diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/focus-manager.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/focus-manager.test.tsx
index 3535901..d4fd322 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/focus-manager.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/focus-manager.test.tsx
@@ -41,6 +41,38 @@ test("useFocusManager().activeId tracks the currently focused component", async
   expect(activeId.value).toBe("a");
 });
 
+test("useFocus autoFocus prop update focuses when no item is focused", async () => {
+  let activeId!: ReturnType<typeof useFocusManager>["activeId"];
+  const autoFocus = shallowRef(false);
+
+  const Item = defineComponent({
+    props: {
+      id: { type: String, required: true },
+      autoFocus: Boolean,
+    },
+    setup(props) {
+      const { isFocused } = useFocus(props);
+      return () => <Text>{isFocused.value ? "focused" : "unfocused"}</Text>;
+    },
+  });
+
+  const App = defineComponent(() => {
+    activeId = useFocusManager().activeId;
+    return () => <Item id="item" autoFocus={autoFocus.value} />;
+  });
+
+  const { lastFrame, waitUntilRenderFlush } = await render(App);
+
+  expect(activeId.value).toBeNull();
+  expect(lastFrame()).toContain("unfocused");
+
+  autoFocus.value = true;
+  await waitUntilRenderFlush();
+
+  expect(activeId.value).toBe("item");
+  expect(lastFrame()).toContain("focused");
+});
+
 // Locks the vue API-surface sentinel: `activeId` is a ShallowRef whose EMPTY
 // value is `null` (Ink's equivalent is `undefined`). See ink-divergences.md
 // ("`useFocusManager().activeId` empty value is `null`, not `undefined`").
diff --git a/packages/runtime/src/composables/useFocus.ts b/packages/runtime/src/composables/useFocus.ts
index b1dcd54..d2a620f 100644
--- a/packages/runtime/src/composables/useFocus.ts
+++ b/packages/runtime/src/composables/useFocus.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import { FocusContextKey, StdinContextKey } from "../context.ts";
 let nextAutoId = 0;
 
 export interface UseFocusOptions {
-  autoFocus?: boolean;
+  autoFocus?: MaybeRefOrGetter<boolean>;
   isActive?: MaybeRefOrGetter<boolean>;
   id?: MaybeRefOrGetter<string>;
 }
@@ -67,11 +67,11 @@ export function useFocus(options: UseFocusOptions = {}): {
     currentId = undefined;
   };
 
-  const register = (id: string) => {
+  const register = (id: string, autoFocus: boolean) => {
     unsubscribe = ctx.subscribe(id, (v) => {
       isFocused.value = v;
     });
-    ctx.add(id, { autoFocus: options.autoFocus });
+    ctx.add(id, { autoFocus });
     currentId = id;
     // Apply the current active state to the freshly-registered id.
     if (toValue(isActive)) {
@@ -83,11 +83,11 @@ export function useFocus(options: UseFocusOptions = {}): {
   };
 
   watch(
-    () => toValue(options.id) ?? fallbackId,
-    (id) => {
+    () => [toValue(options.id) ?? fallbackId, toValue(options.autoFocus ?? false)] as const,
+    ([id, autoFocus]) => {
       unregister();
       isFocused.value = false;
-      register(id);
+      register(id, autoFocus);
     },
     { immediate: true, flush: "sync" },
   );