diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c05ea287..4ab53d5a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ These fields will be set in the project's `package.json`:
     lint: `eslint '**/*.js'`,
     postlint: 'npm-template-check',
     lintfix: 'npm run lint -- --fix',
+    'template-copy': 'npm-template-copy --force',
     preversion: 'npm test',
     postversion: 'npm publish',
     prepublishOnly: 'git push origin --follow-tags',
@@ -99,6 +100,11 @@ your new file. The object keys are destination paths, and values are source.
 `npm-template-check` is run by `postlint` and will error if the `package.json`
 is not configured properly, with steps to run to correct any problems.
 
+### Manual copy
+
+Template files will be copied automatically when `template-oss` is updated.
+You can force an update with `npm run template-copy`.
+
 #### Extending
 
 Add any unwanted packages to `unwantedPackages` in `lib/check.js`. Currently
diff --git a/lib/config.js b/lib/config.js
index cf6e8478..d378ec2e 100644
--- a/lib/config.js
+++ b/lib/config.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ const defaultConfig = {
   applyRootModuleFiles: true,
   workspaces: [],
   paths: [],
+  force: false,
 }
 
 module.exports = async (root) => {
@@ -44,5 +45,7 @@ module.exports = async (root) => {
 
   config.paths.push(root)
 
+  config.force = process.argv.indexOf('--force') !== -1
+
   return config
 }
diff --git a/lib/postinstall/update-package.js b/lib/postinstall/update-package.js
index cf04eff4..7e222166 100644
--- a/lib/postinstall/update-package.js
+++ b/lib/postinstall/update-package.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const changes = {
   scripts: {
     lint: `eslint '**/*.js'`,
     postlint: 'npm-template-check',
+    'template-copy': 'npm-template-copy --force',
     lintfix: 'npm run lint -- --fix',
     preversion: 'npm test',
     postversion: 'npm publish',
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ const changes = {
 
 const patchPackage = async (path, root, config) => {
   const pkg = await PackageJson.load(path)
+  config = config || {}
 
