diff --git a/chrome/content/zotero/lookup.js b/chrome/content/zotero/lookup.js
index dd97426bb..3ee559dc1 100644
--- a/chrome/content/zotero/lookup.js
+++ b/chrome/content/zotero/lookup.js
@@ -87,10 +87,11 @@ const Zotero_Lookup = new function () {
 		}
 
 		if(!items.length) {
-			var prompts = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/embedcomp/prompt-service;1"]
-											.getService(Components.interfaces.nsIPromptService);
-			prompts.alert(window, Zotero.getString("lookup.failure.title"),
-				Zotero.getString("lookup.failureToID.description"));
+			Zotero.alert(
+				window,
+				Zotero.getString("lookup.failure.title"),
+				Zotero.getString("lookup.failureToID.description")
+			);
 			return false;
 		}
 
@@ -127,10 +128,11 @@ const Zotero_Lookup = new function () {
 						if(successful) {
 							document.getElementById("zotero-lookup-panel").hidePopup();
 						} else {
-							var prompts = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/embedcomp/prompt-service;1"]
-																			.getService(Components.interfaces.nsIPromptService);
-							prompts.alert(window, Zotero.getString("lookup.failure.title"),
-								Zotero.getString("lookup.failure.description"));
+							Zotero.alert(
+								window,
+								Zotero.getString("lookup.failure.title"),
+								Zotero.getString("lookup.failure.description")
+							);
 						}
 					}
 				});
diff --git a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/zotero.js b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/zotero.js
index 221765c0a..46014c27a 100644
--- a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/zotero.js
+++ b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/zotero.js
@@ -1308,6 +1308,29 @@ Components.utils.import("resource://gre/modules/Services.jsm");
 			err.lineNumber ? err.lineNumber : null, null);
 	}
 	
+	
+	/**
+	 * Display an alert in a given window
+	 *
+	 * This is just a wrapper around nsIPromptService.alert() that takes the Zotero.noUserInput
+	 * flag into consideration
+	 *
+	 * @param {Window}
+	 * @param {String} title
+	 * @param {String} msg
+	 */
+	this.alert = function (window, title, msg) {
+		if (this.noUserInput) {
+			Zotero.debug("Not displaying alert: " + title + ": " + msg);
+			return;
+		}
+		
+		var ps = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/embedcomp/prompt-service;1"]
+			.getService(Components.interfaces.nsIPromptService);
+		ps.alert(window, title, msg);
+	}
+	
+	
 	function getErrors(asStrings) {
 		var errors = [];