diff --git a/cabal-install/src/Distribution/Client/ProjectConfig.hs b/cabal-install/src/Distribution/Client/ProjectConfig.hs
index 2b73660626d..e06d29250db 100644
--- a/cabal-install/src/Distribution/Client/ProjectConfig.hs
+++ b/cabal-install/src/Distribution/Client/ProjectConfig.hs
@@ -1374,13 +1374,16 @@ syncAndReadSourcePackagesRemoteRepos
         -- For syncing we don't care about different 'SourceRepo' values that
         -- are just different subdirs in the same repo.
         -- Do not sync source repositories when `--offline` flag applied.
-        unless offlineMode $
+        if not offlineMode then
           syncSourceRepos
             verbosity
             vcs
             [ (repo, repoPath)
             | (repo, _, repoPath) <- repoGroupWithPaths
             ]
+        else do
+          liftIO . warn verbosity $ "--offline was specified, skipping sync of repositories:"
+          liftIO . for_ repoGroupWithPaths $ \(repo,_,_) -> warn verbosity $ srpLocation repo
 
         -- Run post-checkout-command if it is specified
         for_ repoGroupWithPaths $ \(repo, _, repoPath) ->