diff --git a/CHECKSUMS.txt b/CHECKSUMS.txt
index aa635ee..4eaa2ec 100644
--- a/CHECKSUMS.txt
+++ b/CHECKSUMS.txt
@@ -1,27 +1,27 @@
-66ed14be538677f84983d9a3f474b3d4293d90ff9e64e172c7ebc52a7ff54b13  setup_backup_schedule.ps1
-51a29d81dd5b8792a2262e8977b37a0db3172751ed510507ff6579e625837efd  token-count.ps1
+445b3783d6f7babb50faf6c2ebc755bc5a320208c5a37b32756ef64f6dc70330  setup_backup_schedule.ps1
+77015a96b6b48a3b6edea287862f1913946ecc909e7456d72ce4e88f92160811  token-count.ps1
 a8a0e4449750df0599424608766d871fca1462d85086f82eec5a9e0d02545ad5  zbackup.cmd
 272f14751b7e5976a1c33024df57c237cb48c74fd44bc64e144f09700eaef493  zbackup.ps1
 22269ebf3db51ff82324bc56b529bd8b28708a8a52457fb041b2147f1883c072  zbackup_and_sync.ps1
 d03d5adfbae02afaa158c76a9e8d22e0a3e4a0260b5d5b4707e6f6450f764d01  zbackup_ec2.cmd
 dbd1b9c64fba16a308ffa8fa936f1bfda556b049aaa30ebe5400ca74b7e6aa5d  zbackup_ec2.ps1
 e03075f367a9ecee0f97438bc381044c74b7bd4e8cb4ff66b40048bba7ffd25a  zchecksums.cmd
-8382ad5f972405678b73616f608a80e3eb1814c927ba104e446d36c4f9f5c66d  zchecksums.ps1
+21b95ceab2c7e2348aaf0cfe98f569bc6921745d3378d7e1557ce7ea02c0ae14  zchecksums.ps1
 3d1064817ace57fe61c54104900775a0208fdf7e782043cced84b002347acb11  zdeploy.cmd
-463cd3e3f4c24614e8894be94d1b7aa8446bd603d341c49c82a61fc811a9094f  zdeploy.ps1
+f60ec2bb0d79f82269065409716514fcb5a298db2c7e2da7e37c63de58d9b389  zdeploy.ps1
 6fa05d7c47992801d0ad65095146764cc207b566dca85956b3152221ef9af368  zec2.cmd
 72217c04e8975f46b489bd7e223f9fda926d982a8e418fc2825c6aa4657f73b7  zec2.ps1
 d0702f372ec5e47e2632229c61b71a9184edf0775d6e23af74e3f919d13eadb9  zec2_rotatekeys.cmd
 0dd4e6fda06dbb023884d051851bf4700c8db020b7ac319bb44c5974990839f7  zec2_rotatekeys.ps1
 70b3833c4e9e3232f2b694768fb3c14434157cc9ec746f1dd39b3dedbfdb180e  zec2online.cmd
 c3d5cca9cc94f51c97db01d22ceb140ef324e6f34c2fd1d4a3d0abbc0c3da263  zec2online.ps1
-e806692a113bac17f364cbdf7167f4c86513819ee65733be997588355db57cdb  ZHelpers.ps1
+efd6ebb3c1024960538f788e904bafe220768f5112dc43575ef860efb489582b  ZHelpers.ps1
 c62535257a4af8d7b08ef00a98c4d0ce907c91bf905bed478e4bef7eaea2c3a5  zkill.cmd
 0b58265cab05f1fe86a4707b6c6c5c4c492192b1a3176951141399a44a5e26ca  zkill.ps1
 88db51d332c3439ccdf85aa4196fec1a6db4b5289eb18065ea7f881d37f625d4  ZKiller.ps1
 32573d676ceabadee0d89b46de05b73deec5489a317771e13c4b15f7d34d8427  ZKillOnly.ps1
 392bddfa7e1c0fc21a828fa5af06d19156fd7305edfa2d5408f6335c3900716e  zrelease.cmd
-58b85d9a664d80d440be6b24332f3cec7d3fafb9021591e545a1ea916a17734a  zrelease.ps1
+f767919315a1c847cb2d88819b2bad75eee98ff43157f01ed1b41d1058cddf53  zrelease.ps1
 5ee7d7363362fab926487b8a622b9a0b7716ed08b2a74679e1d0e33659f58eec  zrepair.cmd
 48b00d3443e001f7265d8cda85b384f5b5ce39bf5eda5bcf711492da147c455f  zrepair.ps1
 4258b613e3913fbb24a54009452e829881a07a56956cd94b6878a1890d9cc422  zrestart.cmd
@@ -39,4 +39,4 @@ b937fa0786eaccab596e5cdf67f40f0abadc1c52b3bef5e896e3cf16563d7b63  zstart_docker.
 e4dc95d5c8749c22fa85c4885ab8d65e7bb37a543260709fca0cac3fa0380e62  zsync.cmd
 0d8615e7d4078e5bbeee8b6373302a3eb138709863256e982b06a3882613123c  zsync.ps1
 32b5a359a6d3e3006879eac8ecca112990d07c5993e0feeec29de5666a555e4e  zversion.cmd
-327ca6074139fa696db8d1e4d2e4e01bf4bbbcb9145b8384de10fee14d564911  zversion.ps1
+58974b7b9fc466d69890d72878957589f879794f9ea933bce96d379e5ead5aee  zversion.ps1
diff --git a/ZHelpers.ps1 b/ZHelpers.ps1
index add557c..51e3a95 100644
--- a/ZHelpers.ps1
+++ b/ZHelpers.ps1
@@ -61,13 +61,13 @@ function Get-ZConfig {
     if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $configPath)) {
         Write-Host "ERROR: zconfig.json not found at $configPath" -ForegroundColor Red
         Write-Host "       Copy zconfig.example.json to zconfig.json and fill in your values." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-        exit 1
+        Stop-ZTracking; exit 1
     }
     try {
         $script:ZConfigCache = Get-Content -LiteralPath $configPath -Raw -Encoding UTF8 | ConvertFrom-Json
     } catch {
         Write-Host "ERROR: Failed to parse zconfig.json - $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Red
-        exit 1
+        Stop-ZTracking; exit 1
     }
     return $script:ZConfigCache
 }
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ function Get-ZProject {
     if (-not $proj) {
         $available = (Get-ZProjectKeys) -join ', '
         Write-Host "ERROR: Unknown project key '$Key'. Available: $available" -ForegroundColor Red
-        exit 1
+        Stop-ZTracking; exit 1
     }
     return $proj
 }
@@ -720,8 +720,29 @@ function Add-ZTokensRecord {
     } catch { }
 }
 
