diff --git a/docs/content/using-npm/config.md b/docs/content/using-npm/config.md
index a33c66e145cd9..1036895101fcc 100644
--- a/docs/content/using-npm/config.md
+++ b/docs/content/using-npm/config.md
@@ -898,8 +898,14 @@ package-locks disabled use `npm prune`.
 * Default: false
 * Type: Boolean
 
-If set to true, it will update only the `package-lock.json`, instead of
-checking `node_modules` and downloading dependencies.
+If set to true, the current operation will only use the `package-lock.json`,
+ignoring `node_modules`.
+
+For `update` this means only the `package-lock.json` will be updated,
+instead of checking `node_modules` and downloading dependencies.
+
+For `list` this means the output will be based on the tree described by the
+`package-lock.json`, rather than the contents of `node_modules`.
 
 #### `parseable`