diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cb8f30a02..b26c90dc3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -244,11 +244,21 @@ conda-lock install --auth-file auth.json conda-linux-64.lock
 
 ### --virtual-package-spec
 
-Conda makes use of [virtual packages](https://conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-virtual.html) that are available at
-runtime to gate dependency on system features.  Due to these not generally existing on your local execution platform conda-lock will inject
-them into the solution environment with a reasonable guess at what a default system configuration should be.
+Conda uses [virtual packages](https://conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-virtual.html) to describe system-level
+features like the glibc version, macOS version, or CUDA version.  Since conda-lock generates
+lockfiles independently of a target system, it assumes a default set of virtual package versions
+that represent a reasonable minimum system configuration.
 
-If you want to override which virtual packages are injected you can create a file like
+Each virtual package version acts as an upper bound on which packages are considered by
+the solver (packages requiring a newer version are excluded) and as a lower bound on
+compatible target systems (the lockfile is installable on systems that meet or exceed
+these versions).
+
+There is a tradeoff: increasing a version widens the set of candidate packages but narrows
+the set of compatible target systems.  If a package you need is being filtered out, increase the
+relevant version.  If the lockfile is incompatible with your target system, decrease it.
+
+To override the defaults, create a `virtual-packages.yml` file like
 
 ```yaml
 # virtual-packages.yml
diff --git a/conda_lock/default-virtual-packages.yaml b/conda_lock/default-virtual-packages.yaml
index dcc05b0d1..b31add736 100644
--- a/conda_lock/default-virtual-packages.yaml
+++ b/conda_lock/default-virtual-packages.yaml
@@ -1,10 +1,25 @@
+# Default virtual packages used when no --virtual-package-spec is provided.
+#
+# Each version represents the assumed minimum system capability. The solver
+# filters out any package that requires a newer version, so these act as upper
+# bounds on which packages are considered. Conversely, they act as lower bounds
+# on the systems where the resulting lockfile can be installed.
+#
+# For example, with __glibc: "2.28", packages requiring glibc > 2.28 are
+# excluded from the lockfile, and the lockfile is installable on any system
+# with glibc >= 2.28.
+#
+# Tradeoff: increasing a version widens the set of candidate packages but
+# narrows the set of compatible target systems. If a package you need is being
+# filtered out, increase the version. If the lockfile is incompatible with your
+# target system, decrease the version. To override these defaults, create a
+# virtual-packages.yml file (see README.md).
 subdirs:
   linux-64:
     packages:
       __unix: "0"
       __linux: "5.10"
       __archspec: "1 x86_64"
-      # NOTE: Keep this in sync with the MANYLINUX_TAGS maximum in pypi_solver.py
       __glibc: "2.28"
       __cuda: "11.4"
   linux-aarch64:
@@ -12,7 +27,6 @@ subdirs:
       __unix: "0"
       __linux: "5.10"
       __archspec: "1 aarch64"
-      # NOTE: Keep this in sync with the MANYLINUX_TAGS maximum in pypi_solver.py
       __glibc: "2.28"
       __cuda: "11.4"
   linux-ppc64le:
@@ -20,7 +34,6 @@ subdirs:
       __unix: "0"
       __linux: "5.10"
       __archspec: "1 ppc64le"
-      # NOTE: Keep this in sync with the MANYLINUX_TAGS maximum in pypi_solver.py
       __glibc: "2.28"
       __cuda: "11.4"
   osx-64:
diff --git a/conda_lock/pypi_solver.py b/conda_lock/pypi_solver.py
index 846b2d28c..be58ba4a6 100644
--- a/conda_lock/pypi_solver.py
+++ b/conda_lock/pypi_solver.py
@@ -58,8 +58,6 @@
 # NB: in principle these depend on the glibc on the machine creating the conda env.
 # We use tags supported by manylinux Docker images, which are likely the most common
 # in practice, see https://github.com/pypa/manylinux/blob/main/README.rst#docker-images.
-# NOTE:
-#   Keep the max in sync with the default value used in default-virtual-packages.yaml.
 MANYLINUX_TAGS = ["1", "2010", "2014", "_2_17", "_2_18", "_2_24", "_2_28"]
 
 # This needs to be updated periodically as new macOS versions are released.
diff --git a/docs/flags.md b/docs/flags.md
index 0fd816bc3..e0d17807b 100644
--- a/docs/flags.md
+++ b/docs/flags.md
@@ -135,11 +135,21 @@ When the input_hash of the input files, channels match those present in a given
 
 ## --virtual-package-spec
 
-Conda makes use of [virtual packages](https://conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-virtual.html) that are available at
-runtime to gate dependency on system features.  Due to these not generally existing on your local execution platform conda-lock will inject
-them into the solution environment with a reasonable guess at what a default system configuration should be.
+Conda uses [virtual packages](https://conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-virtual.html) to describe system-level
+features like the glibc version, macOS version, or CUDA version.  Since conda-lock generates
+lockfiles independently of a target system, it assumes a default set of virtual package versions
+that represent a reasonable minimum system configuration.
 
-If you want to override which virtual packages are injected you can create a virtual package spec file
+Each virtual package version acts as an upper bound on which packages are considered by
+the solver (packages requiring a newer version are excluded) and as a lower bound on
+compatible target systems (the lockfile is installable on systems that meet or exceed
+these versions).
+
+There is a tradeoff: increasing a version widens the set of candidate packages but narrows
+the set of compatible target systems.  If a package you need is being filtered out, increase the
+relevant version.  If the lockfile is incompatible with your target system, decrease it.
+
+To override the defaults, create a virtual package spec file
 
 ```{.yaml title="virtual-packages.yml"}
 subdirs:
diff --git a/tests/test_conda_lock.py b/tests/test_conda_lock.py
index d4f053c8e..cbf99e49e 100644
--- a/tests/test_conda_lock.py
+++ b/tests/test_conda_lock.py
@@ -3258,15 +3258,17 @@ def test_manylinux_tags():
     assert versions[0] == Version("2.17")
     assert versions == sorted(versions)
 
-    # Verify that the default repodata uses the highest glibc version
+    # Verify that the default glibc versions are covered by MANYLINUX_TAGS.
+    # (The default may be lower than the max tag; higher tags are available
+    # via --virtual-package-spec.)
     default_repodata = default_virtual_package_repodata()
     glibc_versions_in_default_repodata: set[Version] = {
         Version(package.version)
         for package in default_repodata.packages_by_subdir
         if package.name == "__glibc"
     }
-    max_glibc_version_from_manylinux_tags = versions[-1]
-    assert glibc_versions_in_default_repodata == {max_glibc_version_from_manylinux_tags}
+    manylinux_glibc_versions = set(versions)
+    assert glibc_versions_in_default_repodata <= manylinux_glibc_versions
 
 
 def test_pip_respects_glibc_version(