diff --git a/commands/bootstrap.sh b/commands/bootstrap.sh
index c7cce46..14cf9d4 100755
--- a/commands/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/commands/bootstrap.sh
@@ -747,25 +747,43 @@ if [ "$HOST" = "yes" ]; then
         printf '%s/%s/raw/branch/%s/install.sh\n' "$BOX_HOST" "$BOX_REPO" "$BOX_REF" ;;
     esac
   }
-  # Operator-facing recovery command. On multi-candidate hosts (Forgejo)
-  # list every URL — taking only the first would hand BOX_REF=main a
-  # /raw/tag/main URL that 404s (#111 review: "tells the operator to run a
-  # command that 404s"). After a live probe succeeds, the install loop
-  # rewrites BOX_MANUAL to the URL that actually worked.
+  # One pasteable recovery command per candidate URL. Never join candidates
+  # with English prose or shell metacharacters — "curl A | bash; if that
+  # 404s: curl B | bash" is not valid shell (`bash -n` exits 2) and is the
+  # same class of operator-facing failure #111 exists to remove (#125 /
+  # codex REQUEST_CHANGES on !114). Display uses separate prefixed lines
+  # (try: / or:); after a live probe succeeds the install loop rewrites
+  # BOX_MANUAL to the single URL that worked.
+  box_manual_cmd() { # box_manual_cmd <url> — one pasteable install line
+    printf 'curl -fsSL %s | BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=%s bash\n' "$1" "$BOX_REF"
+  }
+  box_manual_text() {
+    local _n=0 _url _cmd
+    while IFS= read -r _url; do
+      _cmd="$(box_manual_cmd "$_url")"
+      _cmd="${_cmd%$'\n'}"
+      _n=$((_n + 1))
+      if [ "$_n" -eq 1 ]; then
+        printf 'try: %s\n' "$_cmd"
+      else
+        printf 'or:  %s\n' "$_cmd"
+      fi
+    done < <(box_install_urls)
+  }
   BOX_INSTALL_URL="$(box_install_urls | head -n1)"
-  BOX_MANUAL=""
-  while IFS= read -r _box_manual_url; do
-    _box_manual_cmd="curl -fsSL ${_box_manual_url} | BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=${BOX_REF} bash"
-    if [ -z "$BOX_MANUAL" ]; then
-      BOX_MANUAL="$_box_manual_cmd"
-    else
-      BOX_MANUAL="${BOX_MANUAL}; if that 404s: ${_box_manual_cmd}"
-    fi
-  done < <(box_install_urls)
+  # Newline-separated try:/or: lines — each command after the prefix is
+  # independently pasteable (never one shell-looking string with prose).
+  BOX_MANUAL="$(box_manual_text)"
   if [ "${RIG_SKIP_BOX_INSTALL:-}" = "1" ]; then
-    log "RIG_SKIP_BOX_INSTALL=1 — skipping box install; to prepare Incus by hand later: ${BOX_MANUAL}"
+    log "RIG_SKIP_BOX_INSTALL=1 — skipping box install; to prepare Incus by hand later:"
+    while IFS= read -r _line; do [ -n "$_line" ] && log "  ${_line}"; done <<EOF
+$BOX_MANUAL
+EOF
   elif ! command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    warn "curl not found — skipping box install; once curl is present, prepare Incus with: ${BOX_MANUAL}"
+    warn "curl not found — skipping box install; once curl is present, prepare Incus with:"
+    while IFS= read -r _line; do [ -n "$_line" ] && warn "  ${_line}"; done <<EOF
+$BOX_MANUAL
+EOF
   else
     log "installing box (${BOX_REPO}@${BOX_REF}) and running its host setup — box owns Incus, not rig"
     # BOX_YES=1 in the environment: non-interactive AND keeps setup-host, so box
@@ -783,7 +801,7 @@ if [ "$HOST" = "yes" ]; then
       if curl -fsSL "$_box_url" -o "$BOX_SCRIPT"; then
         BOX_GOT="$_box_url"
         BOX_INSTALL_URL="$_box_url"
-        BOX_MANUAL="curl -fsSL ${BOX_INSTALL_URL} | BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=${BOX_REF} bash"
+        BOX_MANUAL="$(box_manual_cmd "$BOX_INSTALL_URL" | tr -d '\n')"
         break
       fi
     done < <(box_install_urls)
diff --git a/test/cli.sh b/test/cli.sh
index e77a2aa..f1b19a0 100644
--- a/test/cli.sh
+++ b/test/cli.sh
@@ -244,9 +244,11 @@ check "bootstrap: BOX_REF overrides the released default" 0 "" \
 check "bootstrap: box install passes BOX_REF through the installer pipe" 0 "" \
   grep -qF 'BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF="$BOX_REF" bash' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
 # The same pinned command is operators' recovery path on every skip/failure.
+# box_manual_cmd formats BOX_REF via %s so the rendered recovery always
+# carries the concrete pin (not a bare unexpanded variable).
