diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index b719c6e3b..ba247719f 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -673,9 +673,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "criterion-markdown"
-version = "0.2.2"
+version = "0.3.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "3d6e13f76f7a56c31550cfa23e2c9d4f312afe96f51667c244a6402695b672e8"
+checksum = "04a71ec3e7be23ef7802da672ac1ba2a5be5e686ee8050b8b70eb43de4457bcf"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "serde",
diff --git a/bench_report.toml b/bench_report.toml
index de30b510b..dbdfa6001 100644
--- a/bench_report.toml
+++ b/bench_report.toml
@@ -27,13 +27,6 @@ allowlist = [
 # Every entry names one benchmark, so nothing needs excluding.
 denylist = []
 
-# How far a result moves before a report calls it a change rather than noise.
-# The improvements are how many times faster, `regression` the fraction of the
-# baseline a result falls to.
-improvement = 1.5 # 1.5x faster
-strong_improvement = 1.8 # 1.8x faster
-regression = 0.67 # 1.5x slower
-
 # Whose runs `run:`, `pr:` and the rest read, `<owner>/<name>` or `remote:<name>`
 # for whichever repository a git remote points at.
 repo = "hyperlight-dev/hyperlight"
@@ -44,3 +37,18 @@ summary_limit = 3
 # End a report with the command that asks for it again, as CI does for the
 # pull request comment.
 reproduce = false
+
+# How far a result moves before a report calls it a change rather than noise.
+# The improvements are how many times faster, `regression` the fraction of the
+# baseline a result falls to.
+[thresholds]
+regression = 0.67 # 1.5x slower
+improvement = 1.5 # 1.5x faster
+strong_improvement = 1.8 # 1.8x faster
+
+# Icons shown for each change classification.
+[thresholds.emojis]
+regression = "❌"
+stable = "➖"
+improvement = "✅"
+strong_improvement = "🌟"
diff --git a/src/hyperlight_ci/Cargo.toml b/src/hyperlight_ci/Cargo.toml
index 3f2ab8816..0d58fac5b 100644
--- a/src/hyperlight_ci/Cargo.toml
+++ b/src/hyperlight_ci/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ workspace = true
 [dependencies]
 anyhow = "1"
 clap = { version = "4.6.1", features = ["derive"] }
-criterion-markdown = "0.2.2"
+criterion-markdown = "0.3.0"
 criterion-swarm = "0.2.2"
 regex = "1"
 serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
diff --git a/src/hyperlight_ci/src/bench_report.rs b/src/hyperlight_ci/src/bench_report.rs
index 0419b8eff..4dfb5b92b 100644
--- a/src/hyperlight_ci/src/bench_report.rs
+++ b/src/hyperlight_ci/src/bench_report.rs
@@ -306,26 +306,56 @@ fn reproduce(args: &BenchReportArgs, repo: &str, candidate: &Origin, baseline: &
 fn thresholds(
     args: &BenchReportArgs,
     config: Option<&BenchConfig>,
-) -> criterion_markdown::ChangeThresholds {
-    let from_config = |read: fn(&BenchConfig) -> Option<f64>| config.and_then(read);
-    let mut thresholds = criterion_markdown::ChangeThresholds::default();
+) -> criterion_markdown::Thresholds {
+    let config = config.map(|config| &config.thresholds);
+    let mut thresholds = criterion_markdown::Thresholds::default();
 
-    if let Some(ratio) = args.improvement.or_else(|| from_config(|c| c.improvement)) {
+    if let Some(ratio) = args
+        .improvement
+        .or_else(|| config.and_then(|thresholds| thresholds.improvement))
+    {
         thresholds = thresholds.improvement_ratio(ratio);
     }
     if let Some(ratio) = args
         .strong_improvement
-        .or_else(|| from_config(|c| c.strong_improvement))
+        .or_else(|| config.and_then(|thresholds| thresholds.strong_improvement))
     {
         thresholds = thresholds.strong_improvement_ratio(ratio);
     }
-    if let Some(ratio) = args.regression.or_else(|| from_config(|c| c.regression)) {
+    if let Some(ratio) = args
+        .regression
+        .or_else(|| config.and_then(|thresholds| thresholds.regression))
+    {
         thresholds = thresholds.regression_ratio(ratio);
     }
 
     thresholds
 }
 
+/// Change indicators selected by the config file, then the renderer.
+fn emojis(config: Option<&BenchConfig>) -> criterion_markdown::Emojis {
+    let mut emojis = criterion_markdown::Emojis::default();
+    let Some(config) = config else {
+        return emojis;
+    };
+    let config = &config.thresholds.emojis;
+
+    if let Some(emoji) = &config.regression {
+        emojis = emojis.regression(emoji);
+    }
+    if let Some(emoji) = &config.stable {
+        emojis = emojis.stable(emoji);
+    }
+    if let Some(emoji) = &config.improvement {
+        emojis = emojis.improvement(emoji);
+    }
+    if let Some(emoji) = &config.strong_improvement {
+        emojis = emojis.strong_improvement(emoji);
+    }
+
+    emojis
+}
+
 /// Say which commits the report covers, so a reader can tell what they are
 /// looking at without knowing how it was asked for.
 fn measured(repo: &str, candidate: &Origin, baseline: &Origin) -> Option<String> {
@@ -483,7 +513,7 @@ fn describe(label: &str) -> String {
 async fn report(
     args: &BenchReportArgs,
     config: Option<&BenchConfig>,
-    thresholds: criterion_markdown::ChangeThresholds,
+    thresholds: criterion_markdown::Thresholds,
     summary_limit: Option<usize>,
     dir: &Path,
     baseline_root: Option<&Path>,
@@ -497,7 +527,8 @@ async fn report(
 
