diff --git a/docusaurus.config.js b/docusaurus.config.js
index 262eac62..836cd0b5 100644
--- a/docusaurus.config.js
+++ b/docusaurus.config.js
@@ -206,6 +206,13 @@ const config = {
 
   // Algolia search comes from preset-classic when themeConfig.algolia is set.
   themes: ['@docusaurus/theme-mermaid'],
+
+  clientModules: [
+    // Ensures the Algolia DocSearch modal's input is focused when the modal
+    // opens (works around a race between React's autoFocus and other
+    // focus-stealing scripts after the modal portal is inserted).
+    require.resolve('./src/clientModules/algoliaSearchAutofocus.js'),
+  ],
   markdown: {
     mermaid: true,
   },
diff --git a/src/clientModules/algoliaSearchAutofocus.js b/src/clientModules/algoliaSearchAutofocus.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a6304abe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/clientModules/algoliaSearchAutofocus.js
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+/**
+ * Force the Algolia DocSearch modal input to receive keyboard focus when the
+ * modal opens.
+ *
+ * Background
+ * ----------
+ * When a user hits Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K), Docusaurus's Algolia theme opens the
+ * DocSearch modal. The modal's `<input>` is marked with React's `autoFocus`
+ * prop, which *should* call `.focus()` after the modal mounts.
+ *
+ * In practice, this is racy:
+ *   - The DocSearchModal component is loaded via a dynamic `import()` on
+ *     first invocation, so the modal mounts asynchronously after the
+ *     keydown event.
+ *   - The modal is rendered into a portal that is prepended to
+ *     `document.body`. If anything else steals focus during that frame
+ *     (third-party widgets like the Crisp chat script, or the original
+ *     document.activeElement re-asserting focus when the modal portal is
+ *     inserted before it), the input is rendered but unfocused — exactly
+ *     the bug reported on the docs site: "the search popup opens but the
+ *     cursor isn't in the input, I have to click before I can type".
+ *
+ * Fix
+ * ---
+ * Run a `MutationObserver` on `document.body` for the lifetime of the page.
+ * Whenever a `.DocSearch-Container` element is inserted, schedule three
+ * focus attempts on its `.DocSearch-Input` (synchronous, next animation
+ * frame, and 60 ms later). Each attempt is idempotent — focusing an
+ * already-focused element is a no-op — so this never fights React's own
+ * autoFocus when it works on the first try.
+ *
+ * The observer also guards against future re-opens: every time the modal
+ * is re-added to the DOM, the input is focused again.
+ */
+
+const CONTAINER_SELECTOR = '.DocSearch-Container';
+const INPUT_SELECTOR = '.DocSearch-Input';
+
+function focusModalInput(container) {
+  if (!container) return false;
+  const input = container.querySelector(INPUT_SELECTOR);
+  if (!input) return false;
+  if (document.activeElement === input) return true;
+  try {
+    input.focus({preventScroll: true});
+  } catch (_e) {
+    input.focus();
+  }
+  // Place the caret at the end of any pre-filled query (Cmd+K with a prior
+  // search) so the user's first keystroke appends rather than replaces.
+  if (typeof input.value === 'string' && input.value.length > 0) {
+    try {
+      input.setSelectionRange(input.value.length, input.value.length);
+    } catch (_e) {
+      // not all input types support setSelectionRange — ignore.
+    }
+  }
+  return document.activeElement === input;
+}
+
+function scheduleFocusAttempts(container) {
+  // 1) Synchronous — covers the case where the input is already mounted.
+  focusModalInput(container);
+
+  // 2) Next animation frame — covers the case where the input was just
+  // inserted but React hasn't yet committed its autoFocus side effect.
+  if (typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.requestAnimationFrame) {
+    window.requestAnimationFrame(() => {
+      focusModalInput(container);
+    });
+  }
+
+  // 3) Short timeout — covers the case where another script steals focus
+  // immediately after the modal opens (e.g. third-party widgets reacting
+  // to body mutations).
+  if (typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+    window.setTimeout(() => {
+      focusModalInput(container);
+    }, 60);
+  }
+}
+
+function handleNode(node) {
+  if (!(node instanceof Element)) return;
+  if (node.matches?.(CONTAINER_SELECTOR)) {
+    scheduleFocusAttempts(node);
+    return;
+  }
+  // The container might be added wrapped in an outer element on first paint.
+  const container = node.querySelector?.(CONTAINER_SELECTOR);
+  if (container) {
+    scheduleFocusAttempts(container);
+  }
+}
+
+function start() {
+  if (typeof document === 'undefined') return;
+  if (typeof MutationObserver === 'undefined') return;
+
+  // If a DocSearch container is already in the DOM at module-load time
+  // (highly unlikely, but cheap to check), focus it now.
+  const existing = document.querySelector(CONTAINER_SELECTOR);
+  if (existing) {
+    scheduleFocusAttempts(existing);
+  }
+
+  const observer = new MutationObserver((mutations) => {
+    for (const mutation of mutations) {
+      mutation.addedNodes?.forEach(handleNode);
+    }
+  });
+
+  observer.observe(document.body, {childList: true, subtree: true});
+}
+
+if (typeof document !== 'undefined') {
+  if (document.readyState === 'loading') {
+    document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', start, {once: true});
+  } else {
+    start();
+  }
+}