diff --git a/dot_config/topgrade/topgrade.toml b/dot_config/topgrade/topgrade.toml.tmpl
similarity index 82%
rename from dot_config/topgrade/topgrade.toml
rename to dot_config/topgrade/topgrade.toml.tmpl
index 11419a8..7ffa98c 100644
--- a/dot_config/topgrade/topgrade.toml
+++ b/dot_config/topgrade/topgrade.toml.tmpl
@@ -31,8 +31,11 @@ repos = [
     "~/Documents/Git/*"
 ]
 
+{{- if eq .os_family "debian" }}
 [commands]
-# Debian-only (script no-ops elsewhere): apt neovim is stale, so debian
-# machines install from the pinned binary tarball. Arch uses pacman.
+# Debian-family-only: apt neovim is stale, so debian machines install from
+# the pinned binary tarball. Arch-family boxes get neovim from pacman/aur,
+# so neither the script nor this entry is deployed there.
 "~/.local/bin/update-neovim.sh" = "neovim"
+{{- end }}
 
diff --git a/dot_local/bin/update-neovim.sh b/dot_local/bin/update-neovim.sh.tmpl
similarity index 96%
rename from dot_local/bin/update-neovim.sh
rename to dot_local/bin/update-neovim.sh.tmpl
index a605111..087b485 100755
--- a/dot_local/bin/update-neovim.sh
+++ b/dot_local/bin/update-neovim.sh.tmpl
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+{{- if eq .os_family "debian" }}
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # =============================================================================
 #  update-neovim.sh — chezmoi-managed, deployed to ~/.local/bin/update-neovim.sh
@@ -65,4 +66,5 @@ sudo tar -xzf "$TMP_TARBALL" -C /opt/
 sudo ln -sf "/opt/${NVIM_EXTRACT_DIR}/bin/nvim" /usr/local/bin/nvim
 
 echo "neovim $NVIM_TARGET_VERSION installed"
-nvim --version | head -1
\ No newline at end of file
+nvim --version | head -1
+{{- end }}
\ No newline at end of file