diff --git a/frontend/components/Item/CreateModal.vue b/frontend/components/Item/CreateModal.vue
index 3d2c0b26..665e43a0 100644
--- a/frontend/components/Item/CreateModal.vue
+++ b/frontend/components/Item/CreateModal.vue
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
         :items="results"
         item-text="name"
         no-results-text="Type to search..."
+        :is-loading="isLoading"
+        :trigger-search="triggerSearch"
       />
       <FormTextField
         ref="nameInput"
@@ -219,7 +221,7 @@
   const router = useRouter();
 
   const parent = ref();
-  const { query, results } = useItemSearch(api, { immediate: false });
+  const { query, results, isLoading, triggerSearch } = useItemSearch(api, { immediate: false });
   const subItemCreateParam = useRouteQuery("subItemCreate", "n");
   const subItemCreate = ref();
 
diff --git a/frontend/components/Item/Selector.vue b/frontend/components/Item/Selector.vue
index 8ece72b1..37e2d0c4 100644
--- a/frontend/components/Item/Selector.vue
+++ b/frontend/components/Item/Selector.vue
@@ -18,7 +18,13 @@
         <Command :ignore-filter="true">
           <CommandInput v-model="search" :placeholder="localizedSearchPlaceholder" :display-value="_ => ''" />
           <CommandEmpty>
-            {{ localizedNoResultsText }}
+            <div v-if="isLoading" class="flex items-center justify-center p-4">
+              <div class="size-4 animate-spin rounded-full border-2 border-primary border-t-transparent"></div>
+              <span class="ml-2">{{ t("components.item.selector.searching") }}</span>
+            </div>
+            <div v-else>
+              {{ localizedNoResultsText }}
+            </div>
           </CommandEmpty>
           <CommandList>
             <CommandGroup>
@@ -65,6 +71,8 @@
     noResultsText?: string;
     placeholder?: string;
     excludeItems?: ItemsObject[];
+    isLoading?: boolean;
+    triggerSearch?: () => Promise<boolean>;
   }
 
   const emit = defineEmits(["update:modelValue", "update:search"]);
@@ -79,12 +87,15 @@
     noResultsText: undefined,
     placeholder: undefined,
     excludeItems: undefined,
+    isLoading: false,
+    triggerSearch: undefined,
   });
 
   const id = useId();
   const open = ref(false);
   const search = ref(props.search);
   const value = useVModel(props, "modelValue", emit);
+  const hasInitialSearch = ref(false);
 
   const localizedSearchPlaceholder = computed(
     () => props.searchPlaceholder ?? t("components.item.selector.search_placeholder")
@@ -92,6 +103,32 @@
   const localizedNoResultsText = computed(() => props.noResultsText ?? t("components.item.selector.no_results"));
   const localizedPlaceholder = computed(() => props.placeholder ?? t("components.item.selector.placeholder"));
 
+  // Trigger search when popover opens for the first time if no results exist
+  async function handlePopoverOpen() {
+    if (hasInitialSearch.value || props.items.length !== 0 || !props.triggerSearch) return;
+
+    try {
+      const success = await props.triggerSearch();
+      if (success) {
+        // Only mark as attempted after successful completion
+        hasInitialSearch.value = true;
+      }
+      // If not successful, leave hasInitialSearch false to allow retries
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error("triggerSearch failed:", err);
+      // Leave hasInitialSearch false to allow retries on subsequent opens
+    }
+  }
+
+  watch(
+    () => open.value,
+    isOpen => {
+      if (isOpen) {
+        handlePopoverOpen();
+      }
+    }
+  );
+
   watch(
     () => props.search,
     val => {
@@ -107,7 +144,7 @@
   );
 
   function isStrings(arr: string[] | ItemsObject[]): arr is string[] {
-    return typeof arr[0] === "string";
+    return arr.length > 0 && typeof arr[0] === "string";
   }
 
   function displayValue(item: string | ItemsObject | null | undefined): string {
diff --git a/frontend/composables/use-item-search.ts b/frontend/composables/use-item-search.ts
index 7ea4d6bb..095bd434 100644
--- a/frontend/composables/use-item-search.ts
+++ b/frontend/composables/use-item-search.ts
@@ -11,26 +11,74 @@ export function useItemSearch(client: UserClient, opts?: SearchOptions) {
   const labels = ref<LabelSummary[]>([]);
   const results = ref<ItemSummary[]>([]);
   const includeArchived = ref(false);
+  const isLoading = ref(false);
+  const pendingQuery = ref<string | null>(null);
 
