diff --git a/src/bootstrap/builder.rs b/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
index 707e4169002d9..66bc0f023b6c9 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
@@ -97,18 +97,36 @@ impl RunConfig<'_> {
         self.builder.build.build
     }
 
-    /// Return a `-p=x -p=y` string suitable for passing to a cargo invocation.
+    /// Return a list of crate names selected by `run.paths`.
     pub fn cargo_crates_in_set(&self) -> Interned<Vec<String>> {
         let mut crates = Vec::new();
         for krate in &self.paths {
             let path = krate.assert_single_path();
             let crate_name = self.builder.crate_paths[&path.path];
-            crates.push(format!("-p={crate_name}"));
+            crates.push(crate_name.to_string());
         }
         INTERNER.intern_list(crates)
     }
 }
 
+/// A description of the crates in this set, suitable for passing to `builder.info`.
+///
+/// `crates` should be generated by [`RunConfig::cargo_crates_in_set`].
+pub fn crate_description(crates: &[impl AsRef<str>]) -> String {
+    if crates.is_empty() {
+        return "".into();
+    }
+
+    let mut descr = String::from(" {");
+    descr.push_str(crates[0].as_ref());
+    for krate in &crates[1..] {
+        descr.push_str(", ");
+        descr.push_str(krate.as_ref());
+    }
+    descr.push('}');
+    descr
+}
+
 struct StepDescription {
     default: bool,
     only_hosts: bool,
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/check.rs b/src/bootstrap/check.rs
index 2e1bd8d6d1f6d..188c0a43e50d7 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/check.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/check.rs
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ impl Step for Std {
         std_cargo(builder, target, compiler.stage, &mut cargo);
 
         builder.info(&format!(
-            "Checking stage{} std artifacts ({} -> {})",
+            "Checking stage{} library artifacts ({} -> {})",
             builder.top_stage, &compiler.host, target
         ));
         run_cargo(
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ impl Step for Std {
         }
 
         builder.info(&format!(
-            "Checking stage{} std test/bench/example targets ({} -> {})",
+            "Checking stage{} library test/bench/example targets ({} -> {})",
             builder.top_stage, &compiler.host, target
         ));
         run_cargo(
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/clean.rs b/src/bootstrap/clean.rs
index 8e363ee1290ee..468efc1114c43 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/clean.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/clean.rs
@@ -9,11 +9,10 @@ use std::fs;
 use std::io::{self, ErrorKind};
 use std::path::Path;
 
-use crate::builder::{Builder, RunConfig, ShouldRun, Step};
+use crate::builder::{crate_description, Builder, RunConfig, ShouldRun, Step};
 use crate::cache::Interned;
-use crate::config::TargetSelection;
 use crate::util::t;
-use crate::{Build, Mode, Subcommand};
+use crate::{Build, Compiler, Mode, Subcommand};
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
 pub struct CleanAll {}
@@ -40,7 +39,7 @@ macro_rules! clean_crate_tree {
     ( $( $name:ident, $mode:path, $root_crate:literal);+ $(;)? ) => { $(
         #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
         pub struct $name {
-            target: TargetSelection,
+            compiler: Compiler,
             crates: Interned<Vec<String>>,
         }
 
@@ -54,22 +53,21 @@ macro_rules! clean_crate_tree {
 
             fn make_run(run: RunConfig<'_>) {
                 let builder = run.builder;
-                if builder.top_stage != 0 {
-                    panic!("non-stage-0 clean not supported for individual crates");
-                }
-                builder.ensure(Self { crates: run.cargo_crates_in_set(), target: run.target });
+                let compiler = builder.compiler(builder.top_stage, run.target);
+                builder.ensure(Self { crates: run.cargo_crates_in_set(), compiler });
             }
 
             fn run(self, builder: &Builder<'_>) -> Self::Output {
-                let compiler = builder.compiler(0, self.target);
-                let mut cargo = builder.bare_cargo(compiler, $mode, self.target, "clean");
+                let compiler = self.compiler;
+                let target = compiler.host;
+                let mut cargo = builder.bare_cargo(compiler, $mode, target, "clean");
                 for krate in &*self.crates {
                     cargo.arg(krate);
                 }
 
                 builder.info(&format!(
-                    "Cleaning stage{} {} artifacts ({} -> {})",
-                    compiler.stage, stringify!($name).to_lowercase(), &compiler.host, self.target
+                    "Cleaning{} stage{} {} artifacts ({} -> {})",
+                    crate_description(&self.crates), compiler.stage, stringify!($name).to_lowercase(), &compiler.host, target,
                 ));
 
