diff --git a/.changeset/fix-version-ux.md b/.changeset/fix-version-ux.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57bd952
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-version-ux.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@fnebenfuehr/worktree-cli": patch
+---
+
+Fix version command UX: remove help text display, suggest `worktree update` instead of `npm update -g`, consolidate update checking code, and make fresh version checks update the cache
diff --git a/src/commands/update.ts b/src/commands/update.ts
index c2e2d4b..e26e809 100644
--- a/src/commands/update.ts
+++ b/src/commands/update.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
 import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';
+import type { PackageJson } from '@/lib/types';
 import { WorktreeError } from '@/utils/errors';
 import { intro, log, outro, spinner } from '@/utils/prompts';
-import { fetchLatestVersion, isNewerVersion } from '@/utils/update-checker';
-
-interface PackageJson {
-	name: string;
-	version: string;
-}
+import { fetchLatestVersion, isNewerVersion, writeCache } from '@/utils/update';
 
 /**
  * Runs npm update -g for the package and returns the new version
@@ -145,6 +141,11 @@ export async function getVersionInfo(
 	const latest = await fetchLatestVersion(pkg.name);
 	const updateAvailable = latest ? isNewerVersion(pkg.version, latest) : false;
 
+	await writeCache({
+		lastCheck: Date.now(),
+		latestVersion: latest || undefined,
+	});
+
 	return {
 		current: pkg.version,
 		latest,
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 5a5e780..9cf9293 100755
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import { switchCommand } from '@/commands/switch';
 import { getVersionInfo, updateCommand } from '@/commands/update';
 import { UserCancelledError, WorktreeError } from '@/utils/errors';
 import { log } from '@/utils/prompts';
-import { checkForUpdates } from '@/utils/update-checker';
+import { checkForUpdates } from '@/utils/update';
 import packageJson from '../package.json';
 
 const VERSION = packageJson.version;
@@ -50,6 +50,21 @@ function handleCommandError(fn: () => Promise<number>) {
 	};
 }
 
+// Handle version flag before Commander parses
+if (process.argv.includes('--version') || process.argv.includes('-v')) {
+	console.log(VERSION);
+	try {
+		const info = await getVersionInfo(packageJson);
+		if (info.updateAvailable && info.latest) {
+			console.log(`\nUpdate available: ${info.current} → ${info.latest}`);
+			console.log(`Run: worktree update`);
+		}
+	} catch {
+		// Silently ignore update check errors
+	}
+	process.exit(0);
+}
+
 const program = new Command();
 
 program
@@ -57,19 +72,6 @@ program
 	.description('A modern CLI tool for managing git worktrees with ease')
 	.option('-v, --version', 'Show version')
 	.option('--verbose', 'Enable verbose output')
-	.on('option:version', async () => {
-		console.log(VERSION);
-		try {
-			const info = await getVersionInfo(packageJson);
-			if (info.updateAvailable && info.latest) {
-				console.log(`\nUpdate available: ${info.current} → ${info.latest}`);
-				console.log(`Run: npm update -g ${packageJson.name}`);
-			}
-		} catch {
-			// Silently ignore update check errors
-		}
-		process.exit(0);
-	})
 	.addHelpText(
 		'after',
 		`
diff --git a/src/lib/types.ts b/src/lib/types.ts
index 5a3cace..65d1b8f 100644
--- a/src/lib/types.ts
+++ b/src/lib/types.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@
  * Shared types for the worktree CLI library
  */
 
+/**
+ * Package.json structure for update checking
+ */
+export interface PackageJson {
+	name: string;
+	version: string;
+}
+
 /**
  * Information about a git worktree
  */
diff --git a/src/utils/update-checker.ts b/src/utils/update.ts
similarity index 89%
rename from src/utils/update-checker.ts
rename to src/utils/update.ts
index 5c61a9a..f2c9b6f 100644
--- a/src/utils/update-checker.ts
+++ b/src/utils/update.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { mkdir, readFile, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { homedir, tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { z } from 'zod';
+import type { PackageJson } from '@/lib/types';
 import { log } from '@/utils/prompts';
 import { tryCatch } from '@/utils/try-catch';
 
@@ -10,12 +11,7 @@ const UpdateCheckCacheSchema = z.object({
 	latestVersion: z.string().optional(),
 });
 
