diff --git a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/master-search-header.tsx b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/master-search-header.tsx
index cea7e6bcb5..d80793aa91 100644
--- a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/master-search-header.tsx
+++ b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/master-search-header.tsx
@@ -1248,6 +1248,7 @@ export function MasterSearchHeader({
           recentQueries={recentQueries}
           commandScopes={commandScopes}
           placement={commandSurfacePlacement}
+          requiresTypedQueryToOpen={usesPhoneFooterDock}
           dropdownOpen={commandDropdownOpen}
           onDropdownOpenChange={setCommandDropdownOpen}
           onQueryChange={onQueryChange}
diff --git a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/universal-search-command-surface.tsx b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/universal-search-command-surface.tsx
index e9b37518e8..6089a1b81d 100644
--- a/src/components/clinical-dashboard/universal-search-command-surface.tsx
+++ b/src/components/clinical-dashboard/universal-search-command-surface.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,15 @@
 "use client";
 
 import { AlertTriangle, Clock, CornerDownLeft, Search, X } from "lucide-react";
-import { useEffect, useId, useMemo, useState, type KeyboardEvent as ReactKeyboardEvent, type ReactNode } from "react";
+import {
+  useEffect,
+  useId,
+  useMemo,
+  useRef,
+  useState,
+  type KeyboardEvent as ReactKeyboardEvent,
+  type ReactNode,
+} from "react";
 
 import {
   modeActionItemsFor,
@@ -261,6 +269,7 @@ export function UniversalSearchCommandSurface({
   onFocusSearchInput,
   onListboxIdReady,
   placement = "inline",
+  requiresTypedQueryToOpen = false,
   children,
 }: {
   modeId: AppModeId;
@@ -279,14 +288,20 @@ export function UniversalSearchCommandSurface({
   onFocusSearchInput?: () => void;
   onListboxIdReady?: (listboxId: string) => void;
   placement?: CommandSurfacePlacement;
+  requiresTypedQueryToOpen?: boolean;
   children: ReactNode;
 }) {
   const config = searchCommandSurfaceConfig(modeId);
   const listboxId = useId();
   const [activeIndex, setActiveIndex] = useState(-1);
   const trimmedQuery = query.trim();
+  const composerFocusedRef = useRef(false);
   const mode = appModeDefinition(modeId);
 
+  function canOpenDropdownNow() {
+    return !requiresTypedQueryToOpen || trimmedQuery.length > 0;
+  }
+
   const showSafetyBanner =
     modeId === "differentials" && differentialRedFlagTerms.some((term) => trimmedQuery.toLowerCase().includes(term));
   const showFormCodeHint = modeId === "forms" && isFormCodeQuery(trimmedQuery);
@@ -514,12 +529,14 @@ export function UniversalSearchCommandSurface({
   function handleComposerKeyDown(event: ReactKeyboardEvent<HTMLInputElement>) {
     if (event.key === "ArrowDown") {
       event.preventDefault();
+      if (!canOpenDropdownNow()) return;
       onDropdownOpenChange(true);
       setActiveIndex((current) => (current + 1) % Math.max(flatItems.length, 1));
       return;
     }
     if (event.key === "ArrowUp") {
       event.preventDefault();
+      if (!canOpenDropdownNow()) return;
       onDropdownOpenChange(true);
       setActiveIndex((current) => (current <= 0 ? flatItems.length - 1 : current - 1));
       return;
@@ -551,6 +568,16 @@ export function UniversalSearchCommandSurface({
     onListboxIdReady?.(listboxId);
   }, [listboxId, onListboxIdReady]);
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (requiresTypedQueryToOpen && composerFocusedRef.current && trimmedQuery.length > 0) {
+      onDropdownOpenChange(true);
+    }
+    if (requiresTypedQueryToOpen && trimmedQuery.length === 0) {
+      onDropdownOpenChange(false);
+      setActiveIndex(-1);
+    }
+  }, [requiresTypedQueryToOpen, trimmedQuery, onDropdownOpenChange]);
+
   useEffect(() => {
     function handleSlashFocus(event: KeyboardEvent) {
       if (event.key !== "/" || event.metaKey || event.ctrlKey || event.altKey) return;
@@ -599,8 +626,14 @@ export function UniversalSearchCommandSurface({
             handleComposerKeyDown(event as unknown as ReactKeyboardEvent<HTMLInputElement>);
           }
         }}
-        onFocusCapture={() => onDropdownOpenChange(true)}
+        onFocusCapture={() => {
+          composerFocusedRef.current = true;
+          if (canOpenDropdownNow()) {
+            onDropdownOpenChange(true);
+          }
+        }}
         onBlurCapture={(event) => {
+          composerFocusedRef.current = false;
           if (!event.currentTarget.contains(event.relatedTarget as Node | null)) {
             onDropdownOpenChange(false);
             setActiveIndex(-1);
diff --git a/src/lib/rag.ts b/src/lib/rag.ts
index e0afa8b456..29b7df1d9e 100644
--- a/src/lib/rag.ts
+++ b/src/lib/rag.ts
@@ -5940,7 +5940,7 @@ export async function searchChunksWithTelemetry(args: SearchChunksArgs) {
         owner_filter: ownerScopeForDocumentFilteredRetrieval(
           args.ownerId,
           documentFilter ? [documentFilter] : undefined,
-          documentFilter ? undefined : args.allowGlobalSearch,
+          args.allowGlobalSearch,
         ),
       });
 
diff --git a/tests/ui-tools.spec.ts b/tests/ui-tools.spec.ts
index 66b6548dab..a5d3e942c3 100644
--- a/tests/ui-tools.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/ui-tools.spec.ts
@@ -97,9 +97,13 @@ async function commandSurfaceOpensAbovePill(page: Page) {
     { timeout: 10_000 },
   );
   await input.click();
+  await input.fill("");
+  await expect(page.getByRole("listbox")).toHaveCount(0);
+  await input.press("ArrowDown");
+  await expect(page.getByRole("listbox")).toHaveCount(0);
+
+  await input.fill("li");
   await expect(async () => {
-    await input.press("ArrowDown");
-    await expect(page.getByText("Examples", { exact: true }).first()).toBeVisible();
     await expect(page.getByRole("listbox").first()).toBeVisible();
   }).toPass({ timeout: 15_000 });