diff --git a/tests/cmc-upgrade-kernel-test.md b/tests/cmc-upgrade-kernel-test.md
index f134d2d..8c69f04 100644
--- a/tests/cmc-upgrade-kernel-test.md
+++ b/tests/cmc-upgrade-kernel-test.md
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ Validate CMC behavior across staged kernel upgrades on a cloned VM, including re
 - If kernel and dev/header package versions are mismatched at any point, stop immediately as blocker-fail and do not continue with remediation by assumption.
 
 ## Red Hat Preflight (Global, Manual Tasks Only)
-- Apply this section when the test target is a Red Hat machine and the run is manually executed.
+- Apply this section only when the test target is an actual Red Hat subscription-managed machine and the run is manually executed.
+- Do not apply this section to CentOS, Oracle Linux, Rocky, Alma, or other RHEL-derived distributions unless the operator explicitly says the machine should be treated as Red Hat-managed for this run.
+- If the target is not actual RHEL, skip this preflight entirely and do not attempt `subscription-manager`.
 - Do not apply this section to ATVM automation runs that already handle subscription flow.
 - Before running test steps on Red Hat, run:
   - `subscription-manager remove --all`