diff --git a/java/ql/src/semmle/code/FileSystem.qll b/java/ql/src/semmle/code/FileSystem.qll
index 13908d547dc..708348b85f5 100755
--- a/java/ql/src/semmle/code/FileSystem.qll
+++ b/java/ql/src/semmle/code/FileSystem.qll
@@ -146,9 +146,11 @@ class Container extends @container, Top {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Gets a textual representation of the path of this container.
+   * Gets a textual representation of this container.
    *
-   * This is the absolute path of the container.
+   * The default implementation returns the absolute path to the container, but subclasses may
+   * may override to provide a different result. To get the absolute path for any `Container`, call
+   * `Container.getAbsolutePath()` directly.
    */
   override string toString() { result = getAbsolutePath() }
 }