diff --git a/AzureSearchEmulator.IntegrationTests/EmulatorIntegrationTests.cs b/AzureSearchEmulator.IntegrationTests/EmulatorIntegrationTests.cs
index f831630..3241f37 100644
--- a/AzureSearchEmulator.IntegrationTests/EmulatorIntegrationTests.cs
+++ b/AzureSearchEmulator.IntegrationTests/EmulatorIntegrationTests.cs
@@ -89,6 +89,33 @@ public async Task GetDocumentById_ShouldReturnDocument()
         await indexClient.DeleteIndexAsync(indexName, TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task EmptyIndex_ShouldAnswerReadsWithoutDocuments()
+    {
+        const string indexName = "test-empty-index";
+        var indexClient = factory.CreateSearchIndexClient();
+        var searchClient = factory.CreateSearchClient(indexName);
+
+        // Arrange - Create the index and write nothing to it
+        await CreateIndexAsync(indexClient, indexName);
+
+        // Act
+        var results = await searchClient.SearchAsync<Product>("*", new SearchOptions { IncludeTotalCount = true }, TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
+        var items = await results.Value.GetResultsAsync().ToListAsync(TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
+        var count = await searchClient.GetDocumentCountAsync(TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
+        var missing = await Assert.ThrowsAsync<Azure.RequestFailedException>(
+            () => searchClient.GetDocumentAsync<Product>("1", cancellationToken: TestContext.Current.CancellationToken));
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Empty(items);
+        Assert.Equal(0, results.Value.TotalCount);
+        Assert.Equal(0, count.Value);
+        Assert.Equal(404, missing.Status);
+
+        // Cleanup
+        await indexClient.DeleteIndexAsync(indexName, TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public async Task SearchDocuments_SimpleQuery_ShouldReturnResults()
     {
diff --git a/AzureSearchEmulator.IntegrationTests/ErrorResponseIntegrationTests.cs b/AzureSearchEmulator.IntegrationTests/ErrorResponseIntegrationTests.cs
index ba49908..d85f5a5 100644
--- a/AzureSearchEmulator.IntegrationTests/ErrorResponseIntegrationTests.cs
+++ b/AzureSearchEmulator.IntegrationTests/ErrorResponseIntegrationTests.cs
@@ -48,11 +48,6 @@ private static SearchIndex BuildIndex(string indexName) =>
     /// <summary>
     /// Creates the index and indexes a document.
     /// </summary>
-    /// <remarks>
-    /// The document matters: with an empty index the Lucene directory does not exist yet, so a
-    /// query fails on the missing directory before it ever reaches the filter parser, and the
-    /// test would assert on the wrong error.
-    /// </remarks>
     private async Task<SearchIndexClient> SetUpAsync(string indexName)
     {
         var indexClient = factory.CreateSearchIndexClient();
@@ -180,15 +175,14 @@ public async Task DocumentLookupWithUnknownSelectField_IsRejectedAsBadRequest()
     /// An unexpected fault still answers in the envelope, and without leaking internals.
     /// </summary>
     /// <remarks>
-    /// Searching an index that has never had a document written to it currently trips a Lucene
-    /// DirectoryNotFoundException, because the segment directory is only created on first write.
-    /// That 500 is arguably its own bug — the real service answers an empty result set — so this
-    /// test deliberately asserts only on the SHAPE of an unexpected failure, not on this query
-    /// being one. Should the empty-index case be fixed to return results, the assertions below
-    /// stop applying and the test should be pointed at another unexpected fault rather than
-    /// being made to keep this 500 alive.
+    /// A full Lucene query that does not parse currently escapes as a Lucene parse exception,
+    /// which is not mapped to a status, so it answers 500 where the real service answers 400.
+    /// That is arguably its own bug, so this test deliberately asserts only on the SHAPE of an
+    /// unexpected failure, not on this query being one. Should malformed query syntax be
+    /// fixed to answer 400, the assertions below stop applying and the test should be pointed
+    /// at another unexpected fault rather than being made to keep this 500 alive.
     ///
-    /// The generic message is the point: the underlying exception names the emulator's own
+    /// The generic message is the point: the underlying exception can name the emulator's own
     /// filesystem paths, and those belong in the log rather than the response body.
     /// </remarks>
     [Fact]
@@ -200,7 +194,7 @@ public async Task UnexpectedFailure_ReturnsEnvelopeWithoutInternalDetail()
 
         var http = factory.CreateHttpClient();
         var response = await http.GetAsync(
-            $"/indexes/{indexName}/docs?search=*",
+            $"/indexes/{indexName}/docs?search=%28&queryType=full",
             TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
 
