diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/update.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/update.test.ts
index edf42633807..5ad88cec937 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/update.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/update.test.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,10 @@ const initializeI18n = vi.fn();
 const resolveLanguageSetting = vi.fn((language?: string) => language || 'auto');
 
 vi.mock('../config/settings.js', () => ({ loadSettings }));
-vi.mock('../ui/utils/updateCheck.js', () => ({ checkForUpdatesDetailed }));
+vi.mock('../ui/utils/updateCheck.js', async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import('../ui/utils/updateCheck.js')>()),
+  checkForUpdatesDetailed,
+}));
 vi.mock('../utils/installationInfo.js', () => ({
   formatUpdateInstructions,
   getInstallationInfo,
@@ -235,7 +238,7 @@ describe('update command', () => {
     await updateCommand.handler(updateArgs);
 
     expect(writeStderrLine).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+      'Failed to check for updates (registry error). Please check your network or registry configuration.',
     );
     expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
     expect(getInstallationInfo).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/update.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/update.ts
index daeeacd9b52..2e81513fac4 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/update.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/update.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export const updateCommand: CommandModule = {
   handler: async () => {
     const [
       { loadSettings },
-      { checkForUpdatesDetailed },
+      { checkForUpdatesDetailed, describeUpdateCheckFailure },
       installationInfoModule,
       standaloneUpdate,
       stdioHelpers,
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ export const updateCommand: CommandModule = {
     if (updateCheck.status === 'error') {
       writeStderrLine(
         t(
-          'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+          'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+          { reason: describeUpdateCheckFailure(updateCheck.error) },
         ),
       );
       process.exitCode = 1;
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ca.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ca.js
index 700cc1d90a4..9ca3bd1dd55 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ca.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ca.js
@@ -2098,8 +2098,14 @@ export default {
     'Hi ha una versió nova de Qwen Code disponible! {{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!':
     'Qwen Code {{version}} està actualitzat!',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    "No s'han pogut comprovar les actualitzacions. Comproveu la xarxa o la configuració del registre.",
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    "No s'han pogut comprovar les actualitzacions ({{reason}}). Comproveu la xarxa o la configuració del registre.",
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    "S'ha omès la comprovació d'actualitzacions ({{reason}}) — executeu /update per tornar-ho a provar.",
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    'el registre no ha respost en {{seconds}}s',
+  'registry unreachable': 'no es pot accedir al registre',
+  'registry error': 'error del registre',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}':
     'No es poden comprovar les actualitzacions: {{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/de.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/de.js
index d9c91153ed4..33117f1b018 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/de.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/de.js
@@ -2146,8 +2146,14 @@ export default {
   'A new version of Qwen Code is available! {{current}} → {{latest}}':
     'Eine neue Version von Qwen Code ist verfügbar! {{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!': 'Qwen Code {{version}} ist aktuell!',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    'Suche nach Updates fehlgeschlagen. Bitte Netzwerk- oder Registry-Konfiguration prüfen.',
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    'Suche nach Updates fehlgeschlagen ({{reason}}). Bitte Netzwerk- oder Registry-Konfiguration prüfen.',
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    'Update-Prüfung übersprungen ({{reason}}) — mit /update erneut versuchen.',
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    'Registry hat nicht innerhalb von {{seconds}}s geantwortet',
+  'registry unreachable': 'Registry nicht erreichbar',
+  'registry error': 'Registry-Fehler',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}':
     'Updates können nicht geprüft werden: {{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/en.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/en.js
index 78fb3242f95..14675a5571d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/en.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/en.js
@@ -2604,8 +2604,14 @@ export default {
     'A new version of Qwen Code is available! {{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!':
     'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.',
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s',
+  'registry unreachable': 'registry unreachable',
+  'registry error': 'registry error',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}':
     'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/fr.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/fr.js
index 0a3d33039e1..525d35d2b54 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/fr.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/fr.js
@@ -2148,8 +2148,14 @@ export default {
   'A new version of Qwen Code is available! {{current}} → {{latest}}':
     'Une nouvelle version de Qwen Code est disponible ! {{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!': 'Qwen Code {{version}} est à jour !',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    'Échec de la vérification des mises à jour. Vérifiez votre réseau ou la configuration du registre.',
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    'Échec de la vérification des mises à jour ({{reason}}). Vérifiez votre réseau ou la configuration du registre.',
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    'Vérification des mises à jour ignorée ({{reason}}) — exécutez /update pour réessayer.',