   watchDebounced(query, search, { debounce: 250, maxWait: 1000 });
-  async function search() {
-    const locIds = locations.value.map(l => l.id);
-    const labelIds = labels.value.map(l => l.id);
-
-    const { data, error } = await client.items.getAll({
-      q: query.value,
-      locations: locIds,
-      labels: labelIds,
-      includeArchived: includeArchived.value,
-    });
-    if (error) {
-      return;
+  async function search(): Promise<boolean> {
+    if (isLoading.value) {
+      // Store the latest query to run after current search completes
+      pendingQuery.value = query.value;
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    const searchQuery = query.value;
+    isLoading.value = true;
+    try {
+      const locIds = locations.value.map(l => l.id);
+      const labelIds = labels.value.map(l => l.id);
+
+      const { data, error } = await client.items.getAll({
+        q: searchQuery,
+        locations: locIds,
+        labels: labelIds,
+        includeArchived: includeArchived.value,
+      });
+
+      if (error || !data) {
+        console.error("useItemSearch.search error:", error);
+        return false;
+      }
+
+      results.value = data.items ?? [];
+      return true;
+    } finally {
+      isLoading.value = false;
+
+      // If user changed query while we were searching, run again with the latest query
+      if (pendingQuery.value !== null && pendingQuery.value !== searchQuery) {
+        const nextQuery = pendingQuery.value;
+        pendingQuery.value = null;
+        // Use nextTick to avoid potential recursion issues
+        await nextTick();
+        if (query.value === nextQuery) {
+          await search();
+        }
+      } else {
+        pendingQuery.value = null;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function triggerSearch(): Promise<boolean> {
+    try {
+      return await search();
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error("triggerSearch error:", err);
+      return false;
     }
-    results.value = data.items;
   }
 
   if (opts?.immediate) {
-    search();
+    search()
+      .then(success => {
+        if (!success) {
+          console.error("Initial search failed");
+        }
+      })
+      .catch(err => {
+        console.error("Initial search error:", err);
+      });
   }
 
   return {
@@ -38,5 +86,7 @@ export function useItemSearch(client: UserClient, opts?: SearchOptions) {
     results,
     locations,
     labels,
+    isLoading,
+    triggerSearch,
   };
 }
diff --git a/frontend/locales/en.json b/frontend/locales/en.json
index f29cfd3b..7c628b24 100644
--- a/frontend/locales/en.json
+++ b/frontend/locales/en.json
@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@
             "selector": {
                 "no_results": "No Results Found",
                 "placeholder": "Select…",
-                "search_placeholder": "Type to search…"
+                "search_placeholder": "Type to search…",
+                "searching": "Searching…"
             },
             "view": {
                 "selectable": {
diff --git a/frontend/locales/ja-JP.json b/frontend/locales/ja-JP.json
index d46bf5d5..6e66e19e 100644
--- a/frontend/locales/ja-JP.json
+++ b/frontend/locales/ja-JP.json
@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@
             "selector": {
                 "no_results": "一致するものがありません",
                 "placeholder": "選択してください…",
-                "search_placeholder": "入力してください"
+                "search_placeholder": "入力してください",
+                "searching": "検索中…"
             },
             "view": {
                 "selectable": {
diff --git a/frontend/locales/zh-CN.json b/frontend/locales/zh-CN.json
index 2c2f2c08..9cb61173 100644
--- a/frontend/locales/zh-CN.json
+++ b/frontend/locales/zh-CN.json
@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@
             "selector": {
                 "no_results": "返回为空",
                 "placeholder": "选择…",
-                "search_placeholder": "输入以搜索…"
+                "search_placeholder": "输入以搜索…",
+                "searching": "搜索中…"
             },
             "view": {
                 "selectable": {
diff --git a/frontend/pages/item/[id]/index/edit.vue b/frontend/pages/item/[id]/index/edit.vue
index c7648d14..442b98c3 100644
--- a/frontend/pages/item/[id]/index/edit.vue
+++ b/frontend/pages/item/[id]/index/edit.vue
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@
     } as unknown as ItemField);
   }
 
-  const { query, results } = useItemSearch(api, { immediate: false });
+  const { query, results, isLoading, triggerSearch } = useItemSearch(api, { immediate: false });
   const parent = ref();
 
   async function keyboardSave(e: KeyboardEvent) {
@@ -591,6 +591,8 @@
               :label="$t('items.parent_item')"
               no-results-text="Type to search..."
               :exclude-items="[item]"
+              :is-loading="isLoading"
+              :trigger-search="triggerSearch"
               @update:model-value="maybeSyncWithParentLocation()"
             />
             <div class="flex flex-col gap-2">