diff --git a/cmd/nix-search/main.go b/cmd/nix-search/main.go
index 3d5d65a..ff169aa 100644
--- a/cmd/nix-search/main.go
+++ b/cmd/nix-search/main.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"os/signal"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v3"
 	"golang.org/x/term"
@@ -99,7 +100,24 @@ func main() {
 
 func mainAction(c *cli.Context) error {
 	ctx := c.Context
+	log := hclog.FromContext(ctx)
+
 	indexPath := c.String("index-path")
+	if indexPath == "" {
+		p, err := blugesearcher.DefaultIndexPath()
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("cannot get default Bluge index path: %w", err)
+		}
+		indexPath = p
+		log.Debug(
+			"using default index path",
+			"path", indexPath)
+	}
+
+	if _, err := os.Stat(indexPath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		log.Info("first run detected, indexing packages...")
+		c.Set("index", "true")
+	}
 
 	if c.Bool("index") {
 		if c.IsSet("flake") {
@@ -124,7 +142,6 @@ func mainAction(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if query == "" {
 		return nil
 	}
-
 	searcher, err := blugesearcher.Open(indexPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to create searcher (try running with --update)")
diff --git a/search/searchers/blugesearcher/blugesearcher.go b/search/searchers/blugesearcher/blugesearcher.go
index 5e3a39c..4bf66d3 100644
--- a/search/searchers/blugesearcher/blugesearcher.go
+++ b/search/searchers/blugesearcher/blugesearcher.go
@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ func newPackageDocument(path search.Path, pkg search.Package) *bluge.Document {
 	return doc
 }
 
-func defaultPath() (string, error) {
+// DefaultIndexPath gets the default index path.
+func DefaultIndexPath() (string, error) {
 	cacheDir, err := os.UserCacheDir()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("cannot get user cache dir: %w", err)
diff --git a/search/searchers/blugesearcher/indexer.go b/search/searchers/blugesearcher/indexer.go
index 4df1bc7..4b43e05 100644
--- a/search/searchers/blugesearcher/indexer.go
+++ b/search/searchers/blugesearcher/indexer.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ func IndexPackages(ctx context.Context, path string, packages search.TopLevelPac
 	if path == "" {
 		var err error
 
-		path, err = defaultPath()
+		path, err = DefaultIndexPath()
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("cannot get default index path: %w", err)
 		}
diff --git a/search/searchers/blugesearcher/searcher.go b/search/searchers/blugesearcher/searcher.go
index fd74b22..56f4756 100644
--- a/search/searchers/blugesearcher/searcher.go
+++ b/search/searchers/blugesearcher/searcher.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ func Open(path string) (*PackagesSearcher, error) {
 	if path == "" {
 		var err error
 
-		path, err = defaultPath()
+		path, err = DefaultIndexPath()
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot get user cache dir: %w", err)
 		}