     let mut renderer = criterion_markdown::Renderer::new(dir)
         .benchmarks(benchmarks)
-        .change_thresholds(thresholds);
+        .thresholds(thresholds)
+        .emojis(emojis(config));
 
     if let Some(limit) = summary_limit {
         renderer = renderer.summary_limit(limit);
@@ -557,6 +588,35 @@ async fn discover_benchmarks(args: &BenchReportArgs, dir: &Path) -> Result<Vec<S
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn config_selects_report_emojis() {
+        let path =
+            std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("hl-report-emojis-{}.toml", std::process::id()));
+        std::fs::write(
+            &path,
+            r#"
+            [thresholds.emojis]
+            regression = "🔴"
+            stable = "⚪"
+            improvement = "🟢"
+            strong_improvement = "🔥"
+            "#,
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        let config = BenchConfig::load(&path).unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            emojis(Some(&config)),
+            criterion_markdown::Emojis::default()
+                .regression("🔴")
+                .stable("⚪")
+                .improvement("🟢")
+                .strong_improvement("🔥")
+        );
+
+        std::fs::remove_file(path).unwrap();
+    }
+
     /// A run that measured its own baseline says which commit that was, so the
     /// report names it without another set of results to read.
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/hyperlight_ci/src/config.rs b/src/hyperlight_ci/src/config.rs
index feb56971b..d69c1bc7d 100644
--- a/src/hyperlight_ci/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/hyperlight_ci/src/config.rs
@@ -16,23 +16,40 @@ struct ConfigFile {
     allowlist: Vec<String>,
     #[serde(default)]
     denylist: Vec<String>,
-    improvement: Option<f64>,
-    strong_improvement: Option<f64>,
-    regression: Option<f64>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    thresholds: ThresholdConfig,
     repo: Option<String>,
     summary_limit: Option<usize>,
     reproduce: Option<bool>,
 }
 
+/// Change indicators selected by the benchmark report config.
+#[derive(Debug, Default, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(deny_unknown_fields)]
+pub struct EmojiConfig {
+    pub regression: Option<String>,
+    pub stable: Option<String>,
+    pub improvement: Option<String>,
+    pub strong_improvement: Option<String>,
+}
+
+/// Change thresholds and their report indicators.
+#[derive(Debug, Default, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(deny_unknown_fields)]
+pub struct ThresholdConfig {
+    pub improvement: Option<f64>,
+    pub strong_improvement: Option<f64>,
+    pub regression: Option<f64>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub emojis: EmojiConfig,
+}
+
 /// Benchmark id patterns selecting which results are reported.
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct BenchConfig {
     allow: RegexSet,
     deny: RegexSet,
-    /// Where a change is worth reporting, when the file says.
-    pub improvement: Option<f64>,
-    pub strong_improvement: Option<f64>,
-    pub regression: Option<f64>,
+    pub thresholds: ThresholdConfig,
     /// Which repository the runs belong to.
     pub repo: Option<String>,
     /// How many changes to call out before the tables.
@@ -56,9 +73,7 @@ impl BenchConfig {
         Ok(Self {
             allow: RegexSet::new(&file.allowlist)?,
             deny: RegexSet::new(&file.denylist)?,
-            improvement: file.improvement,
-            strong_improvement: file.strong_improvement,
-            regression: file.regression,
+            thresholds: file.thresholds,
             repo: file.repo,
             summary_limit: file.summary_limit,
             reproduce: file.reproduce,
@@ -124,20 +139,21 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn reads_the_thresholds_when_given() {
-        let config = BenchConfig::parse("improvement = 1.5\nregression = 0.5").unwrap();
+        let config =
+            BenchConfig::parse("[thresholds]\nimprovement = 1.5\nregression = 0.5").unwrap();
 
-        assert_eq!(config.improvement, Some(1.5));
-        assert_eq!(config.regression, Some(0.5));
-        assert_eq!(config.strong_improvement, None);
+        assert_eq!(config.thresholds.improvement, Some(1.5));
+        assert_eq!(config.thresholds.regression, Some(0.5));
+        assert_eq!(config.thresholds.strong_improvement, None);
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn leaves_the_thresholds_alone_when_absent() {
         let config = BenchConfig::parse(r#"allowlist = ["^sandboxes/"]"#).unwrap();
 
-        assert_eq!(config.improvement, None);
-        assert_eq!(config.strong_improvement, None);
-        assert_eq!(config.regression, None);
+        assert_eq!(config.thresholds.improvement, None);
+        assert_eq!(config.thresholds.strong_improvement, None);
+        assert_eq!(config.thresholds.regression, None);
     }
 
     #[test]