diff --git a/pages/alert/runtime-content.page.tsx b/pages/alert/runtime-content.page.tsx
index 557393cdbc..39da4a09b6 100644
--- a/pages/alert/runtime-content.page.tsx
+++ b/pages/alert/runtime-content.page.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-import React, { useContext, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
+import React, { useContext, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { render, unmountComponentAtNode } from 'react-dom';
 
 import {
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ import awsuiPlugins from '~components/internal/plugins';
 import AppContext, { AppContextType } from '../app/app-context';
 import ScreenshotArea from '../utils/screenshot-area';
 
-type PageContext = React.Context<AppContextType<{ loading: boolean; hidden: boolean; type: AlertProps.Type }>>;
+type PageContext = React.Context<
+  AppContextType<{ loading: boolean; hidden: boolean; type: AlertProps.Type; autofocus: boolean }>
+>;
 
 awsuiPlugins.alertContent.registerContentReplacer({
   id: 'awsui/alert-test-action',
@@ -61,11 +63,7 @@ awsuiPlugins.alertContent.registerContentReplacer({
     };
   },
   initialCheck(context) {
-    const found = context.type === 'error' && context.contentText?.match('Access denied');
-    return {
-      header: found ? 'remove' : 'original',
-      content: found ? 'replaced' : 'original',
-    };
+    return context.type === 'error' && !!context.contentText?.match('Access denied');
   },
 });
 
@@ -73,7 +71,7 @@ const alertTypeOptions = ['error', 'warning', 'info', 'success'].map(type => ({
 
 export default function () {
   const {
-    urlParams: { loading = false, hidden = false, type = 'error' },
+    urlParams: { loading = false, hidden = false, type = 'error', autofocus = false },
     setUrlParams,
   } = useContext(AppContext as PageContext);
   const [unrelatedState, setUnrelatedState] = useState(false);
@@ -82,6 +80,14 @@ export default function () {
   const content1 = useMemo(() => (loading ? <Box>Loading...</Box> : <Box>Content</Box>), [loading]);
   const content2 = loading ? <Box>Loading...</Box> : <Box>There was an error: Access denied because of XYZ</Box>;
 
+  const alertRef = useRef<AlertProps.Ref>(null);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (autofocus && !hidden) {
+      alertRef.current?.focus();
+    }
+  }, [autofocus, hidden]);
+
   return (
     <Box margin="m">
       <h1>Alert runtime actions</h1>
@@ -99,6 +105,9 @@ export default function () {
           <Checkbox onChange={e => setContentSwapped(e.detail.checked)} checked={contentSwapped}>
             Swap content
           </Checkbox>
+          <Checkbox onChange={e => setUrlParams({ autofocus: e.detail.checked })} checked={autofocus}>
+            Auto-focus alert
+          </Checkbox>
           <FormField label="Alert type">
             <Select
               options={alertTypeOptions}
@@ -113,7 +122,7 @@ export default function () {
         <ScreenshotArea gutters={false}>
           {hidden ? null : (
             <SpaceBetween size="m">
-              {/* <Alert
+              <Alert
                 type={type}
                 statusIconAriaLabel={type}
                 dismissAriaLabel="Dismiss"
@@ -121,7 +130,7 @@ export default function () {
                 action={<Button>Action</Button>}
               >
                 {!contentSwapped ? content1 : content2}
-              </Alert> */}
+              </Alert>
 
               <Alert
                 type={type}
@@ -129,6 +138,7 @@ export default function () {
                 dismissAriaLabel="Dismiss"
                 header="Header"
                 action={<Button>Action</Button>}
+                ref={alertRef}
               >
                 {!contentSwapped ? content2 : content1}
               </Alert>
diff --git a/src/alert/internal.tsx b/src/alert/internal.tsx
index 8fea5aa5a0..e0500b8abc 100644
--- a/src/alert/internal.tsx
+++ b/src/alert/internal.tsx
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ const InternalAlert = React.forwardRef(
 
     const { discoveredActions, headerRef: headerRefAction, contentRef: contentRefAction } = useDiscoveredAction(type);
     const {
+      initialHidden,
       headerReplacementType,
       contentReplacementType,
       headerRef: headerRefContent,
@@ -100,7 +101,11 @@ const InternalAlert = React.forwardRef(
         {...baseProps}
         {...analyticsAttributes}
         aria-hidden={!visible}
-        className={clsx(styles.root, { [styles.hidden]: !visible }, baseProps.className)}
+        className={clsx(
+          styles.root,
+          { [styles.hidden]: !visible, [styles['initial-hidden']]: initialHidden },
+          baseProps.className
+        )}
         ref={mergedRef}
       >
         <LinkDefaultVariantContext.Provider value={{ defaultVariant: 'primary' }}>
diff --git a/src/alert/styles.scss b/src/alert/styles.scss
index c719e9588e..20dae4c7a9 100644
--- a/src/alert/styles.scss
+++ b/src/alert/styles.scss
@@ -54,6 +54,14 @@
 .hidden {
   display: none;
 }
+// visibly hidden, but focusable
+.initial-hidden {
+  // TODO: decide if it should take up space:
+  opacity: 0;
+  // or be entirely hidden:
+  // overflow: hidden;
+  // height: 0;
+}
 
