diff --git a/docs/ops/payment-system.md b/docs/ops/payment-system.md
index 7d9e5e2..76a18e4 100644
--- a/docs/ops/payment-system.md
+++ b/docs/ops/payment-system.md
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ The current payment system covers:
 - default subscription plan bootstrap
 - user subscription creation at registration time
 - invoice creation through a provider adapter
-- manual admin activation when an invoice is confirmed as paid
+- manual admin activation after an operator verifies that the provider reported a final successful payment status
 - quota-cycle reset on successful activation
 
 The current payment system does not yet cover:
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ The current payment system does not yet cover:
 
 ### `PaymentInvoice`
 - stores one provider-facing payment attempt for a subscription
+- `pending` means the invoice exists, but the payment is not yet considered final or accepted
+- `paid` means the payment is considered final and safe to activate against
 - important fields:
   - local `id`
   - `subscriptionId`
@@ -91,6 +93,13 @@ Current runtime note:
 5. The returned provider invoice data is persisted as a new local `PaymentInvoice` in `pending`.
 6. The API returns invoice details, including provider invoice id, amount, address, and expiry time.
 
+## Payment status semantics
+- `pending` does not count as paid.
+- `pending` does not activate the subscription.
+- `pending` does not reset quota.
+- The system must treat an invoice as `paid` only after the payment provider reports a final successful status, meaning the funds are accepted strongly enough for access activation.
+- The current implementation does not fetch or verify that provider-final status automatically yet.
+
 ## Invoice listing flow
 - `GET /api/billing/invoices` returns the user's invoices ordered by newest first.
 - This is a read-only view over persisted `PaymentInvoice` rows.
@@ -100,8 +109,9 @@ The implemented activation path is manual and admin-driven.
 
 1. An authenticated admin calls `POST /api/admin/invoices/:id/mark-paid`.
 2. The web app resolves the admin session and passes actor metadata into the billing store.
-3. `markInvoicePaid` runs inside one database transaction.
-4. If the invoice is `pending`, the store:
+3. This endpoint is intended to be used only after the operator has already verified that the provider reached a final successful payment state.
+4. `markInvoicePaid` runs inside one database transaction.
+5. If the invoice is `pending`, the store:
    - updates the invoice to `paid`
    - sets `paidAt`
    - updates the related subscription to `active`
@@ -111,7 +121,11 @@ The implemented activation path is manual and admin-driven.
    - clears `canceledAt`
    - writes a `UsageLedgerEntry` with `entryType = cycle_reset`
    - writes an `AdminAuditLog` entry `invoice_mark_paid`
-5. The API returns the updated invoice.
+6. The API returns the updated invoice.
+
+Important constraint:
+- `mark-paid` is not evidence by itself that a `pending` invoice became payable.
+- It is only the current manual mechanism for recording that the provider has already given final confirmation outside the app.
 
 ## Idempotency and transition rules
 `markInvoicePaid` is replay-safe.
@@ -156,11 +170,17 @@ Current payment-specific errors surfaced by the web app:
 
 ## Current limitations
 - The system still depends on manual admin confirmation to activate access.
+- Because provider-final status is not ingested automatically yet, the app currently relies on operator judgment when calling `mark-paid`.
 - No provider callback or reconciliation job updates invoice state automatically.
 - No runtime path currently moves invoices to `expired` or `canceled`.
 - The provider adapter does not yet verify external status or signatures.
 - Subscription lifecycle beyond the current `mark-paid` path is still incomplete.
 
+## Required future direction
+- Add provider callbacks or polling-based reconciliation.
+- Persist provider-final status before activating access automatically.
+- Reduce or remove the need for operator judgment in the normal payment-success path.
+
 ## Code references
 - `packages/db/src/bootstrap.ts`
 - `packages/db/src/auth-store.ts`