diff --git a/src/bootstrap/builder.rs b/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
index 97b353b5462f5..66bc0f023b6c9 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/builder.rs
@@ -97,13 +97,13 @@ 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)
     }
@@ -112,18 +112,17 @@ impl RunConfig<'_> {
 /// 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: Interned<Vec<String>>) -> String {
+pub fn crate_description(crates: &[impl AsRef<str>]) -> String {
     if crates.is_empty() {
         return "".into();
     }
 
-    let mut descr = String::from(": {");
-    for krate in &*crates {
-        write!(descr, "{}, ", krate.strip_prefix("-p=").unwrap()).unwrap();
+    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.pop();
-    descr.pop();
     descr.push('}');
     descr
 }
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 d887495d633f0..468efc1114c43 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/clean.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/clean.rs
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ macro_rules! clean_crate_tree {
                 }
 
                 builder.info(&format!(
-                    "Cleaning stage{} {} artifacts ({} -> {}){}",
-                    compiler.stage, stringify!($name).to_lowercase(), &compiler.host, target, crate_description(self.crates),
+                    "Cleaning{} stage{} {} artifacts ({} -> {})",
+                    crate_description(&self.crates), compiler.stage, stringify!($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 5bf5683f85dea..35bdfbfa0ed1a 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/compile.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/compile.rs
@@ -111,7 +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.
@@ -127,18 +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 ({} -> {}){}",
+            "Building{} stage{} library artifacts ({} -> {})",
+            crate_description(&self.crates),
             compiler.stage,
             &compiler.host,
             target,
-            crate_description(self.crates),
         ));
         run_cargo(
             builder,
             cargo,
-            self.crates.to_vec(),
+            vec![],
             &libstd_stamp(builder, compiler, target),
             target_deps,
             false,
@@ -429,7 +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);
@@ -718,17 +724,21 @@ impl Step for Rustc {
             }
         }
 
+        for krate in &*self.crates {
+            cargo.arg("-p").arg(krate);
+        }
+
         builder.info(&format!(
-            "Building stage{} compiler artifacts ({} -> {}){}",
+            "Building{} stage{} compiler artifacts ({} -> {})",
+            crate_description(&self.crates),
             compiler.stage,
             &compiler.host,
             target,
-            crate_description(self.crates),
         ));
         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());