diff --git a/cli/packaging/homebrew/amy.rb b/cli/packaging/homebrew/amy.rb
index f8d03282e8..0e2b7c7b7f 100644
--- a/cli/packaging/homebrew/amy.rb
+++ b/cli/packaging/homebrew/amy.rb
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 # Reference Homebrew formula for `amy`, the Amethyst CLI.
 #
-# Reference Homebrew formula for `amy`, the Amethyst CLI. Submit this to
-# Homebrew/homebrew-core (new-formula PR) or drop it into a personal tap
-# (`Formula/amy.rb`) for an instant `brew install <tap>/amy`.
+# Submit this to Homebrew/homebrew-core (new-formula PR) or drop it into a
+# personal tap (`Formula/amy.rb`) for an instant `brew install <tap>/amy`.
 #
 # The url + sha256 below are kept in sync automatically on every stable release
 # by .github/workflows/bump-homebrew-formula.yml (it downloads the published
@@ -18,6 +17,24 @@
 #   to download a pre-built, no-JRE jar bundle and depend on the system openjdk.
 #   We publish exactly that as `amy-<version>-jvm.tar.gz` (bin/amy + lib/*.jar,
 #   no bundled runtime) from .github/workflows/create-release.yml.
+#
+# Submission status (2026-08-24): NOT yet submitted. The `amethyst-nostr` cask
+# is live in Homebrew/homebrew-cask, and Homebrew allows a non-maintainer only
+# ONE open AI-assisted pull request at a time, so that had to merge first — it
+# has. Two things to settle before opening this one:
+#   * The bundle is ~70 MB because `:commons` drags Compose/Skiko onto the CLI
+#     classpath. homebrew-core reviewers do question payload size; a
+#     commons core/ui split would shrink it and smooth review.
+#   * `brew audit --new --formula` has not been run end to end (it needs the
+#     published tarball). `brew style` is clean as of this commit.
+#
+# Do NOT "simplify" this formula to match `desktopApp/packaging/homebrew/
+# amethyst-nostr.rb`. That cask had its `livecheck` block and inline comments
+# stripped on review, but homebrew-CASK and homebrew-CORE differ here: in a
+# sample of 300 core formulae with GitHub-release URLs, 127 declare `livecheck`
+# (62 with `:github_latest`), and 109 of 200 carry indented inline comments.
+# The `livecheck` below is load-bearing — it is what lets BrewTestBot open the
+# version-bump PRs.
 class Amy < Formula
   desc "Nostr client from the Amethyst project"
   homepage "https://github.com/vitorpamplona/amethyst"
@@ -39,7 +56,7 @@ class Amy < Formula
     libexec.install Dir["*"]
     # Wrapper on PATH that pins JAVA_HOME to Homebrew's openjdk so amy runs
     # regardless of the user's own Java setup.
-    (bin/"amy").write_env_script libexec/"bin/amy", JAVA_HOME: Formula["openjdk"].opt_prefix
+    (bin/"amy").write_env_script libexec/"bin/amy", JAVA_HOME: formula_opt_prefix("openjdk")
   end
 
   test do
diff --git a/geode/packaging/homebrew/geode.rb b/geode/packaging/homebrew/geode.rb
index 5828b44920..aa9398c76b 100644
--- a/geode/packaging/homebrew/geode.rb
+++ b/geode/packaging/homebrew/geode.rb
@@ -21,6 +21,20 @@
 # Note: geode is a long-running relay daemon. Homebrew is a convenient way to
 # INSTALL it on a workstation for local testing; for a production deployment
 # prefer the Docker image or the .deb/.rpm + systemd unit (see geode/README.md).
+#
+# BLOCKER (verified 2026-08-24): this formula CANNOT be submitted to
+# homebrew-core under the name `geode`. That name is permanently reserved —
+# homebrew-core's `formula_renames.json` maps "geode" -> "apache-geode"
+# (Apache Geode's old name), so `brew info --formula geode` resolves to that
+# package. Submitting would need a different token, e.g. `geode-relay` or
+# `amethyst-geode`, which also means renaming the binary's Homebrew-facing name
+# and updating .github/workflows/bump-homebrew-geode-formula.yml. Until that is
+# decided this file is a reference for a personal tap only, where the name does
+# not collide.
+#
+# As with amy.rb, do NOT strip the `livecheck` block or the comments to match
+# the amethyst-nostr cask — homebrew-core conventions differ from
+# homebrew-cask's, and `livecheck` is what drives automated version bumps.
 class Geode < Formula
   desc "Standalone Nostr relay from the Amethyst project"
   homepage "https://github.com/vitorpamplona/amethyst"
@@ -42,7 +56,7 @@ class Geode < Formula
     libexec.install Dir["*"]
     # Wrapper on PATH that pins JAVA_HOME to Homebrew's openjdk so geode runs
     # regardless of the user's own Java setup.
-    (bin/"geode").write_env_script libexec/"bin/geode", JAVA_HOME: Formula["openjdk"].opt_prefix
+    (bin/"geode").write_env_script libexec/"bin/geode", JAVA_HOME: formula_opt_prefix("openjdk")
   end
 
   test do