+# Two blank lines below every z-script's output, so a run is visually separated
+# from the next prompt instead of butting up against it. Emitted here because
+# every script ends by calling Stop-ZTracking - including the usage and guard
+# paths that `Stop-ZTracking; exit 1` - so one place covers every exit.
+#
+# -FinalNote prints one last line AFTER the tracking footer but BEFORE the blank
+# lines, for a script that wants the bottom of the screen to say something more
+# useful than a token count (zdeploy's "Last deployed at ...").
+function Write-ZTrailer {
+    param([string]$FinalNote)
+    if ($FinalNote) {
+        Write-Host ""
+        Write-Host $FinalNote -ForegroundColor Cyan
+    }
+    Write-Host ""
+    Write-Host ""
+}
+
 function Stop-ZTracking {
-    if (-not $global:_ZTrackPath) { return }
+    param([string]$FinalNote)
+    # The trailer is owed whether or not tracking ever started - a script that
+    # printed output still deserves the separation.
+    if (-not $global:_ZTrackPath) { Write-ZTrailer -FinalNote $FinalNote; return }
     try { Stop-Transcript | Out-Null } catch {}
     $tp = $global:_ZTrackPath
     $global:_ZTrackPath = $null
@@ -747,4 +768,5 @@ function Stop-ZTracking {
         Add-ZTokensRecord -Lines $lc -Chars $cc -Est $tok
     } catch {}
     Remove-Item -LiteralPath $tp -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    Write-ZTrailer -FinalNote $FinalNote
 }
diff --git a/setup_backup_schedule.ps1 b/setup_backup_schedule.ps1
index b42156c..82df2f7 100644
--- a/setup_backup_schedule.ps1
+++ b/setup_backup_schedule.ps1
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ Write-Host ""
 if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $ScriptPath)) {
     Write-Host "ERROR: Script not found: $ScriptPath" -ForegroundColor Red
     Write-Host "       Check paths.scriptsRoot in zconfig.json" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 1
 }
 
