diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/maintenance.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/maintenance.sgml
index 66f2c6a02e..9389eef973 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/maintenance.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/maintenance.sgml
@@ -656,7 +656,7 @@ SELECT datname, age(datfrozenxid) FROM pg_database;
 
 <programlisting>
 WARNING:  database "mydb" must be vacuumed within 39985967 transactions
-HINT:  To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.
+HINT:  To avoid XID assignment failures, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.
 </programlisting>
 
     (A manual <command>VACUUM</command> should fix the problem, as suggested by the
@@ -667,16 +667,17 @@ HINT:  To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that data
     there are fewer than three million transactions left until wraparound:
 
 <programlisting>
-ERROR:  database is not accepting commands to avoid wraparound data loss in database "mydb"
-HINT:  Stop the postmaster and vacuum that database in single-user mode.
+ERROR:  database is not accepting commands that assign new XIDs to avoid wraparound data loss in database "mydb"
+HINT:  Execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.
 </programlisting>
 
     In this condition any transactions already in progress can continue,
     but only read-only transactions can be started. Operations that
     modify database records or truncate relations will fail.
     The <command>VACUUM</command> command can still be run normally.
-    Contrary to what the hint states, it is not necessary or desirable to stop the
-    postmaster or enter single user-mode in order to restore normal operation.
+    Note that, contrary to what was sometimes recommended in earlier releases,
+    it is not necessary or desirable to stop the postmaster or enter single
+    user-mode in order to restore normal operation.
     Instead, follow these steps:
 
     <orderedlist>
diff --git a/src/backend/access/transam/multixact.c b/src/backend/access/transam/multixact.c
index 546d411610..57ed34c0a8 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/transam/multixact.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/transam/multixact.c
@@ -2335,7 +2335,7 @@ SetMultiXactIdLimit(MultiXactId oldest_datminmxid, Oid oldest_datoid,
 								   multiWrapLimit - curMulti,
 								   oldest_datname,
 								   multiWrapLimit - curMulti),
-					 errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
+					 errhint("To avoid MultiXactId assignment failures, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
 							 "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions, or drop stale replication slots.")));
 		else
 			ereport(WARNING,
@@ -2344,7 +2344,7 @@ SetMultiXactIdLimit(MultiXactId oldest_datminmxid, Oid oldest_datoid,
 								   multiWrapLimit - curMulti,
 								   oldest_datoid,
 								   multiWrapLimit - curMulti),
-					 errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
+					 errhint("To avoid MultiXactId assignment failures, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
 							 "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions, or drop stale replication slots.")));
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/backend/access/transam/varsup.c b/src/backend/access/transam/varsup.c
index 334adac09e..abfee48317 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/transam/varsup.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/transam/varsup.c
@@ -126,16 +126,16 @@ GetNewTransactionId(bool isSubXact)
 			if (oldest_datname)
 				ereport(ERROR,
 						(errcode(ERRCODE_PROGRAM_LIMIT_EXCEEDED),
-						 errmsg("database is not accepting commands to avoid wraparound data loss in database \"%s\"",
+						 errmsg("database is not accepting commands that assign new XIDs to avoid wraparound data loss in database \"%s\"",
 								oldest_datname),
-						 errhint("Stop the postmaster and vacuum that database in single-user mode.\n"
+						 errhint("Execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
 								 "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions, or drop stale replication slots.")));
 			else
 				ereport(ERROR,
 						(errcode(ERRCODE_PROGRAM_LIMIT_EXCEEDED),
-						 errmsg("database is not accepting commands to avoid wraparound data loss in database with OID %u",
+						 errmsg("database is not accepting commands that assign new XIDs to avoid wraparound data loss in database with OID %u",
 								oldest_datoid),
-						 errhint("Stop the postmaster and vacuum that database in single-user mode.\n"
+						 errhint("Execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
 								 "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions, or drop stale replication slots.")));
 		}
 		else if (TransactionIdFollowsOrEquals(xid, xidWarnLimit))
@@ -148,14 +148,14 @@ GetNewTransactionId(bool isSubXact)
 						(errmsg("database \"%s\" must be vacuumed within %u transactions",
 								oldest_datname,
 								xidWrapLimit - xid),
-						 errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
+						 errhint("To avoid XID assignment failures, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
 								 "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions, or drop stale replication slots.")));
 			else
 				ereport(WARNING,
 						(errmsg("database with OID %u must be vacuumed within %u transactions",
 								oldest_datoid,
 								xidWrapLimit - xid),
-						 errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
+						 errhint("To avoid XID assignment failures, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
 								 "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions, or drop stale replication slots.")));
 		}
 
@@ -463,14 +463,14 @@ SetTransactionIdLimit(TransactionId oldest_datfrozenxid, Oid oldest_datoid)
 					(errmsg("database \"%s\" must be vacuumed within %u transactions",
 							oldest_datname,
 							xidWrapLimit - curXid),
-					 errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
+					 errhint("To avoid XID assignment failures, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
 							 "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions, or drop stale replication slots.")));
 		else
 			ereport(WARNING,
 					(errmsg("database with OID %u must be vacuumed within %u transactions",
 							oldest_datoid,
 							xidWrapLimit - curXid),
-					 errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
+					 errhint("To avoid XID assignment failures, execute a database-wide VACUUM in that database.\n"
 							 "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions, or drop stale replication slots.")));
 	}
 }