diff --git a/docs/manual/adding-packages-generic.txt b/docs/manual/adding-packages-generic.txt
index ef895ec917..51408e8694 100644
--- a/docs/manual/adding-packages-generic.txt
+++ b/docs/manual/adding-packages-generic.txt
@@ -250,6 +250,13 @@ information is (assuming the package name is +libfoo+) :
     +LIBFOO_SITE=/opt/software/libfoo.tar.gz+ +
     +LIBFOO_SITE=$(TOPDIR)/../src/libfoo+
 
+* +LIBFOO_DL_OPTS+ is a space-separated list of additional options to
+  pass to the downloader. Useful for retrieving documents with
+  server-side checking for user logins and passwords, or to use a proxy.
+  All download methods valid for +LIBFOO_SITE_METHOD+ are supported;
+  valid options depend on the download method (consult the man page
+  for the respective download utilities).
+
 * +LIBFOO_EXTRA_DOWNLOADS+ is a space-separated list of additional
   files that Buildroot should download. If an entry contains +://+
   then Buildroot will assume it is a complete URL and will download