diff --git a/cli/src/commands/base.rs b/cli/src/commands/base.rs
index 0adf1109..4631f04a 100644
--- a/cli/src/commands/base.rs
+++ b/cli/src/commands/base.rs
@@ -148,7 +148,18 @@ pub async fn run_cli() -> std::io::Result<()> {
                 .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
                     out.err(ExitKind::Api, format!("failed to generate completions: {e}"))
                 });
-            io::stdout().write_all(&output.stdout).ok();
+            let mut stdout = io::stdout();
+            stdout.write_all(&output.stdout).ok();
+            // clap's dynamic zsh script registers the completer only when sourced; installed
+            // as an fpath autoload file it yields nothing on the first TAB. Bridge the autoload
+            // case so the function completes on its first invocation too.
+            if shell == Shell::Zsh {
+                stdout
+                    .write_all(
+                        b"\n[[ ${funcstack[1]} = _gradient ]] && _clap_dynamic_completer_gradient \"$@\"\n",
+                    )
+                    .ok();
+            }
         }
         MainCommands::Config { key, value } => {
             set_get_value_from_string(key, value, false)
diff --git a/cli/tests/completion.rs b/cli/tests/completion.rs
index 24f50247..f197afba 100644
--- a/cli/tests/completion.rs
+++ b/cli/tests/completion.rs
@@ -45,3 +45,22 @@ fn completion_zsh_registers_lowercase_binary() {
     assert!(!script.contains("Gradient"), "zsh script: {script}");
     assert!(script.contains("gradient"), "zsh script: {script}");
 }
+
+// clap's dynamic zsh script is built to be sourced; the Nix package installs it as an
+// fpath autoload `_gradient` file, where the completer is otherwise registered only on
+// the first TAB (producing nothing). The appended bridge must run it on first invocation.
+#[test]
+fn completion_zsh_bridges_autoload_first_tab() {
+    let output = Command::cargo_bin("gradient")
+        .unwrap()
+        .args(["completion", "zsh"])
+        .output()
+        .unwrap();
+
+    assert!(output.status.success());
+    let script = String::from_utf8(output.stdout).unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        script.contains(r#"[[ ${funcstack[1]} = _gradient ]] && _clap_dynamic_completer_gradient "$@""#),
+        "zsh script must bridge the autoload first-TAB case:\n{script}"
+    );
+}
diff --git a/docs/src/tests.md b/docs/src/tests.md
index 482a91ac..7c86fedb 100644
--- a/docs/src/tests.md
+++ b/docs/src/tests.md
@@ -2516,7 +2516,7 @@ loading degrades silently when `/etc/ssl/certs` is missing.
 CLI integration tests in `cli/tests/`:
 
 - `download_attr.rs` - `gradient download '#attr' --json` writes the right files; `--json` without args returns a structured missing-argument envelope and exits 2.
-- `completion.rs` - regression for the broken completion bin name: `gradient completion {bash,zsh}` must emit a script that registers against the real `gradient` binary (`-F _clap_complete_gradient gradient`) and never the capitalised `Gradient` app name, which silently disabled `gradient <TAB>`.
+- `completion.rs` - regression for the broken completion bin name: `gradient completion {bash,zsh}` must emit a script that registers against the real `gradient` binary (`-F _clap_complete_gradient gradient`) and never the capitalised `Gradient` app name, which silently disabled `gradient <TAB>`. Also asserts the zsh script appends the autoload bridge (`[[ ${funcstack[1]} = _gradient ]] && _clap_dynamic_completer_gradient "$@"`) so the fpath autoload file the Nix package installs completes on the first TAB instead of only after a second.
 
 Dynamic completer unit tests live in `cli/src/commands/completion.rs` (`#[cfg(test)]`,
 wiremock-backed). They drive each completer core against a mock server and assert it