diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index f6f578f..c1d8a39 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -23,12 +23,13 @@ there are not merged.
 ## What this is
 
 A fork of Stalwart's web interface, taken under the AGPL-3.0-only half of its
-dual licence, talking to INBUXA over JMAP and OAuth. Upstream's copyright
+dual license, talking to INBUXA over JMAP and OAuth. Upstream's copyright
 headers stay where they are, and a file this fork has changed says so beneath
 them. New files carry Coffey Labs' own header and `AGPL-3.0-only`.
 
-Changes to files that came from upstream are kept small, so the next import
-merges cleanly and a reader can tell fork from base.
+Nothing from upstream after v1.0.11 is merged or copied in: later upstream
+releases include code under a proprietary license. A feature upstream adds
+later is written here from scratch, never copied.
 
 ## Before you push
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 340e177..1870bbe 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -48,21 +48,18 @@ npm run typecheck && npx eslint src/ && npx vitest run
 npm run build
 ```
 
-## Keeping up with upstream
+## Upstream
 
-The upstream codebase's history contains no code under a proprietary license,
-so this is an ordinary git fork. `upstream` is a fetch-only remote:
-
-```bash
-git fetch upstream --tags
-git merge v1.0.12        # the next release tag
-```
+INBUXA Admin was forked from upstream at v1.0.11 and no longer takes upstream's
+changes. Later upstream releases include code under a proprietary license, so
+nothing after v1.0.11 is merged or copied in. Upstream releases are still
+followed, and a feature worth having is written here, in this fork's own code.
 
 ## Versions
 
 INBUXA Admin has its own dated version (`inbuxa-version.json`), shown with the
-upstream release it's based on: `INBUXA Admin 2026.9.18 (base 1.0.11)`.
-`package.json` keeps upstream's version, so upstream's bumps merge cleanly.
+upstream release it was forked from: `INBUXA Admin 2026.9.18 (base 1.0.11)`.
+`package.json` keeps that release's version.
 
 ## Source code