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    "le registre n'a pas répondu en {{seconds}}s",
+  'registry unreachable': 'registre inaccessible',
+  'registry error': 'erreur du registre',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}':
     'Impossible de vérifier les mises à jour : {{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ja.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ja.js
index 34741bb2f5e..8d33534df11 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ja.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ja.js
@@ -1912,8 +1912,14 @@ export default {
   'A new version of Qwen Code is available! {{current}} → {{latest}}':
     'Qwen Code の新しいバージョンがあります！{{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!': 'Qwen Code {{version}} は最新です！',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    'アップデートの確認に失敗しました。ネットワークまたはレジストリ設定を確認してください。',
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    'アップデートの確認に失敗しました（{{reason}}）。ネットワークまたはレジストリ設定を確認してください。',
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    'アップデートの確認をスキップしました（{{reason}}）— /update で再試行できます。',
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    'レジストリが {{seconds}} 秒以内に応答しませんでした',
+  'registry unreachable': 'レジストリに接続できません',
+  'registry error': 'レジストリエラー',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}':
     'アップデートを確認できません: {{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/pt.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/pt.js
index 54866ad2099..6ffb096d4a5 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/pt.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/pt.js
@@ -2133,8 +2133,14 @@ export default {
     'Uma nova versão do Qwen Code está disponível! {{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!':
     'Qwen Code {{version}} está atualizado!',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    'Falha ao verificar atualizações. Verifique sua rede ou configuração do registro.',
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    'Falha ao verificar atualizações ({{reason}}). Verifique sua rede ou configuração do registro.',
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    'Verificação de atualização ignorada ({{reason}}) — execute /update para tentar novamente.',
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    'o registro não respondeu em {{seconds}}s',
+  'registry unreachable': 'registro inacessível',
+  'registry error': 'erro no registro',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}':
     'Não foi possível verificar atualizações: {{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ru.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ru.js
index 6747f4e87e5..ad8953a5c70 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ru.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/ru.js
@@ -2120,8 +2120,14 @@ export default {
   'A new version of Qwen Code is available! {{current}} → {{latest}}':
     'Доступна новая версия Qwen Code! {{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!': 'Qwen Code {{version}} актуален!',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    'Не удалось проверить обновления. Проверьте сеть или настройки registry.',
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    'Не удалось проверить обновления ({{reason}}). Проверьте сеть или настройки registry.',
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    'Проверка обновлений пропущена ({{reason}}) — выполните /update для повторной попытки.',
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    'registry не ответил за {{seconds}} с',
+  'registry unreachable': 'registry недоступен',
+  'registry error': 'ошибка registry',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}':
     'Невозможно проверить обновления: {{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.js
index 294b51bbfc2..d306d30fc5b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/zh-TW.js
@@ -2197,8 +2197,14 @@ export default {
   'A new version of Qwen Code is available! {{current}} → {{latest}}':
     'Qwen Code 有新版本可用！{{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!': 'Qwen Code {{version}} 已是最新！',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    '檢查更新失敗。請檢查網路或 registry 設定。',
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    '檢查更新失敗（{{reason}}）。請檢查網路或 registry 設定。',
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    '已略過更新檢查（{{reason}}）— 可執行 /update 重試。',
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    'registry 在 {{seconds}} 秒內未回應',
+  'registry unreachable': 'registry 無法連線',
+  'registry error': 'registry 錯誤',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}': '無法檢查更新：{{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
     '更新成功！新版本將在下次執行時生效。',
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/zh.js b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/zh.js
index 113c84e44ff..7753bbd85e2 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/zh.js
+++ b/packages/cli/src/i18n/locales/zh.js
@@ -2399,8 +2399,14 @@ export default {
   'A new version of Qwen Code is available! {{current}} → {{latest}}':
     'Qwen Code 有新版本可用！{{current}} → {{latest}}',
   'Qwen Code {{version}} is up to date!': 'Qwen Code {{version}} 已是最新！',
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.':
-    '检查更新失败。请检查网络或 registry 配置。',
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.':
+    '检查更新失败（{{reason}}）。请检查网络或 registry 配置。',
+  'Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.':
+    '已跳过更新检查（{{reason}}）— 可运行 /update 重试。',
+  'registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s':
+    'registry 在 {{seconds}} 秒内未响应',
+  'registry unreachable': 'registry 无法连接',
+  'registry error': 'registry 错误',
   'Unable to check for updates: {{reason}}': '无法检查更新：{{reason}}',
   'Update successful! The new version will be used on your next run.':
     '更新成功！新版本将在下次运行时生效。',
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/startup/startup-prefetch.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/startup/startup-prefetch.test.ts
index 21bf507dbce..364dc3f4ddc 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/startup/startup-prefetch.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/startup/startup-prefetch.test.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ vi.mock('../utils/startupProfiler.js', () => ({
   recordStartupEvent: (...args: unknown[]) => mockRecordStartupEvent(...args),
 }));
 
