diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 134955e..f1e07ad 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -3,6 +3,13 @@
 Each release of Versioning, newest first. An entry is dated when its release is cut, and reads *Unreleased* until
 then.
 
+## `1.0.0-preview.4`
+
+*Unreleased*
+
+- The promotion check tells a pull request into `main` from `dev` to fast-forward `candidate` to its commit and
+  promote it from there, in place of opening it against `dev`.
+
 ## `1.0.0-preview.3`
 
 *November 5, 2026*
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index de9c07d..2c24b09 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.0.0-preview.3
+1.0.0-preview.4
diff --git a/actions/promotion-check/Test-Promotion.ps1 b/actions/promotion-check/Test-Promotion.ps1
index 147ddd1..5c7e97c 100755
--- a/actions/promotion-check/Test-Promotion.ps1
+++ b/actions/promotion-check/Test-Promotion.ps1
@@ -54,11 +54,18 @@ $headRepository = if ($pullRequest.head.repo) { $pullRequest.head.repo.full_name
 $results = [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]::new()
 
 $fromCandidate = $headRepository -ceq $Repository -and $pullRequest.head.ref -ceq 'candidate' -and $pullRequest.base.ref -ceq 'main'
+$route = if ($headRepository -ceq $Repository -and $pullRequest.head.ref -ceq 'dev') {
+    "fast-forward candidate to dev's commit and open the promotion from candidate"
+}
+else {
+    'open this pull request against dev'
+}
+
 $sourceDetail = if ($fromCandidate) {
     "From $($pullRequest.head.label) into main"
 }
 else {
-    "From $($pullRequest.head.label) into $($pullRequest.base.ref): main takes this repository's candidate alone, so open this pull request against dev"
+    "From $($pullRequest.head.label) into $($pullRequest.base.ref): main takes this repository's candidate alone, so $route"
 }
 
 $results.Add((New-CheckResult -Check 'Source' -Holds $fromCandidate -Detail $sourceDetail))