diff --git a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/classfile/CompoundElement.java b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/classfile/CompoundElement.java
index ec9f1dd544117..f5f00ea2805c7 100644
--- a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/classfile/CompoundElement.java
+++ b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/classfile/CompoundElement.java
@@ -95,7 +95,9 @@ public void accept(E e) {
     }
 
     /**
-     * {@return a debug printout of the compound element}
+     * {@return a text representation of the compound element and its contents for debugging purposes}
+     *
+     * The format, structure and exact content are not specified and may change at any time in the future.
      */
     default String toDebugString() {
         StringBuilder text = new StringBuilder();