diff --git a/integrations/search-osm-aliases/__tests__/provider.test.ts b/integrations/search-osm-aliases/__tests__/provider.test.ts
index 1cdc061f3..fa2fb073b 100644
--- a/integrations/search-osm-aliases/__tests__/provider.test.ts
+++ b/integrations/search-osm-aliases/__tests__/provider.test.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ describe("OSM alias suggestion provider", () => {
   it("uses normalized parameterized lookup and maps exact code evidence", async () => {
     const execute = vi
       .fn()
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce([{ exists: true }])
       .mockResolvedValueOnce([{ epoch: "epoch-1", status: "ready" }])
       .mockResolvedValueOnce([
         {
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ describe("OSM alias suggestion provider", () => {
       { signal: new AbortController().signal, deadlineAt: Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY },
     );
 
-    expect(execute.mock.calls[1]?.[1]).toEqual(["fra", true, 8, null, null, true]);
+    expect(execute.mock.calls[2]?.[1]).toEqual(["fra", true, 8, null, null, true]);
     expect(result.suggestions[0]).toMatchObject({
       id: "osm:node/42",
       ids: { osm: "node/42", wikidata: "Q46033" },
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ describe("OSM alias suggestion provider", () => {
   it("passes lowercase acronym intent and proximity to the SQL gate", async () => {
     const execute = vi
       .fn()
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce([{ exists: true }])
       .mockResolvedValueOnce([{ epoch: "epoch-2", status: "ready" }])
       .mockResolvedValueOnce([]);
     const provider = createOsmAliasSuggestionProvider(
@@ -74,7 +76,23 @@ describe("OSM alias suggestion provider", () => {
       { signal: new AbortController().signal, deadlineAt: Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY },
     );
 
-    expect(execute.mock.calls[1]?.[1]).toEqual(["uncc", true, 4, -80.73, 35.3, false]);
-    expect(String(execute.mock.calls[1]?.[0])).toContain("ST_DWithin");
+    expect(execute.mock.calls[2]?.[1]).toEqual(["uncc", true, 4, -80.73, 35.3, false]);
+    expect(String(execute.mock.calls[2]?.[0])).toContain("ST_DWithin");
+  });
+
+  it("returns nothing, without reading the index, until an index is built", async () => {
+    const execute = vi.fn().mockResolvedValueOnce([{ exists: false }]);
+    const provider = createOsmAliasSuggestionProvider(
+      createMockIntegrationContext({ db: { execute } }),
+    );
+
+    const result = await provider.searchSuggestions(
+      { query: "FRA", lang: "en", limit: 8 },
+      { signal: new AbortController().signal, deadlineAt: Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY },
+    );
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ suggestions: [], attributions: [], freshnessSeconds: 86_400 });
+    expect(execute).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(String(execute.mock.calls[0]?.[0])).toContain("to_regclass('osm_search.index_state')");
   });
 });
diff --git a/integrations/search-osm-aliases/provider.ts b/integrations/search-osm-aliases/provider.ts
index 50b56cfb1..ec8bf1b88 100644
--- a/integrations/search-osm-aliases/provider.ts
+++ b/integrations/search-osm-aliases/provider.ts
@@ -125,6 +125,16 @@ export function createOsmAliasSuggestionProvider(
     ): Promise<SearchSuggestionProviderResult> {
       signal.throwIfAborted();
       if (!ctx.db) return { suggestions: [], attributions: [], freshnessSeconds: 86_400 };
+      // Until the data-manager builds a first index there is no schema to
+      // read, which is not a fault of the provider.
+      const published = await ctx.db.execute<{ exists: boolean }[]>(
+        "SELECT to_regclass('osm_search.index_state') IS NOT NULL AS exists",
+        undefined,
+        { signal },
+      );
+      if (!published[0]?.exists) {
+        return { suggestions: [], attributions: [], freshnessSeconds: 86_400 };
+      }
       const states = await ctx.db.execute<IndexStateRow[]>(
         "SELECT epoch, status FROM osm_search.index_state WHERE singleton = 1",
         undefined,