diff --git a/skills/ocx/references/01_management_surface.md b/skills/ocx/references/01_management_surface.md
index 4162ca9de4..36438d2f68 100644
--- a/skills/ocx/references/01_management_surface.md
+++ b/skills/ocx/references/01_management_surface.md
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ Recent request log rows, filterable by provider, model, conversation, and status
 | `--conversation` | string | Restrict to one conversation id (`--conversationId` is accepted too). |
 | `--status` | string | An exact code (429) or a class (5xx). |
 | `--limit` | number | Row cap; defaults to 200. |
-| `--follow` | boolean | Stream new rows as JSONL; implies --jsonl. |
+| `--follow` | boolean | Poll for new rows; add --jsonl to emit JSONL. |
 | `--json` | boolean | Emit the server payload as JSON. |
 | `--jsonl` | boolean | Emit one row per line. |
 
diff --git a/src/cli/capabilities.ts b/src/cli/capabilities.ts
index d124af2f6e..d4ae958829 100644
--- a/src/cli/capabilities.ts
+++ b/src/cli/capabilities.ts
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ export const CAPABILITIES: readonly Capability[] = [
       { name: "--conversation", value: "string", summary: "Restrict to one conversation id (`--conversationId` is accepted too)." },
       { name: "--status", value: "string", summary: "An exact code (429) or a class (5xx)." },
       { name: "--limit", value: "number", summary: "Row cap; defaults to 200." },
-      { name: "--follow", value: "boolean", summary: "Stream new rows as JSONL; implies --jsonl." },
+      { name: "--follow", value: "boolean", summary: "Poll for new rows; add --jsonl to emit JSONL." },
       { name: "--json", value: "boolean", summary: "Emit the server payload as JSON." },
       { name: "--jsonl", value: "boolean", summary: "Emit one row per line." },
     ],
diff --git a/src/cli/observe.ts b/src/cli/observe.ts
index e89eea0de3..46e264d2a8 100644
--- a/src/cli/observe.ts
+++ b/src/cli/observe.ts
@@ -72,7 +72,9 @@ async function logs(argv: string[], deps: RuntimeApiDeps): Promise<void> {
   const limit = takeIntegerOption(args, "--limit", { min: 1 }) ?? 200;
   rejectArgs(args, USAGE);
   if (wantsJson && wantsJsonl) throw new CliUsageError("--json and --jsonl cannot be combined", USAGE);
-  if (follow && wantsJson) throw new CliUsageError("--follow uses --jsonl, not --json", USAGE);
+  if (follow && wantsJson) {
+    throw new CliUsageError("--follow cannot be combined with --json; use --jsonl for streaming JSONL", USAGE);
+  }
   let seen = new Set<string>();
   do {
     const data = await runtimeRequest(`/api/logs${query({ provider, model, status, conversationId, limit })}`, {}, deps);
diff --git a/tests/cli-capabilities.test.ts b/tests/cli-capabilities.test.ts
index 262e4e6fcd..e8584cc839 100644
--- a/tests/cli-capabilities.test.ts
+++ b/tests/cli-capabilities.test.ts
@@ -74,6 +74,12 @@ describe("capability table is a leaf data module", () => {
     expect(CAPABILITIES.some(c => c.command[0] === "capabilities")).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  test("logs follow does not claim to imply JSONL output", () => {
+    const logs = CAPABILITIES.find(c => c.command.length === 1 && c.command[0] === "logs");
+    const follow = logs?.flags.find(flag => flag.name === "--follow");
+    expect(follow?.summary).toBe("Poll for new rows; add --jsonl to emit JSONL.");
+  });
+
   test("the check-only Codex CLI updater is declared as a local read capability", () => {
     const cap = CAPABILITIES.find(c => c.command.join(" ") === "system codex-cli-update check");
     expect(cap).toBeDefined();
diff --git a/tests/cli-usage-report.test.ts b/tests/cli-usage-report.test.ts
index 92933843aa..d446533f0f 100644
--- a/tests/cli-usage-report.test.ts
+++ b/tests/cli-usage-report.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  * cost the server computes was discarded before reaching the terminal. These
  * tests pin the cost down where a user can see it.
  */
-import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { describe, expect, spyOn, test } from "bun:test";
 
 import { handleObserveCommand } from "../src/cli/observe";
 import { formatUsageReport } from "../src/cli/usage-report";
@@ -222,3 +222,63 @@ describe("ocx logs --conversation", () => {
     expect(out).not.toContain("conv=");
   });
 });
+
+describe("ocx logs --follow output contract", () => {
+  test("--follow --json names the conflict without implying that follow enables JSONL", async () => {
+    const errors: string[] = [];
+    const originalError = console.error;
+    console.error = (...args: unknown[]) => { errors.push(args.map(String).join(" ")); };
+    try {
+      const code = await handleObserveCommand(
+        ["logs", "--follow", "--json"],
+        { baseUrl: "http://cli.test", fetchImpl: async () => new Response("[]") },
+      );
+      expect(code).toBe(2);
+      expect(errors.join("\n"))
+        .toContain("--follow cannot be combined with --json; use --jsonl for streaming JSONL");
+    } finally {
+      console.error = originalError;
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("--follow alone keeps human-readable rows", async () => {
+    const rows = [{
+      id: "row-1",
+      timestamp: "t0",
+      status: 200,
+      provider: "xai",
+      model: "grok-4.6",
+      durationMs: 12,
+      conversationId: "conv-7",
+    }];
+    const lines: string[] = [];
+    const errors: string[] = [];
+    const originalLog = console.log;
+    const originalError = console.error;
+    const sleep = spyOn(Bun, "sleep").mockImplementation(async () => {
+      throw new Error("stop after first follow poll");
+    });
+    console.log = (...args: unknown[]) => { lines.push(args.map(String).join(" ")); };
+    console.error = (...args: unknown[]) => { errors.push(args.map(String).join(" ")); };
+    try {
+      const code = await handleObserveCommand(
+        ["logs", "--follow"],
+        {
+          baseUrl: "http://cli.test",
+          fetchImpl: async () => new Response(JSON.stringify(rows), {
+            status: 200,
+            headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+          }),
+        },
+      );
+      expect(code).toBe(1);
+      expect(lines).toEqual(["t0  200  xai/grok-4.6  12ms  conv=conv-7"]);
+      expect(lines[0]?.startsWith("{")).toBe(false);
+      expect(errors.join("\n")).toContain("stop after first follow poll");
+    } finally {
+      console.log = originalLog;
+      console.error = originalError;
+      sleep.mockRestore();
+    }
+  });
+});