diff --git a/docs/03-github/05-returning-a-license.mdx b/docs/03-github/05-returning-a-license.mdx
index 08a7b671..ef0fc226 100644
--- a/docs/03-github/05-returning-a-license.mdx
+++ b/docs/03-github/05-returning-a-license.mdx
@@ -1,14 +1,43 @@
 # Returning a license
 
-Manually returning a license is **usually never necessary**, unless when running into an
-_unrecoverable error_ while having a license active.
+GameCI returns a license automatically at the end of a normal build or test job
+when it activated a seat for that job. Manually returning one is usually only
+needed after an interrupted job or a confirmed unavailable-seat error on a
+later run.
 
-Also, Unity only allows returning professional licenses.
+Unity documents command-line return for serial and named-user licenses. Its
+documented Personal flow is to sign out of Unity Hub, so do not rely on a
+command-line cleanup step as the recovery mechanism for a Personal seat.
+
+## Return warnings
+
+Unity's licensing client can print authentication or licensing errors while a
+return has succeeded, and can use the same messages for permanent failures.
+Therefore, a `License return failed` message alone does **not** prove that a
+seat was leaked. Read the surrounding Unity licensing output for a successful
+return message or a specific cause.
+
+GameCI retries only an explicit licensing-client timeout during cleanup. It
+does not retry generic messages such as `Access token is unavailable`, because
+waiting and repeating the return has not been shown to fix those cases. Clearing
+the GitHub Actions cache does not affect Unity's server-side licensing state.
+
+If later runs report that no seats are available, release the stale activation
+in [Unity ID](https://id.unity.com/). This is also the recovery route when the
+machine that activated the license is unavailable or its machine binding has
+changed.
 
 ## Basic setup
 
-You may use [Unity - Return license](https://github.com/marketplace/actions/unity-return-license) to
-return your license and free up a spot towards the maximum number of active licenses.
+The normal GameCI build already performs its return in the same process and
+container that activated the license. Do not add a second return step to every
+hosted-runner build: a separately started Docker container has a different
+machine identity and Unity can reject its return.
+
+On a self-hosted runner, where the manual return runs on the same persistent
+machine that activated a serial license, you may use
+[Unity - Return license](https://github.com/marketplace/actions/unity-return-license)
+to release it.
 
 Add this step to your workflow: