diff --git a/doc/stdenv/stdenv.xml b/doc/stdenv/stdenv.xml
index ccf5bb440d36..060dc80c9157 100644
--- a/doc/stdenv/stdenv.xml
+++ b/doc/stdenv/stdenv.xml
@@ -475,11 +475,12 @@ passthru.updateScript = writeScript "update-zoom-us" ''
 <programlisting>
 passthru.updateScript = [ ../../update.sh pname "--requested-release=unstable" ];
 </programlisting>
-      Finally, the attribute can be an attribute set, listing the extra supported features among other things.
+      Finally, the attribute can be an attribute set, listing the attribute path and extra supported features in addition to command.
 <programlisting>
 passthru.updateScript = {
   command = [ ../../update.sh pname ];
-  supportedFeatures = [ "commit" ];
+  attrPath = pname;
+  supportedFeatures = [ … ];
 };
 </programlisting>
       <note>
@@ -488,9 +489,12 @@ passthru.updateScript = {
        </para>
       </note>
      </para>
+     <para>
+       <filename>maintainers/scripts/update.nix</filename> also supports automatically creating commits by running it with <literal>--argstr commit true</literal> but it requires either declaring the <variable>attrPath</variable>, or adding a <literal>commit</literal> to <variable>supportedFeatures</variable> and <link xlink:href="#var-passthru-updateScript-commit">modifying the script accordingly</link>.
+     </para>
      <variablelist>
       <title>Supported features</title>
-      <varlistentry>
+      <varlistentry xml:id="var-passthru-updateScript-commit">
        <term>
         <varname>commit</varname>
        </term>
diff --git a/maintainers/scripts/update.nix b/maintainers/scripts/update.nix
index e11e2450bd0a..3d6f3500f5cf 100755
--- a/maintainers/scripts/update.nix
+++ b/maintainers/scripts/update.nix
@@ -143,8 +143,10 @@ let
   packageData = package: {
     name = package.name;
     pname = lib.getName package;
+    oldVersion = lib.getVersion package;
     updateScript = map builtins.toString (lib.toList (package.updateScript.command or package.updateScript));
     supportedFeatures = package.updateScript.supportedFeatures or [];
+    attrPath = package.updateScript.attrPath or null;
   };
 
   packagesJson = pkgs.writeText "packages.json" (builtins.toJSON (map packageData packages));
diff --git a/maintainers/scripts/update.py b/maintainers/scripts/update.py
index 51a19164a17b..bca554a5d82b 100644
--- a/maintainers/scripts/update.py
+++ b/maintainers/scripts/update.py
@@ -72,8 +72,7 @@ def make_worktree() -> Generator[Tuple[str, str], None, None]:
         subprocess.run(['git', 'worktree', 'remove', '--force', target_directory])
         subprocess.run(['git', 'branch', '-D', branch_name])
 
-async def commit_changes(merge_lock: asyncio.Lock, worktree: str, branch: str, update_info: str) -> None:
-    changes = json.loads(update_info)
+async def commit_changes(name: str, merge_lock: asyncio.Lock, worktree: str, branch: str, changes: List[Dict]) -> None:
     for change in changes:
         # Git can only handle a single index operation at a time
         async with merge_lock:
@@ -85,7 +84,29 @@ async def commit_changes(merge_lock: asyncio.Lock, worktree: str, branch: str, u
 async def merge_changes(merge_lock: asyncio.Lock, package: Dict, update_info: str, temp_dir: Optional[Tuple[str, str]]) -> None:
     if temp_dir is not None:
         worktree, branch = temp_dir
-        await commit_changes(merge_lock, worktree, branch, update_info)
+
+        if 'commit' in package['supportedFeatures']:
+            changes = json.loads(update_info)
+        elif 'attrPath' in package:
+            attr_path = package['attrPath']
+            obtain_new_version_process = await check_subprocess('nix-instantiate', '--expr', f'with import ./. {{}}; lib.getVersion {attr_path}', '--eval', '--strict', '--json', stdout=asyncio.subprocess.PIPE, stderr=asyncio.subprocess.PIPE, cwd=worktree)
+            new_version = json.loads((await obtain_new_version_process.stdout.read()).decode('utf-8'))
+            changed_files_process = await check_subprocess('git', 'diff', '--name-only', stdout=asyncio.subprocess.PIPE, cwd=worktree)
+            changed_files = (await changed_files_process.stdout.read()).splitlines()
+            if len(changed_files) > 0:
+                changes = [
+                    {
+                        'files': changed_files,
+                        'oldVersion': package['oldVersion'],
+                        'newVersion': new_version,
+                        'attrPath': attr_path,
+                    }
+                ]
+            else:
+                changes = []
+
+        await commit_changes(package['name'], merge_lock, worktree, branch, changes)
+
     eprint(f" - {package['name']}: DONE.")
 
 async def updater(temp_dir: Optional[Tuple[str, str]], merge_lock: asyncio.Lock, packages_to_update: asyncio.Queue[Optional[Dict]], keep_going: bool, commit: bool):
@@ -95,7 +116,7 @@ async def updater(temp_dir: Optional[Tuple[str, str]], merge_lock: asyncio.Lock,
             # A sentinel received, we are done.
             return
 
-        if not ('commit' in package['supportedFeatures']):
+        if not ('commit' in package['supportedFeatures'] or 'attrPath' in package):
             temp_dir = None
 
         await run_update_script(merge_lock, temp_dir, package, keep_going)
diff --git a/pkgs/desktops/gnome-3/update.nix b/pkgs/desktops/gnome-3/update.nix
index 78cefdd0b0a7..5c3e5c247852 100644
--- a/pkgs/desktops/gnome-3/update.nix
+++ b/pkgs/desktops/gnome-3/update.nix
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ let
     version_policy="$3"
     PATH=${lib.makeBinPath [ common-updater-scripts python ]}
     latest_tag=$(python "${./find-latest-version.py}" "$package_name" "$version_policy" "stable" ${upperBoundFlag})
-    update-source-version "$attr_path" "$latest_tag" --print-changes
+    update-source-version "$attr_path" "$latest_tag"
   '';
 in {
   command = [ updateScript packageName attrPath versionPolicy ];
-  supportedFeatures = [ "commit" ];
+  inherit attrPath;
 }