diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/features/settings/SettingsServerControlsRouteScreen.tsx b/apps/mobile/src/features/settings/SettingsServerControlsRouteScreen.tsx
index ae4f43b5fb376b2895ba939cf88ae388c1cdc90e..e1702fc2a756af50c61696efd4f8c38ac67fef59 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/features/settings/SettingsServerControlsRouteScreen.tsx
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/features/settings/SettingsServerControlsRouteScreen.tsx
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ function ServerSettingsDetail(props: { readonly page: SettingsPage }) {
                       subtitle={
                         projectSelected
                           ? "Environment-wide setting. Select All projects to change it."
-                          : "Check installed provider CLIs for newer versions."
+                          : "Check installed provider CLIs for newer versions and fetch model catalog updates. When off, new models may not appear."
                       }
                       value={uniform("enableProviderUpdateChecks")}
                       disabled={disabledFor("enableProviderUpdateChecks")}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
index 131e8539282c893ee435b58e0c50a10f3b345b36..2d5e6fb002231ed3edd9bff3b9b0f18cf6cfd933 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
@@ -998,7 +998,8 @@ function BackgroundActivityAdvancedDialog({
               <div className="min-w-0 space-y-1">
                 <div className="text-sm font-medium">Provider health interval</div>
                 <p className="text-xs leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground">
-                  Refresh provider availability, versions, auth state, and model metadata.
+                  Refresh provider availability, versions, and auth state. Model catalog updates
+                  follow Provider update checks.
                 </p>
               </div>
               <div className="flex shrink-0 items-center gap-2">
@@ -2889,7 +2890,7 @@ export function GeneralSettingsPanel() {
           serverScoped
           settingKeys={["enableProviderUpdateChecks"]}
           {...searchableSetting("provider-update-checks")}
-          description="Check installed provider CLIs for newer available versions."
+          description="Check installed provider CLIs for newer available versions and fetch model catalog updates. When off, new models may not appear."
           resetAction={
             settings.enableProviderUpdateChecks !==
             DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.enableProviderUpdateChecks ? (
diff --git a/docs/user/updating.md b/docs/user/updating.md
index 1c7ac45a8b16d126ee09b68442b5a824683f76e3..9ecac765f9f415a26732f7a316c3ca87cef09bd8 100644
--- a/docs/user/updating.md
+++ b/docs/user/updating.md
@@ -122,7 +122,9 @@ The same page lets you refresh provider status and update supported providers.
 These controls require a connected environment and permission to operate it.
 Provider update checks and restart continuation preferences are in
 **Settings → Maintenance**. If provider update checks are disabled, enable them
-there before refreshing to find newer versions.
+there before refreshing to find newer versions. The same setting controls whether
+T3 Code downloads model catalog updates, so with it off new models may not appear
+until you enable it and refresh provider status.
 
 Install App Store or Google Play releases as usual. The mobile app can also
 download updates in the background and apply them when you next leave the app.