diff --git a/src/history/file.rs b/src/history/file.rs
index b0c2ffcf8..2ffc004c2 100644
--- a/src/history/file.rs
+++ b/src/history/file.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 use std::{
     fs::File,
-    io::{Read, Write},
+    io::Read,
     ops::{Deref, DerefMut},
     os::fd::AsRawFd,
     time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH},
@@ -283,27 +283,30 @@ fn try_from(region: MmapRegion) -> std::io::Result<Self> {
     }
 }
 
-/// Append a history item to a buffer, in preparation for outputting it to the history file.
-pub fn append_history_item_to_buffer(item: &HistoryItem, buffer: &mut Vec<u8>) {
-    assert!(item.should_write_to_disk(), "Item should not be persisted");
+impl HistoryItem {
+    /// Write this history item to some writer.
+    pub fn write_to(&self, writer: &mut impl std::io::Write) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+        assert!(self.should_write_to_disk(), "Item should not be persisted");
 
-    let mut cmd = wcs2bytes(item.str());
-    escape_yaml_fish_2_0(&mut cmd);
-    buffer.extend(b"- cmd: ");
-    buffer.extend(&cmd);
-    buffer.push(b'\n');
-    writeln!(buffer, "  when: {}", time_to_seconds(item.timestamp())).unwrap();
+        let mut cmd = wcs2bytes(self.str());
+        escape_yaml_fish_2_0(&mut cmd);
+        writer.write_all(b"- cmd: ")?;
+        writer.write_all(&cmd)?;
+        writer.write_all(b"\n")?;
+        writeln!(writer, "  when: {}", time_to_seconds(self.timestamp()))?;
 
-    let paths = item.get_required_paths();
-    if !paths.is_empty() {
-        writeln!(buffer, "  paths:").unwrap();
-        for path in paths {
-            let mut path = wcs2bytes(path);
-            escape_yaml_fish_2_0(&mut path);
-            buffer.extend(b"    - ");
-            buffer.extend(&path);
-            buffer.push(b'\n');
+        let paths = self.get_required_paths();
+        if !paths.is_empty() {
+            writeln!(writer, "  paths:")?;
+            for path in paths {
+                let mut path = wcs2bytes(path);
+                escape_yaml_fish_2_0(&mut path);
+                writer.write_all(b"    - ")?;
+                writer.write_all(&path)?;
+                writer.write_all(b"\n")?;
+            }
         }
+        Ok(())
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/history/history.rs b/src/history/history.rs
index fee3f3ac9..8565b9692 100644
--- a/src/history/history.rs
+++ b/src/history/history.rs
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
     collections::{BTreeMap, HashMap, HashSet},
     ffi::CString,
     fs::File,
-    io::{BufRead, Read, Write},
+    io::{BufRead, BufWriter, Read, Write},
     mem::MaybeUninit,
     num::NonZeroUsize,
     ops::ControlFlow,
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
     fds::wopen_cloexec,
     flog::{flog, flogf},
     fs::fsync,
-    history::file::{HistoryFile, RawHistoryFile, append_history_item_to_buffer},
+    history::file::{HistoryFile, RawHistoryFile},
     io::IoStreams,
     localization::wgettext_fmt,
     operation_context::{EXPANSION_LIMIT_BACKGROUND, OperationContext},
@@ -109,16 +109,6 @@ pub enum SearchDirection {
 
 pub const VACUUM_FREQUENCY: usize = 25;
 
-/// Output the contents `buffer` to `file` and clear the `buffer`.
-fn flush_to_file(buffer: &mut Vec<u8>, file: &mut File, min_size: usize) -> std::io::Result<()> {
-    if buffer.is_empty() || buffer.len() < min_size {
-        return Ok(());
-    }
-    file.write_all(buffer)?;
-    buffer.clear();
-    Ok(())
-}
-
 struct TimeProfiler {
     what: &'static str,
     start: SystemTime,
@@ -551,30 +541,21 @@ fn rewrite_to_temporary_file(
         /// Default buffer size for flushing to the history file.
         const HISTORY_OUTPUT_BUFFER_SIZE: usize = 64 * 1024;
         // Write them out.
-        let mut err = None;
-        let mut buffer = Vec::with_capacity(HISTORY_OUTPUT_BUFFER_SIZE + 128);
-        for item in items {
-            append_history_item_to_buffer(&item, &mut buffer);
-            if let Err(e) = flush_to_file(&mut buffer, dst, HISTORY_OUTPUT_BUFFER_SIZE) {
-                err = Some(e);
-                break;
+        let result: Result<(), std::io::Error> = {
+            let mut buffer = BufWriter::with_capacity(HISTORY_OUTPUT_BUFFER_SIZE + 128, dst);
+            for item in items {
+                item.write_to(&mut buffer)?;
             }
-        }
-        if err.is_none() {
-            if let Err(e) = flush_to_file(&mut buffer, dst, 0) {
-                err = Some(e);
-            }
-        }
-        if let Some(err) = err {
+            buffer.flush()
+        };
+        if let Err(err) = &result {
             flog!(
                 history_file,
                 "Error writing to temporary history file:",
                 err
             );
-            Err(err)
-        } else {
-            Ok(())
         }
+        result
     }
 
     /// Saves history by rewriting the file.
@@ -646,19 +627,20 @@ fn save_internal_via_appending(&mut self, history_path: &wstr) -> std::io::Resul
         // So far so good. Write all items at or after first_unwritten_new_item_index. Note that we
         // write even a pending item - pending items are ignored by history within the command
         // itself, but should still be written to the file.
-        // Use a small buffer size for appending, we usually only have 1 item
+        // Use a small buffer size for appending, as we usually only have 1 item.
+        // Buffer everything and then write it all at once to avoid tearing writes (O_APPEND).
         let mut buffer = Vec::new();
         let mut new_first_index = self.first_unwritten_new_item_index;
         while new_first_index < self.new_items.len() {
             let item = &self.new_items[new_first_index];
             if item.should_write_to_disk() {
-                append_history_item_to_buffer(item, &mut buffer);
+                // Can't error writing to a buffer.
+                item.write_to(&mut buffer).unwrap();
             }
             // We wrote or skipped this item, hooray.
             new_first_index += 1;
         }
-
-        flush_to_file(&mut buffer, locked_history_file.get_mut(), 0)?;
+        locked_history_file.get_mut().write_all(&buffer)?;
         fsync(locked_history_file.get())?;
         self.first_unwritten_new_item_index = new_first_index;