diff --git a/hermes_cli/config.py b/hermes_cli/config.py
index 77cffed56a6..7dc7ae50425 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/config.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/config.py
@@ -345,6 +345,58 @@ def recommended_update_command() -> str:
     return recommended_update_command_for_method(method)
 
 
+# Long-form text for ``hermes update`` / ``--check`` when running inside the
+# Docker image.  Surfaced by ``cmd_update`` and ``_cmd_update_check`` in
+# hermes_cli/main.py; lives here so the wording stays consistent and we
+# don't grow two slightly-different copies.
+#
+# Why this matters:
+#   - The published image excludes ``.git`` (see .dockerignore), so the
+#     git-based update path can never succeed inside the container.
+#   - The pre-existing fallback message ("✗ Not a git repository. Please
+#     reinstall: curl ... install.sh") is actively misleading inside Docker
+#     — that script installs a *new* host-side Hermes, it doesn't update
+#     the running container.
+#   - The right action is ``docker pull`` + restart the container; this
+#     helper spells that out, with notes on tag pinning and config
+#     persistence so users don't get blindsided.
+_DOCKER_UPDATE_MESSAGE = """\
+✗ ``hermes update`` doesn't apply inside the Docker container.
+
+Hermes Agent runs as a published image (nousresearch/hermes-agent), not a
+git checkout — the container has no working tree to pull into.  Update by
+pulling a fresh image and restarting your container instead:
+
+  docker pull nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest
+  # then restart whatever started the container, e.g.:
+  docker compose up -d --force-recreate hermes-agent
+  # or, for ad-hoc runs, exit the current container and `docker run` again
+
+Verify the new version after restart:
+  docker run --rm nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest --version
+
+Notes:
+  • If you pinned a specific tag (e.g. ``:v0.14.0``) the ``:latest`` tag
+    won't move your container — pull the newer tag you actually want, or
+    switch to ``:latest`` / ``:main`` for rolling updates.  See available
+    tags at https://hub.docker.com/r/nousresearch/hermes-agent/tags
+  • Your config and session history live under ``$HERMES_HOME`` (``/opt/data``
+    in the container, typically bind-mounted from the host) and persist
+    across image upgrades — re-pulling doesn't lose any state.
+  • Running a fork?  Build your own image with this repo's ``Dockerfile``
+    and replace the ``docker pull`` step with your build/push pipeline."""
+
+
+def format_docker_update_message() -> str:
+    """Return the user-facing message for ``hermes update`` inside Docker.
+
+    Centralised so ``cmd_update`` (the apply path) and ``_cmd_update_check``
+    (the dry-run path) share the same wording.  See ``_DOCKER_UPDATE_MESSAGE``
+    above for the full rationale.
+    """
+    return _DOCKER_UPDATE_MESSAGE
+
+
 def format_managed_message(action: str = "modify this Hermes installation") -> str:
     """Build a user-facing error for managed installs."""
     managed_system = get_managed_system() or "a package manager"
diff --git a/hermes_cli/main.py b/hermes_cli/main.py
index f1f83333124..adbea3682c9 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/main.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/main.py
@@ -8416,6 +8416,14 @@ def _cmd_update_check(branch: str = "main", *, branch_explicit: bool = False):
     """
     from hermes_cli.config import detect_install_method
     method = detect_install_method(PROJECT_ROOT)
+    if method == "docker":
+        # Docker can't ``git fetch`` from within the container.  Surface the
+        # same long-form ``docker pull`` guidance ``hermes update`` (apply
+        # path) uses — telling the user to "reinstall via curl" or that
+        # ".git is missing" would point them at the wrong remediation.
+        from hermes_cli.config import format_docker_update_message
+        print(format_docker_update_message())
+        sys.exit(1)
     if method == "pip":
         from hermes_cli.config import recommended_update_command
         from hermes_cli.banner import check_via_pypi
@@ -8716,12 +8724,27 @@ def cmd_update(args):
     runs the update, then restores stdio on the way out (even on
     ``sys.exit`` or unhandled exceptions).
