diff --git a/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/config/SystemUpdates.qml b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/config/SystemUpdates.qml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46d88f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/config/SystemUpdates.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+pragma Singleton
+import QtQuick
+import Quickshell.Io
+
+// Shared state for SystemUpdate.qml, the bar's package-update indicator.
+// Bar.qml is instantiated once per screen (see shell.qml's Variants), so
+// without this being a singleton, plugging in extra monitors would mean
+// running `checkupdates` that many times in parallel on every poll — which
+// isn't just wasteful, it's actively unreliable: concurrent invocations
+// race over checkupdates' own sync directory and can intermittently report
+// 0 pending updates. One shared Process here means exactly one `checkupdates`
+// run at a time, and every bar's icon reflects the same result.
+QtObject {
+    id: root
+
+    // checkupdates syncs a throwaway copy of the pacman db, so it's not
+    // free to run often — matches the old waybar custom/updater module's
+    // ~21.7 minute poll interval (see .config/waybar/config).
+    readonly property int refreshIntervalMs: 1300 * 1000
+
+    property int updateCount: 0
+    property bool checking: false
+    property bool updating: false
+
+    function refresh() {
+        if (_checkProc.running) return
+        root.checking = true
+        _checkProc.running = true
+    }
+
+    // scriptPath: absolute path to update-system.sh (resolved by the caller
+    // via Quickshell.shellPath, which isn't available as a plain import
+    // here without pulling in the whole Quickshell singleton for one call).
+    function runUpdate(scriptPath) {
+        if (_updateProc.running) return
+        root.updating = true
+        _updateProc.command = [scriptPath]
+        _updateProc.running = true
+    }
+
+    // QtObject has no default property, so these are attached via property
+    // assignment rather than as plain child elements (same as Colors.qml's
+    // FileView).
+    readonly property Process _checkProc: Process {
+        command: ["sh", "-c", "checkupdates 2>/dev/null | wc -l"]
+        stdout: StdioCollector {
+            id: checkCollector
+            onStreamFinished: {
+                root.updateCount = parseInt(checkCollector.text.trim(), 10) || 0
+                root.checking = false
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Runs update-system.sh, which opens its own terminal and blocks until
+    // that terminal is closed — so this only exits once the user's actually
+    // done updating, which is exactly when a re-check matters.
+    readonly property Process _updateProc: Process {
+        onExited: {
+            root.updating = false
+            root.refresh()
+        }
+    }
+
+    readonly property Timer _timer: Timer {
+        interval: root.refreshIntervalMs
+        running: true
+        repeat: true
+        triggeredOnStart: true
+        onTriggered: root.refresh()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/modules/bar/PinnedTray.qml b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/modules/bar/PinnedTray.qml
index ff44f62..9ce69b3 100644
--- a/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/modules/bar/PinnedTray.qml
+++ b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/modules/bar/PinnedTray.qml
@@ -60,9 +60,13 @@ RowLayout {
 
             IconImage {
                 anchors.fill: parent
+                // modelData.icon is a QUrl when it comes from
+                // Qt.resolvedUrl() (Bitwarden/Sunshine's local assets), not
+                // a QString — coerce to string before using String methods
+                // on it, or this throws instead of ever matching.
                 source: slot.running
                     ? slot.trayItem.icon
-                    : (slot.modelData.icon.includes("://")
+                    : (String(slot.modelData.icon).includes("://")
                         ? slot.modelData.icon
                         : Quickshell.iconPath(slot.modelData.icon))
                 opacity: slot.running ? 1.0 : 0.5
diff --git a/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/modules/bar/SystemUpdate.qml b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/modules/bar/SystemUpdate.qml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41e99fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/modules/bar/SystemUpdate.qml
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+import QtQuick
+import QtQuick.Layouts
+import Quickshell
+import Quickshell.Hyprland
+import "../../config"
+
+// Package update indicator — replaces the old waybar custom/updater module
+// (see .config/waybar/config and its scripts/update-distro.sh). The actual
+// polling/state lives in the SystemUpdates singleton (config/), shared
+// across every monitor's bar; this is just the icon + panel UI. Clicking
+// opens a panel showing the pending count with a button that runs the
+// actual update in a terminal (scripts/update-system.sh, ported from the
+// same waybar script, distro-detection and all).
+Item {
+    id: root
+    implicitWidth: row.implicitWidth + 2
+    implicitHeight: Appearance.barHeight
+
+    // The bar's own PanelWindow — same barWindow-anchoring convention as
+    // every other popup-having module here (Volume.qml, PowerButton.qml,
+    // etc.), so the panel opens in a fixed spot rather than following this
+    // icon's exact position in its RowLayout.
