diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ad94178e..9cb112b7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ conda install -c conda-forge conda-lock
 # generate a multi-platform lockfile
 conda-lock -f environment.yml -p osx-64 -p linux-64
 
+# optionally, update the previous solution, using the latest version of
+# pydantic that is compatible with the source specification
+conda-lock --update pydantic
+
 # create an environment from the lockfile
 conda-lock install [-p {prefix}|-n {name}]
 
@@ -41,11 +45,21 @@ conda create -n my-locked-env --file conda-linux-64.lock
 
 ### File naming
 
-By default conda-lock will name rendered files as `"conda-{platform}.lock"`.
+By default, `conda-lock` store its output in `conda-lock.yml` in the current
+working directory. This file will also be used by default for render, install,
+and update operations. You can supply a different filename with e.g.
+
+```bash
+conda-lock --lockfile superspecial.conda-lock.yml
+```
+
+The extension `.conda-lock.yml` will be added if not present. Rendered
+environment files (env or explicit) will be named as as
+`"conda-{platform}.lock"`.
 
 If you want to override that call conda-lock as follows.
 ```bash
-conda-lock --filename-template "specific-{platform}.conda.lock"
+conda-lock -k explicit --filename-template "specific-{platform}.conda.lock"
 ```
 
 ### Compound specification
diff --git a/conda_lock/conda_lock.py b/conda_lock/conda_lock.py
index 28a01624..093b9cb0 100644
--- a/conda_lock/conda_lock.py
+++ b/conda_lock/conda_lock.py
@@ -834,9 +834,30 @@ def run_lock(
     update: Optional[List[str]] = None,
 ) -> None:
     if environment_files == DEFAULT_FILES:
-        long_ext_file = pathlib.Path("environment.yaml")
-        if long_ext_file.exists() and not environment_files[0].exists():
-            environment_files = [long_ext_file]
+        if lockfile_path.exists():
+            lock_content = parse_conda_lock_file(lockfile_path)
+            # reconstruct native paths
+            locked_environment_files = [
+                pathlib.Path(
+                    pathlib.PurePosixPath(lockfile_path).parent
+                    / pathlib.PurePosixPath(p)
+                )
+                for p in lock_content.metadata.sources
+            ]
+            if all(p.exists() for p in locked_environment_files):
+                environment_files = locked_environment_files
+            else:
+                missing = [p for p in locked_environment_files if not p.exists()]
+                print(
+                    f"{lockfile_path} was created from {[str(p) for p in locked_environment_files]},"
+                    f" but some files ({[str(p) for p in missing]}) do not exist. Falling back to"
+                    f" {[str(p) for p in environment_files]}.",
+                    file=sys.stderr,
+                )
+        else:
+            long_ext_file = pathlib.Path("environment.yaml")
+            if long_ext_file.exists() and not environment_files[0].exists():
+                environment_files = [long_ext_file]
 
     _conda_exe = determine_conda_executable(
         conda_exe, mamba=mamba, micromamba=micromamba
diff --git a/tests/test_conda_lock.py b/tests/test_conda_lock.py
index 6751bfa8..f57dd63c 100644
--- a/tests/test_conda_lock.py
+++ b/tests/test_conda_lock.py
@@ -10,11 +10,13 @@
 
 from glob import glob
 from typing import Any
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
 from urllib.parse import urldefrag, urlsplit
 
 import pytest
 
 from conda_lock.conda_lock import (
+    DEFAULT_FILES,
     DEFAULT_LOCKFILE_NAME,
     _add_auth_to_line,
     _add_auth_to_lockfile,
@@ -354,6 +356,19 @@ def test_run_lock_with_update(monkeypatch, update_environment, conda_exe):
     assert post_lock["python"].version == pre_lock["python"].version
 
 
+def test_run_lock_with_locked_environment_files(
+    monkeypatch, update_environment, conda_exe
+):
+    """run_lock() with default args uses source files from lock"""
+    monkeypatch.chdir(update_environment.parent)
+    make_lock_files = MagicMock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr("conda_lock.conda_lock.make_lock_files", make_lock_files)
+    run_lock(DEFAULT_FILES, conda_exe=conda_exe, update=["pydantic"])
+    assert [p.resolve() for p in make_lock_files.call_args.kwargs["src_files"]] == [
+        pathlib.Path(update_environment.parent / "environment-preupdate.yml")
+    ]
+
+
 def test_run_lock_with_pip(monkeypatch, pip_environment, conda_exe):
     monkeypatch.chdir(pip_environment.parent)
     if is_micromamba(conda_exe):