diff --git a/src/applications/transactions/storage/PhabricatorApplicationTransaction.php b/src/applications/transactions/storage/PhabricatorApplicationTransaction.php
index b1c96f1dc7..3ed95c6661 100644
--- a/src/applications/transactions/storage/PhabricatorApplicationTransaction.php
+++ b/src/applications/transactions/storage/PhabricatorApplicationTransaction.php
@@ -202,6 +202,18 @@ abstract class PhabricatorApplicationTransaction
     return phutil_implode_html(', ', $links);
   }
 
+  public function renderPolicyName($phid) {
+    $policy = PhabricatorPolicy::newFromPolicyAndHandle(
+      $phid,
+      $this->getHandleIfExists($phid));
+    if ($this->renderingTarget == self::TARGET_HTML) {
+      $output = $policy->renderDescription();
+    } else {
+      $output = hsprintf('%s', $policy->getFullName());
+    }
+    return $output;
+  }
+
   public function getIcon() {
     switch ($this->getTransactionType()) {
       case PhabricatorTransactions::TYPE_COMMENT:
@@ -281,23 +293,15 @@ abstract class PhabricatorApplicationTransaction
           '%s changed the visibility of this %s from "%s" to "%s".',
           $this->renderHandleLink($author_phid),
           $this->getApplicationObjectTypeName(),
-          PhabricatorPolicy::newFromPolicyAndHandle(
-            $old,
-            $this->getHandleIfExists($old))->renderDescription(),
-          PhabricatorPolicy::newFromPolicyAndHandle(
-            $new,
-            $this->getHandleIfExists($new))->renderDescription());
+          $this->renderPolicyName($old),
+          $this->renderPolicyName($new));
       case PhabricatorTransactions::TYPE_EDIT_POLICY:
         return pht(
           '%s changed the edit policy of this %s from "%s" to "%s".',
           $this->renderHandleLink($author_phid),
           $this->getApplicationObjectTypeName(),
-          PhabricatorPolicy::newFromPolicyAndHandle(
-            $old,
-            $this->getHandleIfExists($old))->renderDescription(),
-          PhabricatorPolicy::newFromPolicyAndHandle(
-            $new,
-            $this->getHandleIfExists($new))->renderDescription());
+          $this->renderPolicyName($old),
+          $this->renderPolicyName($new));
       case PhabricatorTransactions::TYPE_SUBSCRIBERS:
         $add = array_diff($new, $old);
         $rem = array_diff($old, $new);