diff --git a/src/librustdoc/doctest.rs b/src/librustdoc/doctest.rs
index f5ea54971b848..d8064cec13b96 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/doctest.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/doctest.rs
@@ -548,6 +548,8 @@ fn wrapped_rustc_command(rustc_wrappers: &[PathBuf], rustc_binary: &Path) -> Com
 /// and everything needed to calculate the compiler's command-line arguments.
 /// The `# ` prefix on boring lines has also been stripped.
 pub(crate) struct RunnableDocTest {
+    /// In a merged test, this is the code for the "bundle" that contains the actual doctests.
+    /// In a standalone test this is just the regular test code.
     full_test_code: String,
     full_test_line_offset: usize,
     test_opts: IndividualTestOptions,
@@ -556,7 +558,9 @@ pub(crate) struct RunnableDocTest {
     line: usize,
     edition: Edition,
     no_run: bool,
-    merged_test_code: Option<String>,
+    /// If `Some`, this is a merged test and the string is the code for the "runner" that contains
+    /// the test harness to invoke the doctests.
+    merged_test_runner_code: Option<String>,
 }
 
 impl RunnableDocTest {
@@ -567,7 +571,7 @@ impl RunnableDocTest {
         self.test_opts.outdir.path().join(format!("doctest_runner_{}.rs", self.edition))
     }
     fn is_multiple_tests(&self) -> bool {
-        self.merged_test_code.is_some()
+        self.merged_test_runner_code.is_some()
     }
 }
 
@@ -706,7 +710,7 @@ fn run_test(
             return (Duration::default(), Err(TestFailure::CompileError));
         }
     };
-    let output = if let Some(merged_test_code) = &doctest.merged_test_code {
+    let output = if let Some(merged_test_runner_code) = &doctest.merged_test_runner_code {
         // compile-fail tests never get merged, so this should always pass
         let status = child.wait().expect("Failed to wait");
 
@@ -751,7 +755,7 @@ fn run_test(
         extern_path.push(&output_bundle_file);
         runner_compiler.arg(extern_path);
         runner_compiler.arg(&runner_input_file);
-        if std::fs::write(&runner_input_file, merged_test_code).is_err() {
+        if std::fs::write(&runner_input_file, merged_test_runner_code).is_err() {
             // If we cannot write this file for any reason, we leave. All combined tests will be
             // tested as standalone tests.
             return (instant.elapsed(), Err(TestFailure::CompileError));
@@ -1180,7 +1184,7 @@ fn doctest_run_fn(
         line: scraped_test.line,
         edition: scraped_test.edition(&rustdoc_options),
         no_run: scraped_test.no_run(&rustdoc_options),
-        merged_test_code: None,
+        merged_test_runner_code: None,
     };
     let (_, res) =
         run_test(runnable_test, &rustdoc_options, doctest.supports_color, report_unused_externs);
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/doctest/make.rs b/src/librustdoc/doctest/make.rs
index ac82829fa662e..1fe62015b2c55 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/doctest/make.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/doctest/make.rs
@@ -33,8 +33,11 @@ struct ParseSourceInfo {
     has_macro_def: bool,
     everything_else: String,
     crates: String,
+    /// Inner attributes (`#![...]`) from the source that have to be put at the crate level.
     crate_attrs: String,
-    maybe_crate_attrs: String,
+    /// Inner attributes (`#![...]`) from the source that can be put into a module and therefore do
+    /// not inhibit merging: even in the merged test, the attributes can be isolated to the test.
+    module_attrs: String,
 }
 
 /// Builder type for `DocTestBuilder`.
@@ -143,7 +146,7 @@ impl<'a> BuildDocTestBuilder<'a> {
             everything_else,
             crates,
             crate_attrs,
-            maybe_crate_attrs,
+            module_attrs,
         })) = result
         else {
             // If the AST returned an error, we don't want this doctest to be merged with the
@@ -158,7 +161,7 @@ impl<'a> BuildDocTestBuilder<'a> {
             );
         };
 
