diff --git a/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client.go b/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client.go
index 00c1e05d0d..3748030387 100644
--- a/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client.go
+++ b/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client.go
@@ -578,7 +578,7 @@ func submitSSHTunnelJob(ctx context.Context, client *databricks.WorkspaceClient,
 	cmdio.LogString(ctx, fmt.Sprintf("Job submitted successfully with run ID: %d", waiter.RunId))
 
 	// Return the run ID even on error so callers can fetch the run's failure details.
-	return waiter.RunId, waitForJobToStart(ctx, client, waiter.RunId, opts.TaskStartupTimeout)
+	return waiter.RunId, waitForJobToStart(ctx, client, waiter.RunId, opts)
 }
 
 func spawnSSHClient(ctx context.Context, userName, privateKeyPath string, serverPort int, clusterID string, opts ClientOptions) error {
@@ -642,7 +642,7 @@ func checkClusterState(ctx context.Context, client *databricks.WorkspaceClient,
 	sp := cmdio.NewSpinner(ctx, cmdio.WithElapsedTime())
 	defer sp.Close()
 	if autoStart {
-		sp.Update("Ensuring the cluster is running...")
+		sp.Update("Waiting for compute to start...")
 		err := client.Clusters.EnsureClusterIsRunning(ctx, clusterID)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to ensure that the cluster is running: %w", err)
@@ -662,13 +662,21 @@ func checkClusterState(ctx context.Context, client *databricks.WorkspaceClient,
 
 // waitForJobToStart polls the task status until the SSH server task is in RUNNING state or terminates.
 // Returns an error if the task fails to start or if polling times out.
-func waitForJobToStart(ctx context.Context, client *databricks.WorkspaceClient, runID int64, taskStartupTimeout time.Duration) error {
+func waitForJobToStart(ctx context.Context, client *databricks.WorkspaceClient, runID int64, opts ClientOptions) error {
+	waitingMessage := "Waiting for compute to start..."
+	if opts.Accelerator != "" {
+		// GPU capacity is acquired on demand and routinely takes 10+ minutes; without
+		// this notice users assume a long PENDING wait means the service is down.
+		cmdio.LogString(ctx, fmt.Sprintf("Waiting for %s compute to be provisioned. This can take upwards of 10 minutes depending on capacity...", opts.Accelerator))
+		waitingMessage = fmt.Sprintf("Waiting for %s compute to be provisioned...", opts.Accelerator)
+	}
+
 	sp := cmdio.NewSpinner(ctx, cmdio.WithElapsedTime())
 	defer sp.Close()
-	sp.Update("Starting SSH server...")
+	sp.Update(waitingMessage)
 	var prevState jobs.RunLifecycleStateV2State
 
-	_, err := retries.Poll(ctx, taskStartupTimeout, func() (*jobs.RunTask, *retries.Err) {
+	_, err := retries.Poll(ctx, opts.TaskStartupTimeout, func() (*jobs.RunTask, *retries.Err) {
 		run, err := client.Jobs.GetRun(ctx, jobs.GetRunRequest{
 			RunId: runID,
 		})
@@ -697,7 +705,7 @@ func waitForJobToStart(ctx context.Context, client *databricks.WorkspaceClient,
 
 		// Update spinner if state changed
 		if currentState != prevState {
-			sp.Update(fmt.Sprintf("Starting SSH server... (task: %s)", currentState))
+			sp.Update(fmt.Sprintf("%s (task: %s)", waitingMessage, currentState))
 			prevState = currentState
 		}
 
diff --git a/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client_internal_test.go b/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client_internal_test.go
index 35740d8cee..a7347b08c7 100644
--- a/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client_internal_test.go
+++ b/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client_internal_test.go
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func TestWaitForJobToStartSurfacesFailure(t *testing.T) {
 	api.EXPECT().GetRunOutput(mock.Anything, jobs.GetRunOutputRequest{RunId: 99}).Return(
 		&jobs.RunOutput{}, nil)
 
-	err := waitForJobToStart(ctx, m.WorkspaceClient, 1, 30*time.Second)
+	err := waitForJobToStart(ctx, m.WorkspaceClient, 1, ClientOptions{TaskStartupTimeout: 30 * time.Second})
 	require.Error(t, err)
 	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "ssh server bootstrap job failed")
 	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "Could not reach driver of cluster 0605-x.")