+    required property var barWindow
+
+    RowLayout {
+        id: row
+        anchors.centerIn: parent
+        spacing: 4
+
+        Text {
+            id: label
+            // Nerd Font glyph (package-variant) normally, matching the old
+            // waybar custom/updater module's icon — not a Material Symbols
+            // ligature name like the rest of this bar, so it needs the Nerd
+            // Font instead of iconFontFamilyRounded. While a check is running
+            // (the periodic poll or a right-click-triggered refresh) this
+            // swaps to the same spinner glyph/animation as
+            // BluetoothIndicator.qml's scan spinner.
+            font.family: SystemUpdates.checking ? Appearance.iconFontFamilyRounded : Appearance.fontFamily
+            font.variableAxes: Appearance.iconFontAxes
+            font.pixelSize: SystemUpdates.checking ? 15 : 22
+            color: SystemUpdates.updateCount > 0 ? Colors.primary : Colors.foreground
+            text: SystemUpdates.checking ? "progress_activity" : "󰏖"
+
+            RotationAnimation on rotation {
+                running: SystemUpdates.checking
+                loops: Animation.Infinite
+                from: 0
+                to: 360
+                duration: 900
+                // Otherwise the icon is left tilted at whatever angle the
+                // spin stopped on once checking finishes and it swaps back
+                // to the static glyph.
+                onRunningChanged: if (!running) label.rotation = 0
+            }
+        }
+
+        Text {
+            font.family: Appearance.fontFamily
+            font.pixelSize: Appearance.fontSizeSmall
+            color: label.color
+            text: SystemUpdates.updateCount
+        }
+    }
+
+    MouseArea {
+        anchors.fill: parent
+        cursorShape: Qt.PointingHandCursor
+        acceptedButtons: Qt.LeftButton | Qt.RightButton
+        onClicked: (mouse) => {
+            if (mouse.button === Qt.RightButton) {
+                SystemUpdates.refresh()
+            } else {
+                panel.visible = !panel.visible
+                grab.active = panel.visible
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    PopupWindow {
+        id: panel
+        visible: false
+        color: "transparent"
+        // Same contentWidth/contentPadding split as the other panels
+        // (Volume.qml, PowerButton.qml, etc.) rather than a single magic
+        // implicitWidth.
+        readonly property int contentWidth: 200
+        readonly property int contentPadding: 16
+        implicitWidth: contentWidth + contentPadding * 2
+        implicitHeight: mainColumn.implicitHeight + contentPadding * 2
+
+        anchor {
+            window: root.barWindow
+            // Unlike anchor.item, anchor.window doesn't default rect to the
+            // window's own bounds — set it explicitly so edges/gravity below
+            // resolve against the full bar. Bottom alone (no Left/Right)
+            // anchors to the bar's bottom-center, which lines up with this
+            // icon since it sits in the bar's centered RowLayout.
+            rect.x: 0
+            rect.y: 0
+            rect.width: root.barWindow.width
+            rect.height: root.barWindow.height
+            edges: Edges.Bottom
+            gravity: Edges.Bottom
+            margins.bottom: -4
+        }
+
+        HyprlandFocusGrab {
+            id: grab
+            windows: [panel]
+            onCleared: panel.visible = false
+        }
+
+        Rectangle {
+            anchors.fill: parent
+            radius: 0
+            color: Colors.surface
+            border.color: Colors.muted
+            border.width: 3
+
+            Column {
+                id: mainColumn
+                anchors.fill: parent
+                anchors.margins: panel.contentPadding
+                spacing: 10
+
+                RowLayout {
+                    width: parent.width
+                    spacing: 8
+
+                    Text {
+                        text: label.text
+                        font.family: Appearance.fontFamily
+                        font.pixelSize: 23
+                        color: Colors.foreground
+                    }
+
+                    Text {
+                        Layout.fillWidth: true
+                        text: "System Update"
+                        font.family: Appearance.fontFamily
+                        font.pixelSize: 18
+                        font.bold: true
+                        color: Colors.foreground
+                    }
+                }
+
+                Text {
+                    width: parent.width
+                    wrapMode: Text.WordWrap
+                    font.family: Appearance.fontFamily
+                    font.pixelSize: Appearance.fontSize
+                    color: Colors.foreground
+                    text: {
+                        if (SystemUpdates.updating) return "Update running in a terminal…"
+                        if (SystemUpdates.checking) return "Checking for updates…"
+                        if (SystemUpdates.updateCount === 0) return "System is up to date."
+                        return SystemUpdates.updateCount + (SystemUpdates.updateCount === 1 ? " update available." : " updates available.")
+                    }
+                }
+
+                // Same selectable-row shape as this project's other panel
+                // actions (e.g. PowerButton.qml's menu entries): radius 0,
+                // fixed-width icon column, fillWidth label, offset hover
+                // halo rather than one drawn on the row's own edge.
