diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 254bd73..aedf400 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ sshm
 - `f` - Port forwarding setup
 - `H` - Toggle hidden hosts visibility
 - `q` - Quit
-- `/` - Search/filter hosts
+- `/` - Focus the search bar (already focused at startup; press `Enter` to jump back to the host list)
 
 **Real-time Status Indicators:**
 - 🟢 **Online** - Host is reachable via SSH
diff --git a/cmd/root.go b/cmd/root.go
index 25fa3d1..2278c5a 100644
--- a/cmd/root.go
+++ b/cmd/root.go
@@ -24,9 +24,6 @@ var configFile string
 // forceTTY forces pseudo-TTY allocation for remote commands
 var forceTTY bool
 
-// searchMode enables the focus on search mode at startup
-var searchMode bool
-
 // noUpdateCheck disables the async update check in the TUI
 var noUpdateCheck bool
 
@@ -145,7 +142,7 @@ func runInteractiveMode() {
 	}
 
 	// Run the interactive TUI
-	if err := ui.RunInteractiveMode(hosts, configFile, searchMode, AppVersion, noUpdateCheck); err != nil {
+	if err := ui.RunInteractiveMode(hosts, configFile, AppVersion, noUpdateCheck); err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Error running interactive mode: %v", err)
 	}
 }
@@ -244,7 +241,6 @@ func Execute() {
 func init() {
 	RootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVarP(&configFile, "config", "c", "", "SSH config file to use (default: ~/.ssh/config)")
 	RootCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&forceTTY, "tty", "t", false, "Force pseudo-TTY allocation (useful for interactive remote commands)")
-	RootCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVarP(&searchMode, "search", "s", false, "Focus on search input at startup")
 	RootCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&noUpdateCheck, "no-update-check", false, "Disable automatic update check")
 
 	RootCmd.SetVersionTemplate("{{.Name}} version {{.Version}}\n")
diff --git a/internal/ui/tui.go b/internal/ui/tui.go
index ed2b22d..e5fd3b6 100644
--- a/internal/ui/tui.go
+++ b/internal/ui/tui.go
@@ -15,8 +15,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss"
 )
 
-// NewModel creates a new TUI model with the given SSH hosts
-func NewModel(hosts []config.SSHHost, configFile string, searchMode bool, currentVersion string, noUpdateCheck bool) Model {
+// NewModel creates a new TUI model with the given SSH hosts.
+// The search input is focused at startup so users can filter hosts right away.
+func NewModel(hosts []config.SSHHost, configFile string, currentVersion string, noUpdateCheck bool) Model {
 	// Load application configuration
 	appConfig, err := config.LoadAppConfig()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ func NewModel(hosts []config.SSHHost, configFile string, searchMode bool, curren
 		height:         24,
 		ready:          false,
 		viewMode:       ViewList,
-		searchMode:     searchMode,
+		searchMode:     true,
 	}
 
 	// Apply visibility filter (showHidden is false by default)
@@ -75,9 +76,7 @@ func NewModel(hosts []config.SSHHost, configFile string, searchMode bool, curren
 	ti.Placeholder = "Search hosts or tags..."
 	ti.CharLimit = 50
 	ti.Width = 25
-	if searchMode {
-		ti.Focus()
-	}
+	ti.Focus()
 
 	// Use dynamic column width calculation (will fallback to static if width not available)
 	nameWidth, hostnameWidth, tagsWidth, lastLoginWidth := m.calculateDynamicColumnWidths(sortedHosts)
@@ -161,8 +160,8 @@ func NewModel(hosts []config.SSHHost, configFile string, searchMode bool, curren
 }
 
 // RunInteractiveMode starts the interactive TUI interface
-func RunInteractiveMode(hosts []config.SSHHost, configFile string, searchMode bool, currentVersion string, noUpdateCheck bool) error {
-	m := NewModel(hosts, configFile, searchMode, currentVersion, noUpdateCheck)
+func RunInteractiveMode(hosts []config.SSHHost, configFile string, currentVersion string, noUpdateCheck bool) error {
+	m := NewModel(hosts, configFile, currentVersion, noUpdateCheck)
 
 	// Start the application in alt screen mode for clean output
 	p := tea.NewProgram(m, tea.WithAltScreen())