diff --git a/packages/kap-server/src/search/searchService.ts b/packages/kap-server/src/search/searchService.ts
index 64f5c91781..654631d8b3 100644
--- a/packages/kap-server/src/search/searchService.ts
+++ b/packages/kap-server/src/search/searchService.ts
@@ -26,9 +26,11 @@
  *
  * Registration: this module is side-effect-imported by `start.ts` BEFORE
  * `bootstrap()` runs, so the module-level `registerScopedService` below lands
- * in the DI registry in time and the service is instantiated (App scope,
- * OnScopeCreated) with the rest — which also exposes it on the `/api/v1/debug`
- * reflection surface as `globalSearch` with zero extra code.
+ * in the DI registry in time. The service is App-scoped but OnDemand: the
+ * server explicitly resolves it after bootstrap, while other App scopes do
+ * not start the cross-session indexer merely because this module was loaded.
+ * Registration still exposes it on the `/api/v1/debug` reflection surface as
+ * `globalSearch` with zero extra code.
  */
 
 import { createHash } from 'node:crypto';
@@ -510,8 +512,9 @@ export class GlobalSearchService implements IGlobalSearchService {
     @IBootstrapService private readonly bootstrap: IBootstrapService,
     @ILogService private readonly log: ILogService,
   ) {
-    // App-scope OnScopeCreated activation: kick the first full sync off in the
-    // background so server bootstrap never blocks on indexing.
+    // App-scope OnDemand activation: once the server explicitly resolves this
+    // service, kick the first full sync off in the background so server
+    // bootstrap never blocks on indexing.
     this.kickBackgroundSync();
   }
 
@@ -1442,6 +1445,6 @@ registerScopedService(
   LifecycleScope.App,
   IGlobalSearchService,
   GlobalSearchService,
-  ScopeActivation.OnScopeCreated,
+  ScopeActivation.OnDemand,
   'globalSearch',
 );
diff --git a/packages/kap-server/src/start.ts b/packages/kap-server/src/start.ts
index 8fa4d47597..b47a9f3d79 100644
--- a/packages/kap-server/src/start.ts
+++ b/packages/kap-server/src/start.ts
@@ -83,9 +83,9 @@ import { resolvePasswordHash } from './services/auth/password';
 import { createTokenStore } from './services/auth/tokenStore';
 
 // Temporary feature: global message search. Importing this module registers
-// `IGlobalSearchService` (App scope) into the DI registry as a side effect, so
-// it MUST stay above any `bootstrap()` call — registration happens at module
-// evaluation time.
+// `IGlobalSearchService` (App scope, OnDemand) into the DI registry as a side
+// effect, so it MUST stay above any `bootstrap()` call — registration happens
+// at module evaluation time. The server explicitly resolves it after bootstrap.
 import { drainGlobalSearchDisposals, IGlobalSearchService } from './search/searchService';
 
 export interface ServerHostIdentity extends KimiHostIdentity {
@@ -379,8 +379,10 @@ export async function startServer(opts: ServerStartOptions): Promise<RunningServ
 
   const connectionRegistry = new ConnectionRegistry();
   const transcriptService = new TranscriptService({ homeDir, core, logger });
-  // The global search service is DI-managed (App scope) while the transcript
-  // service is constructed here by hand — wire the former to the latter so
+  // The global search service is DI-managed (App scope, OnDemand) while the
+  // transcript service is constructed here by hand. This resolve is what ACTIVATES
+  // the search service — it starts background indexing for the server, so it must
+  // stay ahead of route registration. Wire the former to the latter so
   // container-scoped searches on live sessions scan the in-memory transcript.
   core.accessor.get(IGlobalSearchService).setLiveTranscriptSource(transcriptService);
   const broadcaster = new SessionEventBroadcaster({
diff --git a/packages/kap-server/test/search/searchService.test.ts b/packages/kap-server/test/search/searchService.test.ts
index bc587b27eb..28e926e7db 100644
--- a/packages/kap-server/test/search/searchService.test.ts
+++ b/packages/kap-server/test/search/searchService.test.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,15 @@ import { appendFile, mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 
-import type {
-  IBootstrapService,
-  ILogService,
+import {
+  bootstrap,
   ISessionIndex,
-  SessionSummary,
+  logSeed,
+  resolveLoggingConfig,
+  type IBootstrapService,
+  type ILogService,
+  type ScopeSeed,
+  type SessionSummary,
 } from '@moonshot-ai/agent-core-v2';
 import { TranscriptStore, type TranscriptOperation } from '@moonshot-ai/transcript';
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
@@ -14,6 +18,7 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 import {
   GlobalSearchError,
   GlobalSearchService,
+  IGlobalSearchService,
   drainGlobalSearchDisposals,
   type LiveTranscriptSource,
 } from '../../src/search/searchService';
@@ -144,6 +149,30 @@ describe('GlobalSearchService', () => {
     return service;
   }
 
+  it('does not start indexing until an App scope first resolves the service', async () => {
+    let listCalls = 0;
+    const index = makeSessionIndex(async () => {
+      listCalls++;
+      return { items: [], nextCursor: undefined };
+    });
+    const seeds: ScopeSeed = [
+      ...logSeed(resolveLoggingConfig({ homeDir: home!, env: {} })),
+      [ISessionIndex, index],
+    ];
+    const { app } = bootstrap({ homeDir: home! }, seeds);
+
+    try {
+      expect(listCalls).toBe(0);
+      const first = app.accessor.get(IGlobalSearchService);
+      expect(listCalls).toBe(1);
+      expect(app.accessor.get(IGlobalSearchService)).toBe(first);
+    } finally {
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setImmediate(resolve));
+      app.dispose();
+      await drainGlobalSearchDisposals();
+    }
+  });
+
   it('indexes user and assistant text and finds Chinese and English terms', async () => {
     const s1 = summary('s1', '搜索重构讨论', T1);
     await writeWire(home!, 's1', 'main', [