diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/user_search_modal.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/user_search_modal.test.tsx
index d17948b599e..cbaf00b7131 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/user_search_modal.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/user_search_modal.test.tsx
@@ -161,6 +161,26 @@ describe("UserSearchModal submit payload", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("commits the first match when the typed search is confirmed with Enter", async () => {
+    const { user, onSubmit } = setup();
+
+    const input = getEmailSearchInput();
+    await user.click(input);
+    await user.type(input, "pick");
+    await waitFor(() => expect(userFilterUICall).toHaveBeenCalled(), { timeout: 3000 });
+    await screen.findByRole("option", { name: "picked@example.com" });
+
+    await user.keyboard("{Enter}");
+    await user.click(save());
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(onSubmit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
+    expect(onSubmit.mock.calls[0][0]).toStrictEqual({
+      user_email: "picked@example.com",
+      user_id: "u-1",
+      role: "user",
+    });
+  });
+
   it("does not submit on Enter in any field, while the button still does", async () => {
     const { user, onSubmit } = setup();
 
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/user_search_modal.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/user_search_modal.tsx
index 801d19244f8..aeead9d82e6 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/user_search_modal.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/user_search_modal.tsx
@@ -165,6 +165,9 @@ const UserSearchModal: React.FC<UserSearchModalProps> = ({
         <Combobox
           items={items}
           value={selected}
+          // @ts-expect-error TS2322 -- Combobox.Root narrows autoHighlight to boolean; the AriaCombobox it wraps
+          // accepts "always", the only value that highlights a list this component filters server-side
+          autoHighlight="always"
           filter={null}
           onValueChange={(option: UserOption | null) => {
             controlProps.onChange(option?.value);