+                Rectangle {
+                    id: updateBtn
+                    width: parent.width
+                    radius: 0
+                    implicitHeight: btnContent.implicitHeight + 12
+                    enabled: !SystemUpdates.updating
+                    opacity: SystemUpdates.updating ? 0.5 : 1
+                    color: btnMouse.containsMouse ? Colors.primary : "transparent"
+
+                    Rectangle {
+                        anchors.fill: parent
+                        anchors.margins: -3
+                        radius: 0
+                        color: "transparent"
+                        border.color: Colors.foreground
+                        border.width: btnMouse.containsMouse ? 1 : 0
+                    }
+
+                    RowLayout {
+                        id: btnContent
+                        anchors.left: parent.left
+                        anchors.right: parent.right
+                        anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
+                        anchors.margins: 6
+                        spacing: 8
+
+                        Text {
+                            Layout.preferredWidth: 20
+                            horizontalAlignment: Text.AlignLeft
+                            text: "download"
+                            font.family: Appearance.iconFontFamilyRounded
+                            font.variableAxes: Appearance.iconFontAxes
+                            font.pixelSize: 14
+                            color: btnMouse.containsMouse ? Colors.primaryText : Colors.foreground
+                        }
+                        Text {
+                            Layout.fillWidth: true
+                            text: "Update Now"
+                            font.family: Appearance.fontFamily
+                            font.pixelSize: Appearance.fontSize
+                            color: btnMouse.containsMouse ? Colors.primaryText : Colors.foreground
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    MouseArea {
+                        id: btnMouse
+                        anchors.fill: parent
+                        enabled: !SystemUpdates.updating
+                        hoverEnabled: true
+                        cursorShape: Qt.PointingHandCursor
+                        onClicked: {
+                            SystemUpdates.runUpdate(Quickshell.shellPath("scripts/update-system.sh"))
+                            panel.visible = false
+                            grab.active = false
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/scripts/update-system.sh b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/scripts/update-system.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..faccdff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/scripts/update-system.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Launched by SystemUpdate.qml (top bar, next to the clock) — opens a
+# terminal running whatever update command fits this distro, then notifies
+# once it's done. Ported from the old waybar custom/updater module
+# (.config/waybar/scripts/update-distro.sh); kept multi-distro even though
+# this machine is Arch, since these dotfiles aren't.
+#
+# The window it opens is floated + centered by a matching Hyprland rule
+# (system-update-terminal, in .config/hypr/UserConfigs/WindowRules.conf),
+# same treatment as Bitwarden's window, rather than tiling into whatever
+# workspace you happened to be on.
+
+iDIR="$HOME/.config/swaync/images"
+
+if ! command -v foot &> /dev/null; then
+  notify-send -i "$iDIR/error.png" "Need foot:" "foot terminal not found. Please install foot terminal."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Printed inside the terminal before the actual update command runs, so it
+# reads as "updating" from the first frame rather than looking like an
+# empty/stuck window while pacman/apt/etc. take a moment to start printing.
+#
+# foot runs this in a fresh `bash -c`, which doesn't inherit shell functions
+# from this script's own environment (export -f only reaches bash processes
+# forked from *this* one, not whatever foot execs) — so instead, the
+# already-colored text is built once here with real escape bytes ($'...'),
+# then %q-quoted into a self-contained `echo '...'` that reproduces those
+# same bytes verbatim when the child bash parses it.
+msg="  Updating System — please wait  "
+line=$(printf '=%.0s' $(seq 1 ${#msg}))
+banner_text=$'\033[1;36m'"$line"$'\033[0m\n\033[1;36m'"$msg"$'\033[0m\n\033[1;36m'"$line"$'\033[0m\n\n'
+BANNER="echo $(printf '%q' "$banner_text")"
+
+if command -v paru &> /dev/null; then
+  CMD="paru -Syu"
+  LABEL="Arch-based system"
+elif command -v yay &> /dev/null; then
+  CMD="yay -Syu"
+  LABEL="Arch-based system"
+elif command -v dnf &> /dev/null; then
+  CMD="sudo dnf update --refresh -y"
+  LABEL="Fedora system"
+elif command -v apt &> /dev/null; then
+  CMD="sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y"
+  LABEL="Debian/Ubuntu system"
+elif command -v zypper &> /dev/null; then
+  CMD="sudo zypper dup -y"
+  LABEL="openSUSE system"
+else
+  notify-send -i "$iDIR/error.png" -u critical "Unsupported system" "This script does not support your distribution."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Keeps the terminal open (whether the update succeeded or failed — read
+# always runs regardless, since it's ; not &&) until you press Enter,
+# instead of foot closing the instant the update command exits and taking
+# any output/errors with it.
+WAIT_PROMPT="echo; read -p 'Update finished — press Enter to close...'"
+
+foot -T update bash -c "$BANNER; $CMD; $WAIT_PROMPT"
+notify-send -i "$iDIR/profile-pic.jpg" -u low "$LABEL" 'has been updated.'