                 // NOTE: doesn't use `run_cargo` because we don't want to save a stamp file,
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/compile.rs b/src/bootstrap/compile.rs
index 1030247b890c3..35bdfbfa0ed1a 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/compile.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/compile.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ use std::str;
 
 use serde::Deserialize;
 
+use crate::builder::crate_description;
 use crate::builder::Cargo;
 use crate::builder::{Builder, Kind, RunConfig, ShouldRun, Step};
 use crate::cache::{Interned, INTERNER};
@@ -110,7 +111,10 @@ impl Step for Std {
         let compiler_to_use = builder.compiler_for(compiler.stage, compiler.host, target);
         if compiler_to_use != compiler {
             builder.ensure(Std::new(compiler_to_use, target));
-            builder.info(&format!("Uplifting stage1 std ({} -> {})", compiler_to_use.host, target));
+            builder.info(&format!(
+                "Uplifting stage1 library ({} -> {})",
+                compiler_to_use.host, target
+            ));
 
             // Even if we're not building std this stage, the new sysroot must
             // still contain the third party objects needed by various targets.
@@ -126,15 +130,21 @@ impl Step for Std {
 
         let mut cargo = builder.cargo(compiler, Mode::Std, SourceType::InTree, target, "build");
         std_cargo(builder, target, compiler.stage, &mut cargo);
+        for krate in &*self.crates {
+            cargo.arg("-p").arg(krate);
+        }
 
         builder.info(&format!(
-            "Building stage{} std artifacts ({} -> {})",
-            compiler.stage, &compiler.host, target
+            "Building{} stage{} library artifacts ({} -> {})",
+            crate_description(&self.crates),
+            compiler.stage,
+            &compiler.host,
+            target,
         ));
         run_cargo(
             builder,
             cargo,
-            self.crates.to_vec(),
+            vec![],
             &libstd_stamp(builder, compiler, target),
             target_deps,
             false,
@@ -425,7 +435,7 @@ impl Step for StdLink {
         let target_compiler = self.target_compiler;
         let target = self.target;
         builder.info(&format!(
-            "Copying stage{} std from stage{} ({} -> {} / {})",
+            "Copying stage{} library from stage{} ({} -> {} / {})",
             target_compiler.stage, compiler.stage, &compiler.host, target_compiler.host, target
         ));
         let libdir = builder.sysroot_libdir(target_compiler, target);
@@ -714,14 +724,21 @@ impl Step for Rustc {
             }
         }
 
+        for krate in &*self.crates {
+            cargo.arg("-p").arg(krate);
+        }
+
         builder.info(&format!(
-            "Building stage{} compiler artifacts ({} -> {})",
-            compiler.stage, &compiler.host, target
+            "Building{} stage{} compiler artifacts ({} -> {})",
+            crate_description(&self.crates),
+            compiler.stage,
+            &compiler.host,
+            target,
         ));
         run_cargo(
             builder,
             cargo,
-            self.crates.to_vec(),
+            vec![],
             &librustc_stamp(builder, compiler, target),
             vec![],
             false,
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/doc.rs b/src/bootstrap/doc.rs
index 5838049aa5c79..0562c270d54c0 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/doc.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/doc.rs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ use std::fs;
 use std::io;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
+use crate::builder::crate_description;
 use crate::builder::{Builder, Compiler, Kind, RunConfig, ShouldRun, Step};
 use crate::cache::{Interned, INTERNER};
 use crate::compile;
@@ -554,7 +555,8 @@ fn doc_std(
     requested_crates: &[String],
 ) {
     builder.info(&format!(
-        "Documenting stage{} std ({}) in {} format",
+        "Documenting{} stage{} library ({}) in {} format",
+        crate_description(requested_crates),
         stage,
         target,
         format.as_str()
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/test.rs b/src/bootstrap/test.rs
index c8b4134391e5f..d5bec268a4567 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/test.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/test.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ use std::iter;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::process::{Command, Stdio};
 
+use crate::builder::crate_description;
 use crate::builder::{Builder, Compiler, Kind, RunConfig, ShouldRun, Step};
 use crate::cache::Interned;
 use crate::compile;
@@ -2154,8 +2155,12 @@ impl Step for Crate {
         }
 
         builder.info(&format!(
-            "{} {:?} stage{} ({} -> {})",
-            test_kind, self.crates, compiler.stage, &compiler.host, target
+            "{}{} stage{} ({} -> {})",
+            test_kind,
+            crate_description(&self.crates),
+            compiler.stage,
+            &compiler.host,
+            target
         ));
         let _time = util::timeit(&builder);
         try_run(builder, &mut cargo.into());