diff --git a/meta/runtime.yml b/meta/runtime.yml
index 114725cc..ffbc86bc 100644
--- a/meta/runtime.yml
+++ b/meta/runtime.yml
@@ -1,2 +1,5 @@
 ---
-requires_ansible: ">=2.18.0"
+# ansible-core floor: 2.18 went EOL on 2026-05-31, 2.19 goes EOL 2026-11-30.
+# Declare 2.19 as the floor now so 2.18 users see a resolvable error message
+# instead of a stray syntax failure; bump to 2.20 once 2.19 goes EOL.
+requires_ansible: ">=2.19.0"
diff --git a/molecule/shared/create.yml b/molecule/shared/create.yml
index 9a5ff360..25853fd1 100644
--- a/molecule/shared/create.yml
+++ b/molecule/shared/create.yml
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@
     incus_storage_pool: "{{ lookup('env', 'INCUS_STORAGE_POOL') | default('lvm-pool', true) }}"
     # Pre-baked local images with SSH + python3 + authorized_keys ready.
     incus_images:
+      # Debian 12 (Bookworm) went EOL on 2026-07-11. Kept in the full CI
+      # matrix as best-effort while community users still run it; drop
+      # once Trixie hits its 1-year mark (2026-08) and Bookworm images
+      # stop building cleanly.
       debian12: "molecule-debian-12"
       debian13: "molecule-debian-13"
       rockylinux9: "molecule-rockylinux-9"