diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index bf856a224..e96d83735 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -405,12 +405,20 @@ is additive, `IF NOT EXISTS`-guarded, and forward-only.
 - **`MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY` wired into the GHCR build workflow.** A
   new `Fetch GeoLite2 databases` step in
   `.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml` between the metadata-action
-  and the buildx build-push exports the secret from repo secrets and
-  fails the workflow with an `::error::` line when unset (instead of
-  silently exiting 0 and producing an empty `assets/geolite2/`
-  directory). The Dockerfile `COPY assets/geolite2/ /opt/geolite2/`
-  step now lands the real MMDB files and the runtime resolver
-  populates the carrier column on the production image.
+  and the buildx build-push exports the secret from repo secrets.
+  Offline GeoLite2 is **optional** in this release: when the secret
+  is unset the workflow emits a `::warning::`, drops an `.empty`
+  marker into `assets/geolite2/`, and continues so the Dockerfile
+  `COPY` still has a non-empty source. The runtime resolver in
+  `src/lib/geo.ts` detects the marker on first lookup, falls back
+  to the existing `ipwho.is` provider, and sends a one-shot admin
+  notification (`notifications.admin.offlineGeoUnavailable*`) with
+  a pointer to the GitHub Actions secrets page so the maintainer
+  hears about the gap from the running app. The `/api/version`
+  endpoint exposes `offlineGeoEnabled: boolean`; the `/admin`
+  overview snapshot and the full `/admin/system-status` page render
+  a green / yellow chip from that flag. Setting the secret and
+  redeploying lights the feature up without code changes.
 - **Migration `0061_audit_log_carrier`.** Additive,
   `IF NOT EXISTS`-guarded, forward-only. Adds two columns to
   `AuditLog`: `asn` (`bigint`) + `carrier` (`text`). Safe to
diff --git a/docs/audit/v1427-summary.md b/docs/audit/v1427-summary.md
index a2e23f3b2..50d390c0d 100644
--- a/docs/audit/v1427-summary.md
+++ b/docs/audit/v1427-summary.md
@@ -39,6 +39,17 @@ The script writes `GeoLite2-City.mmdb` and `GeoLite2-ASN.mmdb` to
 If the script is skipped the image builds cleanly, and the resolver
 falls back to the online `ipwho.is` provider — the v1.4.26 behaviour.
 
+The offline tier is **optional** as of v1.4.27 R5. When
+`MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY` is unset the `Fetch GeoLite2 databases` step in
+`.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml` emits a `::warning::`, drops an
+`.empty` marker into `assets/geolite2/`, and continues — the build no
+longer blocks on a missing secret. The runtime resolver detects the
+marker on the first public-IP lookup, sends a one-shot admin
+notification with the GitHub Actions secrets URL, and continues to
+serve audits from the `ipwho.is` fallback. `/api/version` exposes
+`offlineGeoEnabled: boolean` so the admin status page can render the
+state at a glance.
+
 MaxMind reissues the databases on the first Tuesday of each month;
 re-run the script before each release to pick up new ASN allocations
 and city renames.