diff --git a/app/components/AttachEphemeralIpModal.tsx b/app/components/AttachEphemeralIpModal.tsx
index 878021a11f..f50c83589d 100644
--- a/app/components/AttachEphemeralIpModal.tsx
+++ b/app/components/AttachEphemeralIpModal.tsx
@@ -13,10 +13,11 @@ import { useApiMutation, useApiQueryClient, usePrefetchedApiQuery } from '~/api'
 import { ListboxField } from '~/components/form/fields/ListboxField'
 import { useInstanceSelector } from '~/hooks/use-params'
 import { addToast } from '~/stores/toast'
-import { Badge } from '~/ui/lib/Badge'
 import { Modal } from '~/ui/lib/Modal'
 import { ALL_ISH } from '~/util/consts'
 
+import { toIpPoolItem } from './form/fields/ip-pool-item'
+
 export const AttachEphemeralIpModal = ({ onDismiss }: { onDismiss: () => void }) => {
   const queryClient = useApiQueryClient()
   const { project, instance } = useInstanceSelector()
@@ -54,17 +55,7 @@ export const AttachEphemeralIpModal = ({ onDismiss }: { onDismiss: () => void })
                   ? 'Select a pool'
                   : 'No pools available'
               }
-              items={
-                siloPools?.items.map((pool) => ({
-                  label: (
-                    <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
-                      {pool.name}
-                      {pool.isDefault && <Badge>default</Badge>}
-                    </div>
-                  ),
-                  value: pool.name,
-                })) || []
-              }
+              items={siloPools.items.map(toIpPoolItem)}
               required
             />
           </form>
diff --git a/app/components/form/fields/ImageSelectField.tsx b/app/components/form/fields/ImageSelectField.tsx
index 2254c0cd00..0f2307c063 100644
--- a/app/components/form/fields/ImageSelectField.tsx
+++ b/app/components/form/fields/ImageSelectField.tsx
@@ -80,10 +80,10 @@ export function toImageComboboxItem(
     value: id,
     selectedLabel: name,
     label: (
-      <>
+      <div className="flex flex-col gap-1">
         <div>{name}</div>
         <div className="text-tertiary selected:text-accent-secondary">{itemMetadata}</div>
-      </>
+      </div>
     ),
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/components/form/fields/ip-pool-item.tsx b/app/components/form/fields/ip-pool-item.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eafed84c71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/components/form/fields/ip-pool-item.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/*
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, you can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ *
+ * Copyright Oxide Computer Company
+ */
+import type { SiloIpPool } from '~/api'
+import { Badge } from '~/ui/lib/Badge'
+
+export function toIpPoolItem(p: SiloIpPool) {
+  const value = p.name
+  const selectedLabel = p.name
+  const label = (
+    <div className="flex flex-col gap-1">
+      <div>
+        {p.name}
+        {p.isDefault && (
+          <Badge className="ml-1.5" color="neutral">
+            default
+          </Badge>
+        )}
+      </div>
+      {p.description.length && (
+        <div className="text-tertiary selected:text-accent-secondary">{p.description}</div>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  )
+  return { value, selectedLabel, label }
+}
diff --git a/app/forms/floating-ip-create.tsx b/app/forms/floating-ip-create.tsx
index 77424696c7..65a9d742bf 100644
--- a/app/forms/floating-ip-create.tsx
+++ b/app/forms/floating-ip-create.tsx
@@ -15,40 +15,20 @@ import {
   useApiQuery,
   useApiQueryClient,
   type FloatingIpCreate,
-  type SiloIpPool,
 } from '@oxide/api'
 
 import { AccordionItem } from '~/components/AccordionItem'
 import { DescriptionField } from '~/components/form/fields/DescriptionField'
+import { toIpPoolItem } from '~/components/form/fields/ip-pool-item'
 import { ListboxField } from '~/components/form/fields/ListboxField'
 import { NameField } from '~/components/form/fields/NameField'
 import { SideModalForm } from '~/components/form/SideModalForm'
 import { useProjectSelector } from '~/hooks/use-params'
 import { addToast } from '~/stores/toast'
-import { Badge } from '~/ui/lib/Badge'
 import { Message } from '~/ui/lib/Message'
 import { ALL_ISH } from '~/util/consts'
 import { pb } from '~/util/path-builder'
 
