diff --git a/src/main/updater.ts b/src/main/updater.ts
index 838c304a2..1551720b7 100644
--- a/src/main/updater.ts
+++ b/src/main/updater.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,11 @@ import {
 } from './serve-update-handoff'
 import type { LocalBuildFeed } from './local-builds/local-build-feed-server'
 import { listReleaseBuilds, resolveTargetBuild } from './updater-release-builds'
-import type { ReleaseBuild, ReleaseChannel } from '../shared/release-channel'
+import {
+  isChannelSupportedOnPlatform,
+  type ReleaseBuild,
+  type ReleaseChannel
+} from '../shared/release-channel'
 
 type CheckFailureSource = 'event' | 'promise' | 'fallback-promise'
 type MissingManifestPrereleaseFallbackResult = { userInitiated: boolean }
@@ -1524,6 +1528,16 @@ async function checkForPinnedBuild(channel: ReleaseChannel, tag: string): Promis
     sendStatus({ state: 'not-available', userInitiated: true })
     return
   }
+  // Why here as well as in the picker: the renderer disables the option, but IPC
+  // is reachable regardless, and there is no artifact to install off-macOS.
+  if (!isChannelSupportedOnPlatform(channel, process.platform)) {
+    sendStatus({
+      state: 'error',
+      message: 'Hourly builds are produced only for macOS.',
+      userInitiated: true
+    })
+    return
+  }
   if (currentStatus.state === 'checking' || currentStatus.state === 'downloading') {
     return
   }
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/ReleaseChannelSection.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/ReleaseChannelSection.tsx
index 368ded2a0..29a7acdfe 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/ReleaseChannelSection.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/ReleaseChannelSection.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import type React from 'react'
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
-import { AlertTriangle, Loader2, RefreshCw } from 'lucide-react'
+import { AlertTriangle, Apple, Loader2, RefreshCw } from 'lucide-react'
 import { toast } from 'sonner'
 import { useAppStore } from '../../store'
 import { Button } from '../ui/button'
@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@ import { Select, SelectContent, SelectItem, SelectTrigger, SelectValue } from '.
 import { SettingsSegmentedControl, SettingsSubsectionHeader } from './SettingsFormControls'
 import { Badge } from '../ui/badge'
 import { translate } from '@/i18n/i18n'
+import { getShortcutPlatform } from '@/lib/shortcut-platform'
 import {
   RELEASE_CHANNELS,
   getVersionChannel,
+  isChannelSupportedOnPlatform,
   parseHourlyVersionStamp,
   type ReleaseBuild,
   type ReleaseChannel
@@ -25,7 +27,7 @@ const CHANNEL_LABELS: Record<ReleaseChannel, string> = {
 const CHANNEL_DESCRIPTIONS: Record<ReleaseChannel, string> = {
   stable: 'Shipped releases. What everyone else is running.',
   rc: 'Release candidates cut ahead of each stable.',
-  hourly: 'Unvetted macOS builds from main, built every hour. No tests, no notarization.'
+  hourly: 'macOS only. Unvetted builds from main, built every hour. No tests, no notarization.'
 }
 
 function formatBuildLabel(build: ReleaseBuild): string {
@@ -54,8 +56,15 @@ export function ReleaseChannelSection(): React.JSX.Element {
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false)
   const [selectedTag, setSelectedTag] = useState<string | null>(null)
 
