diff --git a/pkg/gui/controllers/main_view_controller.go b/pkg/gui/controllers/main_view_controller.go
index fee7ad8f9..3f23207b0 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/controllers/main_view_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/controllers/main_view_controller.go
@@ -223,16 +223,23 @@ func (self *MainViewController) togglePanel() error {
 }
 
 // showInitialDiffSelection turns on the focused main view's selection when entering
-// a diff view without pointing at a specific line: on the first change line already
-// visible (so the view doesn't jump), falling back to the current top line when none
-// is visible (scrolled into trailing context, or not loaded that far yet). The
-// select mode is reset to its default (a single line).
+// a diff view without pointing at a specific line, anchored on the first change line
+// already visible (so the view barely moves), falling back to the current top line
+// when none is visible (scrolled into trailing context, or not loaded that far yet).
+// With hunk mode configured as the default it selects the whole change block around
+// that line, like entering the staging view does; otherwise a single line.
 func showInitialDiffSelection(c *ControllerCommon, mainContext *context.MainContext) {
 	resetDiffSelectMode(mainContext)
 	view := mainContext.GetView()
 	target, ok := c.Helpers().Staging.FirstChangeLineInView(view)
 	if !ok {
-		target = view.OriginY()
+		showSelectionAtLine(view, view.OriginY(), true)
+		return
+	}
+	if c.UserConfig().Gui.UseHunkModeInStagingView {
+		mainContext.DiffSelectState().Mode = context.DiffSelectModeHunk
+		selectDiffHunk(c, mainContext, target)
+		return
 	}
 	showSelectionAtLine(view, target, true)
 }
@@ -365,16 +372,22 @@ func (self *MainViewController) prevFile() error {
 // its last, so the native range highlight spans the block. With no change block
 // there (the line is trailing context) it falls back to a single-line selection.
 func (self *MainViewController) selectHunkAround(changeViewLine int) {
-	v := self.context.GetView()
-	start, end, ok := self.c.Helpers().Staging.ChangeBlockBounds(v, changeViewLine)
+	selectDiffHunk(self.c, self.context, changeViewLine)
+}
+
+// selectDiffHunk is the body of selectHunkAround, as a free function so the focus
+// entry point (showInitialDiffSelection) can establish a hunk selection too.
+func selectDiffHunk(c *ControllerCommon, mainContext *context.MainContext, changeViewLine int) {
+	view := mainContext.GetView()
+	start, end, ok := c.Helpers().Staging.ChangeBlockBounds(view, changeViewLine)
 	if !ok {
-		self.sel().Mode = context.DiffSelectModeLine
-		v.CancelRangeSelect()
-		showSelectionAtLine(v, changeViewLine, true)
+		mainContext.DiffSelectState().Mode = context.DiffSelectModeLine
+		view.CancelRangeSelect()
+		showSelectionAtLine(view, changeViewLine, true)
 		return
 	}
-	v.SetRangeSelectStart(end)
-	showSelectionAtLine(v, start, true)
+	view.SetRangeSelectStart(end)
+	showSelectionAtLine(view, start, true)
 }
 
 // moveCursor moves the selection cursor by delta view lines (negative = up), with
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/staging/select_hunk_on_focusing_main_view.go b/pkg/integration/tests/staging/select_hunk_on_focusing_main_view.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0860e0f33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/staging/select_hunk_on_focusing_main_view.go
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+package staging
+
+import (
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/config"
+	. "github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/integration/components"
+)
+
+var SelectHunkOnFocusingMainView = NewIntegrationTest(NewIntegrationTestArgs{
+	Description:  "When hunk mode is the default, focusing the main view selects the first whole hunk, ready to stage",
+	ExtraCmdArgs: []string{},
+	Skip:         false,
+	SetupConfig: func(config *config.AppConfig) {
+		config.GetUserConfig().Gui.UseHunkModeInStagingView = true
+	},
+	SetupRepo: func(shell *Shell) {
+		shell.CreateFileAndAdd("file1", "one\ntwo\nthree\nfour\nfive\nsix\nseven\neight\nnine\nten\n")
+		shell.Commit("one")
+
+		shell.UpdateFile("file1", "one\ntwo\nTHREE\nfour\nfive\nsix\nseven\neight\nNINE\nten\n")
+	},
+	Run: func(t *TestDriver, keys config.KeybindingConfig) {
+		t.Views().Files().
+			IsFocused().
+			Lines(
+				Contains("file1").IsSelected(),
+			).
+			Press(keys.Universal.FocusMainView)
+
+		// No key press: the first hunk is selected just by focusing, so space
+		// stages it straight away.
+		t.Views().Main().
+			IsFocused().
+			SelectedLines(
+				Contains("-three"),
+				Contains("+THREE"),
+			).
+			PressPrimaryAction().
+			Tap(func() {
+				t.Views().Secondary().
+					ContainsLines(
+						Contains("-three"),
+						Contains("+THREE"),
+					)
+			})
+	},
+})
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go b/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
index 4dcfd9a6d..be61943e5 100644
--- a/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
@@ -410,6 +410,7 @@ var tests = []*components.IntegrationTest{
 	staging.DiffContextChange,
 	staging.DiscardAllChanges,
 	staging.Search,
+	staging.SelectHunkOnFocusingMainView,
 	staging.SelectNextLineAfterStagingInTwoHunkDiff,
 	staging.SelectNextLineAfterStagingIsolatedAddedLine,
 	staging.StageHunkFromMainView,