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ if ($existingTask) {
         Write-Host "Deleted existing task." -ForegroundColor Green
     } else {
         Write-Host "Keeping existing task. Exiting." -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 0
     }
 }
diff --git a/token-count.ps1 b/token-count.ps1
index 433729b..52fcab5 100644
--- a/token-count.ps1
+++ b/token-count.ps1
@@ -170,4 +170,4 @@ Write-Host ""
 Write-Host "Note: zdeploy output varies significantly between runs." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
 Write-Host "      First run after package updates can be 2-3x larger than a cached run." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
 Write-Host "      Run zdeploy twice and use the second (cached) figure for TOKEN_SAVINGS.md." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-Write-Host ""
+Write-ZTrailer
diff --git a/zchecksums.ps1 b/zchecksums.ps1
index a7d573f..13ac5ae 100644
--- a/zchecksums.ps1
+++ b/zchecksums.ps1
@@ -54,6 +54,13 @@ param(
 
 $ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
 
+# Two blank lines after this script's output, matching every other z-script, so
+# a run is visually separated from the next prompt. Local rather than from
+# ZHelpers: this script is deliberately standalone, so it can run from an
+# extracted release zip with nothing beside it.
+function Write-ZTrailer { Write-Host ""; Write-Host "" }
+
+
 $ManifestName = "CHECKSUMS.txt"
 $Manifest = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot $ManifestName
 
@@ -99,13 +106,14 @@ if ($Update) {
     Write-Host "=== zchecksums (updated) ===" -ForegroundColor Cyan
     Write-Host ("  Wrote {0} with {1} entries." -f $ManifestName, $files.Count) -ForegroundColor Green
     Write-Host "  Commit it alongside the script change, or verification will fail." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-    Write-Host ""
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 0
 }
 
 $expected = Read-Manifest
 if ($null -eq $expected) {
     Write-Host "ERROR: $ManifestName not found. Run 'zchecksums -Update' to create it." -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 1
 }
 
@@ -134,11 +142,11 @@ if (-not $Quiet) {
 
 if ($bad -eq 0) {
     Write-Host ("  OK - {0} file(s) match {1}." -f $ok, $ManifestName) -ForegroundColor Green
-    Write-Host ""
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 0
 }
 
 Write-Host ("  FAILED - {0} ok, {1} changed, {2} missing, {3} unlisted." -f $ok, $changed.Count, $missing.Count, $unlisted.Count) -ForegroundColor Red
 Write-Host "  If you changed a script on purpose, run: zchecksums -Update" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-Write-Host ""
+Write-ZTrailer
 exit 1
diff --git a/zdeploy.ps1 b/zdeploy.ps1
index 05de906..0af2b83 100644
--- a/zdeploy.ps1
+++ b/zdeploy.ps1
@@ -904,13 +904,9 @@ foreach ($key in $Projects) {
         default  { throw "No deploy handler for kind '$($proj.kind)' (project '$key'). Add an Invoke-<Kind>Deploy function in zdeploy.ps1." }
     }
 }
-Stop-ZTracking
-
-# Last line of the run, after the tracking footer: scroll to the bottom and you
-# can see how long ago this deployed. Only reached on success - a failed deploy
-# throws out of the loop above, so this never claims a deploy that didn't happen.
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Host ("Last deployed at {0}" -f (Get-Date -Format "MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss tt")) -ForegroundColor Cyan
-# Two blank lines below, so the timestamp isn't crowded by the next prompt.
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Host ""
+# The timestamp goes through Stop-ZTracking as the FinalNote so it lands after
+# the tracking footer and before the trailing blank lines - the last thing on
+# screen, which is the point: scroll to the bottom and you can see how long ago
+# this deployed. Only reached on success; a failed deploy throws out of the loop
+# above, so this never claims a deploy that didn't happen.
+Stop-ZTracking -FinalNote ("Last deployed at {0}" -f (Get-Date -Format "MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss tt"))
diff --git a/zrelease.ps1 b/zrelease.ps1
index 32551b7..e338b84 100644
--- a/zrelease.ps1
+++ b/zrelease.ps1
@@ -40,16 +40,25 @@ param(
 
 $ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
 
+# Two blank lines after this script's output, matching every other z-script, so
+# a run is visually separated from the next prompt. Local rather than from
+# ZHelpers: this script is deliberately standalone, so it can run from an
+# extracted release zip with nothing beside it.
+function Write-ZTrailer { Write-Host ""; Write-Host "" }
+
+
 $ReleasesDir = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "releases"
 $VersionFile = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "build-version.json"
 
 if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $VersionFile)) {
     Write-Host "ERROR: build-version.json not found. Run 'zversion set v1.0.0.0.0' first." -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 1
 }
 $version = (Get-Content -LiteralPath $VersionFile -Raw -Encoding UTF8 | ConvertFrom-Json).version
 if ($version -notmatch '^v\d+\.\d+\.\d+\.\d+\.\d+$') {
     Write-Host "ERROR: build-version.json holds an invalid version '$version'." -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 1
 }
 