-vi.mock('../ui/utils/updateCheck.js', () => ({
+vi.mock('../ui/utils/updateCheck.js', async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import('../ui/utils/updateCheck.js')>()),
   checkForUpdatesDetailed: (...args: unknown[]) =>
     mockCheckForUpdatesDetailed(...args),
 }));
@@ -78,7 +79,12 @@ vi.mock('../utils/updateEventEmitter.js', () => ({
 }));
 
 vi.mock('../i18n/index.js', () => ({
-  t: (key: string) => key,
+  t: (key: string, params?: Record<string, string | number>) =>
+    params
+      ? key.replace(/\{\{(\w+)\}\}/g, (match, name) =>
+          name in params ? String(params[name]) : match,
+        )
+      : key,
 }));
 
 vi.mock('../core/initializer.js', () => ({
@@ -415,7 +421,7 @@ describe('startupPrefetch', () => {
     expect(mockConnectIdeForStartup).toHaveBeenCalledWith(config);
   });
 
-  it('surfaces update check errors through the update event emitter', async () => {
+  it('surfaces update check errors as a warning through the update event emitter', async () => {
     const config = makeConfig();
     mockCheckForUpdatesDetailed.mockResolvedValue({
       status: 'error',
@@ -427,12 +433,52 @@ describe('startupPrefetch', () => {
     await vi.dynamicImportSettled();
 
     expect(mockUpdateEventEmit).toHaveBeenCalledWith('update-failed', {
-      message:
-        'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+      message: 'Update check skipped (registry error) — run /update to retry.',
+      severity: 'warning',
     });
     expect(mockRequestUpdateOnExit).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it('reports a timeout-specific reason when the update check times out', async () => {
+    const config = makeConfig();
+    const { UpdateCheckTimeoutError, FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS } = await import(
+      '../ui/utils/updateCheck.js'
+    );
+    mockCheckForUpdatesDetailed.mockResolvedValue({
+      status: 'error',
+      error: new UpdateCheckTimeoutError(FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS, 'latest'),
+    });
+
+    startPostRenderPrefetches(config, makeSettings());
+
+    await vi.dynamicImportSettled();
+
+    expect(mockUpdateEventEmit).toHaveBeenCalledWith('update-failed', {
+      message: `Update check skipped (registry did not respond within ${Math.round(FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS / 1000)}s) — run /update to retry.`,
+      severity: 'warning',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('reports an offline-specific reason when the registry is unreachable', async () => {
+    const config = makeConfig();
+    const error = new Error('getaddrinfo failed') as NodeJS.ErrnoException;
+    error.code = 'ENOTFOUND';
+    mockCheckForUpdatesDetailed.mockResolvedValue({
+      status: 'error',
+      error,
+    });
+
+    startPostRenderPrefetches(config, makeSettings());
+
+    await vi.dynamicImportSettled();
+
+    expect(mockUpdateEventEmit).toHaveBeenCalledWith('update-failed', {
+      message:
+        'Update check skipped (registry unreachable) — run /update to retry.',
+      severity: 'warning',
+    });
+  });
+
   it('requires connectIde option before connecting IDE', async () => {
     const config = makeConfig();
     const { statuses, stop } = captureIdeConnectionStatuses();
@@ -657,8 +703,8 @@ describe('startupPrefetch', () => {
 