-        debug!("crate_attrs:\n{crate_attrs}{maybe_crate_attrs}");
+        debug!("crate_attrs:\n{crate_attrs}{module_attrs}");
         debug!("crates:\n{crates}");
         debug!("after:\n{everything_else}");
         debug!("merge-doctests: {can_merge_doctests:?}");
@@ -187,7 +190,7 @@ impl<'a> BuildDocTestBuilder<'a> {
             has_main_fn,
             global_crate_attrs,
             crate_attrs,
-            maybe_crate_attrs,
+            module_attrs,
             crates,
             everything_else,
             already_has_extern_crate,
@@ -208,7 +211,7 @@ pub(crate) struct DocTestBuilder {
     pub(crate) crate_attrs: String,
     /// If this is a merged doctest, it will be put into `everything_else`, otherwise it will
     /// put into `crate_attrs`.
-    pub(crate) maybe_crate_attrs: String,
+    pub(crate) module_attrs: String,
     pub(crate) crates: String,
     pub(crate) everything_else: String,
     pub(crate) test_id: Option<String>,
@@ -294,7 +297,7 @@ impl DocTestBuilder {
     fn invalid(
         global_crate_attrs: Vec<String>,
         crate_attrs: String,
-        maybe_crate_attrs: String,
+        module_attrs: String,
         crates: String,
         everything_else: String,
         test_id: Option<String>,
@@ -304,7 +307,7 @@ impl DocTestBuilder {
             has_main_fn: false,
             global_crate_attrs,
             crate_attrs,
-            maybe_crate_attrs,
+            module_attrs,
             crates,
             everything_else,
             already_has_extern_crate: false,
@@ -347,17 +350,16 @@ impl DocTestBuilder {
             line_offset += 1;
         }
 
-        // Now push any outer attributes from the example, assuming they
-        // are intended to be crate attributes.
+        // Now push any outer attributes from the example (both crate and module attributes).
         if !self.crate_attrs.is_empty() {
             crate_level_code.push_str(&self.crate_attrs);
             if !self.crate_attrs.ends_with('\n') {
                 crate_level_code.push('\n');
             }
         }
-        if !self.maybe_crate_attrs.is_empty() {
-            crate_level_code.push_str(&self.maybe_crate_attrs);
-            if !self.maybe_crate_attrs.ends_with('\n') {
+        if !self.module_attrs.is_empty() {
+            crate_level_code.push_str(&self.module_attrs);
+            if !self.module_attrs.ends_with('\n') {
                 crate_level_code.push('\n');
             }
         }
@@ -590,12 +592,7 @@ fn parse_source(
                     {
                         push_to_s(&mut info.crate_attrs, source, attr.span, &mut prev_span_hi);
                     } else {
-                        push_to_s(
-                            &mut info.maybe_crate_attrs,
-                            source,
-                            attr.span,
-                            &mut prev_span_hi,
-                        );
+                        push_to_s(&mut info.module_attrs, source, attr.span, &mut prev_span_hi);
                     }
                 } else {
                     push_to_s(&mut info.crate_attrs, source, attr.span, &mut prev_span_hi);
@@ -657,7 +654,7 @@ fn parse_source(
                     span = span.with_lo(attr.span.lo());
                 }
                 if info.everything_else.is_empty()
-                    && (!info.maybe_crate_attrs.is_empty() || !info.crate_attrs.is_empty())
+                    && (!info.module_attrs.is_empty() || !info.crate_attrs.is_empty())
                 {
                     // To keep the doctest code "as close as possible" to the original, we insert
                     // all the code located between this new span and the previous span which
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/doctest/runner.rs b/src/librustdoc/doctest/runner.rs
index fcfa424968e48..ff9397ea2460b 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/doctest/runner.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/doctest/runner.rs
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ impl DocTestRunner {
         test_args: &[String],
         rustdoc_options: &RustdocOptions,
     ) -> (Duration, Result<bool, ()>) {
-        let mut code = "\
+        let mut runner_code = "\
 #![allow(unused_extern_crates)]
 #![allow(internal_features)]
 #![feature(test)]
@@ -108,15 +108,15 @@ impl DocTestRunner {
             code_prefix.push_str(&format!("#![{attr}]\n"));
         }
 
-        code.push_str("extern crate test;\n");
-        writeln!(code, "extern crate doctest_bundle_{edition} as doctest_bundle;").unwrap();
+        runner_code.push_str("extern crate test;\n");
+        writeln!(runner_code, "extern crate doctest_bundle_{edition} as doctest_bundle;").unwrap();
 
         let test_args = test_args.iter().fold(String::new(), |mut x, arg| {
             write!(x, "{arg:?}.to_string(),").unwrap();
             x
         });
         write!(
-            code,
+            runner_code,
             "\
 {output}
 
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ std::process::Termination::report(test::test_main(test_args, tests, None))
             line: 0,
             edition,
             no_run: false,
-            merged_test_code: Some(code),
+            merged_test_runner_code: Some(runner_code),
         };
         let (duration, ret) =
             run_test(runnable_test, rustdoc_options, self.supports_color, |_: UnusedExterns| {});
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ fn generate_mergeable_doctest(
         // We generate nothing else.
         writeln!(output, "pub mod {test_id} {{}}\n").unwrap();
     } else {
-        writeln!(output, "pub mod {test_id} {{\n{}{}", doctest.crates, doctest.maybe_crate_attrs)
+        writeln!(output, "pub mod {test_id} {{\n{}{}", doctest.crates, doctest.module_attrs)
             .unwrap();
         if doctest.has_main_fn {
             output.push_str(&doctest.everything_else);