diff --git a/packages/stack/src/storage/DockerDatabaseStorage.integration.test.ts b/packages/stack/src/storage/DockerDatabaseStorage.integration.test.ts
index 436f181c09..7416259ac0 100644
--- a/packages/stack/src/storage/DockerDatabaseStorage.integration.test.ts
+++ b/packages/stack/src/storage/DockerDatabaseStorage.integration.test.ts
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ describe.runIf(testEngine === "docker")(
       ).pipe(Effect.provide(NodeServices.layer)),
     );
 
-    it.effect("reports a helper readiness timeout alongside Docker warnings", () =>
+    it.effect("reports a helper readiness timeout with Docker warnings and the helper state", () =>
       Effect.scoped(
         Effect.gen(function* () {
           const fs = yield* FileSystem.FileSystem;
@@ -422,6 +422,7 @@ describe.runIf(testEngine === "docker")(
           const root = yield* fs.makeTempDirectoryScoped({ prefix: "docker-helper-timeout-" });
           const waiting = yield* Deferred.make<void>();
           const commands: string[][] = [];
+          let attachKilled = false;
           const warning =
             "WARNING: The requested image's platform does not match the host platform";
           const spawner = ChildProcessSpawner.make((command) =>
@@ -431,22 +432,36 @@ describe.runIf(testEngine === "docker")(
               commands.push([...command.args]);
               const creating = command.args[0] === "create";
               const attaching = command.args[0] === "start";
+              const encode = (text: string) => Stream.succeed(new TextEncoder().encode(text));
+              // `--rm` removes the helper once its attach is killed, so later inspection fails.
+              const removed = command.args[0] === "inspect" && attachKilled;
               return ChildProcessSpawner.makeHandle({
                 pid: ChildProcessSpawner.ProcessId(0),
-                exitCode: Effect.succeed(ChildProcessSpawner.ExitCode(0)),
+                exitCode: Effect.succeed(ChildProcessSpawner.ExitCode(removed ? 1 : 0)),
                 isRunning: Effect.succeed(false),
-                kill: () => Effect.void,
+                kill: () =>
+                  Effect.sync(() => {
+                    if (attaching) attachKilled = true;
+                  }),
                 stdin: Sink.drain,
                 stdout: attaching
                   ? Stream.fromEffect(Deferred.succeed(waiting, undefined)).pipe(
                       Stream.drain,
                       Stream.concat(Stream.never),
                     )
-                  : Stream.empty,
+                  : command.args[0] === "inspect" && !removed
+                    ? encode("running (exit 0)\n")
+                    : command.args[0] === "logs"
+                      ? encode("supabase-helper-ready\n")
+                      : Stream.empty,
                 // Docker prints the platform warning while creating the container, before start.
                 stderr: creating
-                  ? Stream.succeed(new TextEncoder().encode(`${warning}\n`))
-                  : Stream.empty,
+                  ? encode(`${warning}\n`)
+                  : removed
+                    ? encode("Error: No such container\n")
+                    : command.args[0] === "logs"
+                      ? encode("helper stderr line\n")
+                      : Stream.empty,
                 all: Stream.empty,
                 getInputFd: () => Sink.drain,
                 getOutputFd: () => Stream.empty,
@@ -482,7 +497,12 @@ describe.runIf(testEngine === "docker")(
           yield* TestClock.adjust("30 seconds");
           const failure = yield* Fiber.join(operation);
           expect(failure.message).toBe(
-            `Database helper did not become ready within 30 seconds: ${warning}`,
+            [
+              `Database helper did not become ready within 30 seconds: ${warning}`,
+              "helper state: running (exit 0)",
+              "helper logs: supabase-helper-ready",
+              "helper stderr line",
+            ].join("\n"),
           );
           const create = commands.find((args) => args[0] === "create");
           const name = create?.[create.indexOf("--name") + 1];
