diff --git a/roles/arch_update/tasks/pacnew.yaml b/roles/arch_update/tasks/pacnew.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54acc45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/arch_update/tasks/pacnew.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+- name: Check for pending .pacnew files
+  ansible.builtin.find:
+    paths: /etc
+    patterns: "*.pacnew"
+    recurse: yes
+  register: pacnew_files
+
+- name: Alert if .pacnew files exist
+  ansible.builtin.debug:
+    msg: "Warning: The following .pacnew files require merging: {{ pacnew_files.files | map(attribute='path') | list }}"
+  when: pacnew_files.matched > 0
+