fix(Settings): improve user guidance during system update

Author: jakeaturner

admin/docs/release-notes.md

@@ -1,5 +1,16 @@
 # Release Notes
 
+## Unreleased
+
+### Features
+
+### Bug Fixes
+- **Settings**: Fix potential stale cache issue when checking for system updates
+- **Settings**: Improve user guidance during system updates
+
+### Improvements
+
+
 ## Version 1.25.0 - February 12, 2026
 
 ### Features

admin/inertia/pages/settings/update.tsx

@@ -231,6 +231,7 @@ export default function SystemUpdatePage(props: {
   const [logs, setLogs] = useState<string>('')
   const [email, setEmail] = useState('')
   const [versionInfo, setVersionInfo] = useState(props.system)
+  const [showConnectionLostNotice, setShowConnectionLostNotice] = useState(false)
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!isUpdating) return
@@ -242,6 +243,9 @@ export default function SystemUpdatePage(props: {
           throw new Error('Failed to fetch update status')
         }
         setUpdateStatus(response)
+        
+        // If we can connect again, hide the connection lost notice
+        setShowConnectionLostNotice(false)
 
         // Check if update is complete or errored
         if (response.stage === 'complete') {
@@ -255,6 +259,8 @@ export default function SystemUpdatePage(props: {
         }
       } catch (err) {
         // During container restart, we'll lose connection - this is expected
+        // Show a notice to inform the user that this is normal
+        setShowConnectionLostNotice(true)
         // Continue polling to detect when the container comes back up
         console.log('Polling update status (container may be restarting)...')
       }
@@ -414,6 +420,16 @@ export default function SystemUpdatePage(props: {
               />
             </div>
           )}
+          {isUpdating && showConnectionLostNotice && (
+            <div className="mb-6">
+              <Alert
+                type="info"
+                title="Connection Temporarily Lost (Expected)"
+                message="You may see error notifications while the backend restarts during the update. This is completely normal and expected. Connection should be restored momentarily."
+                variant="solid"
+              />
+            </div>
+          )}
           <div className="bg-white rounded-lg border shadow-md overflow-hidden">
             <div className="p-8 text-center">
               <div className="flex justify-center mb-4">{getStatusIcon()}</div>