diff --git a/packages/stack/src/storage/DockerDatabaseStorage.ts b/packages/stack/src/storage/DockerDatabaseStorage.ts
index c5a6c145fe..1191857a3c 100644
--- a/packages/stack/src/storage/DockerDatabaseStorage.ts
+++ b/packages/stack/src/storage/DockerDatabaseStorage.ts
@@ -375,7 +375,10 @@ export const makeDockerDatabaseStorage = Effect.fn("DockerDatabaseStorage.make")
       );
 
       const engineCommand = Effect.fn("DockerDatabaseStorage.engineCommand")(
-        (args: ReadonlyArray<string>): Effect.Effect<string, DockerDatabaseStorageError> =>
+        (
+          args: ReadonlyArray<string>,
+          output: "stdout" | "all" = "stdout",
+        ): Effect.Effect<string, DockerDatabaseStorageError> =>
           Effect.scoped(
             Effect.gen(function* () {
               yield* Effect.annotateCurrentSpan({
@@ -415,7 +418,9 @@ export const makeDockerDatabaseStorage = Effect.fn("DockerDatabaseStorage.make")
                   "engine",
                   stderr.trim() || `Container engine exited with ${code}`,
                 );
-              return stdout.trim();
+              return output === "all"
+                ? [stdout.trim(), stderr.trim()].filter((part) => part !== "").join("\n")
+                : stdout.trim();
             }),
           ).pipe(Effect.mapError((cause) => errorFor("engine", cause))),
       );
@@ -638,6 +643,33 @@ export const makeDockerDatabaseStorage = Effect.fn("DockerDatabaseStorage.make")
           )
           .pipe(Effect.mapError((cause) => errorFor("helper", cause)));
         const stderr = yield* stderrTail(child);
+        const stalledHelperState = Effect.fn("DockerDatabaseStorage.stalledHelperState")(
+          function* () {
+            const [state, logs] = yield* Effect.all(
+              [
+                engineCommand([
+                  "inspect",
+                  "--format",
+                  "{{.State.Status}} (exit {{.State.ExitCode}}){{if .State.Error}}: {{.State.Error}}{{end}}",
+                  name,
+                ]),
+                // `logs` relays the helper's stderr on the engine's own stderr.
+                engineCommand(["logs", "--tail", "20", name], "all"),
+              ].map((command) =>
+                command.pipe(
+                  Effect.timeoutOrElse({
+                    duration: "5 seconds",
+                    orElse: () => Effect.succeed("unavailable: timed out after 5 seconds"),
+                  }),
+                  Effect.catch((cause) => Effect.succeed(`unavailable: ${cause.message}`)),
+                ),
+              ),
+              { concurrency: "unbounded" },
+            );
+            yield* Effect.annotateCurrentSpan("helper.state", state);
+            return `helper state: ${state}\nhelper logs: ${logs || "(empty)"}`;
+          },
+        );
         return yield* child.stdout.pipe(
           Stream.decodeText,
           Stream.splitLines,
@@ -650,6 +682,11 @@ export const makeDockerDatabaseStorage = Effect.fn("DockerDatabaseStorage.make")
             exit.value.value === "supabase-helper-ready"
               ? Effect.succeed(name)
               : Effect.gen(function* () {
+                  const timedOut =
+                    Exit.isFailure(exit) &&
+                    Option.exists(Cause.findErrorOption(exit.cause), Cause.isTimeoutError);
+                  // Inspect before the kill: `--rm` removes the helper once its attach ends.
+                  const state = timedOut ? yield* stalledHelperState() : "";
                   yield* child
                     .kill({ killSignal: "SIGTERM", forceKillAfter: "5 seconds" })
                     .pipe(Effect.ignore);
@@ -659,7 +696,7 @@ export const makeDockerDatabaseStorage = Effect.fn("DockerDatabaseStorage.make")
                   );
                   // Docker prints warnings such as a platform mismatch on `create`, so keep that
                   // output alongside what `start` wrote.
-                  const tail = [createTail, diagnostic.trim()]
+                  const tail = [createTail, diagnostic.trim(), state]
                     .filter((part) => part !== "")
                     .join("\n");
                   const reason = Exit.isFailure(exit)