diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 49a10c2d..0105e0ba 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -54,13 +54,13 @@ task docker:create-example-env
 ### Service Management
 
 ```bash
-# Manage individual Docker service (up, down, restart, recreate, update, pull, config)
+# Manage individual Docker service (pull, up, down, restart, recreate, config)
 scripts/labctl.py service [operation] [category/service-name]
 
 # Examples:
 scripts/labctl.py service up security/traefik
 scripts/labctl.py service restart ai/ollama
-scripts/labctl.py service update media/video/jellyfin
+scripts/labctl.py service pull media/video/jellyfin
 ```
 
 ### Ansible Commands
diff --git a/docker/Taskfile.docker.yaml b/docker/Taskfile.docker.yaml
index 5ffe94df..e8529389 100644
--- a/docker/Taskfile.docker.yaml
+++ b/docker/Taskfile.docker.yaml
@@ -11,21 +11,21 @@ tasks:
     cmds:
       - scripts/labctl.py config apply
 
-  update:
-    desc: Update and restart containers
+  pull-all:
+    desc: Pull all (even not enabled) container images
     cmds:
-      - scripts/labctl.py config apply --mode=update
+      - scripts/labctl.py config apply --mode=pull
 
-  pull:
-    desc: Pull container images
+  update:
+    desc: Update containers (pull before start)
     cmds:
-      - scripts/labctl.py config apply --mode=pull
+      - scripts/labctl.py config apply --pull-before-start
 
-  pull-update:
-    desc: Pull, update and restart containers, then show restarts
+  apply-update:
+    desc: Update containers (pull before start), then prune old images and show restart events
     cmds:
-      - task: pull
       - task: update
+      - task: prune
       - task: show-restarts
 
   stop:
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ tasks:
       - docker stop $(docker ps -a -q)
 
   prune:
-    desc: Remove unused and dangling container images
+    desc: Remove unused and dangling container images created before given timestamp (21 days)
     cmds:
       - docker image prune --all --force --filter "until=504h"
 
diff --git a/docker/guidelines.md b/docker/guidelines.md
index c05ba564..7fc0f74d 100644
--- a/docker/guidelines.md
+++ b/docker/guidelines.md
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ Services are deployed using the Taskfile system:
 ```
 task docker:apply       # Deploy all containers
 task docker:update      # Update and restart containers
-task docker:pull        # Pull latest container images
+task docker:pull-all    # Pull latest container images
 task docker:stop        # Stop configured containers
 ```
 
diff --git a/scripts/labctl.py b/scripts/labctl.py
index 80c3ed02..5f8d1bb8 100755
--- a/scripts/labctl.py
+++ b/scripts/labctl.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 # Global variables
 docker_stacks_dir: Path = (Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "docker").resolve()
-ALLOWED_STATES: tuple[str, ...] = ('up', 'update', 'pull', 'down', 'restart', 'recreate', 'config')
+ALLOWED_STATES: tuple[str, ...] = ('pull', 'up', 'down', 'restart', 'recreate', 'config')
 
 
 def create_network_if_missing(network_name: str) -> None:
@@ -90,7 +90,19 @@ def docker(cmd: list[str], env=None, stdin=None, stdout=None, stderr=None) -> No
     subprocess.run(["docker"] + cmd, env=env, stdin=stdin, stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr, check=True)
 
 
-def docker_command(host_config_dir: Path, stack_dir: Path, service_name: str, action: str) -> None:
+def docker_pull(stack_dir: Path, service_name: str, compose_file: Path, env_file_args: list[str]) -> None:
+    """Pull Docker images for a service."""
+    logger.info(f">>> Pulling {stack_dir}/{service_name}")
+    if has_build_directive(compose_file):
+        # Bake: https://docs.docker.com/guides/compose-bake/
+        env = os.environ.copy()
+        env["COMPOSE_BAKE"] = "true"
+        docker(["compose", "-f", compose_file, *env_file_args, "build", "--pull"], env=env)
+    else:
+        docker(["compose", "-f", compose_file, *env_file_args, "pull"])
+
+
+def docker_command(host_config_dir: Path, stack_dir: Path, service_name: str, action: str, pull_before_start: bool = False) -> None:
     """Execute Docker Compose command for a service."""
     logger.info("")  # separation
 
@@ -101,21 +113,15 @@ def docker_command(host_config_dir: Path, stack_dir: Path, service_name: str, ac
 
     env_file_args = get_env_file_args(host_config_dir, service_name)
 
-    # Handle pull operations
-    if action in ["update", "pull"]:
-        logger.info(f">>> Pulling {stack_dir}/{service_name}")
-
-        if has_build_directive(compose_file):
-            # Bake: https://docs.docker.com/guides/compose-bake/
-            env = os.environ.copy()
-            env["COMPOSE_BAKE"] = "true"
-            docker(["compose", "-f", compose_file, *env_file_args, "build", "--pull"], env=env)
-        else:
-            docker(["compose", "-f", compose_file, *env_file_args, "pull"])
-
     # Handle other operations
     match action:
-        case "up" | "update":
+        case "pull":
+            docker_pull(stack_dir, service_name, compose_file, env_file_args)
+
+        case "up":
+            if pull_before_start:
+                docker_pull(stack_dir, service_name, compose_file, env_file_args)
+
             logger.info(f">>> Starting {stack_dir}/{service_name}")
             docker(["compose", "-f", compose_file, *env_file_args, "up", "--detach"])
 
