diff --git a/ui/src/components/OperationPanel.jsx b/ui/src/components/OperationPanel.jsx
index 4e158ee..dc6292a 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/OperationPanel.jsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/OperationPanel.jsx
@@ -93,6 +93,30 @@ function Button({ onClick, active, children, title, disabled }) {
 // "copy rows from" sitting above "scale cloned rows by" above "tag".
 const LABEL_W = 'w-24'
 
+// Context on demand. The explanations used to be printed under the controls,
+// which put a line of prose beside every toggle -- and a line of prose beside a
+// toggle is skipped, while still costing the dock a row. Hovering gives it
+// (native title, which nothing can clip), clicking pins it.
+function Help({ text }) {
+  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)
+  if (!text) return null
+  return (
+    <span className="relative inline-flex shrink-0">
+      <button type="button" title={text} onClick={() => setOpen(o => !o)} onBlur={() => setOpen(false)}
+        aria-label={text}
+        className={`w-4 h-4 rounded-full border leading-none flex items-center justify-center transition-colors ${
+          open ? 'border-blue-400 text-blue-600 bg-blue-50' : 'border-gray-300 text-gray-500 hover:text-blue-600 hover:border-blue-400'}`}
+        style={{ fontSize: '10px' }}>?</button>
+      {open && (
+        <span className="absolute z-20 left-0 top-5 w-64 rounded border border-gray-200 bg-white shadow-lg px-2 py-1.5
+                         text-gray-600 leading-snug normal-case tracking-normal">
+          {text}
+        </span>
+      )}
+    </span>
+  )
+}
+
 // `stack` puts the label above its control instead of beside it. The aligned
 // label column costs 6rem, which is most of a narrow zone -- the tag field in
 // the bottom dock had 12rem of box left to type an initiative name into.
@@ -100,18 +124,17 @@ function Field({ label, children, hint, stack }) {
   if (stack) {
     return (
       <div className="flex flex-col gap-1 min-w-0">
-        <span className="text-gray-600 whitespace-nowrap">{label}</span>
+        <span className="text-gray-600 whitespace-nowrap flex items-center gap-1.5">{label}<Help text={hint} /></span>
         <div className="flex items-center gap-2 min-w-0">{children}</div>
-        {hint && <p className="text-gray-500 text-[11px] leading-snug">{hint}</p>}
       </div>
     )
   }
   return (
     <div className="flex items-start gap-2">
       <span className={`text-gray-600 whitespace-nowrap shrink-0 pt-1 ${LABEL_W}`}>{label}</span>
-      <div className="flex flex-col gap-1 min-w-0">
-        <div className="flex items-center gap-2 flex-wrap">{children}</div>
-        {hint && <p className="text-gray-500 text-[11px] leading-snug max-w-xs">{hint}</p>}
+      <div className="flex items-center gap-2 flex-wrap min-w-0">
+        {children}
+        <Help text={hint} />
       </div>
     </div>
   )
@@ -1063,11 +1086,7 @@ function ScaleLedger({ currentTotals, scaleInputs, setScaleInputs, scalePlug, se
             </Field>
           )}
 
-          {perSlice && (
-            <Field label="Per slice">
-              <span className="text-gray-500">figures above are combined totals</span>
-            </Field>
-          )}
+
         </div>
       )}
     </div>
@@ -1342,7 +1361,10 @@ export default function OperationPanel({
   // it is one line, they are one line, and stacked they cost three rows of a
   // dock that is 260px tall to begin with.
   const applyField = multi ? (
-    <Field label="Apply">
+    <Field label="Apply"
+      hint={applyMode === 'each'
+        ? `Each of the ${slices.length} slices reaches the target on its own, and each gets its own log entry. The ledger's figures are combined totals, so a slice's own change will differ from them.`
+        : `The ${slices.length} slices are one pool: a target is the new combined total, and each slice keeps its share of the mix. One log entry.`}>
       <ApplyModeChooser op={activeOp} applyMode={applyMode} setApplyMode={setApplyMode} count={slices.length} />
     </Field>
   ) : null