diff --git a/electron/main/backend/update-center/index.ts b/electron/main/backend/update-center/index.ts
index d41143a4..5b8a80d6 100644
--- a/electron/main/backend/update-center/index.ts
+++ b/electron/main/backend/update-center/index.ts
@@ -49,21 +49,6 @@ interface RemoteCategoryAppEntry {
 const REMOTE_STORE_BASE_URL = "https://erotica.spark-app.store";
 const categoryCache = new Map<string, Promise<StoreAppMetadataMap>>();
 
-const isAptssAvailable = async (): Promise<boolean> => {
-  return await new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const child = spawn("command", ["-v", "aptss"], {
-      shell: false,
-      env: process.env,
-    });
-    child.on("close", (code) => {
-      resolve(code === 0);
-    });
-    child.on("error", () => {
-      resolve(false);
-    });
-  });
-};
-
 const APTSS_LIST_UPGRADABLE_COMMAND = {
   command: "bash",
   args: [
@@ -367,26 +352,23 @@ const enrichItemIcons = (items: UpdateCenterItem[]): UpdateCenterItem[] => {
 export const loadUpdateCenterItems = async (
   runCommand: UpdateCenterCommandRunner = runCommandCapture,
 ): Promise<UpdateCenterLoadItemsResult> => {
-  const aptssAvailable = await isAptssAvailable();
-
   const [aptssResult, apmResult, aptssInstalledResult, apmInstalledResult] =
     await Promise.all([
-      aptssAvailable
-        ? runCommand(
-            APTSS_LIST_UPGRADABLE_COMMAND.command,
-            APTSS_LIST_UPGRADABLE_COMMAND.args,
-          )
-        : Promise.resolve({ code: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" }),
+      runCommand(
+        APTSS_LIST_UPGRADABLE_COMMAND.command,
+        APTSS_LIST_UPGRADABLE_COMMAND.args,
+      ),
       runCommand("apm", ["list", "--upgradable"]),
-      aptssAvailable
-        ? runCommand(
-            DPKG_QUERY_INSTALLED_COMMAND.command,
-            DPKG_QUERY_INSTALLED_COMMAND.args,
-          )
-        : Promise.resolve({ code: 0, stdout: "", stderr: "" }),
+      runCommand(
+        DPKG_QUERY_INSTALLED_COMMAND.command,
+        DPKG_QUERY_INSTALLED_COMMAND.args,
+      ),
       runCommand("apm", ["list", "--installed"]),
     ]);
 
+  const aptssAvailable =
+    aptssResult.code === 0 || aptssInstalledResult.code === 0;
+
   const warnings = [
     aptssAvailable
       ? getCommandError("aptss upgradable query", aptssResult)
@@ -405,10 +387,6 @@ export const loadUpdateCenterItems = async (
   const apmItems =
     apmResult.code === 0 ? parseApmUpgradableOutput(apmResult.stdout) : [];
 
-  if (apmResult.code !== 0) {
-    throw new Error(warnings.join("; "));
-  }
-
   const installedSources = buildInstalledSourceMap(
     aptssAvailable && aptssInstalledResult.code === 0
       ? aptssInstalledResult.stdout
diff --git a/src/__tests__/unit/update-center/UpdateCenterModal.test.ts b/src/__tests__/unit/update-center/UpdateCenterModal.test.ts
index a07ad7ae..17290d8c 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/unit/update-center/UpdateCenterModal.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/unit/update-center/UpdateCenterModal.test.ts
@@ -91,6 +91,34 @@ const createStore = (
 };
 
 describe("UpdateCenterModal", () => {
+  it("constrains the update list so it can scroll with a visible scrollbar", () => {
+    const store = createStore({
+      items: Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_, index) =>
+        createItem({
+          taskKey: `aptss:spark-item-${index}`,
+          packageName: `spark-item-${index}`,
+          displayName: `Spark Item ${index}`,
+        }),
+      ),
+      tasks: [],
+      warnings: [],
+      hasRunningTasks: false,
+    });
+
+    const { container } = render(UpdateCenterModal, {
+      props: {
+        show: true,
+        store,
+      },
+    });
+
+    const scrollContainer = container.querySelector(".scrollbar-muted");
+
+    expect(scrollContainer?.className).toContain("overflow-y-auto");
+    expect(scrollContainer?.className).toContain("flex-1");
+    expect(scrollContainer?.className).toContain("overscroll-contain");
+  });
+
   it("renders source tags, running state, warnings, and migration marker", () => {
     const store = createStore();
 
diff --git a/src/components/UpdateCenterModal.vue b/src/components/UpdateCenterModal.vue
index a5ef90e5..f50d1406 100644
--- a/src/components/UpdateCenterModal.vue
+++ b/src/components/UpdateCenterModal.vue
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
           </p>
         </div>
 
-        <div class="min-h-0 flex-1">
+        <div class="flex min-h-0 flex-1">
           <UpdateCenterList
             :items="store.filteredItems.value"
             :tasks="store.snapshot.value.tasks"
diff --git a/src/components/update-center/UpdateCenterList.vue b/src/components/update-center/UpdateCenterList.vue
index bc641a30..68b10e5b 100644
--- a/src/components/update-center/UpdateCenterList.vue
+++ b/src/components/update-center/UpdateCenterList.vue
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <template>
   <div
-    class="min-h-0 overflow-y-auto overscroll-contain scrollbar-muted border-r border-slate-200/70 p-6 dark:border-slate-800/70"
+    class="min-h-0 flex-1 overflow-y-auto overscroll-contain scrollbar-muted border-r border-slate-200/70 p-6 dark:border-slate-800/70"
   >
     <div
       v-if="items.length === 0"