@@ -128,6 +134,9 @@ def docker_command(host_config_dir: Path, stack_dir: Path, service_name: str, ac
             docker(["compose", "-f", compose_file, *env_file_args, "restart"])
 
         case "recreate":
+            if pull_before_start:
+                docker_pull(stack_dir, service_name, compose_file, env_file_args)
+
             logger.info(f">>> Recreating {stack_dir}/{service_name}")
             docker(["compose", "-f", compose_file, *env_file_args, "up", "--detach", "--force-recreate"])
 
@@ -147,7 +156,7 @@ def load_services_config(config_file: str) -> dict:
         sys.exit(1)
 
 
-def process_services(host_config_dir: Path, config: dict, state_override: str | None = None) -> None:
+def process_services(host_config_dir: Path, config: dict, state_override: str | None = None, pull_before_start: bool = False) -> None:
     """Process services based on the configuration."""
     if not config or 'services' not in config:
         logger.error("Error: Invalid configuration format. 'services' key not found.")
@@ -177,7 +186,7 @@ def process_services(host_config_dir: Path, config: dict, state_override: str |
                 logger.warning(f"Unknown state '{state}' for service {category}/{name}")
                 continue
 
-            docker_command(host_config_dir, docker_stacks_dir / category, name, state)
+            docker_command(host_config_dir, docker_stacks_dir / category, name, state, pull_before_start)
 
 
 def get_host_config_dir() -> Path:
@@ -203,13 +212,7 @@ def cmd_config_apply(args) -> None:
     create_network_if_missing("proxy")
 
     # Process services with optional mode override
-    process_services(host_config_dir, config, args.mode)
-
-    # Cleanup old images if enabled in config and in update mode
-    if args.mode == 'update':
-        logger.info("Cleanup...")
-        # Remove unused and dangling images created before given timestamp (21 days)
-        docker(["image", "prune", "--all", "--force", "--filter", "until=504h"])
+    process_services(host_config_dir, config, args.mode, args.pull_before_start)
 
 
 def cmd_service(args) -> None:
@@ -229,7 +232,7 @@ def cmd_service(args) -> None:
     # Everything before the last part is the category path
     category_path = '/'.join(name_parts[:-1])
 
-    docker_command(get_host_config_dir(), docker_stacks_dir / category_path, service_name, args.operation)
+    docker_command(get_host_config_dir(), docker_stacks_dir / category_path, service_name, args.operation, args.pull_before_start)
 
 
 def main() -> None:
@@ -244,11 +247,13 @@ def main() -> None:
     config_apply_parser = config_subparsers.add_parser('apply', help='Apply service configurations')
     config_apply_parser.add_argument('--config', '-c', help='Path to the YAML configuration file')
     config_apply_parser.add_argument('--mode', '-m', choices=list(ALLOWED_STATES), help='Override state for all services')
+    config_apply_parser.add_argument('--pull-before-start', action='store_true', default=False, help='Pull images before starting services')
 
     # Service command
     service_parser = subparsers.add_parser('service', help='Manage individual services')
     service_parser.add_argument('operation', choices=list(ALLOWED_STATES), help='Operation to perform on the service')
     service_parser.add_argument('name', help='Service name in format category/name or category/subcategory/name')
+    service_parser.add_argument('--pull-before-start', action='store_true', default=False, help='Pull images before starting the service')
 
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
diff --git a/scripts/task-mcp/server.py b/scripts/task-mcp/server.py
index c6bdd53c..0c616933 100755
--- a/scripts/task-mcp/server.py
+++ b/scripts/task-mcp/server.py
@@ -123,16 +123,16 @@ def task_fn() -> str:
 @mcp.tool(name="control-container-service")
 def control_container_service(operation: str, service_name: str) -> str:
     """
-    Execute one operation ('up', 'down', 'restart', 'recreate', 'update', 'pull' or 'config') on the specified service and return the output
+    Execute one operation ('pull', 'up', 'down', 'restart', 'recreate', 'config') on the specified service and return the output
 
     Args:
-        operation: One of 'up', 'down', 'restart', 'recreate', 'update', 'pull', 'config'
+        operation: One of 'pull', 'up', 'down', 'restart', 'recreate', 'config'
         service_name: Service name in format category/name or category/subcategory/name
 
     Returns:
         The command output as a string
     """
-    allowed_operations = ['up', 'down', 'restart', 'recreate', 'update', 'pull', 'config']
+    allowed_operations = ['pull', 'up', 'down', 'restart', 'recreate', 'config']
 
     if operation not in allowed_operations:
         return f"Invalid operation: {operation}. Allowed: {', '.join(allowed_operations)}"