-type UpdateCheckCache = z.infer<typeof UpdateCheckCacheSchema>;
-
-interface PackageJson {
-	name: string;
-	version: string;
-}
+export type UpdateCheckCache = z.infer<typeof UpdateCheckCacheSchema>;
 
 const CACHE_FILENAME = 'update-check.json';
 const PRERELEASE_PATTERN = /-(?:alpha|beta|rc|pre|canary|next|dev)/;
@@ -57,7 +53,7 @@ async function readCache(): Promise<UpdateCheckCache | null> {
 	return data;
 }
 
-async function writeCache(cache: UpdateCheckCache): Promise<void> {
+export async function writeCache(cache: UpdateCheckCache): Promise<void> {
 	const { error } = await tryCatch(async () => {
 		await ensureCacheDir();
 		await writeFile(cacheFile, JSON.stringify(cache, null, 2), 'utf-8');
@@ -140,7 +136,7 @@ export async function checkForUpdates(pkg: PackageJson, checkIntervalMs: number)
 
 	if (cache && now - cache.lastCheck < checkIntervalMs) {
 		if (cache.latestVersion && isNewerVersion(pkg.version, cache.latestVersion)) {
-			displayUpdateMessage(pkg.version, cache.latestVersion, pkg.name);
+			displayUpdateMessage(pkg.version, cache.latestVersion);
 		}
 		return;
 	}
@@ -153,10 +149,10 @@ export async function checkForUpdates(pkg: PackageJson, checkIntervalMs: number)
 	});
 
 	if (latestVersion && isNewerVersion(pkg.version, latestVersion)) {
-		displayUpdateMessage(pkg.version, latestVersion, pkg.name);
+		displayUpdateMessage(pkg.version, latestVersion);
 	}
 }
 
-function displayUpdateMessage(current: string, latest: string, packageName: string): void {
-	log.info(`Update available: ${current} → ${latest}\nRun: npm update -g ${packageName}`);
+function displayUpdateMessage(current: string, latest: string): void {
+	log.info(`Update available: ${current} → ${latest}\nRun: worktree update`);
 }
diff --git a/tests/update-checker.test.ts b/tests/update-checker.test.ts
index b0f14f6..83e0ef3 100644
--- a/tests/update-checker.test.ts
+++ b/tests/update-checker.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { rm, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import * as prompts from '@/utils/prompts';
-import { checkForUpdates, setCacheDir } from '@/utils/update-checker';
+import { checkForUpdates, setCacheDir } from '@/utils/update';
 
 describe('update-checker', () => {
 	let originalFetch: typeof globalThis.fetch;
diff --git a/tests/update-command.test.ts b/tests/update-command.test.ts
index 7dbf078..01be499 100644
--- a/tests/update-command.test.ts
+++ b/tests/update-command.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { spawn } from 'bun';
 import * as updateModule from '@/commands/update';
 import { getVersionInfo, updateCommand } from '@/commands/update';
 import * as prompts from '@/utils/prompts';
-import { setCacheDir } from '@/utils/update-checker';
+import { setCacheDir } from '@/utils/update';
 
 const CLI_PATH = join(import.meta.dir, '../src/index.ts');
 
@@ -164,17 +164,17 @@ describe('update command', () => {
 
 describe('update-checker exports', () => {
 	test('fetchLatestVersion is exported', async () => {
-		const { fetchLatestVersion } = await import('@/utils/update-checker');
+		const { fetchLatestVersion } = await import('@/utils/update');
 		expect(typeof fetchLatestVersion).toBe('function');
 	});
 
 	test('isNewerVersion is exported', async () => {
-		const { isNewerVersion } = await import('@/utils/update-checker');
+		const { isNewerVersion } = await import('@/utils/update');
 		expect(typeof isNewerVersion).toBe('function');
 	});
 
 	test('isNewerVersion correctly compares versions', async () => {
-		const { isNewerVersion } = await import('@/utils/update-checker');
+		const { isNewerVersion } = await import('@/utils/update');
 
 		expect(isNewerVersion('1.0.0', '2.0.0')).toBe(true);
 		expect(isNewerVersion('1.0.0', '1.1.0')).toBe(true);