diff --git a/components/server/ee/src/prebuilds/prebuild-manager.ts b/components/server/ee/src/prebuilds/prebuild-manager.ts
index d57c43050ca81d..f0d79ed07b5acb 100644
--- a/components/server/ee/src/prebuilds/prebuild-manager.ts
+++ b/components/server/ee/src/prebuilds/prebuild-manager.ts
@@ -72,13 +72,14 @@ export class PrebuildManager {
                     for (const instance of prebuild.instances) {
                         log.info(
                             { userId: user.id, instanceId: instance.id, workspaceId: instance.workspaceId },
-                            "Aborting Prebuild workspace because a newer commit was pushed to the same branch.",
+                            "Cancelling Prebuild workspace because a newer commit was pushed to the same branch.",
                         );
                         results.push(
                             this.workspaceStarter.stopWorkspaceInstance(
                                 { span },
                                 instance.id,
                                 instance.region,
+                                "prebuild cancelled because a newer commit was pushed to the same branch",
                                 StopWorkspacePolicy.ABORT,
                             ),
                         );
diff --git a/components/server/ee/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts b/components/server/ee/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
index fb1170761194a6..9fbc36ad2880c0 100644
--- a/components/server/ee/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
+++ b/components/server/ee/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
@@ -634,6 +634,7 @@ export class GitpodServerEEImpl extends GitpodServerImpl {
                     ctx,
                     instance.id,
                     instance.region,
+                    "user blocked by admin",
                     StopWorkspacePolicy.IMMEDIATELY,
                 ),
             );
@@ -867,7 +868,7 @@ export class GitpodServerEEImpl extends GitpodServerImpl {
 
         const workspace = await this.workspaceDb.trace(ctx).findById(workspaceId);
         if (workspace) {
-            await this.internalStopWorkspace(ctx, workspace, StopWorkspacePolicy.IMMEDIATELY, true);
+            await this.internalStopWorkspace(ctx, workspace, "stopped by admin", StopWorkspacePolicy.IMMEDIATELY, true);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/components/server/src/user/user-deletion-service.ts b/components/server/src/user/user-deletion-service.ts
index d7d63513e93c6f..9645bde4e0ecab 100644
--- a/components/server/src/user/user-deletion-service.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/user/user-deletion-service.ts
@@ -113,6 +113,10 @@ export class UserDeletionService {
             runningWorkspaces.map(async (info) => {
                 const wsi = info.latestInstance;
 
+                log.info({ workspaceId: info.workspace.id, instanceId: wsi.id }, "Stopping workspace instance", {
+                    reason: "deleting user",
+                });
+
                 const req = new StopWorkspaceRequest();
                 req.setId(wsi.id);
                 req.setPolicy(StopWorkspacePolicy.NORMALLY);
diff --git a/components/server/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts b/components/server/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
index 9f17326403a967..9477129682642b 100644
--- a/components/server/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/workspace/gitpod-server-impl.ts
@@ -748,7 +748,7 @@ export class GitpodServerImpl implements GitpodServerWithTracing, Disposable {
             await this.guardAccess({ kind: "workspace", subject: workspace }, "get");
         }
 
-        this.internalStopWorkspace(ctx, workspace).catch((err) => {
+        this.internalStopWorkspace(ctx, workspace, "stopped via API").catch((err) => {
             log.error(logCtx, "stopWorkspace error: ", err);
         });
     }
@@ -756,6 +756,7 @@ export class GitpodServerImpl implements GitpodServerWithTracing, Disposable {
     protected async internalStopWorkspace(
         ctx: TraceContext,
         workspace: Workspace,
+        reason: string,
         policy?: StopWorkspacePolicy,
         admin: boolean = false,
     ): Promise<void> {
@@ -782,7 +783,8 @@ export class GitpodServerImpl implements GitpodServerWithTracing, Disposable {
                 await this.guardAccess({ kind: "workspaceInstance", subject: instance, workspace }, "update");
             }
         }
-        await this.workspaceStarter.stopWorkspaceInstance(ctx, instance.id, instance.region, policy);
+
+        await this.workspaceStarter.stopWorkspaceInstance(ctx, instance.id, instance.region, reason, policy);
     }
 
     protected async guardAdminAccess(method: string, params: any, requiredPermission: PermissionName) {
@@ -834,7 +836,7 @@ export class GitpodServerImpl implements GitpodServerWithTracing, Disposable {
         await this.guardAccess({ kind: "workspace", subject: ws }, "delete");
 
         // for good measure, try and stop running instances
-        await this.internalStopWorkspace(ctx, ws);
+        await this.internalStopWorkspace(ctx, ws, "deleted via API");
 
         // actually delete the workspace
         await this.workspaceDeletionService.softDeleteWorkspace(ctx, ws, "user");
diff --git a/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-starter.ts b/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-starter.ts
index 817dd08e405909..f9b799afeea273 100644
--- a/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-starter.ts
+++ b/components/server/src/workspace/workspace-starter.ts
@@ -439,8 +439,12 @@ export class WorkspaceStarter {
         ctx: TraceContext,
         instanceId: string,
         instanceRegion: string,
+        reason: string,
         policy?: StopWorkspacePolicy,
     ): Promise<void> {
+        ctx.span?.setTag("stopWorkspaceReason", reason);
+        log.info({ instanceId }, "Stopping workspace instance", { reason });
+
         const req = new StopWorkspaceRequest();
         req.setId(instanceId);
         req.setPolicy(policy || StopWorkspacePolicy.NORMALLY);