 .header,
 .header-replacement {
diff --git a/src/internal/plugins/controllers/alert-flash-content.ts b/src/internal/plugins/controllers/alert-flash-content.ts
index a9264d8339..bc3e15cd42 100644
--- a/src/internal/plugins/controllers/alert-flash-content.ts
+++ b/src/internal/plugins/controllers/alert-flash-content.ts
@@ -45,15 +45,10 @@ export interface AlertFlashContentResult {
   unmount: (containers: { replacementHeaderContainer: HTMLElement; replacementContentContainer: HTMLElement }) => void;
 }
 
-export interface AlertFlashContentInitialResult {
-  header: ReplacementType;
-  content: ReplacementType;
-}
-
 export interface AlertFlashContentConfig {
   id: string;
   runReplacer: (context: AlertFlashContentContext, replacementApi: ReplacementApi) => AlertFlashContentResult;
-  initialCheck?: (context: AlertFlashContentInitialContext) => AlertFlashContentInitialResult;
+  initialCheck?: (context: AlertFlashContentInitialContext) => boolean;
 }
 
 export type AlertFlashContentRegistrationListener = (provider: AlertFlashContentConfig) => () => void;
@@ -65,7 +60,7 @@ export interface AlertFlashContentApiPublic {
 export interface AlertFlashContentApiInternal {
   clearRegisteredReplacer(): void;
   onContentRegistered(listener: AlertFlashContentRegistrationListener): () => void;
-  initialSyncRender(context: AlertFlashContentInitialContextRaw): AlertFlashContentInitialResult;
+  initialCheck(context: AlertFlashContentInitialContextRaw): boolean;
 }
 
 const nodeAsString = (node: ReactNode) =>
@@ -107,7 +102,7 @@ export class AlertFlashContentController {
     this.#provider = undefined;
   };
 
-  initialSyncRender = (context: AlertFlashContentInitialContextRaw): AlertFlashContentInitialResult => {
+  initialCheck = (context: AlertFlashContentInitialContextRaw): boolean => {
     if (this.#provider?.initialCheck) {
       const processedContext: AlertFlashContentInitialContext = {
         type: context.type,
@@ -116,10 +111,7 @@ export class AlertFlashContentController {
       };
       return this.#provider.initialCheck(processedContext);
     }
-    return {
-      header: 'original',
-      content: 'original',
-    };
+    return false;
   };
 
   onContentRegistered = (listener: AlertFlashContentRegistrationListener) => {
@@ -145,7 +137,7 @@ export class AlertFlashContentController {
   installInternal(internalApi: Partial<AlertFlashContentApiInternal> = {}): AlertFlashContentApiInternal {
     internalApi.clearRegisteredReplacer ??= this.clearRegisteredReplacer;
     internalApi.onContentRegistered ??= this.onContentRegistered;
-    internalApi.initialSyncRender ??= this.initialSyncRender;
+    internalApi.initialCheck ??= this.initialCheck;
     return internalApi as AlertFlashContentApiInternal;
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/internal/plugins/helpers/use-discovered-content.tsx b/src/internal/plugins/helpers/use-discovered-content.tsx
index 09dd618beb..3580a2733d 100644
--- a/src/internal/plugins/helpers/use-discovered-content.tsx
+++ b/src/internal/plugins/helpers/use-discovered-content.tsx
@@ -22,20 +22,22 @@ export function createUseDiscoveredContent(componentName: string, controller: Al
     const contentRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
     const replacementHeaderRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
     const replacementContentRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
-    const [initialState] = useState(() =>
-      controller.initialSyncRender({
+    const [initialHidden, setInitialHidden] = useState(() =>
+      controller.initialCheck({
         type,
         header,
         content: children,
       })
     );
-    const [headerReplacementType, setFoundHeaderReplacement] = useState<ReplacementType>(initialState.header);
-    const [contentReplacementType, setFoundContentReplacement] = useState<ReplacementType>(initialState.content);
+    const [headerReplacementType, setFoundHeaderReplacement] = useState<ReplacementType>('original');
+    const [contentReplacementType, setFoundContentReplacement] = useState<ReplacementType>('original');
     const mountedProvider = useRef<AlertFlashContentResult | undefined>();
 
     useEffect(() => {
       const context = { type, headerRef, contentRef };
 
+      setInitialHidden(false);
+
       return controller.onContentRegistered(provider => {
         let mounted = true;
 
@@ -99,6 +101,7 @@ export function createUseDiscoveredContent(componentName: string, controller: Al
     }, [type, header, children]);
 
     return {
+      initialHidden,
       headerReplacementType,
       contentReplacementType,
       headerRef: headerRef as React.Ref<HTMLDivElement>,