+  const platform = getShortcutPlatform()
   const runningChannel = appVersion ? getVersionChannel(appVersion) : null
-  const activeChannel = releaseChannelOverride ?? runningChannel ?? 'stable'
+  const requestedChannel = releaseChannelOverride ?? runningChannel ?? 'stable'
+  // Why: a persisted 'hourly' can arrive on Linux/Windows — settings sync, or a
+  // profile carried over from a Mac. Fall back rather than rendering a selected
+  // segment the user cannot act on and a build list that can never install.
+  const activeChannel = isChannelSupportedOnPlatform(requestedChannel, platform)
+    ? requestedChannel
+    : 'stable'
   const busy = updateStatus.state === 'checking' || updateStatus.state === 'downloading'
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -170,10 +179,36 @@ export function ReleaseChannelSection(): React.JSX.Element {
             'auto.components.settings.ReleaseChannelSection.channelAriaLabel',
             'Update channel'
           )}
-          options={RELEASE_CHANNELS.map((channel) => ({
-            value: channel,
-            label: CHANNEL_LABELS[channel]
-          }))}
+          // Why disabled rather than hidden: a Linux/Windows dev who has heard
+          // about the hourly channel should see that it exists and why it is
+          // unavailable, instead of silently not finding it.
+          options={RELEASE_CHANNELS.map((channel) => {
+            const supported = isChannelSupportedOnPlatform(channel, platform)
+            return {
+              value: channel,
+              label: supported ? (
+                CHANNEL_LABELS[channel]
+              ) : (
+                <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-1">
+                  {CHANNEL_LABELS[channel]}
+                  <Apple className="size-3" aria-hidden="true" />
+                </span>
+              ),
+              disabled: !supported,
+              ariaLabel: supported
+                ? undefined
+                : translate(
+                    'auto.components.settings.ReleaseChannelSection.hourlyMacOnlyAria',
+                    'Hourly (macOS only)'
+                  ),
+              tooltip: supported
+                ? undefined
+                : translate(
+                    'auto.components.settings.ReleaseChannelSection.hourlyMacOnly',
+                    'Hourly builds are produced only for macOS. Linux and Windows stay on Stable or RC.'
+                  )
+            }
+          })}
         />
         <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">{CHANNEL_DESCRIPTIONS[activeChannel]}</p>
       </div>
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/en.json b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/en.json
index e3c586a4d..b38e69150 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/en.json
+++ b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/en.json
@@ -10089,7 +10089,9 @@
           "switchTo": "Switch to build",
           "alreadyRunning": "This is the build you are running.",
           "willSwitch": "{{value0}} → {{value1}}",
-          "webUnavailable": "Switching builds is only available in the desktop app."
+          "webUnavailable": "Switching builds is only available in the desktop app.",
+          "hourlyMacOnlyAria": "Hourly (macOS only)",
+          "hourlyMacOnly": "Hourly builds are produced only for macOS. Linux and Windows stay on Stable or RC."
         }
       },
       "right": {
diff --git a/src/shared/release-channel.test.ts b/src/shared/release-channel.test.ts
index c02ffe888..089487f0a 100644
--- a/src/shared/release-channel.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/release-channel.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {
   formatHourlyVersion,
   getReleaseRepoForChannel,
   getVersionChannel,
+  isChannelSupportedOnPlatform,
   isHourlyVersion,
   isReleaseChannel,
   parseHourlyVersionStamp,
@@ -57,6 +58,22 @@ describe('release channel', () => {
     )
   })
 
+  // Why: the hourly workflow is macOS-only, so the channel has no artifact to
+  // offer elsewhere. Both the picker and the main-process check read this, so a
+  // regression here would silently re-expose an uninstallable channel.
+  it('offers hourly only on macOS', () => {
+    expect(isChannelSupportedOnPlatform('hourly', 'darwin')).toBe(true)
+    expect(isChannelSupportedOnPlatform('hourly', 'linux')).toBe(false)
+    expect(isChannelSupportedOnPlatform('hourly', 'win32')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('offers stable and rc on every platform', () => {
+    for (const platform of ['darwin', 'linux', 'win32'] as const) {
+      expect(isChannelSupportedOnPlatform('stable', platform)).toBe(true)
+      expect(isChannelSupportedOnPlatform('rc', platform)).toBe(true)
+    }
+  })
+
   it('accepts only known channels', () => {
     expect(isReleaseChannel('hourly')).toBe(true)
     expect(isReleaseChannel('stable')).toBe(true)
diff --git a/src/shared/release-channel.ts b/src/shared/release-channel.ts
index 5295f4447..fc0c09cef 100644
--- a/src/shared/release-channel.ts
+++ b/src/shared/release-channel.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,18 @@ export function isReleaseChannel(value: unknown): value is ReleaseChannel {
   return typeof value === 'string' && RELEASE_CHANNELS.includes(value as ReleaseChannel)
 }
 
+/**
+ * Hourly builds are produced only by the macOS workflow, so the channel has
+ * nothing to offer elsewhere. Shared so the picker, the main-process check, and
+ * any future surface cannot drift on where it is available.
+ */
+export function isChannelSupportedOnPlatform(
+  channel: ReleaseChannel,
+  platform: NodeJS.Platform
+): boolean {
+  return channel !== 'hourly' || platform === 'darwin'
+}
+
 export function getReleaseRepoForChannel(channel: ReleaseChannel): string {
   return channel === 'hourly' ? HOURLY_RELEASE_REPO : MAIN_RELEASE_REPO
 }