diff --git a/frontend/src/app/components/UpdateReadyDot.tsx b/frontend/src/app/components/UpdateReadyDot.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fea0d923
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/app/components/UpdateReadyDot.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import Box from '@mui/material/Box';
+import { useAppSelector } from '@/shared/hooks';
+import { useClaudeTokens } from '@/shared/styles/ThemeContext';
+import type { SxProps } from '@mui/material/styles';
+
+/** The breadcrumb dot for a downloaded update: gear tile -> Advanced rail row -> the relaunch row. Renders nothing until the update is actually sitting on disk, so it can never nag about something a click cannot deliver. */
+const UpdateReadyDot: React.FC<{ size?: number; sx?: SxProps }> = ({ size = 8, sx }) => {
+  const c = useClaudeTokens();
+  const ready = useAppSelector((s) => s.update.status === 'downloaded' && !s.update.installing);
+  if (!ready) return null;
+  return (
+    <Box
+      aria-label="Update ready"
+      sx={{
+        width: size,
+        height: size,
+        borderRadius: '50%',
+        bgcolor: c.accent.primary,
+        boxShadow: `0 0 0 2px ${c.bg.surface}, 0 0 6px ${c.accent.primary}80`,
+        flexShrink: 0,
+        pointerEvents: 'none',
+        ...sx,
+      }}
+    />
+  );
+};
+
+export default UpdateReadyDot;
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/desktop/DockActionTiles.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/desktop/DockActionTiles.tsx
index a2a0e73d..08129d25 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/desktop/DockActionTiles.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/desktop/DockActionTiles.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { Globe, CalendarClock, Settings, LayoutGrid, Store } from 'lucide-react'
 import { useAppDispatch } from '@/shared/hooks';
 import { openSettingsCard, openWorkflowsApp } from '@/shared/state/dashboardLayoutSlice';
 import { openMarketplace } from '@/app/pages/Directory/openMarketplace';
+import UpdateReadyDot from '@/app/components/UpdateReadyDot';
 
 // The dock reserves room for these before it knows what they are, so the count lives with the list.
 export const DOCK_ACTION_COUNT = 5;
@@ -19,11 +20,11 @@ interface DockActionTilesProps {
 /** The dock's fixed group: browser, workflows, then settings + applications under their own divider. Action buttons are flat hairline glyphs resting on the rail material (running dock tiles above keep their colored tiles), so actions and running things read as different species. */
 function DockActionTiles({ tile, onAddBrowser, onApplications, onHoverAway }: DockActionTilesProps): React.ReactElement {
   const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
-  const actions: { label: string; Icon: typeof Globe; act: () => void; divider?: boolean }[] = [
+  const actions: { label: string; Icon: typeof Globe; act: () => void; divider?: boolean; updateDot?: boolean }[] = [
     { label: 'Browsers', Icon: Globe, act: onAddBrowser },
     { label: 'Workflows', Icon: CalendarClock, act: () => dispatch(openWorkflowsApp()) },
     { label: 'Marketplace', Icon: Store, act: () => openMarketplace() },
-    { label: 'Settings', Icon: Settings, act: () => dispatch(openSettingsCard()), divider: true },
+    { label: 'Settings', Icon: Settings, act: () => dispatch(openSettingsCard()), divider: true, updateDot: true },
     { label: 'Applications', Icon: LayoutGrid, act: onApplications },
   ];
 
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ function DockActionTiles({ tile, onAddBrowser, onApplications, onHoverAway }: Do
               onClick={a.act}
               onMouseEnter={onHoverAway}
               sx={{
+                position: 'relative',
                 width: tile,
                 height: tile,
                 borderRadius: '10px',
@@ -53,6 +55,7 @@ function DockActionTiles({ tile, onAddBrowser, onApplications, onHoverAway }: Do
               }}
             >
               <a.Icon size={19} strokeWidth={1.5} />
+              {a.updateDot && <UpdateReadyDot sx={{ position: 'absolute', top: 6, right: 6 }} />}
             </Box>
           </Tooltip>
         </React.Fragment>
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/SettingsRail.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/SettingsRail.tsx
index 65b41ad2..732765e6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/SettingsRail.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/SettingsRail.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import Typography from '@mui/material/Typography';
 import { User, Settings2, Palette, ShieldCheck, Wrench, Boxes, SquareSlash, BarChart3, Bell, Mic, LayoutGrid, Bot, Brain } from 'lucide-react';
 import type { LucideIcon } from 'lucide-react';
 import { useClaudeTokens } from '@/shared/styles/ThemeContext';
+import UpdateReadyDot from '@/app/components/UpdateReadyDot';
 
