diff --git a/dotfiles/.config/hypr/layout/windowrules.lua b/dotfiles/.config/hypr/layout/windowrules.lua
index 791ea00..bc8d8e3 100644
--- a/dotfiles/.config/hypr/layout/windowrules.lua
+++ b/dotfiles/.config/hypr/layout/windowrules.lua
@@ -100,6 +100,12 @@ hl.window_rule({ name = "windowrule-47", tile = true, match = { class = "^([Cc]h
 hl.window_rule({ name = "windowrule-48", size = "monitor_w*0.25 monitor_h*0.55", float = true, match = { class = "^(com.network.manager)$" } })
 hl.window_rule({ name = "windowrule-49", workspace = "special:nyx", match = { class = "^([Vv]esktop|[Dd]iscord|[Ss]potify)$" } })
 hl.window_rule({ name = "windowrule-255", size = "monitor_w*0.75 monitor_h*0.80", float = true, match = { class = "^([Bb]itwarden)$" } })
+-- System updater terminal (quickshell/scripts/update-system.sh) — float + center it instead of
+-- tiling into the current workspace. Matches the title the script launches it with, so it works
+-- for Ghostty and the foot fallback alike; initial_title so a later rename can't dodge it.
+-- Fixed pixel size rather than monitor_w/h fractions: HDMI-A-1 is rotated portrait (1080 wide),
+-- where a fraction of the width made it too narrow for package output; 1000x650 fits every screen.
+hl.window_rule({ name = "system-update-terminal", float = true, center = true, size = "1000 650", match = { initial_title = "^(update)$" } })
 
 -- viewer tags
 hl.window_rule({ name = "windowrule-50", tag = "+viewer", match = { class = "^(gnome-system-monitor|org.gnome.SystemMonitor|io.missioncenter.MissionCenter)$" } }) -- system monitor
diff --git a/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/scripts/update-system.sh b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/scripts/update-system.sh
index c531175..b7f66e6 100755
--- a/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/scripts/update-system.sh
+++ b/dotfiles/.config/quickshell/scripts/update-system.sh
@@ -6,38 +6,37 @@
 # 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),
+# (system-update-terminal, in .config/hypr/layout/windowrules.lua),
 # 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.
+# The terminal 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 the terminal 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")"
 
+# GHOSTTY_INSTALL is how to install the terminal on this distro, if it's
+# packaged there at all — only Arch ships it in the official repos.
 if command -v paru &> /dev/null; then
   CMD="paru -Syu"
   LABEL="Arch-based system"
+  GHOSTTY_INSTALL="pacman -S --needed --noconfirm ghostty"
 elif command -v yay &> /dev/null; then
   CMD="yay -Syu"
   LABEL="Arch-based system"
+  GHOSTTY_INSTALL="pacman -S --needed --noconfirm ghostty"
 elif command -v dnf &> /dev/null; then
   CMD="sudo dnf update --refresh -y"
   LABEL="Fedora system"
@@ -52,15 +51,55 @@ else
   exit 1
 fi
 
+# --- Terminal: Ghostty, offering to install it if missing ---
+# This runs from the bar with no terminal of its own, so there's nowhere to
+# type a sudo password — the install goes through pkexec instead, which
+# pops up the polkit agent's graphical password prompt. Declining (or a
+# failed install) falls back to foot for this run, so updating never gets
+# blocked on the terminal choice.
+if ! command -v ghostty &> /dev/null; then
+  if [ -n "$GHOSTTY_INSTALL" ]; then
+    # -A waits for a click and prints the chosen action's name (nothing if
+    # the notification is dismissed instead).
+    choice=$(notify-send -i "$iDIR/error.png" -u critical \
+      -A install="Install Ghostty" -A foot="Use foot this time" \
+      "Ghostty not installed" "The system updater runs in Ghostty. Install it now?")
+    if [ "$choice" = "install" ]; then
+      if pkexec $GHOSTTY_INSTALL; then
+        notify-send -i "$iDIR/profile-pic.jpg" -u low "Ghostty installed" "Starting the update..."
+      else
+        notify-send -i "$iDIR/error.png" "Ghostty install failed" "Using foot for this update."
+      fi
+    fi
+  else
+    notify-send -i "$iDIR/error.png" "Ghostty not installed" \
+      "Install Ghostty for the system updater — using foot for now."
+  fi
+fi
+
+if command -v ghostty &> /dev/null; then
+  # --gtk-single-instance=false: otherwise, with a Ghostty window already
+  # open, this would just hand the window off to that running instance and
+  # return immediately — SystemUpdates.qml relies on this script blocking
+  # until the update window is closed (that's when it re-checks the count),
+  # and the "has been updated" notification below would fire up front.
+  TERMINAL=(ghostty --gtk-single-instance=false --title=update -e)
+elif command -v foot &> /dev/null; then
+  TERMINAL=(foot -T update)
+else
+  notify-send -i "$iDIR/error.png" "Need a terminal:" "Neither Ghostty nor foot is installed."
+  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.
+# instead of the terminal 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...'"
 
 # Pull + re-stow the dotfiles first, so config changes from the other machine
 # land alongside the package update.
 SYNC="$(printf '%q' "$(dirname "$0")/sync-dotfiles.sh")"
 
-foot -T update bash -c "$BANNER; $SYNC; $CMD; $WAIT_PROMPT"
+"${TERMINAL[@]}" bash -c "$BANNER; $SYNC; $CMD; $WAIT_PROMPT"
 notify-send -i "$iDIR/profile-pic.jpg" -u low "$LABEL" 'has been updated.'