diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ ```
 
 ### AC Native OS (fedac/native/)
 
-**Routine OTA releases are built remotely on the oven.** When fedac/native/ changes land on `origin/main`, oven's git poller auto-triggers a build.
+**Routine OTA releases are built remotely on the oven, and you must ask for them.** Landing fedac/native/ changes on `origin/main` builds nothing — the oven's native git poller ships disabled (`NATIVE_POLL_INTERVAL_MS` defaults to 0), so pushing and waiting means the published OTA silently stays stale. Run `ac-os oven` to release.
 
 ```bash
 ac-os oven          # Trigger remote OTA build for HEAD
diff --git a/fedac/native/SCORE.md b/fedac/native/SCORE.md
--- a/fedac/native/SCORE.md
+++ b/fedac/native/SCORE.md
@@ -16,12 +16,13 @@ ## Release Procedure
 
 ### Default path: remote OTA via oven (preferred)
 
-OTAs are built remotely on `oven.aesthetic.computer`. After landing
-fedac/native/ changes on `origin/main`, the oven git poller auto-triggers
-a build — but you can also trigger and observe explicitly:
+OTAs are built remotely on `oven.aesthetic.computer`, and every one is
+asked for. The oven's native git poller ships disabled, so landing changes
+on `origin/main` builds nothing and the published OTA stays where it was
+until someone runs the trigger. Releasing is a separate act from merging:
 
 ```bash
-ac-os oven          # Trigger remote OTA build for HEAD (or push to main)
+ac-os oven          # Trigger remote OTA build for HEAD — required to release
 ac-os oven status   # Show oven build queue + last builds
 ac-os oven watch    # Tail logs for the active oven build (SSE)
 ac-os oven cancel   # Cancel the active oven job
diff --git a/oven/native-git-poller.mjs b/oven/native-git-poller.mjs
--- a/oven/native-git-poller.mjs
+++ b/oven/native-git-poller.mjs
@@ -1,8 +1,15 @@
-// native-git-poller.mjs — polls git for fedac/native/ changes, auto-triggers OTA builds
+// native-git-poller.mjs — optional git poller for fedac/native/ OTA builds
+//
+// OFF unless NATIVE_POLL_INTERVAL_MS is set, and nothing in this repo sets it:
+// native OTAs are released deliberately, by `ac-os oven`, not by merging. The
+// papers poller is the one that runs on a timer (60s); this one and recap's
+// both default to 0. Leave it that way unless the intent is that every commit
+// touching fedac/native/ ships to devices on its own.
 //
-// Runs inside the oven server. Every POLL_INTERVAL_MS (default 60s), fetches
-// origin/main from the configured native checkout remote and checks if any fedac/native/ paths changed since the last
-// successful build. If so, pulls and triggers startNativeBuild().
+// When enabled it runs inside the oven server: every POLL_INTERVAL_MS it
+// fetches origin/main from the configured native checkout, checks whether any
+// fedac/native/ path changed since the last successful build, and if so pulls
+// and triggers startNativeBuild().
 //
 // Requires a git clone at GIT_REPO_DIR (default /opt/oven/native-git/).
 // deploy.sh sets this up on first deploy.