     expect(mockWarn).toHaveBeenCalledWith('update_check failed:', error);
     expect(mockUpdateEventEmit).toHaveBeenCalledWith('update-failed', {
-      message:
-        'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+      message: 'Update check skipped (registry error) — run /update to retry.',
+      severity: 'warning',
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/startup/startup-prefetch.ts b/packages/cli/src/startup/startup-prefetch.ts
index a61de75fc87..7b17922c779 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/startup/startup-prefetch.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/startup/startup-prefetch.ts
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ export function startPostRenderPrefetches(
   ) {
     runDeferredTask('update_check', async () => {
       const [
-        { checkForUpdatesDetailed },
+        { checkForUpdatesDetailed, describeUpdateCheckFailure },
         { handleAutoUpdate },
         { getInstallationInfo },
         { updateEventEmitter },
@@ -171,9 +171,13 @@ export function startPostRenderPrefetches(
         import('../utils/updateEventEmitter.js'),
         import('../i18n/index.js'),
       ]);
-      const updateFailedMessage = t(
-        'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
-      );
+      // The startup check is best-effort background work: surface failures as
+      // a soft warning with the concrete reason instead of an alarming error
+      // (#7049), while keeping the failure visible (#6857).
+      const updateCheckSkippedMessage = (error: unknown) =>
+        t('Update check skipped ({{reason}}) — run /update to retry.', {
+          reason: describeUpdateCheckFailure(error),
+        });
       try {
         const result = await checkForUpdatesDetailed();
         if (result.status === 'update') {
@@ -222,12 +226,14 @@ export function startPostRenderPrefetches(
           }
         } else if (result.status === 'error') {
           updateEventEmitter.emit('update-failed', {
-            message: updateFailedMessage,
+            message: updateCheckSkippedMessage(result.error),
+            severity: 'warning',
           });
         }
       } catch (error) {
         updateEventEmitter.emit('update-failed', {
-          message: updateFailedMessage,
+          message: updateCheckSkippedMessage(error),
+          severity: 'warning',
         });
         throw error;
       }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/update-command.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/update-command.test.ts
index 181da9d286f..580a28c726e 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/update-command.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/update-command.test.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,10 @@ const formatUpdateInstructions = vi.fn(
     return ['Manual update required. Please reinstall Qwen Code.'];
   },
 );
-vi.mock('../utils/updateCheck.js', () => ({ checkForUpdatesDetailed }));
+vi.mock('../utils/updateCheck.js', async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import('../utils/updateCheck.js')>()),
+  checkForUpdatesDetailed,
+}));
 vi.mock('../../utils/processUtils.js', () => ({
   CUSTOM_SANDBOX_IMAGE_ENV_VAR: 'QWEN_CODE_CUSTOM_SANDBOX_IMAGE',
   HOST_UPDATE_RELAUNCH_ENV_VAR: 'QWEN_CODE_HOST_UPDATE_RELAUNCH',
@@ -376,7 +379,7 @@ describe('updateCommand', () => {
       type: 'message',
       messageType: 'error',
       content:
-        'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+        'Failed to check for updates (registry error). Please check your network or registry configuration.',
     });
     expect(getInstallationInfo).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/update-command.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/update-command.ts
index 9cc9c0d0737..9683f53841b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/update-command.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/commands/update-command.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export const updateCommand: SlashCommand = {
   supportedModes: ['interactive', 'non_interactive', 'acp'] as const,
   action: async (context) => {
     const [
-      { checkForUpdatesDetailed },
+      { checkForUpdatesDetailed, describeUpdateCheckFailure },
       {
         CUSTOM_SANDBOX_IMAGE_ENV_VAR,
         HOST_UPDATE_RELAUNCH_ENV_VAR,
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ export const updateCommand: SlashCommand = {
         type: 'message' as const,
         messageType: 'error' as const,
         content: t(
-          'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+          'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+          { reason: describeUpdateCheckFailure(updateCheck.error) },
         ),
       };
     }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/updateCheck.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/updateCheck.test.ts
index 080289c7b9f..75aa463a331 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/updateCheck.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/updateCheck.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { vi, describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
 import {
   checkForUpdates,
   checkForUpdatesDetailed,
+  classifyUpdateCheckError,
   fetchGlobalNpmUpdateInfo,
   FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS,
   isGlobalNpmInstallation,
@@ -633,4 +634,46 @@ describe('checkForUpdates', () => {
       }
     });
   });
+
+  describe('timeout budget (#7049)', () => {
+    it('allows at least 5 seconds for slow registries', () => {
+      expect(FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(5000);
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+describe('classifyUpdateCheckError', () => {
+  it('classifies UpdateCheckTimeoutError as timeout', () => {
+    expect(classifyUpdateCheckError(new UpdateCheckTimeoutError(5000))).toBe(
+      'timeout',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    'ENOTFOUND',
+    'ECONNREFUSED',
+    'EAI_AGAIN',
+    'ETIMEDOUT',
+    'ENETUNREACH',
+  ])('classifies %s errors as offline', (code) => {
+    const error = new Error(`request failed`) as NodeJS.ErrnoException;
+    error.code = code;
+    expect(classifyUpdateCheckError(error)).toBe('offline');
+  });
+
+  it('classifies network codes embedded in the message as offline', () => {
+    // npm child-process failures surface the code inside stderr text only.
+    expect(
+      classifyUpdateCheckError(
+        new Error('npm error code ENOTFOUND\nnpm error network'),
+      ),
+    ).toBe('offline');
+  });
+
+  it('classifies other errors as registry', () => {
+    expect(classifyUpdateCheckError(new Error('404 Not Found'))).toBe(
+      'registry',
+    );
+    expect(classifyUpdateCheckError('not-an-error')).toBe('registry');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/updateCheck.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/updateCheck.ts
index e218388c4ab..595503ac8de 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/updateCheck.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/updateCheck.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ import { t } from '../../i18n/index.js';
 