 // ChatGPT/Apple-style settings nav: a left rail of short, focused sections instead of one giant
 // General scroll. Grouped so the eye lands (account, then app-wide, then capabilities).
@@ -89,6 +90,7 @@ const SettingsRail: React.FC<{
               >
                 <s.Icon size={16} style={{ flexShrink: 0, color: c.text.secondary }} />
                 {s.label}
+                {s.value === 'advanced' && <UpdateReadyDot size={7} sx={{ ml: 'auto' }} />}
               </Box>
             );
           })}
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/general/GeneralAdvanced.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/general/GeneralAdvanced.tsx
index 196c2c03..3f88b456 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/general/GeneralAdvanced.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/general/GeneralAdvanced.tsx
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { onboardingBus } from '@/app/components/Onboarding/eventBus';
 import { resetTour } from '@/shared/state/onboardingProgressSlice';
 import { useClaudeTokens } from '@/shared/styles/ThemeContext';
 import TrustedFilePatterns from '@/app/components/overlays/TrustedFilePatterns';
-import SoftwareUpdateRow from './SoftwareUpdateRow';
+import SoftwareUpdateRow, { UpdateReadyBanner } from './SoftwareUpdateRow';
 import type { SettingsStyles } from '../settingsStyles';
 import { settingSelectAttrs } from '../settingSelect';
 
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ const GeneralAdvanced: React.FC<{
 
   return (
     <>
+      <UpdateReadyBanner />
 
       <Box sx={inlineRowSx} {...settingSelectAttrs('dev_mode', 'Developer mode', 'Advanced', 'Show transport details, env vars, and technical metadata throughout the app.')}>
         <Box sx={{ mr: 3 }}>
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/general/SoftwareUpdateRow.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/general/SoftwareUpdateRow.tsx
index a2ca42fb..137ef9a6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/general/SoftwareUpdateRow.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Settings/sections/general/SoftwareUpdateRow.tsx
@@ -14,6 +14,49 @@ import { setChecking, setUpdateError, setInstalling } from '@/shared/state/updat
 import { useClaudeTokens } from '@/shared/styles/ThemeContext';
 import type { SettingsStyles } from '../settingsStyles';
 
+/** The breadcrumb's last stop: a pill-shaped relaunch row pinned to the top of Advanced while an update sits downloaded. */
+export const UpdateReadyBanner: React.FC = () => {
+  const c = useClaudeTokens();
+  const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
+  const updateStatus = useAppSelector((s) => s.update.status);
+  const availableVersion = useAppSelector((s) => s.update.availableVersion);
+  const installing = useAppSelector((s) => s.update.installing);
+  if (updateStatus !== 'downloaded') return null;
+  const install = () => {
+    if (installing) return;
+    dispatch(setInstalling());
+    (window as any).openswarm?.installUpdate();
+  };
+  return (
+    <Box
+      onClick={install}
+      role="button"
+      aria-label="Relaunch to update"
+      sx={{
+        display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 1.25,
+        px: 1.75, py: 1.25, mb: 2,
+        borderRadius: '999px',
+        border: `1px solid ${c.accent.primary}`,
+        bgcolor: `${c.accent.primary}14`,
+        cursor: installing ? 'default' : 'pointer',
+        transition: 'background-color 0.15s ease',
+        '&:hover': { bgcolor: `${c.accent.primary}22` },
+      }}
+    >
+      <RestartAltIcon sx={{ fontSize: 18, color: c.accent.primary, flexShrink: 0 }} />
+      <Box sx={{ minWidth: 0 }}>
+        <Typography sx={{ fontSize: '0.875rem', fontWeight: 600, color: c.text.primary, lineHeight: 1.25 }}>
+          {installing ? 'Relaunching…' : 'Relaunch to update'}
+        </Typography>
+        <Typography sx={{ fontSize: '0.75rem', color: c.text.tertiary }}>
+          {availableVersion ? `Version ${availableVersion} is downloaded and ready.` : 'The update is downloaded and ready.'}
+        </Typography>
+      </Box>
+      {installing && <CircularProgress size={16} sx={{ color: c.accent.primary, ml: 'auto', flexShrink: 0 }} />}
+    </Box>
+  );
+};
+
 const SoftwareUpdateRow: React.FC<{ styles: SettingsStyles }> = ({ styles }) => {
   const c = useClaudeTokens();
   const dispatch = useAppDispatch();