 # shellcheck disable=SC2016
 check "bootstrap: manual box install carries the pinned ref" 0 "" \
-  grep -qF 'BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=${BOX_REF} bash' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
+  grep -qF 'BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=%s bash' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
 check "bootstrap: box repository remains pinnable" 0 "" \
   grep -qF 'BOX_REPO:-heavy-duty/box' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
 # BOX_HOST selects the forge that serves box's installer script (#111).
@@ -301,9 +303,51 @@ check "bootstrap: box_install_urls Forgejo branch second" 0 \
 check "bootstrap: box_install_urls Forgejo tag-first even for BOX_REF=main" 0 \
   "https://forgejo.example/heavy-duty/box/raw/tag/main/install.sh" \
   biu_line https://forgejo.example main 1
-# BOX_MANUAL must not hand the operator only a 404ing first candidate.
-check "bootstrap: BOX_MANUAL names the branch fallback when tag may 404" 0 "" \
-  grep -qF 'if that 404s:' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
+# BOX_MANUAL recovery text: separate try:/or: lines, each command pasteable
+# (codex REQUEST_CHANGES / #125 — prose-joined strings fail `bash -n`).
+# Extract box_manual_cmd + box_manual_text with the same nested-fn idiom.
+BIM="$BIU_DIR/box-manual.sh"
+{
+  awk '/^  box_install_urls\(\) \{/,/^  \}/' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
+  awk '/^  box_manual_cmd\(\) \{/,/^  \}/' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
+  awk '/^  box_manual_text\(\) \{/,/^  \}/' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
+} | sed 's/^  //' > "$BIM"
+check "bootstrap: box_manual helpers extracted" 0 "try:" cat "$BIM"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016
+bmanual() { # bmanual HOST REF — render BOX_MANUAL text
+  env BOX_HOST="$1" BOX_REPO=heavy-duty/box BOX_REF="$2" \
+    bash -c 'set -euo pipefail; . "$1"; box_manual_text' _ "$BIM"
+}
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016
+bmanual_cmds_ok() { # every pasteable command after try:/or: passes bash -n
+  env BOX_HOST="$1" BOX_REPO=heavy-duty/box BOX_REF="$2" \
+    bash -c 'set -euo pipefail
+      . "$1"
+      while IFS= read -r line; do
+        [ -n "$line" ] || continue
+        cmd="$line"
+        cmd="${cmd#try: }"
+        cmd="${cmd#or:  }"
+        cmd="${cmd#or: }"
+        bash -n <<<"$cmd"
+      done < <(box_manual_text)' _ "$BIM"
+}
+check "bootstrap: BOX_MANUAL GitHub is a single try: raw.githubusercontent.com line" 0 \
+  "try: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/heavy-duty/box/0.9.0/install.sh | BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=0.9.0 bash" \
+  bmanual https://github.com 0.9.0
+check "bootstrap: BOX_MANUAL Forgejo lists raw/tag first" 0 \
+  "try: curl -fsSL https://forgejo.example/heavy-duty/box/raw/tag/main/install.sh | BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=main bash" \
+  bmanual https://forgejo.example main
+check "bootstrap: BOX_MANUAL Forgejo lists raw/branch as or:" 0 \
+  "or:  curl -fsSL https://forgejo.example/heavy-duty/box/raw/branch/main/install.sh | BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=main bash" \
+  bmanual https://forgejo.example main
+check "bootstrap: BOX_MANUAL GitHub commands pass bash -n" 0 "" \
+  bmanual_cmds_ok https://github.com 0.9.0
+check "bootstrap: BOX_MANUAL Forgejo commands pass bash -n" 0 "" \
+  bmanual_cmds_ok https://forgejo.example main
+# Regression: the old prose join must not return.
+check "bootstrap: BOX_MANUAL does not use prose 'if that 404s'" 1 "" \
+  grep -qF 'if that 404s' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
 rm -rf "$BIU_DIR"
 # Opt-out for rehearsals / offline / hand-managed hosts.
 check "bootstrap: box install honors RIG_SKIP_BOX_INSTALL opt-out" 0 "" \