diff --git a/src/markdown/opaque-carry.ts b/src/markdown/opaque-carry.ts
index a332b50..9d5db85 100644
--- a/src/markdown/opaque-carry.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/opaque-carry.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ export function readCarriedInline(span: DirectiveSpan): Read<AdfNode> | undefine
 
 function carriedJson(node: AdfNode, spelling: JsonSpelling, path: ConvertErrorPath, levels: number): Result<string> {
   if (!isJsonValue(node, levels)) {
-    return failure('unsupported-nesting-depth', `a carried node's JSON nests the document deeper than the ${largestNesting} levels the emitter carries`, path)
+    return failure('unsupported-nesting-depth', `a carried node's JSON nests deeper than the ${levels} levels its position leaves`, path)
   }
   return success(serializeCanonicalJson(node, spelling))
 }
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ function readCarriedJson(raw: string, spelling: JsonSpelling, levels: number): R
   if (!isJsonValue(value, levels)) {
     // Unbounded, the same walk parts the two causes one `false` holds (AGENTS.md §8).
     if (!isJsonValue(value, Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY)) return { fault: unsupportedNodeShape('the opaque carry holds a number JSON cannot spell') }
-    return { fault: { code: 'unsupported-nesting-depth', message: `a carried node's JSON nests the input deeper than the ${largestNesting} levels the parser carries` } }
+    return { fault: { code: 'unsupported-nesting-depth', message: `a carried node's JSON nests deeper than the ${levels} levels its position leaves` } }
   }
   if (serializeCanonicalJson(value, spelling) !== raw) {
     const shape = spelling === 'compact' ? 'compact, keys sorted' : 'two-space indent, keys sorted'
diff --git a/src/markdown/parse/markdown-to-adf.test.ts b/src/markdown/parse/markdown-to-adf.test.ts
index 5c44ba2..b93f805 100644
--- a/src/markdown/parse/markdown-to-adf.test.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/parse/markdown-to-adf.test.ts
@@ -315,10 +315,13 @@ test('names the shape the inline carry reads alone', () => {
 test('holds a carried JSON value to the nesting its position leaves', () => {
   const nested = (levels: number): string => `${'['.repeat(levels)}${']'.repeat(levels)}`
   const fence = (prefix: string, levels: number): string => `${prefix}\`\`\`adf\n${prefix}${nested(levels)}\n${prefix}\`\`\`\n`
-  const deeper = `unsupported-nesting-depth: a carried node's JSON nests the input deeper than the ${largestNesting} levels the parser carries`
-  assert.equal(content(markdownToAdf(`:adf{json="${nested(largestNesting + 2)}"}\n`)), deeper)
-  assert.equal(code(markdownToAdf(fence('', largestNesting + 1))), 'unsupported-node-shape')
-  assert.equal(content(markdownToAdf(fence('> ', largestNesting + 1))), deeper)
+  const deeper = (levels: number): string => `unsupported-nesting-depth: a carried node's JSON nests deeper than the ${levels} levels its position leaves`
+  assert.equal(content(markdownToAdf(`:adf{json="${nested(largestNesting + 2)}"}\n`)), deeper(largestNesting))
+  assert.equal(
+    content(markdownToAdf(fence('', largestNesting + 1))),
+    "unsupported-node-shape: the opaque carry spells its node's JSON canonically: two-space indent, keys sorted",
+  )
+  assert.equal(content(markdownToAdf(fence('> ', largestNesting + 1))), deeper(largestNesting - 1))
 })
 
 test('names the number no JSON spelling carries in an opaque carry', () => {