diff --git a/build/build.xml b/build/build.xml
index d8011452f..7798fc604 100644
--- a/build/build.xml
+++ b/build/build.xml
@@ -300,6 +300,11 @@
     <available file="${examples.dir}" property="examples.exist" />
     <fail unless="examples.exist" message="To do a distribution, the processing-docs repo must be checked out at the same level as the processing repo." />
 
+    <!-- do a git pull in the docs repo so that it is up to date -->
+    <exec executable="git" dir="${examples.dir}">
+      <arg line="pull" />
+    </exec>
+
     <antcall target="${platform}-dist" />
   </target>
 
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index 3a0f71357..5f5141060 100644
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ X Welcome screen completely broken/looking for debug files
 X   https://github.com/processing/processing/issues/3474
 X Add message that says it's safe to ignore the tools.jar warning
 X add new lower console/errors icons
+X dist needs to do a git pull on processing-docs
 _ don't show display warning when display 1 doesn't exist
 
 _ can't install processing-java into /usr/bin with El Capitan
@@ -104,7 +105,6 @@ _   not really part of the 'build' anymore
 _ break out Mode options to their own panels in prefs
 _   Mode should just provide a panel for their prefs
 _ make examples pull/build automatic during dist
-_ dist needs to do a git pull on processing-docs
 _ make reference build process part of dist
 _   https://github.com/processing/processing-docs/issues/85
 _   separate ant target, but only require them for dist