diff --git a/cli/Cargo.toml b/cli/Cargo.toml
index b4f552da4e..b793d27b0f 100644
--- a/cli/Cargo.toml
+++ b/cli/Cargo.toml
@@ -27,7 +27,11 @@ harness = false
 path = "./bench/lsp_bench_standalone.rs"
 
 [features]
-default = ["__vendored_zlib_ng"]
+default = ["upgrade", "__vendored_zlib_ng"]
+# A feature that enables the upgrade subcommand and the background check for
+# available updates (of deno binary). This is typically disabled for (Linux)
+# distribution packages.
+upgrade = []
 # A dev feature to disable creations and loading of snapshots in favor of
 # loading JS sources at runtime.
 __runtime_js_sources = ["deno_runtime/__runtime_js_sources"]
diff --git a/cli/args/flags.rs b/cli/args/flags.rs
index 555f2f312a..6e79df675f 100644
--- a/cli/args/flags.rs
+++ b/cli/args/flags.rs
@@ -2202,6 +2202,7 @@ update to a different location, use the --output flag
 
   deno upgrade --output $HOME/my_deno",
     )
+    .hide(cfg!(not(feature = "upgrade")))
     .defer(|cmd| {
       cmd
         .arg(
diff --git a/cli/main.rs b/cli/main.rs
index 94b59b9d62..bd29dc5325 100644
--- a/cli/main.rs
+++ b/cli/main.rs
@@ -198,9 +198,15 @@ async fn run_subcommand(flags: Flags) -> Result<i32, AnyError> {
       let types = tsc::get_types_declaration_file_text(flags.unstable);
       display::write_to_stdout_ignore_sigpipe(types.as_bytes())
     }),
+    #[cfg(feature = "upgrade")]
     DenoSubcommand::Upgrade(upgrade_flags) => spawn_subcommand(async {
       tools::upgrade::upgrade(flags, upgrade_flags).await
     }),
+    #[cfg(not(feature = "upgrade"))]
+    DenoSubcommand::Upgrade(_) => exit_with_message(
+      "This deno was built without the \"upgrade\" feature. Please upgrade using the installation method originally used to install Deno.",
+      1,
+    ),
     DenoSubcommand::Vendor(vendor_flags) => spawn_subcommand(async {
       tools::vendor::vendor(flags, vendor_flags).await
     }),
@@ -237,6 +243,15 @@ fn setup_panic_hook() {
   }));
 }
 
+fn exit_with_message(message: &str, code: i32) -> ! {
+  eprintln!(
+    "{}: {}",
+    colors::red_bold("error"),
+    message.trim_start_matches("error: ")
+  );
+  std::process::exit(code);
+}
+
 fn unwrap_or_exit<T>(result: Result<T, AnyError>) -> T {
   match result {
     Ok(value) => value,
@@ -251,12 +266,7 @@ fn unwrap_or_exit<T>(result: Result<T, AnyError>) -> T {
         error_code = 10;
       }
 
-      eprintln!(
-        "{}: {}",
-        colors::red_bold("error"),
-        error_string.trim_start_matches("error: ")
-      );
-      std::process::exit(error_code);
+      exit_with_message(&error_string, error_code);
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/cli/tests/integration/flags_tests.rs b/cli/tests/integration/flags_tests.rs
index 89a8978dd3..1096441517 100644
--- a/cli/tests/integration/flags_tests.rs
+++ b/cli/tests/integration/flags_tests.rs
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ fn help_output() {
     "Run a task defined in the configuration file",
     "Run tests",
     "Print runtime TypeScript declarations",
+    #[cfg(feature = "upgrade")]
     "Upgrade deno executable to given version",
     "Vendor remote modules into a local directory",
     "Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)",
diff --git a/cli/tools/run/mod.rs b/cli/tools/run/mod.rs
index 21e1f7b5e4..321f94fc6e 100644
--- a/cli/tools/run/mod.rs
+++ b/cli/tools/run/mod.rs
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ To grant permissions, set them before the script argument. For example:
 
   // Run a background task that checks for available upgrades or output
   // if an earlier run of this background task found a new version of Deno.
+  #[cfg(feature = "upgrade")]
   super::upgrade::check_for_upgrades(
     http_client.clone(),
     deno_dir.upgrade_check_file_path(),