 const debugLogger = createDebugLogger('UPDATE_CHECK');
 
-export const FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS = 2000;
+// 5s matches comparable CLIs (e.g. Claude Code's autoUpdater uses
+// AbortSignal.timeout(5000)) and gives slow mirrors and corporate proxies a
+// realistic budget. Related: #7049.
+export const FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS = 5000;
 
 /**
  * Sentinel error thrown when `fetchInfo()` does not resolve within
@@ -43,6 +46,60 @@ export class UpdateCheckTimeoutError extends Error {
   }
 }
 
+export type UpdateCheckFailureReason = 'timeout' | 'offline' | 'registry';
+
+const NETWORK_ERROR_CODES = [
+  'ENOTFOUND',
+  'ECONNREFUSED',
+  'EAI_AGAIN',
+  'ETIMEDOUT',
+  'ENETUNREACH',
+];
+
+/**
+ * Buckets an update-check failure so callers can tell the user what actually
+ * happened instead of a generic "check your network" message. Matches error
+ * codes both on the `code` property and inside the message text, because the
+ * global-npm path surfaces network failures only through `npm` child-process
+ * stderr embedded in the error message. Related: #7049.
+ */
+export function classifyUpdateCheckError(
+  error: unknown,
+): UpdateCheckFailureReason {
+  if (error instanceof UpdateCheckTimeoutError) return 'timeout';
+  if (error instanceof Error) {
+    const code = (error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code;
+    if (
+      NETWORK_ERROR_CODES.some(
+        (netCode) => code === netCode || error.message.includes(netCode),
+      )
+    ) {
+      return 'offline';
+    }
+  }
+  return 'registry';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Short human-readable reason for an update-check failure, for embedding in
+ * status messages, e.g. "registry did not respond within 5s".
+ */
+export function describeUpdateCheckFailure(
+  error: unknown,
+  timeoutMs: number = FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS,
+): string {
+  switch (classifyUpdateCheckError(error)) {
+    case 'timeout':
+      return t('registry did not respond within {{seconds}}s', {
+        seconds: String(Math.round(timeoutMs / 1000)),
+      });
+    case 'offline':
+      return t('registry unreachable');
+    default:
+      return t('registry error');
+  }
+}
+
 async function fetchInfoWithTimeout(
   notifier: { fetchInfo(): UpdateInfo | Promise<UpdateInfo> },
   timeoutMs: number,
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/handleAutoUpdate.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/handleAutoUpdate.test.ts
index 59b90d07123..f4260716355 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/handleAutoUpdate.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/handleAutoUpdate.test.ts
@@ -489,6 +489,47 @@ describe('setUpdateHandler', () => {
     cleanup();
   });
 
+  it('should render update-failed with warning severity as a warning (#7049)', () => {
+    const isIdleRef = { current: true };
+    const { cleanup } = setUpdateHandler(addItem, setUpdateInfo, isIdleRef);
+
+    updateEventEmitter.emit('update-failed', {
+      message:
+        'Update check skipped (registry unreachable) — run /update to retry.',
+      severity: 'warning',
+    });
+
+    expect(addItem).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      {
+        type: MessageType.WARNING,
+        text: 'Update check skipped (registry unreachable) — run /update to retry.',
+      },
+      expect.any(Number),
+    );
+
+    cleanup();
+  });
+
+  it('should keep rendering update-failed as an error when severity is explicit error', () => {
+    const isIdleRef = { current: true };
+    const { cleanup } = setUpdateHandler(addItem, setUpdateInfo, isIdleRef);
+
+    updateEventEmitter.emit('update-failed', {
+      message: 'Automatic update failed. Please try updating manually.',
+      severity: 'error',
+    });
+
+    expect(addItem).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      {
+        type: MessageType.ERROR,
+        text: 'Automatic update failed. Please try updating manually.',
+      },
+      expect.any(Number),
+    );
+
+    cleanup();
+  });
+
   it('should defer addItem when not idle (update-success)', () => {
     const isIdleRef = { current: false };
     const { cleanup } = setUpdateHandler(addItem, setUpdateInfo, isIdleRef);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/handleAutoUpdate.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/handleAutoUpdate.ts
index da4902106f7..54f15a29617 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/handleAutoUpdate.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/handleAutoUpdate.ts
@@ -189,10 +189,16 @@ export function setUpdateHandler(
     }, 60000);
   };
 
