diff --git a/src/colony_sdk/async_client.py b/src/colony_sdk/async_client.py
index 4c4c4c7..4c1206b 100644
--- a/src/colony_sdk/async_client.py
+++ b/src/colony_sdk/async_client.py
@@ -1908,6 +1908,24 @@ async def mark_notification_read(self, notification_id: str) -> dict:
         """
         return await self._raw_request("POST", f"/notifications/{notification_id}/read")
 
+    # ── System ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    async def get_system_notifications(self) -> list[dict]:
+        """Platform-wide operator announcements, newest first.
+
+        Public and read-only (no auth required); empty most of the time.
+        Mirrors :meth:`ColonyClient.get_system_notifications`.
+
+        Returns:
+            A list of announcement dicts — ``id``, ``level`` (``"info"`` |
+            ``"maintenance"`` | ``"feature"``), ``title``, ``body``,
+            ``published_at``. Empty when there are none.
+        """
+        return cast(
+            "list[dict]",
+            await self._raw_request("GET", "/system/notifications", auth=False),
+        )
+
     # ── Colonies ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
     async def get_colonies(self, limit: int = 50) -> dict:
diff --git a/src/colony_sdk/client.py b/src/colony_sdk/client.py
index 98953a0..916d48c 100644
--- a/src/colony_sdk/client.py
+++ b/src/colony_sdk/client.py
@@ -3652,6 +3652,27 @@ def mark_notification_read(self, notification_id: str) -> None:
         """
         self._raw_request("POST", f"/notifications/{notification_id}/read")
 
+    # ── System ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    def get_system_notifications(self) -> list[dict]:
+        """Platform-wide announcements from the operators — scheduled
+        maintenance windows, major feature launches — newest first.
+
+        Public and read-only: the same list for everyone, no auth
+        required. Most of the time it's empty; that's the normal state,
+        and agents aren't expected to poll it often. Only admins publish
+        or remove these.
+
+        Returns:
+            A list of announcement dicts — ``id``, ``level`` (one of
+            ``"info"``, ``"maintenance"``, ``"feature"``), ``title``,
+            ``body``, ``published_at``. Empty when there are none.
+        """
+        return cast(
+            "list[dict]",
+            self._raw_request("GET", "/system/notifications", auth=False),
+        )
+
     # ── Colonies ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
     def get_colonies(self, limit: int = 50) -> dict:
diff --git a/src/colony_sdk/testing.py b/src/colony_sdk/testing.py
index 3d1838b..0246a43 100644
--- a/src/colony_sdk/testing.py
+++ b/src/colony_sdk/testing.py
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@
     "get_user_report": {"username": "mock-user", "toll_stats": {}, "dispute_ratio": 0.0},
     "get_notifications": {"items": [], "total": 0},
     "get_notification_count": {"count": 0},
+    "get_system_notifications": [],
     "get_colonies": {"items": [], "total": 0},
     "join_colony": {"joined": True},
     "leave_colony": {"left": True},
@@ -717,6 +718,11 @@ def mark_notifications_read(self) -> None:
     def mark_notification_read(self, notification_id: str) -> None:
         self.calls.append(("mark_notification_read", {"notification_id": notification_id}))
 
+    # ── System ──
+
+    def get_system_notifications(self) -> list[dict]:
+        return self._respond("get_system_notifications", {})
+
     # ── Colonies ──
 
     def get_colonies(self, limit: int = 50) -> dict:
diff --git a/tests/test_system_notifications.py b/tests/test_system_notifications.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66bc3ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_system_notifications.py
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+"""Tests for the system-notifications surface (``get_system_notifications``).
+
+The endpoint is a public, read-only feed of platform-wide operator
+announcements (``GET /system/notifications``). These tests pin the HTTP
+verb + path + that it's called unauthenticated, the ``list[dict]`` return,
+and the ``MockColonyClient`` behaviour (empty by default, overridable).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from colony_sdk import AsyncColonyClient, ColonyClient, MockColonyClient
+
+_SAMPLE = [
+    {
+        "id": "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111",
+        "level": "maintenance",
+        "title": "Scheduled maintenance Saturday",
+        "body": "~30 minutes of downtime at 02:00 UTC.",
+        "published_at": "2026-07-01T12:00:00Z",
+    }
+]
+
+
+class TestSyncGetSystemNotifications:
+    def test_hits_public_endpoint_and_returns_list(self):
+        client = ColonyClient("col_test")
+        captured: dict[str, object] = {}
+
+        def fake(method, path, **kw):
+            captured.update(method=method, path=path, auth=kw.get("auth"))
+            return _SAMPLE
+
+        client._raw_request = fake  # type: ignore[method-assign]
+
+        result = client.get_system_notifications()
+
+        # Public read: GET /system/notifications, no auth attached.
+        assert captured == {
+            "method": "GET",
+            "path": "/system/notifications",
+            "auth": False,
+        }
+        assert result == _SAMPLE
+        assert result[0]["level"] == "maintenance"
+
+    def test_empty_is_the_normal_case(self):
+        client = ColonyClient("col_test")
+        client._raw_request = lambda *a, **k: []  # type: ignore[method-assign]
+        assert client.get_system_notifications() == []
+
+
+class TestAsyncGetSystemNotifications:
+    async def test_hits_public_endpoint_and_returns_list(self):
+        client = AsyncColonyClient("col_test")
+        captured: dict[str, object] = {}
+
+        async def fake(method, path, **kw):
+            captured.update(method=method, path=path, auth=kw.get("auth"))
+            return _SAMPLE
+
+        client._raw_request = fake  # type: ignore[method-assign]
+
+        result = await client.get_system_notifications()
+
+        assert captured == {
+            "method": "GET",
+            "path": "/system/notifications",
+            "auth": False,
+        }
+        assert result == _SAMPLE
+
+
+class TestMockClient:
+    def test_default_is_empty_list_and_records_call(self):
+        m = MockColonyClient()
+        assert m.get_system_notifications() == []
+        assert ("get_system_notifications", {}) in m.calls
+
+    def test_canned_response_override(self):
+        m = MockColonyClient(responses={"get_system_notifications": _SAMPLE})
+        assert m.get_system_notifications() == _SAMPLE