diff --git a/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/css-modules/index.module.css b/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/css-modules/index.module.css
index 6fe1913de52..b598cf2613b 100644
--- a/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/css-modules/index.module.css
+++ b/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/css-modules/index.module.css
@@ -363,6 +363,7 @@
   }
 }
 
+.VisuallyHidden,
 .VisuallyHiddenClose {
   position: absolute;
   width: 1px;
diff --git a/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/css-modules/index.tsx b/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/css-modules/index.tsx
index 9cdbf0164a5..dc1765a5ad2 100644
--- a/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/css-modules/index.tsx
+++ b/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/css-modules/index.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import styles from './index.module.css';
 
 export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
   const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(false);
+  const inputRef = React.useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
+  const shortcutsDescriptionId = React.useId();
 
   function handleItemClick() {
     setOpen(false);
@@ -18,7 +20,11 @@ export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
       <Dialog.Portal>
         <Dialog.Backdrop className={styles.Backdrop} />
         <Dialog.Viewport className={styles.Viewport}>
-          <Dialog.Popup className={styles.Popup} aria-label="Command palette">
+          <Dialog.Popup
+            className={styles.Popup}
+            aria-label="Command palette"
+            initialFocus={inputRef}
+          >
             <Autocomplete.Root
               open
               inline
@@ -27,7 +33,10 @@ export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
               keepHighlight
             >
               <Autocomplete.Input
+                ref={inputRef}
                 className={styles.Input}
+                aria-label="Search commands"
+                aria-describedby={shortcutsDescriptionId}
                 placeholder="Search for apps and commands…"
               />
               <Dialog.Close className={styles.VisuallyHiddenClose}>
@@ -77,12 +86,18 @@ export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
               </ScrollArea.Root>
 
               <div className={styles.Footer}>
+                <span id={shortcutsDescriptionId} className={styles.VisuallyHidden}>
+                  Use Enter to activate the highlighted item. Use Control or Command K for command
+                  actions.
+                </span>
                 <div className={styles.FooterLeft}>
                   <span>Activate</span>
                   <kbd className={styles.Kbd}>Enter</kbd>
                 </div>
                 <div className={styles.FooterRight}>
                   <span>Actions</span>
+                  <kbd className={styles.Kbd}>Ctrl</kbd>
+                  <span>/</span>
                   <kbd className={styles.Kbd}>Cmd</kbd>
                   <kbd className={styles.Kbd}>K</kbd>
                 </div>
diff --git a/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/tailwind/index.tsx b/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/tailwind/index.tsx
index c6cb7b4b1d3..b0c42804ca6 100644
--- a/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/tailwind/index.tsx
+++ b/docs/src/app/(docs)/react/components/autocomplete/demos/command-palette/tailwind/index.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import { ScrollArea } from '@base-ui/react/scroll-area';
 
 export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
   const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(false);
+  const inputRef = React.useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
+  const shortcutsDescriptionId = React.useId();
 
   function handleItemClick() {
     setOpen(false);
@@ -22,6 +24,7 @@ export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
           <Dialog.Popup
             className="relative flex max-h-[min(36rem,calc(100dvh-5rem))] w-[calc(100vw-1rem)] max-w-md flex-col border border-neutral-950 bg-white text-neutral-950 shadow-[0.25rem_0.25rem_0] shadow-black/12 transition-[translate,scale,opacity] duration-150 data-ending-style:-translate-y-4 data-ending-style:scale-95 data-ending-style:opacity-0 data-starting-style:-translate-y-4 data-starting-style:scale-95 data-starting-style:opacity-0 dark:border-white dark:bg-neutral-950 dark:text-white dark:shadow-none"
             aria-label="Command palette"
+            initialFocus={inputRef}
           >
             <Autocomplete.Root
               open
@@ -31,7 +34,10 @@ export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
               keepHighlight
             >
               <Autocomplete.Input
+                ref={inputRef}
                 className="relative z-1 h-10 w-full border-0 bg-white px-3 text-sm any-pointer-coarse:text-base font-normal text-neutral-950 placeholder:text-neutral-500 focus:outline-2 focus:outline-solid focus:outline-neutral-950 dark:focus:outline-white dark:bg-neutral-950 dark:text-white dark:placeholder:text-neutral-400"
+                aria-label="Search commands"
+                aria-describedby={shortcutsDescriptionId}
                 placeholder="Search for apps and commands…"
               />
               <Dialog.Close className="sr-only">Close command palette</Dialog.Close>
@@ -81,6 +87,10 @@ export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
               </ScrollArea.Root>
 
               <div className="flex items-center justify-between border-t border-neutral-950 bg-white px-3 py-2.5 text-xs text-neutral-600 dark:border-white dark:bg-neutral-950 dark:text-neutral-400">
+                <span id={shortcutsDescriptionId} className="sr-only">
+                  Use Enter to activate the highlighted item. Use Control or Command K for command
+                  actions.
+                </span>
                 <div className="flex items-center gap-1">
                   <span>Activate</span>
                   <kbd className="inline-flex h-5 min-w-5 items-center justify-center border border-neutral-400 bg-neutral-100 px-1 font-mono text-[0.625rem] leading-none font-normal text-neutral-600 dark:border-neutral-600 dark:bg-neutral-900 dark:text-neutral-400">
@@ -89,6 +99,10 @@ export default function ExampleAutocompleteCommandPalette() {
                 </div>
                 <div className="flex items-center gap-1">
                   <span>Actions</span>
+                  <kbd className="inline-flex h-5 min-w-5 items-center justify-center border border-neutral-400 bg-neutral-100 px-1 font-mono text-[0.625rem] leading-none font-normal text-neutral-600 dark:border-neutral-600 dark:bg-neutral-900 dark:text-neutral-400">
+                    Ctrl
+                  </kbd>
+                  <span>/</span>
                   <kbd className="inline-flex h-5 min-w-5 items-center justify-center border border-neutral-400 bg-neutral-100 px-1 font-mono text-[0.625rem] leading-none font-normal text-neutral-600 dark:border-neutral-600 dark:bg-neutral-900 dark:text-neutral-400">
                     Cmd
                   </kbd>