diff --git a/zsh/.zshrc b/zsh/.zshrc
index 667005c..7895f47 100644
--- a/zsh/.zshrc
+++ b/zsh/.zshrc
@@ -27,16 +27,21 @@ update_dotfiles() {
 
 update_dotfiles &!
 
-# On shell start, check the security tools repo for upstream updates and print a
-# one-line notice if the checkout is behind. Notify only (never auto-pull). This
-# stays read-only so it works even when the repo lives in root-owned /opt/tools:
+# On shell start, check the security tools repo for upstream updates and queue a
+# one-line notice if the checkout is behind. A precmd hook prints it between
+# commands, rather than letting this background job write across other startup
+# output or a prompt that is already being edited. Notify only (never auto-pull).
+# The check stays read-only so it works even in root-owned /opt/tools:
 #   - `safe.directory=*` sidesteps git's "dubious ownership" refusal on a repo
 #     owned by root, which would otherwise fail every git command.
 #   - `ls-remote` queries the remote without writing into .git (a normal user
 #     can't write a root-owned .git, so `fetch` would fail there).
 # Uses the first candidate that is a git checkout; covers global and per-user layouts.
 check_tools_repo() {
-    local repo branch remote mergeref remote_sha local_sha cmd
+    local repo branch remote mergeref remote_sha local_sha cmd notice
+    local cache_dir="${ZDOTDIR:-$HOME}/.cache/zsh"
+    local notice_file="$cache_dir/tools-update-notice"
+    local notice_tmp="$notice_file.$$.tmp"
     # See update_dotfiles: bound the network probe (timeout, absent on macOS) and
     # disable ssh multiplexing so a stalled ls-remote can't orphan this &! job.
     local -a TO; (( $+commands[timeout] )) && TO=(timeout -k 5 10)
@@ -53,11 +58,27 @@ check_tools_repo() {
         [[ "$remote_sha" == "$local_sha" ]] && return                             # already current
         $g merge-base --is-ancestor "$remote_sha" HEAD 2>/dev/null && return       # remote is an ancestor: ahead/equal (also true if we lack the object -> falls through to "behind")
         [[ -w "$repo/.git" ]] && cmd="git -C $repo pull" || cmd="sudo git -C $repo pull"
-        print -u2 "⬆ tools: updates available in $repo — run: $cmd"
+        notice="⬆ tools: updates available in $repo — run: $cmd"
+        mkdir -p "$cache_dir" || return
+        print -r -- "$notice" >| "$notice_tmp" || return
+        mv -f "$notice_tmp" "$notice_file"
         return
     done
 }
 check_tools_repo &!
+
+show_tools_repo_notice() {
+    local cache_dir="${ZDOTDIR:-$HOME}/.cache/zsh"
+    local notice_file="$cache_dir/tools-update-notice"
+    local claimed_notice="$notice_file.$$.show"
+    [[ -s "$notice_file" ]] || return
+    mv "$notice_file" "$claimed_notice" 2>/dev/null || return
+    command cat "$claimed_notice"
+    command rm -f "$claimed_notice"
+}
+autoload -Uz add-zsh-hook
+add-zsh-hook precmd show_tools_repo_notice
+
 export LC_OSC52=1
 
 # Load Antidote