diff --git a/documentation/ref-manual/variables.rst b/documentation/ref-manual/variables.rst
index df6413b68a..b179abf745 100644
--- a/documentation/ref-manual/variables.rst
+++ b/documentation/ref-manual/variables.rst
@@ -7092,6 +7092,30 @@ system and gives an overview of their function and contents.
          ":ref:`dev-manual/common-tasks:automatically incrementing a package version number`"
          section, which is in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
 
+   :term:`SRCTREECOVEREDTASKS`
+      A list of tasks that are typically not relevant (and therefore skipped)
+      when building using the :ref:`externalsrc <ref-classes-externalsrc>`
+      class. The default value as set in that class file is the set of tasks
+      that are rarely needed when using external source::
+
+         SRCTREECOVEREDTASKS ?= "do_patch do_unpack do_fetch"
+
+      The notable exception is when processing external kernel source as
+      defined in the :ref:`kernel-yocto <ref-classes-kernel-yocto>`
+      class file (formatted for aesthetics)::
+
+         SRCTREECOVEREDTASKS += "\
+           do_validate_branches \
+           do_kernel_configcheck \
+           do_kernel_checkout \
+           do_fetch \
+           do_unpack \
+           do_patch \
+         "
+
+      See the associated :term:`EXTERNALSRC` and :term:`EXTERNALSRC_BUILD`
+      variables for more information.
+
    :term:`SSTATE_DIR`
       The directory for the shared state cache.