Chiral phonons endow lattice vibrations with angular momentum and can give rise to phonon magnetism, offering routes to control magnetism and topology. However, experimentally resolving their polarization, handedness, and magnetism across the Brillouin zone remains challenging. Here, we formulate a measurement-oriented inelastic neutron scattering (INS) framework to diagnose these attributes from the nuclear one-phonon response in the scattering readout. We demonstrate that angular intensity fingerprints classify linear, elliptical, and circular polarizations, while phase-sensitive time-resolved signatures provide a benchmark readout of handedness. Furthermore, we show that phonon magnetic moments manifest as characteristic spectral splittings and intensity redistributions under external fields. Benchmarked in chiral Te and paramagnetic ${\mathrm{CeF}}_3$, this framework provides a comprehensive momentum-resolved probe for the geometric and magnetic nature of chiral phonons.

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• Lattice dynamics
• Phonons
• Chiral symmetry
• First-principles calculations
• Inelastic neutron scattering