button", {name: "Run 1 steps"}));
+        await emit.install({step: step("firefox", "Firefox"), status: "start"});
+        await emit.install({step: step("firefox", "Firefox"), status: "failed", error: "exit 1603", reason: "network"});
+        await emit.done(["winget:firefox"]);
+        const live = dialog.querySelector("[aria-live=polite]") as HTMLElement;
+        await waitFor(() => expect(live).toHaveTextContent("Finished with errors. 0 of 1, Failed: 1"));
+        expect(document.activeElement).toBe(within(dialog).getByRole("heading", {name: "Finished with errors"}));
+        expect(within(dialog).getByRole("button", {name: /Retry/})).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
     it("starts the run once even if the confirm button is double-clicked", async () => {
         const user = await openApp();
         const dialog = await openFirefoxPlan(user);
diff --git a/frontend/src/test/features.test.tsx b/frontend/src/test/features.test.tsx
index d3e619d..f91c7ef 100644
--- a/frontend/src/test/features.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/test/features.test.tsx
@@ -75,9 +75,9 @@ describe("when a step fails", () => {
         await user.click(await screen.findByRole("button", {name: "Run 1 steps"}));
         await emit.install({step: step("firefox", "Firefox"), status: "start"});
         await emit.install({step: step("firefox", "Firefox"), status: "output", line: "  42%", percent: 42});
-        expect(await screen.findByRole("progressbar", {name: "42%"})).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(await screen.findByRole("progressbar", {name: "Firefox: 42%"})).toBeInTheDocument();
         await emit.install({step: step("firefox", "Firefox"), status: "ok"});
-        expect(screen.queryByRole("progressbar", {name: "42%"})).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(screen.queryByRole("progressbar", {name: "Firefox: 42%"})).not.toBeInTheDocument();
     });
 
     it("tells the person to restart Windows when a step needs it", async () => {