diff --git a/src/xrpld/app/consensus/RCLValidations.cpp b/src/xrpld/app/consensus/RCLValidations.cpp
index 4cc77393d4..bbaa3a93ee 100644
--- a/src/xrpld/app/consensus/RCLValidations.cpp
+++ b/src/xrpld/app/consensus/RCLValidations.cpp
@@ -180,10 +180,13 @@ handleNewValidation(
     auto const seq = val->getFieldU32(sfLedgerSequence);
 
     // A validator that rotated its ephemeral key while this node was not
-    // listening signs with a key no held manifest mentions, which is
-    // indistinguishable from a validator this node has never heard of. Every
-    // manifest published on-chain is written at its ephemeral keylet as well
-    // as its master one, so that binding is recoverable in a single read.
+    // listening may sign with a key absent from every manifest held here. That
+    // is indistinguishable from a validator this node has never heard of. Every
+    // manifest published on-chain has a thin signing-key index pointing to its
+    // canonical master-key object, so that binding takes two bounded reads.
+    // This is a rare cold-cache fallback: manifest gossip and canonical-wrapper
+    // harvesting normally populate the mapping first. It is mainly needed at
+    // startup, after missed propagation, or after local cache loss.
     //
     // Done here rather than left to the next consensus round, because
     // ManifestCache::applyLedger() runs there against the master keys already