diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/BaseSelectionList.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/BaseSelectionList.test.tsx
index 0501667d1f..b873de80d9 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/BaseSelectionList.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/BaseSelectionList.test.tsx
@@ -447,6 +447,28 @@ describe('BaseSelectionList', () => {
       unmount();
     });
 
+    it('should correctly calculate scroll offset during the initial render phase', async () => {
+      // Verify that the component correctly calculates the scroll offset during the
+      // initial render pass when starting with a high activeIndex.
+      // List length 10, max items 3, activeIndex 9 (last item).
+      const { unmount } = await renderScrollableList(9);
+
+      const renderedItemValues = mockRenderItem.mock.calls.map(
+        (call) => call[0].value,
+      );
+
+      // Item 1 (index 0) should not be rendered if the scroll offset is correctly
+      // synchronized with the activeIndex from the start.
+      expect(renderedItemValues).not.toContain('Item 1');
+
+      // The items at the end of the list should be rendered.
+      expect(renderedItemValues).toContain('Item 8');
+      expect(renderedItemValues).toContain('Item 9');
+      expect(renderedItemValues).toContain('Item 10');
+
+      unmount();
+    });
+
     it('should handle maxItemsToShow larger than the list length', async () => {
       const { lastFrame, unmount } = await renderComponent(
         { items: longList, maxItemsToShow: 15 },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/BaseSelectionList.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/BaseSelectionList.tsx
index 1090d4010d..455069f03f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/BaseSelectionList.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/BaseSelectionList.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 import type React from 'react';
-import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { useState } from 'react';
 import { Text, Box } from 'ink';
 import { theme } from '../../semantic-colors.js';
 import {
@@ -84,20 +84,27 @@ export function BaseSelectionList<
 
   const [scrollOffset, setScrollOffset] = useState(0);
 
-  // Handle scrolling for long lists
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const newScrollOffset = Math.max(
+  // Derive the effective scroll offset during render to avoid "no-selection" flicker.
+  // This ensures that the visibleItems calculation uses an offset that includes activeIndex.
+  let effectiveScrollOffset = scrollOffset;
+  if (activeIndex < effectiveScrollOffset) {
+    effectiveScrollOffset = activeIndex;
+  } else if (activeIndex >= effectiveScrollOffset + maxItemsToShow) {
+    effectiveScrollOffset = Math.max(
       0,
       Math.min(activeIndex - maxItemsToShow + 1, items.length - maxItemsToShow),
     );
-    if (activeIndex < scrollOffset) {
-      setScrollOffset(activeIndex);
-    } else if (activeIndex >= scrollOffset + maxItemsToShow) {
-      setScrollOffset(newScrollOffset);
-    }
-  }, [activeIndex, items.length, scrollOffset, maxItemsToShow]);
+  }
 
-  const visibleItems = items.slice(scrollOffset, scrollOffset + maxItemsToShow);
+  // Synchronize state if it changed during derivation
+  if (effectiveScrollOffset !== scrollOffset) {
+    setScrollOffset(effectiveScrollOffset);
+  }
+
+  const visibleItems = items.slice(
+    effectiveScrollOffset,
+    effectiveScrollOffset + maxItemsToShow,
+  );
   const numberColumnWidth = String(items.length).length;
 
   return (
@@ -105,14 +112,18 @@ export function BaseSelectionList<
       {/* Use conditional coloring instead of conditional rendering */}
       {showScrollArrows && items.length > maxItemsToShow && (
         <Text
-          color={scrollOffset > 0 ? theme.text.primary : theme.text.secondary}
+          color={
+            effectiveScrollOffset > 0
+              ? theme.text.primary
+              : theme.text.secondary
+          }
         >
           ▲
         </Text>
       )}
 
       {visibleItems.map((item, index) => {
-        const itemIndex = scrollOffset + index;
+        const itemIndex = effectiveScrollOffset + index;
         const isSelected = activeIndex === itemIndex;
 
         // Determine colors based on selection and disabled state
@@ -182,7 +193,7 @@ export function BaseSelectionList<
       {showScrollArrows && items.length > maxItemsToShow && (
         <Text
           color={
-            scrollOffset + maxItemsToShow < items.length
+            effectiveScrollOffset + maxItemsToShow < items.length
               ? theme.text.primary
               : theme.text.secondary
           }