diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 044462bff..e73a14191 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@ A repository with several languages is one command: the parser emits every langu
 
 <p>
   <a href="https://github.com/AxiomCodeAI/axiom-code-graph/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img alt="Build" src="https://github.com/AxiomCodeAI/axiom-code-graph/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg?branch=main"></a>
-  <a href="https://github.com/AxiomCodeAI/axiom-code-graph/actions/workflows/publish-npm.yml"><img alt="Engines" src="https://github.com/AxiomCodeAI/axiom-code-graph/actions/workflows/publish-npm.yml/badge.svg"></a>
+  <a href="https://github.com/AxiomCodeAI/axiom-code-graph/pull/478"><img alt="Engines: not yet published" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/engines-not%20yet%20published-lightgrey"></a>
   <a href="LICENSE.md"><img alt="License: FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-FSL--1.1--Apache--2.0-blue"></a>
   <img alt="Node ≥ 22.5" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/node-%E2%89%A5%2022.5-brightgreen">
 </p>
 
-Build: the three regression suites and the parser's suites, on every merge to `main`. Engines: the last run of the engine build and npm publish. (Workflow badges render once the repository is public; GitHub serves README images anonymously.)
+Build: the regression suites and the parser's suites on every merge to `main` (the badge reads "no status" until the workflow has run on `main`). Engines: the prebuilt engine packages on npm; the badge switches to the publish workflow's status once the first publish has run.
 
 ## Quick start