diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/updater-action.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/updater-action.ts
index ac597e36e17..5cfff3b5ccd 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/updater-action.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/updater-action.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 export type Policy = boolean | "notify"
-export type Action = "none" | "upgrade"
+export type Action = "none" | "notify" | "upgrade"
 
 const maximumComponent = "9007199254740991"
 const versionPattern =
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export function action(current: string, latest: string, policy: Policy): Action
   if (!currentVersion || !latestVersion || sameRelease(currentVersion, latestVersion)) return "none"
   // Major upgrades are never installed automatically.
   if (currentVersion.major !== latestVersion.major) return "none"
-  return "upgrade"
+  return policy === "notify" ? "notify" : "upgrade"
 }
 
 function parseReleaseVersion(input: string) {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/updater.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/updater.test.ts
index 94a44aa803d..55cfae017bc 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/updater.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/updater.test.ts
@@ -12,8 +12,12 @@ describe("updater", () => {
   test("automatically updates patches and minors", () => {
     expect(action("1.2.3", "1.2.4", true)).toBe("upgrade")
     expect(action("1.2.3", "1.3.0", true)).toBe("upgrade")
-    expect(action("1.2.3", "1.2.4", "notify")).toBe("upgrade")
-    expect(action("1.2.3", "1.3.0", "notify")).toBe("upgrade")
+  })
+
+  test("reports patches and minors without automatically installing them", () => {
+    expect(action("1.2.3", "1.2.4", "notify")).toBe("notify")
+    expect(action("1.2.3", "1.3.0", "notify")).toBe("notify")
+    expect(action("1.2.3", "1.2.3", "notify")).toBe("none")
   })
 
   test("skips when autoupdate is disabled", () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/services/updater.ts b/packages/cli/src/services/updater.ts
index ff767e5be3d..89f1c72286e 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/services/updater.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/services/updater.ts
@@ -162,6 +162,8 @@ export const layer = Layer.effect(
           })
           const next = action(OPENCODE_VERSION, version, policy)
           if (next === "none") return yield* Effect.logInfo("update check done", { action: "up-to-date" })
+          if (next === "notify")
+            return yield* Effect.logInfo("OpenCode update available", { current: OPENCODE_VERSION, latest: version })
           const detected = yield* method()
           if (!detected) return yield* Effect.logWarning("automatic update skipped: installation method not found")
           yield* upgrade(detected, version)
diff --git a/packages/www/src/docs/content/config.mdx b/packages/www/src/docs/content/config.mdx
index e9ff7875331..94485302577 100644
--- a/packages/www/src/docs/content/config.mdx
+++ b/packages/www/src/docs/content/config.mdx
@@ -128,9 +128,9 @@ agents.
 ### Autoupdate
 
 Control automatic updates from the global config. Set this to `false` to
-disable updates. The current beta treats `true` and `"notify"` identically and
-automatically installs compatible non-major updates; project-level values are
-ignored.
+disable updates, or `"notify"` to report available updates without installing
+them. Set this to `true` to automatically install compatible non-major updates.
+Project-level values are ignored.
 
 ```jsonc
 {