diff --git a/cc/README.md b/cc/README.md
index 219ebb45a0..dc4b2a5c47 100644
--- a/cc/README.md
+++ b/cc/README.md
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ git add -A && git commit -m "cc: bump to v6.2.1 (issue #11)"
 git push cc cc
 ```
 
-Then re-run `playbooks/caldiy-deploy.yml` to pull the new image and migrate.
+Then re-run `playbooks/caldiy-deploy.yml` to rebuild the image and migrate.
 
 ## Manual deploy (if not using ansible)
 
@@ -57,5 +57,11 @@ Then re-run `playbooks/caldiy-deploy.yml` to pull the new image and migrate.
 git clone --branch cc https://git.commonscomputer.com/commonscomputer/cal.diy.git /opt/caldiy
 cd /opt/caldiy
 cp cc.env.example .env   # then fill RELEASE secrets (see generation notes in cc.env.example)
+# cal.diy publishes no prebuilt images for releases — build from source:
+docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.cc.yml build calcom
 docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.cc.yml up -d database redis calcom
-```
\ No newline at end of file
+```
+
+The cal.com build is heavy (~20-40 min on first run: yarn install + Next.js
+production build); give the host 6+ cores / 8 GB RAM (the caldiy CT is sized for
+this). Subsequent builds are fast thanks to the layer cache.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker-compose.cc.yml b/docker-compose.cc.yml
index c4f245eae4..6879eb5757 100644
--- a/docker-compose.cc.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.cc.yml
@@ -1,12 +1,15 @@
 # cal.diy — Commons Computer deployment override (cc branch, issue #11)
 #
 # Usage (from the cc branch checkout):
+#   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.cc.yml build calcom
 #   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.cc.yml up -d database redis calcom
-#   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.cc.yml pull calcom
 #
 # Changes vs upstream docker-compose.yml:
 #   1. Pin every image at a CC-known-good tag (cal.com, postgres, redis) —
-#      reproducibility is the point of this branch.
+#      reproducibility is the point of this branch. NOTE: cal.diy does NOT
+#      publish prebuilt release images (Docker Hub: 0 tags; scarf/ghcr: none),
+#      so `calcom` is BUILT from source; the image: line is the local tag the
+#      build produces (build args come from .env via the base compose file).
 #   2. Keep `calcom-api` (v2 API) and `studio` (Prisma) OUT of the v1 stack via
 #      a reserved profile — not part of the first cutover (issue #11).