     """
-    from hermes_cli.config import is_managed, managed_error
+    from hermes_cli.config import (
+        detect_install_method,
+        format_docker_update_message,
+        is_managed,
+        managed_error,
+    )
 
     if is_managed():
         managed_error("update Hermes Agent")
         return
 
+    # Docker users can't ``git pull`` — the image excludes ``.git`` from
+    # the build context.  Bail with a friendly explanation pointing at
+    # ``docker pull`` BEFORE any of the apply-path / check-path branches
+    # below get a chance to error out with misleading "Not a git
+    # repository" text.  See format_docker_update_message() for the full
+    # rationale and tag-pinning / config-persistence notes.
+    if detect_install_method(PROJECT_ROOT) == "docker":
+        print(format_docker_update_message())
+        sys.exit(1)
+
     if getattr(args, "check", False):
         # --check honors --branch so the "any new commits?" answer matches
         # what a subsequent `hermes update --branch=<x>` would actually pull.
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_cmd_update_docker.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_cmd_update_docker.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7bccfe89782
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_cmd_update_docker.py
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+"""Tests for ``hermes update`` / ``--check`` inside the Docker container.
+
+Background: ``.dockerignore`` excludes ``.git``, so the existing git-pull
+update path can never succeed inside the published image.  Before this
+fix, ``hermes update`` would fall through to ``"✗ Not a git repository.
+Please reinstall: curl ... install.sh"`` — that script installs a *new*
+host-side Hermes, not an update to the running container, so the message
+was actively misleading.
+
+These tests pin the new behaviour: when ``detect_install_method`` reports
+``"docker"`` (stamped by ``docker/stage2-hook.sh``), both the apply path
+(``cmd_update``) and the check path (``_cmd_update_check``) print the
+``docker pull`` guidance from ``format_docker_update_message`` and exit
+with status 1, without running ``git fetch`` / ``subprocess.run``.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+import pytest
+
+from hermes_cli.main import _cmd_update_check, cmd_update
+
+
+# ---------- cmd_update (apply path) ----------
+
+
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.is_managed", return_value=False)
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.detect_install_method", return_value="docker")
+@patch("subprocess.run")
+def test_cmd_update_in_docker_prints_guidance_and_exits(
+    mock_run, _mock_method, _mock_managed, capsys
+):
+    """``hermes update`` inside Docker → friendly message + exit 1, no git calls."""
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as excinfo:
+        cmd_update(SimpleNamespace(check=False))
+
+    assert excinfo.value.code == 1
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+    # Spot-check the key guidance — exhaustive wording is locked in by the
+    # config-module test below to keep these CLI tests resilient to copy edits.
+    assert "doesn't apply inside the Docker container" in out
+    assert "docker pull nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest" in out
+
+    # No git invocations — the early-return must beat every git command.
+    git_calls = [c for c in mock_run.call_args_list if c.args and c.args[0] and "git" in str(c.args[0][0])]
+    assert git_calls == [], f"expected no git calls, got: {git_calls}"
+
+
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.is_managed", return_value=False)
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.detect_install_method", return_value="docker")
+@patch("subprocess.run")
+def test_cmd_update_check_in_docker_prints_guidance_and_exits(
+    mock_run, _mock_method, _mock_managed, capsys
+):
+    """``hermes update --check`` inside Docker → same message + exit 1, no fetch."""
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as excinfo:
+        cmd_update(SimpleNamespace(check=True, branch=None))
+
+    assert excinfo.value.code == 1
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "doesn't apply inside the Docker container" in out
+    assert "docker pull nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest" in out
+
+    git_calls = [c for c in mock_run.call_args_list if c.args and c.args[0] and "git" in str(c.args[0][0])]
+    assert git_calls == [], f"expected no git calls, got: {git_calls}"
+
+
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.is_managed", return_value=False)
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.detect_install_method", return_value="docker")
+@patch("subprocess.run")
+def test_cmd_update_in_docker_ignores_yes_and_force(
+    mock_run, _mock_method, _mock_managed, capsys
+):
+    """``--yes`` / ``--force`` don't bypass the Docker bail-out.
