diff --git a/nodescraper/models/taskresult.py b/nodescraper/models/taskresult.py
index be406cfa..79c5a860 100644
--- a/nodescraper/models/taskresult.py
+++ b/nodescraper/models/taskresult.py
@@ -235,40 +235,52 @@ def _event_occurrence_count(event: Event) -> int:
             return 1
         return max(1, n)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _format_limited_descriptions(msg_counts: dict[str, int], prefix: str) -> str:
+        """Format the 3 most frequent descriptions, noting how many were left out."""
+        items = sorted(msg_counts.items(), key=lambda kv: kv[1], reverse=True)
+        details = [f"{msg} (x{count})" if count > 1 else msg for msg, count in items[:3]]
+        summary = f"{prefix}: {', '.join(details)}"
+        omitted = len(items) - 3
+        if omitted > 0:
+            summary += f" (omitted {omitted} descriptions)"
+        return summary
+
     def _get_event_summary(self) -> str:
         """Get summary string for events
 
         Returns:
-            str: event summary with counts and descriptions
+            str: warning count, error count with the 3 most frequent error
+                descriptions, and the 3 most frequent critical descriptions
         """
+        total_warnings = 0
+        total_errors = 0
         error_msg_counts: dict[str, int] = {}
-        warning_msg_counts: dict[str, int] = {}
-
+        critical_msg_counts: dict[str, int] = {}
         for event in self.events:
             n = self._event_occurrence_count(event)
-            if event.priority == EventPriority.WARNING:
-                warning_msg_counts[event.description] = (
-                    warning_msg_counts.get(event.description, 0) + n
+            if event.priority == EventPriority.CRITICAL:
+                critical_msg_counts[event.description] = (
+                    critical_msg_counts.get(event.description, 0) + n
                 )
-            elif event.priority >= EventPriority.ERROR:
+            elif event.priority == EventPriority.ERROR:
                 error_msg_counts[event.description] = error_msg_counts.get(event.description, 0) + n
+            if event.priority == EventPriority.WARNING:
+                total_warnings += n
+            elif event.priority >= EventPriority.ERROR:
+                total_errors += n
 
         summary_parts = []
-
-        if warning_msg_counts:
-            total_warnings = sum(warning_msg_counts.values())
-            warning_details = [
-                f"{msg} (x{count})" if count > 1 else msg
-                for msg, count in warning_msg_counts.items()
-            ]
-            summary_parts.append(f"{total_warnings} warnings: {', '.join(warning_details)}")
-
-        if error_msg_counts:
-            total_errors = sum(error_msg_counts.values())
-            error_details = [
-                f"{msg} (x{count})" if count > 1 else msg for msg, count in error_msg_counts.items()
-            ]
-            summary_parts.append(f"{total_errors} errors: {', '.join(error_details)}")
+        if total_warnings:
+            summary_parts.append(f"{total_warnings} warnings")
+        if total_errors:
+            error_summary = f"{total_errors} errors"
+            if error_msg_counts:
+                error_summary = self._format_limited_descriptions(error_msg_counts, error_summary)
+            summary_parts.append(error_summary)
+
+        if critical_msg_counts:
+            summary_parts.append(self._format_limited_descriptions(critical_msg_counts, "critical"))
 
         return "; ".join(summary_parts)
 
diff --git a/test/unit/framework/test_dataanalyzer.py b/test/unit/framework/test_dataanalyzer.py
index 78a1c4b0..b5436911 100644
--- a/test/unit/framework/test_dataanalyzer.py
+++ b/test/unit/framework/test_dataanalyzer.py
@@ -23,9 +23,13 @@
 # SOFTWARE.
 #
 ###############################################################################
+from typing import Optional
+
 from nodescraper.enums.eventpriority import EventPriority
 from nodescraper.enums.executionstatus import ExecutionStatus
 from nodescraper.interfaces.dataanalyzertask import analyze_decorator
+from nodescraper.models.event import Event
+from nodescraper.models.taskresult import TaskResult
 
