diff --git a/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/README.md b/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/README.md
index e32d760..2ced2e2 100644
--- a/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/README.md
+++ b/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/README.md
@@ -128,6 +128,25 @@ Field-level exclusion: `@Schema(hidden = true)`, `@SchemaProperty(hidden = true)
 `@NotBlank`, `@NotEmpty`, `@Size`, `@Min`, `@Max`, `@Email`, `@Pattern`) become the schema's own
 bounds and required fields, so a rule is written once and documented for free.
 
+A `@Pattern` that declares a message says it in the description too, after whatever the property
+already said: a regex is precise and unreadable, and both belong in the document.
+
+```java
+@SchemaProperty(description = "Unique in the project.")
+@Pattern(regexp = "[a-z.]+", message = "uses lowercase letters and dots")
+String key
+```
+
+```yaml
+key:
+  type: string
+  description: Unique in the project. Uses lowercase letters and dots.
+  pattern: '[a-z.]+'
+```
+
+No other constraint does this: `required`, `maxLength` and `format: email` are already readable,
+and repeating them as prose would be noise.
+
 ## Contributor API
 
 OpenAPI is extension-agnostic. Other extensions contribute through `OpenApiContributor`, held in
diff --git a/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/src/main/java/dev/relism/flash/ext/openapi/ConstraintHints.java b/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/src/main/java/dev/relism/flash/ext/openapi/ConstraintHints.java
index a92a8aa..971a835 100644
--- a/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/src/main/java/dev/relism/flash/ext/openapi/ConstraintHints.java
+++ b/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/src/main/java/dev/relism/flash/ext/openapi/ConstraintHints.java
@@ -64,7 +64,10 @@ final class ConstraintHints {
         if (field.isAnnotationPresent(Email.class)) property.putIfAbsent("format", "email");
 
         Pattern pattern = field.getAnnotation(Pattern.class);
-        if (pattern != null) property.putIfAbsent("pattern", pattern.regexp());
+        if (pattern != null) {
+            property.putIfAbsent("pattern", pattern.regexp());
+            describe(property, pattern.message());
+        }
 
         if (field.isAnnotationPresent(NotBlank.class) && isString) property.putIfAbsent("minLength", 1);
         if (field.isAnnotationPresent(NotEmpty.class)) {
@@ -78,6 +81,25 @@ final class ConstraintHints {
     }
 
     /** Constraint annotations this bridge understands, for documentation and tests. */
+    /**
+     * Says in words what a regex says in symbols.
+     *
+     * <p>Only {@code @Pattern} needs this: every other constraint has a keyword a reader
+     * understands — {@code required}, {@code maxLength}, {@code format: email} — and repeating it
+     * as prose would be noise. A regex has none, so the rule's own message goes in the
+     * description beside it, after whatever the property already said.
+     */
+    private static void describe(Map<String, Object> property, String message) {
+        if (message == null || message.isBlank() || message.startsWith("{")) return;   // jakarta's default is a bundle key
+
+        String sentence = Character.toUpperCase(message.charAt(0)) + message.substring(1);
+        if (!sentence.endsWith(".")) sentence += ".";
+
+        Object said = property.get("description");
+        if (said == null) property.put("description", sentence);
+        else if (!said.toString().contains(sentence)) property.put("description", said + " " + sentence);
+    }
+
     static List<String> supported() {
         return List.of("@NotNull", "@NotBlank", "@NotEmpty", "@Size", "@Min", "@Max", "@Email", "@Pattern");
     }
diff --git a/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/src/test/java/dev/relism/flash/ext/openapi/OpenApiBuilderTest.java b/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/src/test/java/dev/relism/flash/ext/openapi/OpenApiBuilderTest.java
index debca82..5054e02 100644
--- a/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/src/test/java/dev/relism/flash/ext/openapi/OpenApiBuilderTest.java
+++ b/flash-extensions/flash-ext-openapi/src/test/java/dev/relism/flash/ext/openapi/OpenApiBuilderTest.java
@@ -226,6 +226,40 @@ class OpenApiBuilderTest {
         @Override public Object handle(Request request, Response response) { return null; }
     }
 
+    @Schema(name = "Keyed")
+    static class KeyedDto {
+        @SchemaProperty(description = "Unique in the project.")
+        @jakarta.validation.constraints.Pattern(regexp = "[a-z.]+", message = "uses lowercase letters and dots")
+        public String key;
+
+        @jakarta.validation.constraints.Pattern(regexp = "[0-9]+")
+        public String code;
+    }
+
+    @GET("/keyed")
+    @ApiOperation(summary = "Keyed")
+    @APIResponse(responseCode = "200", content = @Content(schema = KeyedDto.class))
+    static class KeyedHandler extends RequestHandler {
+        @Override public Object handle(Request request, Response response) { return null; }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void a_pattern_says_in_words_what_its_regex_says_in_symbols() {
+        OpenApiBuilder b = new OpenApiBuilder();
+        b.addOperation(OpenApiBuilder.routeOf(KeyedHandler.class), KeyedHandler.class.getAnnotation(ApiOperation.class), KeyedHandler.class);
+
+        Map<String, Object> components = cast(b.build().get("components"));
+        Map<String, Object> schemas = cast(components.get("schemas"));
+        Map<String, Object> keyed = cast(schemas.get("Keyed"));
+        Map<String, Object> properties = cast(keyed.get("properties"));
+        Map<String, Object> key = cast(properties.get("key"));
+        Map<String, Object> code = cast(properties.get("code"));
+
+        assertEquals("Unique in the project. Uses lowercase letters and dots.", key.get("description"));
+        assertEquals("[a-z.]+", key.get("pattern"));
+        assertFalse(code.containsKey("description"), "a pattern with no message of its own says nothing extra");
+    }
+
     @Test
     void a_route_that_says_it_is_not_part_of_the_api_is_left_out() {
         OpenApiBuilder b = new OpenApiBuilder();