   // If we are running this on itself, we always run the script.
   // We also don't set templateVersion in package.json because
@@ -38,7 +40,9 @@ const patchPackage = async (path, root, config) => {
   // if the target package.json has a templateVersion field matching our own
   // current version, we return false here so the postinstall script knows to
   // exit early instead of running everything again
-  if (currentVersion === TEMPLATE_VERSION && !isDogfood) {
+  if (!config.force
+    && currentVersion === TEMPLATE_VERSION
+    && !isDogfood) {
     return false
   }
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 62d8e210..3c13f13c 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
   "description": "templated files used in npm CLI team oss projects",
   "main": "lib/index.js",
   "bin": {
-    "npm-template-check": "bin/npm-template-check.js"
+    "npm-template-check": "bin/npm-template-check.js",
+    "npm-template-copy": "bin/postinstall.js"
   },
   "scripts": {
     "lint": "eslint '**/*.js'",
@@ -16,7 +17,8 @@
     "prepublishOnly": "git push origin --follow-tags",
     "preversion": "npm test",
     "snap": "tap",
-    "test": "tap"
+    "test": "tap",
+    "template-copy": "npm-template-copy --force"
   },
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/tap-snapshots/test/postlint/check-package.js.test.cjs b/tap-snapshots/test/postlint/check-package.js.test.cjs
index 4243e0b5..b130d542 100644
--- a/tap-snapshots/test/postlint/check-package.js.test.cjs
+++ b/tap-snapshots/test/postlint/check-package.js.test.cjs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Array [
       The following package.json fields are incorrect:
         Field: "author" Expected: "GitHub Inc." Found: "Bob"
         Field: "files" Expected: ["bin","lib"] Found: undefined
-        Field: "scripts" Expected: {"lint":"eslint '**/*.js'","postlint":"npm-template-check","lintfix":"npm run lint -- --fix","preversion":"npm test","postversion":"npm publish","prepublishOnly":"git push origin --follow-tags","snap":"tap","test":"tap","posttest":"npm run lint"} Found: undefined
+        Field: "scripts" Expected: {"lint":"eslint '**/*.js'","postlint":"npm-template-check","template-copy":"npm-template-copy --force","lintfix":"npm run lint -- --fix","preversion":"npm test","postversion":"npm publish","prepublishOnly":"git push origin --follow-tags","snap":"tap","test":"tap","posttest":"npm run lint"} Found: undefined
         Field: "engines" Expected: {"node":"^12.13.0 || ^14.15.0 || >=16"} Found: undefined
     ),
     "solution": "npm rm @npmcli/template-oss && npm i -D @npmcli/template-oss",
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ Array [
         Field: "files" Expected: ["bin","lib"] Found: undefined
         Field: "scripts.lint" Expected: "eslint '**/*.js'" Found: undefined
         Field: "scripts.postlint" Expected: "npm-template-check" Found: undefined
+        Field: "scripts.template-copy" Expected: "npm-template-copy --force" Found: undefined
         Field: "scripts.lintfix" Expected: "npm run lint -- --fix" Found: undefined
         Field: "scripts.preversion" Expected: "npm test" Found: undefined
         Field: "scripts.postversion" Expected: "npm publish" Found: undefined
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ Array [
       The following package.json fields are incorrect:
         Field: "author" Expected: "GitHub Inc." Found: undefined
         Field: "files" Expected: ["bin","lib"] Found: undefined
-        Field: "scripts" Expected: {"lint":"eslint '**/*.js'","postlint":"npm-template-check","lintfix":"npm run lint -- --fix","preversion":"npm test","postversion":"npm publish","prepublishOnly":"git push origin --follow-tags","snap":"tap","test":"tap","posttest":"npm run lint"} Found: undefined
+        Field: "scripts" Expected: {"lint":"eslint '**/*.js'","postlint":"npm-template-check","template-copy":"npm-template-copy --force","lintfix":"npm run lint -- --fix","preversion":"npm test","postversion":"npm publish","prepublishOnly":"git push origin --follow-tags","snap":"tap","test":"tap","posttest":"npm run lint"} Found: undefined
         Field: "engines" Expected: {"node":"^12.13.0 || ^14.15.0 || >=16"} Found: undefined
     ),
     "solution": "npm rm @npmcli/template-oss && npm i -D @npmcli/template-oss",
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ Array [
       The following package.json fields are incorrect:
         Field: "author" Expected: "GitHub Inc." Found: undefined
         Field: "files" Expected: ["bin","lib"] Found: undefined
-        Field: "scripts" Expected: {"lint":"eslint '**/*.js'","postlint":"npm-template-check","lintfix":"npm run lint -- --fix","preversion":"npm test","postversion":"npm publish","prepublishOnly":"git push origin --follow-tags","snap":"tap","test":"tap","posttest":"npm run lint"} Found: undefined
+        Field: "scripts" Expected: {"lint":"eslint '**/*.js'","postlint":"npm-template-check","template-copy":"npm-template-copy --force","lintfix":"npm run lint -- --fix","preversion":"npm test","postversion":"npm publish","prepublishOnly":"git push origin --follow-tags","snap":"tap","test":"tap","posttest":"npm run lint"} Found: undefined
         Field: "engines" Expected: {"node":"^12.13.0 || ^14.15.0 || >=16"} Found: undefined
     ),
     "solution": "npm rm @npmcli/template-oss && npm i -D @npmcli/template-oss",
diff --git a/test/postinstall/update-package.js b/test/postinstall/update-package.js
index 1268cb0b..68d73409 100644
--- a/test/postinstall/update-package.js
+++ b/test/postinstall/update-package.js
@@ -61,6 +61,32 @@ t.test('returns false when templateVersion matches own version', async (t) => {
   t.notMatch(JSON.parse(contents), patchPackage.changes, 'changes were NOT applied')
 })
 
+t.test('returns true when templateVersion matches own version when forced', async (t) => {
+  const pkg = {
+    name: '@npmcli/foo',
+    templateOSS: {
+      version: TEMPLATE_VERSION,
+    },
+    version: '1.0.0',
+    author: 'someone else',
+    files: [],
+    license: 'MIT',
+  }
+
+  const project = t.testdir({
+    'package.json': JSON.stringify(pkg, null, 2),
+  })
+
+  const needsAction = await patchPackage(project, undefined, { force: true })
+  t.equal(needsAction, true, 'returned true')
+
+  const contents = await fs.readFile(join(project, 'package.json'), {
+    encoding: 'utf8',
+  })
+  const parsed = JSON.parse(contents)
+  t.match(parsed, patchPackage.changes, 'all changes were applied')
+})
+
 t.test('doesnt set templateVersion on own repo', async (t) => {
   const pkg = {
     name: TEMPLATE_NAME,