 
 def test_invalid_data(mock_analyzer, dummy_data_model, system_info):
@@ -117,3 +121,65 @@ def test_analyzer_subclass_without_data_model_raises_type_error():
         class MissingModelAnalyzer(DataAnalyzer):
             def analyze_data(self, data, args=None):
                 return self.result
+
+
+def _event(priority: EventPriority, description: str, count: Optional[int] = None) -> Event:
+    data = {"count": count} if count is not None else {}
+    return Event(category="OS", description=description, priority=priority, data=data)
+
+
+def test_event_summary_empty_when_no_events():
+    assert TaskResult()._get_event_summary() == ""
+
+
+def test_event_summary_counts_warnings_and_errors():
+    result = TaskResult(
+        events=[
+            _event(EventPriority.WARNING, "w1"),
+            _event(EventPriority.WARNING, "w2", count=2),
+            _event(EventPriority.ERROR, "e1"),
+        ]
+    )
+    assert result._get_event_summary() == "3 warnings; 1 errors: e1"
+
+
+def test_event_summary_top_three_errors_by_count_with_omission_note():
+    result = TaskResult(
+        events=[
+            _event(EventPriority.ERROR, "e1"),
+            _event(EventPriority.ERROR, "e2", count=4),
+            _event(EventPriority.ERROR, "e1"),
+            _event(EventPriority.ERROR, "e3"),
+            _event(EventPriority.ERROR, "e4"),
+        ]
+    )
+    assert result._get_event_summary() == (
+        "8 errors: e2 (x4), e1 (x2), e3 (omitted 1 descriptions)"
+    )
+
+
+def test_event_summary_critical_counted_as_error_and_listed():
+    result = TaskResult(events=[_event(EventPriority.CRITICAL, "c1")])
+    assert result._get_event_summary() == "1 errors; critical: c1"
+
+
+def test_event_summary_three_critical_no_omission_note():
+    result = TaskResult(events=[_event(EventPriority.CRITICAL, f"c{i}") for i in range(3)])
+    summary = result._get_event_summary()
+    assert summary == "3 errors; critical: c0, c1, c2"
+    assert "omitted" not in summary
+
+
+def test_event_summary_top_three_critical_by_count_with_omission_note():
+    result = TaskResult(
+        events=[
+            _event(EventPriority.CRITICAL, "rare"),
+            _event(EventPriority.CRITICAL, "common", count=5),
+            _event(EventPriority.CRITICAL, "mid", count=3),
+            _event(EventPriority.CRITICAL, "also_rare"),
+            _event(EventPriority.CRITICAL, "second", count=4),
+        ]
+    )
+    assert result._get_event_summary() == (
+        "14 errors; critical: common (x5), second (x4), mid (x3) (omitted 2 descriptions)"
+    )
diff --git a/test/unit/plugin/test_package_analyzer.py b/test/unit/plugin/test_package_analyzer.py
index 2c16e516..8bb5d15e 100644
--- a/test/unit/plugin/test_package_analyzer.py
+++ b/test/unit/plugin/test_package_analyzer.py
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ def test_data_version_regex(package_analyzer, default_data_lib):
 
 
 def test_data_multiple_errors_regex(package_analyzer, default_data_lib):
-    """Test that detailed error messages are shown for multiple package errors"""
+    """Test that the first package error descriptions are included in the summary"""
     args = PackageAnalyzerArgs(
         exp_package_ver={
             "missing-package": None,
@@ -118,8 +118,16 @@ def test_data_multiple_errors_regex(package_analyzer, default_data_lib):
     )
     res = package_analyzer.analyze_data(default_data_lib, args=args)
     assert res.status == ExecutionStatus.ERROR
-    assert "missing-package" in res.message
-    assert "another-missing" in res.message
+    assert res.message == (
+        "Package version mismatch (3 errors: "
+        "Package missing-package not found in the package list, "
+        r"Package test-ubuntu-package\.x86_64 Version Mismatch, "
+        r"Expected 2\.\d+ but found 1.11-1.xx11, "
+        "Package another-missing not found in the package list)"
+    )
+    descriptions = " ".join(event.description for event in res.events)
+    assert "missing-package" in descriptions
+    assert "another-missing" in descriptions
     assert len(res.events) == 3
 
 
diff --git a/test/unit/plugin/test_regex_search_analyzer.py b/test/unit/plugin/test_regex_search_analyzer.py
index e93b93da..66257fbb 100644
--- a/test/unit/plugin/test_regex_search_analyzer.py
+++ b/test/unit/plugin/test_regex_search_analyzer.py
@@ -78,8 +78,7 @@ def test_regex_search_analyzer_match(system_info):
     )
     result = analyzer.analyze_data(data, args)
     assert result.status == ExecutionStatus.ERROR
-    assert "task detected errors" in result.message
-    assert "fatal seen" in result.message
+    assert result.message == "task detected errors (1 errors: fatal seen)"
     assert len(result.events) == 1
     assert result.events[0].description == "fatal seen"
 
@@ -167,8 +166,10 @@ def test_regex_search_plugin_analyzer_only(system_info, logger):
             },
         )
         assert out.status == ExecutionStatus.ERROR
-        assert "Analysis error:" in out.message
-        assert "found" in out.message
+        assert out.message.startswith(
+            "Analysis error: task detected errors (1 errors: found [file: "
+        )
+        assert out.message.endswith("])")
         assert out.result_data.analysis_result.status == ExecutionStatus.ERROR
         assert len(out.result_data.analysis_result.events) == 1
         desc = out.result_data.analysis_result.events[0].description
diff --git a/test/unit/plugin/test_sysctl_analyzer.py b/test/unit/plugin/test_sysctl_analyzer.py
index dacca202..c96bd6c8 100644
--- a/test/unit/plugin/test_sysctl_analyzer.py
+++ b/test/unit/plugin/test_sysctl_analyzer.py
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ def test_analyzer_mismatch(analyzer, correct_data):
     args = SysctlAnalyzerArgs(exp_vm_swappiness=3, exp_vm_numa_balancing=4)
     result = analyzer.analyze_data(correct_data, args)
     assert result.status == ExecutionStatus.ERROR
-    assert "2 sysctl parameter(s) mismatched." in result.message
-    assert "1 errors" in result.message
-    assert "Sysctl mismatch detected" in result.message
+    assert result.message == (
+        "2 sysctl parameter(s) mismatched. (1 errors: Sysctl mismatch detected)"
+    )
+    assert result.events[0].description == "Sysctl mismatch detected"