-const toListboxItem = (p: SiloIpPool) => {
-  if (!p.isDefault) {
-    return { value: p.name, label: p.name }
-  }
-  // For the default pool, add a label to the dropdown
-  return {
-    value: p.name,
-    selectedLabel: p.name,
-    label: (
-      <>
-        {p.name}{' '}
-        <Badge className="ml-1" color="neutral">
-          default
-        </Badge>
-      </>
-    ),
-  }
-}
-
 const defaultValues: Omit<FloatingIpCreate, 'ip'> = {
   name: '',
   description: '',
@@ -108,7 +88,7 @@ export function CreateFloatingIpSideModalForm() {
 
           <ListboxField
             name="pool"
-            items={(allPools?.items || []).map((p) => toListboxItem(p))}
+            items={(allPools?.items || []).map(toIpPoolItem)}
             label="IP pool"
             control={form.control}
             placeholder="Select a pool"
diff --git a/app/forms/instance-create.tsx b/app/forms/instance-create.tsx
index 35f91958c5..be7e9eaa2d 100644
--- a/app/forms/instance-create.tsx
+++ b/app/forms/instance-create.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import {
   type InstanceCreate,
   type InstanceDiskAttachment,
   type NameOrId,
+  type SiloIpPool,
 } from '@oxide/api'
 import {
   Images16Icon,
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ import {
 } from '~/components/form/fields/DisksTableField'
 import { FileField } from '~/components/form/fields/FileField'
 import { BootDiskImageSelectField as ImageSelectField } from '~/components/form/fields/ImageSelectField'
+import { toIpPoolItem } from '~/components/form/fields/ip-pool-item'
 import { NameField } from '~/components/form/fields/NameField'
 import { NetworkInterfaceField } from '~/components/form/fields/NetworkInterfaceField'
 import { NumberField } from '~/components/form/fields/NumberField'
@@ -57,7 +59,6 @@ import { FullPageForm } from '~/components/form/FullPageForm'
 import { HL } from '~/components/HL'
 import { getProjectSelector, useProjectSelector } from '~/hooks/use-params'
 import { addToast } from '~/stores/toast'
-import { Badge } from '~/ui/lib/Badge'
 import { Button } from '~/ui/lib/Button'
 import { Checkbox } from '~/ui/lib/Checkbox'
 import { toComboboxItems } from '~/ui/lib/Combobox'
@@ -609,7 +610,7 @@ const AdvancedAccordion = ({
 }: {
   control: Control<InstanceCreateInput>
   isSubmitting: boolean
-  siloPools: Array<{ name: string; isDefault: boolean }>
+  siloPools: Array<SiloIpPool>
 }) => {
   // we track this state manually for the sole reason that we need to be able to
   // tell, inside AccordionItem, when an accordion is opened so we can scroll its
@@ -733,17 +734,7 @@ const AdvancedAccordion = ({
               label="IP pool for ephemeral IP"
               placeholder={defaultPool ? `${defaultPool} (default)` : 'Select a pool'}
               selected={`${siloPools.find((pool) => pool.name === selectedPool)?.name}`}
-              items={
-                siloPools.map((pool) => ({
-                  label: (
-                    <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
-                      {pool.name}
-                      {pool.isDefault && <Badge>default</Badge>}
-                    </div>
-                  ),
-                  value: pool.name,
-                })) || []
-              }
+              items={siloPools.map(toIpPoolItem)}
               disabled={!assignEphemeralIp || isSubmitting}
               required
               onChange={(value) => {
diff --git a/app/forms/ip-pool-create.tsx b/app/forms/ip-pool-create.tsx
index c91e8d8d31..e1f87b15d9 100644
--- a/app/forms/ip-pool-create.tsx
+++ b/app/forms/ip-pool-create.tsx
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { DescriptionField } from '~/components/form/fields/DescriptionField'
 import { NameField } from '~/components/form/fields/NameField'
 import { SideModalForm } from '~/components/form/SideModalForm'
 import { addToast } from '~/stores/toast'
+import { Message } from '~/ui/lib/Message'
 import { pb } from '~/util/path-builder'
 
 const defaultValues: IpPoolCreate = {
@@ -51,6 +52,14 @@ export function CreateIpPoolSideModalForm() {
     >
       <NameField name="name" control={form.control} />
       <DescriptionField name="description" control={form.control} />
+      <IpPoolVisibilityMessage />
     </SideModalForm>
   )
 }
+
+export const IpPoolVisibilityMessage = () => (
+  <Message
+    variant="info"
+    content="Users in linked silos will use IP pool names and descriptions to help them choose a pool when allocating IPs."
+  />
+)
diff --git a/app/forms/ip-pool-edit.tsx b/app/forms/ip-pool-edit.tsx
index 73e2c942c5..2b1a15978e 100644
--- a/app/forms/ip-pool-edit.tsx
+++ b/app/forms/ip-pool-edit.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ import { getIpPoolSelector, useIpPoolSelector } from '~/hooks/use-params'
 import { addToast } from '~/stores/toast'
 import { pb } from '~/util/path-builder'
 
