diff --git a/tools/wj-status.sh b/tools/wj-status.sh
index d133cd53..f35fe110 100755
--- a/tools/wj-status.sh
+++ b/tools/wj-status.sh
@@ -44,10 +44,25 @@ if ! git rev-parse --verify --quiet refs/heads/wj >/dev/null; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-COMMITS="$(git rev-list --reverse "$RANGE")"
+# git cherry, not rev-list. Promotion CHERRY-PICKS, which gives the commit a new
+# sha on main, so `main..wj` keeps listing work that already landed - and this
+# tool would then invite you to promote it a second time. `git cherry` compares
+# patch content and marks an already-present commit with a leading '-'.
+COMMITS="$(git cherry main wj | awk '$1 == "+" { print $2 }')"
+
+ALREADY="$(git cherry main wj | awk '$1 == "-" { print $2 }' | wc -l)"
 
 if [ -z "$COMMITS" ]; then
   echo "Nothing on wj that main does not have."
+  if [ "$ALREADY" -gt 0 ]; then
+    echo "($ALREADY commit(s) here have already landed on main as cherry-picks.)"
+  fi
+  echo
+  echo "wj is behind main by:"
+  git log --oneline wj..main | sed 's/^/  /' | head -10
+  echo
+  echo "Rebase it before starting new work:"
+  echo "    git checkout wj && git rebase main"
   exit 0
 fi