diff --git a/news/2 Fixes/17303.md b/news/2 Fixes/17303.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b995c190008f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/2 Fixes/17303.md	
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Ensure we trigger discovery for the first time as part of extension activation.
diff --git a/src/client/pythonEnvironments/base/locators/composite/envsCollectionService.ts b/src/client/pythonEnvironments/base/locators/composite/envsCollectionService.ts
index 49d95f55bd97..61eb61a451d1 100644
--- a/src/client/pythonEnvironments/base/locators/composite/envsCollectionService.ts
+++ b/src/client/pythonEnvironments/base/locators/composite/envsCollectionService.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@ export class EnvsCollectionService extends PythonEnvsWatcher<PythonEnvCollection
 
     public getEnvs(query?: PythonLocatorQuery): PythonEnvInfo[] {
         const cachedEnvs = this.cache.getAllEnvs();
+        if (cachedEnvs.length === 0) {
+            this.triggerRefresh().ignoreErrors();
+        }
         return query ? cachedEnvs.filter(getQueryFilter(query)) : cachedEnvs;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/client/pythonEnvironments/index.ts b/src/client/pythonEnvironments/index.ts
index b76654188e61..e0adb383bf65 100644
--- a/src/client/pythonEnvironments/index.ts
+++ b/src/client/pythonEnvironments/index.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import {
     IEnvsCollectionCache,
 } from './base/locators/composite/envsCollectionCache';
 import { EnvsCollectionService } from './base/locators/composite/envsCollectionService';
-import { addItemsToRunAfterActivation } from '../common/utils/runAfterActivation';
 
 /**
  * Set up the Python environments component (during extension activation).'
@@ -62,10 +61,8 @@ export async function activate(api: IDiscoveryAPI): Promise<ActivationResult> {
         };
     }
 
-    addItemsToRunAfterActivation(() => {
-        // Force an initial background refresh of the environments.
-        api.triggerRefresh().ignoreErrors();
-    });
+    // Force an initial background refresh of the environments.
+    api.triggerRefresh().ignoreErrors();
 
     return {
         fullyReady: Promise.resolve(),