diff --git a/validator/README.md b/validator/README.md
index 9b97027..a4d301d 100644
--- a/validator/README.md
+++ b/validator/README.md
@@ -551,7 +551,9 @@ verifier.
 - **Updates:** the live network runs a pinned build of the **Aere fork** of Besu,
   not stock upstream. Every new fleet build is published as a patch in `aere-node` before it is
   required, with the height from which it is needed; rebuild with `./run-node.sh --no-start --rebuild`
-  and restart before that height. Do not move to `:latest` on your own.
+  and restart before that height. Do not move to `:latest` on your own. As of 2026-10-28, the published
+  patch series (0001 to 0010) does not yet include the decision journal that the Foundation's validators
+  run together with the decided-head rule.
 - **Restarts:** tell the Foundation before a planned restart. A restarted validator starts with an empty
   post-quantum seal store, and two validator restarts within minutes of each other can stall an anchor
   round. A node restarting with its `data/` intact keeps its identity and does not re-hit the 5-peer