diff --git a/lib/heroku/updater.rb b/lib/heroku/updater.rb
index a9334dcf3..61420d5a2 100644
--- a/lib/heroku/updater.rb
+++ b/lib/heroku/updater.rb
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ def self.wait_for_lock(wait_for=5, check_every=0.5)
     end
 
     def self.autoupdate
+      return if disable
       # if we've updated in the last hour, don't try again
       if File.exists?(last_autoupdate_path)
         return if (Time.now.to_i - File.mtime(last_autoupdate_path).to_i) < 60*60