diff --git a/src/routes/myResources.js b/src/routes/myResources.js
index 068726e2..94cf6a5e 100644
--- a/src/routes/myResources.js
+++ b/src/routes/myResources.js
@@ -617,8 +617,13 @@ async function runResourceJob(jobId, userId, body, kind, resourceId) {
 // leave "Writing…" on the page for ever.
 async function recoverResourceJobs() {
   try {
+    // Kind-aware, because "Generate it again" is the wrong instruction for a
+    // modification: generating makes a new resource, it does not retry the edit
+    // the person asked for. This message is the only guidance they get.
     var n = await db.run("UPDATE user_resource_jobs SET status = 'failed', finished_at = NOW(), " +
-      "error = 'The server restarted while this was being written. Generate it again.' " +
+      "error = CASE WHEN kind = 'refine' " +
+      "THEN 'The server restarted before this change was applied. Try the change again.' " +
+      "ELSE 'The server restarted while this was being written. Generate it again.' END " +
       "WHERE status IN ('queued', 'running')");
     if (n && n.changes) logger.warn('[my-resources] ' + n.changes + ' job(s) were interrupted by a restart');
   } catch (err) { console.error('[my-resources] job recovery:', err.message); }