diff --git a/qcd_function b/qcd_function
index ba017c3..59f38cc 100644
--- a/qcd_function
+++ b/qcd_function
@@ -337,10 +337,12 @@ function foldermenu_prompt {
 }
 
 function _tools-update {
-     touch "$TOOLSPATH"/.lastupdate
-     pushd "$TOOLSPATH" > /dev/null
-     hg pull -u 2>&1 
-     popd > /dev/null
+    [[ -w "$TOOLSPATH" ]] || return
+    touch "$TOOLSPATH"/.lastupdate
+    [[ -w "$TOOLSPATH"/.lastupdate ]] || return
+    pushd "$TOOLSPATH" > /dev/null
+    hg pull -u 2>&1 
+    popd > /dev/null
 }
 
 function qbg {