+
+    The point of the bail-out is "git pull will never work here", so even
+    a user trying to barge through with ``--yes --force`` should see the
+    docker-pull guidance.
+    """
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
+        cmd_update(SimpleNamespace(check=False, yes=True, force=True))
+
+    assert "docker pull" in capsys.readouterr().out
+    git_calls = [c for c in mock_run.call_args_list if c.args and c.args[0] and "git" in str(c.args[0][0])]
+    assert git_calls == []
+
+
+# ---------- _cmd_update_check (check path, direct entry) ----------
+
+
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.detect_install_method", return_value="docker")
+@patch("subprocess.run")
+def test_cmd_update_check_direct_in_docker(mock_run, _mock_method, capsys):
+    """Calling ``_cmd_update_check`` directly (no apply path) also bails."""
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as excinfo:
+        _cmd_update_check()
+
+    assert excinfo.value.code == 1
+    assert "docker pull" in capsys.readouterr().out
+    git_calls = [c for c in mock_run.call_args_list if c.args and c.args[0] and "git" in str(c.args[0][0])]
+    assert git_calls == []
+
+
+# ---------- Non-Docker installs unaffected ----------
+
+
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.is_managed", return_value=False)
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.detect_install_method", return_value="git")
+def test_cmd_update_on_git_install_does_not_print_docker_message(
+    _mock_method, _mock_managed, capsys
+):
+    """Source/git installs MUST NOT hit the Docker branch.
+
+    Regression guard: an over-eager detection refactor could accidentally
+    route git users through the docker-pull message.  We swallow the
+    SystemExit / errors from the rest of the update flow — those don't
+    matter for this assertion; what matters is that the docker text is
+    absent.
+    """
+    try:
+        cmd_update(SimpleNamespace(check=True, branch=None))
+    except SystemExit:
+        # Update flow may exit for unrelated reasons in a test env (no
+        # network, no real .git) — that's fine; we only care about the
+        # banner not appearing.
+        pass
+
+    assert "doesn't apply inside the Docker container" not in capsys.readouterr().out
+
+
+@patch("hermes_cli.config.detect_install_method", return_value="pip")
+@patch("hermes_cli.banner.check_via_pypi", return_value=0)
+def test_cmd_update_check_on_pip_install_still_uses_pypi(
+    _mock_pypi, _mock_method, capsys
+):
+    """PyPI installs route to PyPI check, not the Docker bail-out."""
+    _cmd_update_check()
+
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "Already up to date" in out
+    assert "doesn't apply inside the Docker container" not in out
+
+
+# ---------- format_docker_update_message — content lock ----------
+
+
+def test_format_docker_update_message_contents():
+    """Lock in the high-value content of the Docker update message.
+
+    These are the bits a user actually needs to act on; if any of them
+    disappear in a copy edit, the message has lost its value.  Specific
+    wording around them is free to evolve (we don't assert full text).
+    """
+    from hermes_cli.config import format_docker_update_message
+
+    msg = format_docker_update_message()
+
+    # Primary command — the entire reason this message exists.
+    assert "docker pull nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest" in msg
+
+    # The four key concepts the message must cover:
+    assert "restart" in msg.lower(), "must explain that a restart is required"
+    assert "--version" in msg, "must show how to verify the new version"
+    assert ":latest" in msg, "must mention tag pinning caveat"
+    assert "HERMES_HOME" in msg or "/opt/data" in msg, (
+        "must address config persistence across upgrades"
+    )
+
+    # Acknowledges that forks exist (build-your-own-image escape hatch).
+    assert "fork" in msg.lower() or "Dockerfile" in msg