-  const handleUpdateFailed = (data?: { message?: string }) => {
+  const handleUpdateFailed = (data?: {
+    message?: string;
+    severity?: 'error' | 'warning';
+  }) => {
     setUpdateInfo(null);
     addItemOrDefer({
-      type: MessageType.ERROR,
+      // Background update-check failures are emitted with severity 'warning'
+      // (#7049); actual update installation failures stay errors.
+      type:
+        data?.severity === 'warning' ? MessageType.WARNING : MessageType.ERROR,
       text: data?.message ?? t(UPDATE_FAILED_MESSAGE),
     });
   };
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/update-relaunch.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/update-relaunch.test.ts
index 9cb9de772cd..130a87a6d69 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/update-relaunch.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/update-relaunch.test.ts
@@ -13,12 +13,24 @@ const getInstallationInfo = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 const performStandaloneUpdate = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 const writeStderrLine = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 
-vi.mock('../ui/utils/updateCheck.js', () => ({ checkForUpdatesDetailed }));
+vi.mock('../ui/utils/updateCheck.js', () => ({
+  checkForUpdatesDetailed,
+  // Classification behavior is covered by updateCheck.test.ts; a fixed reason
+  // keeps this suite from importing the real update-notifier chain.
+  describeUpdateCheckFailure: () => 'registry error',
+}));
 vi.mock('./handleAutoUpdate.js', () => ({ handleAutoUpdate }));
 vi.mock('./installationInfo.js', () => ({ getInstallationInfo }));
 vi.mock('./standalone-update.js', () => ({ performStandaloneUpdate }));
 vi.mock('./stdioHelpers.js', () => ({ writeStderrLine }));
-vi.mock('../i18n/index.js', () => ({ t: (message: string) => message }));
+vi.mock('../i18n/index.js', () => ({
+  t: (message: string, params?: Record<string, string | number>) =>
+    params
+      ? message.replace(/\{\{(\w+)\}\}/g, (match, name) =>
+          name in params ? String(params[name]) : match,
+        )
+      : message,
+}));
 
 const { updateBeforeRelaunch } = await import('./update-relaunch.js');
 
@@ -88,7 +100,7 @@ describe('updateBeforeRelaunch', () => {
       true,
     );
     expect(writeStderrLine).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.',
+      'Failed to check for updates (registry error). Please check your network or registry configuration.',
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/update-relaunch.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/update-relaunch.ts
index 77d1bfcd979..23da4dafa1d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/update-relaunch.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/update-relaunch.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import type { LoadedSettings } from '../config/settings.js';
 import { writeStderrLine } from './stdioHelpers.js';
 
 const UPDATE_CHECK_FAILED_MESSAGE =
-  'Failed to check for updates. Please check your network or registry configuration.';
+  'Failed to check for updates ({{reason}}). Please check your network or registry configuration.';
 const UPDATE_FAILED_MESSAGE =
   'Automatic update failed. Please try updating manually.';
 
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export async function updateBeforeRelaunch(
   let translate = (message: string) => message;
   try {
     const [
-      { checkForUpdatesDetailed },
+      { checkForUpdatesDetailed, describeUpdateCheckFailure },
       { handleAutoUpdate },
       { getInstallationInfo },
       { performStandaloneUpdate },
@@ -73,7 +73,11 @@ export async function updateBeforeRelaunch(
       );
       return success || relaunchOnFailure;
     } else if (result.status === 'error') {
-      writeStderrLine(t(UPDATE_CHECK_FAILED_MESSAGE));
+      writeStderrLine(
+        t(UPDATE_CHECK_FAILED_MESSAGE, {
+          reason: describeUpdateCheckFailure(result.error),
+        }),
+      );
     }
   } catch {
     writeStderrLine(translate(UPDATE_FAILED_MESSAGE));