diff --git a/src/korvid/ui/widgets/pick_screen.py b/src/korvid/ui/widgets/pick_screen.py
index cb1d4d3d..e582e661 100644
--- a/src/korvid/ui/widgets/pick_screen.py
+++ b/src/korvid/ui/widgets/pick_screen.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 from textual.app import ComposeResult
 from textual.binding import Binding
 from textual.containers import Vertical, VerticalScroll
+from textual.css.query import NoMatches
 from textual.screen import ModalScreen
 from textual.widgets import OptionList, Static
 
@@ -62,7 +63,19 @@ def compose(self) -> ComposeResult:
             yield OptionList(*self._options)
 
     def on_mount(self) -> None:
-        option_list = self.query_one(OptionList)
+        self._focus_options()
+
+    def _focus_options(self, *, retry: bool = True) -> None:
+        try:
+            option_list = self.query_one(OptionList)
+        except NoMatches:
+            # `on_mount` can fire before compose children are queryable; try
+            # again once the screen has refreshed rather than taking the app
+            # down. Only once, so a screen that somehow never composes an
+            # option list fails quietly instead of looping forever.
+            if retry:
+                self.call_after_refresh(self._focus_options, retry=False)
+            return
         option_list.highlighted = 0
         option_list.focus()
 
diff --git a/tests/ui/test_pick_screen.py b/tests/ui/test_pick_screen.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3a43027c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ui/test_pick_screen.py
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+"""`PickScreen` must survive being mounted before its options exist."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Callable
+from typing import Any
+
+from korvid.ui.widgets.pick_screen import PickScreen
+
+
+def _capture_scheduled_calls(screen: PickScreen) -> list[Callable[..., Any]]:
+    """Record `call_after_refresh` callbacks instead of running them.
+
+    The screen is never mounted in these tests, so there is no app to drive the
+    refresh; capturing the callback lets a test invoke it explicitly.
+    """
+    scheduled: list[Callable[..., Any]] = []
+
+    def record(callback: Callable[..., Any], *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> bool:
+        scheduled.append(lambda: callback(*args, **kwargs))
+        return True
+
+    screen.call_after_refresh = record  # type: ignore[method-assign]  # exercising the unmounted path without a running app
+    return scheduled
+
+
+def test_mount_does_not_require_the_option_list_to_exist_yet() -> None:
+    """`on_mount` can fire before `compose` children are mounted.
+
+    Textual does not guarantee that a screen's composed children are queryable
+    by the time `on_mount` runs. When the option list is not there yet, the
+    screen must schedule the focus instead of raising `NoMatches` and killing
+    the whole app (observed as an intermittent CI failure in
+    `tests/ui/test_ctx_switch.py`).
+    """
+    screen = PickScreen("pick a context", ["ctx-a", "ctx-b"])
+    scheduled = _capture_scheduled_calls(screen)
+
+    screen.on_mount()
+
+    assert scheduled, "focus should be retried once the option list is composed"
+
+
+def test_the_deferred_focus_retry_does_not_reschedule_itself() -> None:
+    """A screen whose options never appear must stop, not spin.
+
+    The retry exists to survive one lost race, not to poll forever: if the
+    option list is still missing when the deferred callback runs, the screen
+    gives up quietly rather than queueing more work on every refresh.
+    """
+    screen = PickScreen("pick a context", ["ctx-a", "ctx-b"])
+    scheduled = _capture_scheduled_calls(screen)
+    screen.on_mount()
+    retry = scheduled.pop()
+
+    retry()
+
+    assert not scheduled, "the retry must not queue another retry"