diff --git a/book/src/dev/zebra-checkpoints.md b/book/src/dev/zebra-checkpoints.md
index 4dbd4504..d627cc5d 100644
--- a/book/src/dev/zebra-checkpoints.md
+++ b/book/src/dev/zebra-checkpoints.md
@@ -1 +1,8 @@
 # zebra-checkpoints
+
+`zebra-checkpoints` uses a local `zcashd` instance to generate a list of checkpoints for Zebra's checkpoint verifier.
+
+Developers should run this tool every few months to add new checkpoints for the `checkpoint_sync = true` mode.
+(By default, Zebra syncs up to Sapling using checkpoints. These checkpoints don't need to be updated.)
+
+See the source code for more details.