diff --git a/crates/ml-alpha/examples/alpha_train.rs b/crates/ml-alpha/examples/alpha_train.rs
index 79a299ac9..ea594aa1e 100644
--- a/crates/ml-alpha/examples/alpha_train.rs
+++ b/crates/ml-alpha/examples/alpha_train.rs
@@ -455,6 +455,19 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
             epoch_train_steps += 1;
             train_loss_running += loss;
             train_steps += 1;
+            // Periodic per-step log (every 500 steps) for liveness +
+            // intra-epoch trajectory monitoring. Cheap (~1 line/min on
+            // L40S at 8000 steps/epoch / 36s = 220 steps/s ⇒ ~16 lines
+            // per 500-step interval per epoch). Consumed by
+            // /tmp/alpha_monitor.py.
+            if epoch_train_steps % 500 == 0 {
+                tracing::info!(
+                    epoch,
+                    step = epoch_train_steps,
+                    loss = loss,
+                    "step"
+                );
+            }
             snap_batch.clear();
             label_batch.clear();
         }