@@ -65,10 +74,12 @@ function Get-Sha256([string]$Path) {
 if ($Verify) {
     if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $zipPath)) {
         Write-Host "ERROR: $zipName not found in releases/." -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 1
     }
     if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $shaPath)) {
         Write-Host "ERROR: $zipName.sha256 not found." -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 1
     }
     $expected = ((Get-Content -LiteralPath $shaPath -Raw) -split '\s+')[0].ToLowerInvariant()
@@ -77,11 +88,11 @@ if ($Verify) {
     Write-Host "=== zrelease (verify) ===" -ForegroundColor Cyan
     if ($actual -eq $expected) {
         Write-Host "  OK - $zipName matches its .sha256." -ForegroundColor Green
-        Write-Host ""
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 0
     }
     Write-Host "  FAILED - $zipName does not match its .sha256." -ForegroundColor Red
-    Write-Host ""
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 1
 }
 
@@ -91,7 +102,7 @@ if ((Test-Path -LiteralPath $zipPath) -and -not $Force) {
     Write-Host "ERROR: releases/$zipName already exists." -ForegroundColor Red
     Write-Host "  A released version is immutable - bump instead: zversion bump" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
     Write-Host "  (or pass -Force if you are rebuilding one that was never published)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-    Write-Host ""
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 1
 }
 
@@ -101,7 +112,7 @@ if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
     Write-Host ""
     Write-Host "ERROR: checksum verification failed - refusing to package." -ForegroundColor Red
     Write-Host "  Run 'zchecksums' to see what differs, then 'zversion bump' to restamp." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-    Write-Host ""
+    Write-ZTrailer
     exit 1
 }
 
@@ -142,5 +153,5 @@ Write-Host "  SHA-256: $hash" -ForegroundColor Gray
 Write-Host "  Digest:  releases/$zipName.sha256" -ForegroundColor Gray
 Write-Host ""
 Write-Host "  Commit both files - a release lives in the repo under releases/." -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-Write-Host ""
+Write-ZTrailer
 exit 0
diff --git a/zversion.ps1 b/zversion.ps1
index b5a590a..0f3e4ce 100644
--- a/zversion.ps1
+++ b/zversion.ps1
@@ -43,6 +43,13 @@ param(
 
 $ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
 
+# Two blank lines after this script's output, matching every other z-script, so
+# a run is visually separated from the next prompt. Local rather than from
+# ZHelpers: this script is deliberately standalone, so it can run from an
+# extracted release zip with nothing beside it.
+function Write-ZTrailer { Write-Host ""; Write-Host "" }
+
+
 $VersionFile = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "build-version.json"
 $VersionRe = '^v(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)$'
 $DefaultVersion = "v1.0.0.0.0"
@@ -113,11 +120,13 @@ $current = Read-Version
 switch ($Command.ToLowerInvariant().TrimStart('-')) {
     "get" {
         Write-Host $current
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 0
     }
     "bump" {
         $p = Split-Version $current
         Update-Everything ("v{0}.{1}.{2}.{3}.{4}" -f $p[0], $p[1], $p[2], $p[3], ($p[4] + 1))
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 0
     }
     "bump-stage" {
@@ -130,16 +139,19 @@ switch ($Command.ToLowerInvariant().TrimStart('-')) {
             "alpha"   { $alpha++ }
             default {
                 Write-Host "ERROR: stage must be one of: release, rc, beta, alpha" -ForegroundColor Red
+                Write-ZTrailer
                 exit 1
             }
         }
         # Bumping a stage zeroes every lower segment, build included.
         Update-Everything ("v{0}.{1}.{2}.{3}.0" -f $major, $rc, $beta, $alpha)
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 0
     }
     "set" {
         [void](Split-Version $Value)
         Update-Everything $Value
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 0
     }
     default {
@@ -148,7 +160,7 @@ switch ($Command.ToLowerInvariant().TrimStart('-')) {
         Write-Host "  Scheme: v{major}.{rc}.{beta}.{alpha}.{build}  (current: $current)" -ForegroundColor Gray
         Write-Host "  bump        build + 1 - one per PR, one per defect fix" -ForegroundColor Gray
         Write-Host "  bump-stage  raise a stage; every lower segment resets to 0" -ForegroundColor Gray
-        Write-Host ""
+        Write-ZTrailer
         exit 1
     }
 }