diff --git a/src/runtime/runtime2.go b/src/runtime/runtime2.go
index 6d4633821b..fb607898c8 100644
--- a/src/runtime/runtime2.go
+++ b/src/runtime/runtime2.go
@@ -98,10 +98,51 @@ const (
 
 const (
 	// P status
-	_Pidle    = iota
-	_Prunning // Only this P is allowed to change from _Prunning.
+
+	// _Pidle means a P is not being used to run user code or the
+	// scheduler. Typically, it's on the idle P list and available
+	// to the scheduler, but it may just be transitioning between
+	// other states.
+	//
+	// The P is owned by the idle list or by whatever is
+	// transitioning its state. Its run queue is empty.
+	_Pidle = iota
+
+	// _Prunning means a P is owned by an M and is being used to
+	// run user code or the scheduler. Only the M that owns this P
+	// is allowed to change the P's status from _Prunning. The M
+	// may transition the P to _Pidle (if it has no more work to
+	// do), _Psyscall (when entering a syscall), or _Pgcstop (to
+	// halt for the GC). The M may also hand ownership of the P
+	// off directly to another M (e.g., to schedule a locked G).
+	_Prunning
+
+	// _Psyscall means a P is not running user code. It has
+	// affinity to an M in a syscall but is not owned by it and
+	// may be stolen by another M. This is similar to _Pidle but
+	// uses lightweight transitions and maintains M affinity.
+	//
+	// Leaving _Psyscall must be done with a CAS, either to steal
+	// or retake the P. Note that there's an ABA hazard: even if
+	// an M successfully CASes its original P back to _Prunning
+	// after a syscall, it must understand the P may have been
+	// used by another M in the interim.
 	_Psyscall
+
+	// _Pgcstop means a P is halted for STW and owned by the M
+	// that stopped the world. The M that stopped the world
+	// continues to use its P, even in _Pgcstop. Transitioning
+	// from _Prunning to _Pgcstop causes an M to release its P and
+	// park.
+	//
+	// The P retains its run queue and startTheWorld will restart
+	// the scheduler on Ps with non-empty run queues.
 	_Pgcstop
+
+	// _Pdead means a P is no longer used (GOMAXPROCS shrank). We
+	// reuse Ps if GOMAXPROCS increases. A dead P is mostly
+	// stripped of its resources, though a few things remain
+	// (e.g., trace buffers).
 	_Pdead
 )