diff --git a/strix/interface/main.py b/strix/interface/main.py
index 96459978..e5fa7ecd 100644
--- a/strix/interface/main.py
+++ b/strix/interface/main.py
@@ -433,10 +433,13 @@ def main() -> None:
 
     from strix.llm.warmup import start_import_warmup
 
-    start_import_warmup()
-
+    # parse_arguments() first so --version/--help/argparse errors exit before
+    # the (heavier) import warm-up runs. Warm-up then overlaps with the I/O
+    # startup below (update check, Docker checks, image pull).
     args = parse_arguments()
 
+    start_import_warmup()
+
     start_background_check()
     if not args.non_interactive and prompt_update_if_available(Console()):
         if is_binary_install() and sys.platform != "win32":
diff --git a/strix/llm/warmup.py b/strix/llm/warmup.py
index 98da959d..5fd04940 100644
--- a/strix/llm/warmup.py
+++ b/strix/llm/warmup.py
@@ -38,6 +38,24 @@ def _warm(modules: tuple[str, ...]) -> None:
             logger.debug("Import warm-up for %r failed", name, exc_info=True)
 
 
+def _preimport_thread_unsafe_sdk() -> None:
+    """Import the ``agents`` SDK once, on the caller's thread, before the daemon
+    warm-up starts.
+
+    ``openai-agents`` has an internal import cycle (``agents.agent_output`` <->
+    ``agents.agent``) that is not thread-safe: when two threads import the
+    ``agents`` package concurrently, CPython's deadlock-avoidance can hand one
+    of them a partially initialized module, raising ``ImportError: cannot
+    import name 'AgentOutputSchemaBase' ... (circular import)``. Fully importing
+    the package single-threaded here closes that race window before the daemon
+    warm-up thread (and the main thread's later report import) touch it.
+    """
+    try:
+        importlib.import_module("agents")
+    except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 - a failed warm-up must never fail the run.
+        logger.debug("Pre-import of agents SDK failed", exc_info=True)
+
+
 def start_import_warmup(modules: tuple[str, ...] = WARMUP_MODULES) -> threading.Thread:
     """Start importing the heavy scan dependencies in the background, once.
 
@@ -48,6 +66,7 @@ def start_import_warmup(modules: tuple[str, ...] = WARMUP_MODULES) -> threading.
     with _lock:
         if _thread is not None:
             return _thread
+        _preimport_thread_unsafe_sdk()
         _thread = threading.Thread(
             target=_warm, args=(modules,), name="strix-import-warmup", daemon=True
         )
diff --git a/tests/test_warmup.py b/tests/test_warmup.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9ba8da16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_warmup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import textwrap
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+
+
+def test_start_import_warmup_preimports_agents_sdk_synchronously() -> None:
+    """``start_import_warmup`` must import the thread-unsafe ``agents`` SDK on
+    the caller's thread before spawning the daemon warm-up thread.
+
+    ``openai-agents`` has an internal import cycle that is not thread-safe: if
+    the warm-up thread and the main thread import the ``agents`` package
+    concurrently, CPython can hand one of them a partially initialized module
+    (``ImportError: cannot import name 'AgentOutputSchemaBase' ... circular
+    import``). Warming ``agents`` synchronously closes that race window.
+
+    Run in a fresh interpreter with an empty ``modules`` set so the daemon
+    thread warms nothing: ``agents`` can then only be in ``sys.modules`` because
+    the synchronous pre-import ran.
+    """
+    child = textwrap.dedent(
+        """
+        import sys
+
+        assert "agents" not in sys.modules
+        from strix.llm.warmup import start_import_warmup
+
+        # Importing the warm-up module alone must not pull the agents SDK.
+        assert "agents" not in sys.modules
+        start_import_warmup(modules=())
+        assert "agents" in sys.modules, "agents SDK was not pre-imported synchronously"
+        print("OK")
+        """
+    )
+    result = subprocess.run(  # noqa: S603
+        [sys.executable, "-c", child],
+        cwd=PROJECT_ROOT,
+        check=False,
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+    )
+
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stdout + result.stderr
+    assert "OK" in result.stdout