+import { IpPoolVisibilityMessage } from './ip-pool-create'
+
 EditIpPoolSideModalForm.loader = async ({ params }: LoaderFunctionArgs) => {
   const { pool } = getIpPoolSelector(params)
   await apiQueryClient.prefetchQuery('ipPoolView', { path: { pool } })
@@ -68,6 +70,7 @@ export function EditIpPoolSideModalForm() {
     >
       <NameField name="name" control={form.control} />
       <DescriptionField name="description" control={form.control} />
+      <IpPoolVisibilityMessage />
     </SideModalForm>
   )
 }
diff --git a/app/ui/styles/components/menu-list.css b/app/ui/styles/components/menu-list.css
index 4241dec636..3aa0d0ff10 100644
--- a/app/ui/styles/components/menu-list.css
+++ b/app/ui/styles/components/menu-list.css
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@
 
 .ox-menu-item.is-selected {
   @apply border-0 text-accent bg-accent-secondary hover:bg-accent-secondary-hover;
+  .ox-badge {
+    @apply ring-0 text-inverse bg-accent;
+  }
 }
 
 /* beautiful ring */
diff --git a/test/e2e/floating-ip-create.e2e.ts b/test/e2e/floating-ip-create.e2e.ts
index dfe5af2091..4bedc596ce 100644
--- a/test/e2e/floating-ip-create.e2e.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/floating-ip-create.e2e.ts
@@ -28,19 +28,19 @@ test('can create a floating IP', async ({ page }) => {
     .getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Description' })
     .fill('A description for this Floating IP')
 
-  const poolListbox = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'IP pool' })
+  const label = page.getByLabel('IP pool')
 
   // accordion content should be hidden
-  await expect(poolListbox).toBeHidden()
+  await expect(label).toBeHidden()
 
   // open accordion
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Advanced' }).click()
 
   // accordion content should be visible
-  await expect(poolListbox).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(label).toBeVisible()
 
   // choose pool and submit
-  await poolListbox.click()
+  await label.click()
   await page.getByRole('option', { name: 'ip-pool-1' }).click()
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create floating IP' }).click()
 
diff --git a/test/e2e/instance-create.e2e.ts b/test/e2e/instance-create.e2e.ts
index 628b92b9b5..e2e2125100 100644
--- a/test/e2e/instance-create.e2e.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/instance-create.e2e.ts
@@ -70,27 +70,23 @@ test('can create an instance', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Networking' }).click()
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Configuration' }).click()
 
-  const assignEphemeralIpCheckbox = page.getByRole('checkbox', {
+  const checkbox = page.getByRole('checkbox', {
     name: 'Allocate and attach an ephemeral IP address',
   })
-  const assignEphemeralIpButton = page.getByRole('button', {
-    name: 'IP pool for ephemeral IP',
-  })
+  const label = page.getByLabel('IP pool for ephemeral IP')
 
   // verify that the ip pool selector is visible and default is selected
-  await expect(assignEphemeralIpCheckbox).toBeChecked()
-  await assignEphemeralIpButton.click()
+  await expect(checkbox).toBeChecked()
+  await label.click()
   await expect(page.getByRole('option', { name: 'ip-pool-1' })).toBeEnabled()
-  await assignEphemeralIpButton.click() // click closes the listbox so we can do more stuff
 
   // unchecking the box should disable the selector
-  await assignEphemeralIpCheckbox.uncheck()
-  await expect(assignEphemeralIpButton).toBeHidden()
+  await checkbox.uncheck()
+  await expect(label).toBeHidden()
 
   // re-checking the box should re-enable the selector, and other options should be selectable
-  await assignEphemeralIpCheckbox.check()
-  await assignEphemeralIpButton.click()
-  await page.getByRole('option', { name: 'ip-pool-2' }).click()
+  await checkbox.check()
+  await selectOption(page, 'IP pool for ephemeral IP', 'ip-pool-2 VPN IPs')
 
   // should be visible in accordion
   await expect(page.getByRole('radiogroup', { name: 'Network interface' })).toBeVisible()