         var body = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync(TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
diff --git a/AzureSearchEmulator.UnitTests/EmptyIndexTests.cs b/AzureSearchEmulator.UnitTests/EmptyIndexTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c697df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AzureSearchEmulator.UnitTests/EmptyIndexTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+using System.Text.Json.Nodes;
+using AzureSearchEmulator.Indexing;
+using AzureSearchEmulator.Models;
+using AzureSearchEmulator.SearchData;
+using AzureSearchEmulator.Searching;
+using Lucene.Net.Store;
+using Xunit;
+using Directory = Lucene.Net.Store.Directory;
+
+namespace AzureSearchEmulator.UnitTests;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Covers reading an index that exists but has never had a document written to it, which
+/// Azure answers with an empty result rather than an error.
+/// </summary>
+/// <remarks>
+/// Uses the real <see cref="LuceneDirectoryReaderFactory"/> over an on-disk directory, because
+/// the failure comes from opening a reader on a directory Lucene has never written. An
+/// in-memory directory is always readable, so a test built on one would pass without the fix.
+/// </remarks>
+public sealed class EmptyIndexTests : IDisposable
+{
+    private readonly string _path = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), "azs-empty-index-" + Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N"));
+    private readonly SearchIndex _index = LuceneTestHelper.CreateSuggesterProductIndex();
+    private readonly LuceneDirectoryReaderFactory _readerFactory;
+    private readonly LuceneNetIndexWriterFactory _writerFactory;
+    private readonly LuceneNetSearchIndexer _indexer;
+    private readonly LuceneNetIndexSearcher _searcher;
+
+    public EmptyIndexTests()
+    {
+        var directoryFactory = new FixedPathDirectoryFactory(_path);
+
+        _readerFactory = new LuceneDirectoryReaderFactory(directoryFactory);
+        _writerFactory = new LuceneNetIndexWriterFactory(directoryFactory);
+        _indexer = new LuceneNetSearchIndexer(_writerFactory, _readerFactory);
+        _searcher = new LuceneNetIndexSearcher(_readerFactory);
+    }
+
+    public void Dispose()
+    {
+        // Reader and writer before the folder: both hold open handles.
+        _readerFactory.ClearCachedReader(_index.Name);
+        _writerFactory.Dispose();
+
+        if (System.IO.Directory.Exists(_path))
+        {
+            System.IO.Directory.Delete(_path, recursive: true);
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Search_OnAnIndexWithNoDocuments_ReturnsNoResults()
+    {
+        var response = await _searcher.Search(_index, new SearchRequest { Search = "*", Count = true });
+
+        Assert.Empty(response.Results);
+        Assert.Equal(0, response.Count);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Search_ForText_OnAnIndexWithNoDocuments_ReturnsNoResults()
+    {
+        var response = await _searcher.Search(_index, new SearchRequest { Search = "laptop", Count = true });
+
+        Assert.Empty(response.Results);
+        Assert.Equal(0, response.Count);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task GetDocCount_OnAnIndexWithNoDocuments_ReturnsZero()
+    {
+        Assert.Equal(0, await _searcher.GetDocCount(_index));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task GetDoc_OnAnIndexWithNoDocuments_ReturnsNull()
+    {
+        Assert.Null(await _searcher.GetDoc(_index, "1"));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Suggest_OnAnIndexWithNoDocuments_ReturnsNoResults()
+    {
+        var response = await _searcher.Suggest(_index, new SuggestRequest { Search = "lap", SuggesterName = "sg" });
+
+        Assert.Empty(response.Results);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Autocomplete_OnAnIndexWithNoDocuments_ReturnsNoResults()
+    {
+        var response = await _searcher.Autocomplete(_index,
+            new AutocompleteRequest { Search = "lap", SuggesterName = "sg" });
+
+        Assert.Empty(response.Results);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// A volume can hold a folder that Lucene created but never committed to.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Search_WhenTheIndexFolderExistsButIsEmpty_ReturnsNoResults()
+    {
+        System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(_path);
+
+        var response = await _searcher.Search(_index, new SearchRequest { Search = "*", Count = true });
+
+        Assert.Empty(response.Results);
+        Assert.Equal(0, response.Count);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The empty answer must not be kept: once a document is written, reads see it.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Reads_AfterTheFirstDocumentIsWritten_SeeIt()
+    {
+        // Read first, so the empty answer is the one a stale cache would keep serving.
+        Assert.Empty((await _searcher.Search(_index, new SearchRequest { Search = "*" })).Results);
+        Assert.Equal(0, await _searcher.GetDocCount(_index));
+
+        _indexer.IndexDocuments(_index,
+        [
+            new UploadIndexDocumentAction(new JsonObject
+            {
+                ["Id"] = "1",
+                ["Name"] = "Laptop Pro 15",
+                ["Description"] = "High-performance laptop",
+            })
+        ]);
+
+        var response = await _searcher.Search(_index, new SearchRequest { Search = "laptop", Count = true });
+
+        Assert.Equal(1, response.Count);
+        Assert.Equal("1", Assert.Single(response.Results)["Id"]!.GetValue<string>());
+        Assert.Equal(1, await _searcher.GetDocCount(_index));
+        Assert.NotNull(await _searcher.GetDoc(_index, "1"));
+    }
+
+    private sealed class FixedPathDirectoryFactory(string path) : ILuceneDirectoryFactory
+    {
+        private Directory? _directory;
+
+        public Directory GetDirectory(string indexName) => _directory ??= new SimpleFSDirectory(path);
+
+        public void ClearCachedDirectory(string indexName)
+        {
+            _directory?.Dispose();
+            _directory = null;
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/AzureSearchEmulator/SearchData/LuceneDirectoryReaderFactory.cs b/AzureSearchEmulator/SearchData/LuceneDirectoryReaderFactory.cs
index 38cabb2..8726127 100644
--- a/AzureSearchEmulator/SearchData/LuceneDirectoryReaderFactory.cs
+++ b/AzureSearchEmulator/SearchData/LuceneDirectoryReaderFactory.cs
@@ -25,6 +25,13 @@ public IndexReader RefreshReader(string indexName)
     {
         var directory = luceneDirectoryFactory.GetDirectory(indexName);
 
+        // An index with no documents written yet has no Lucene files, and may not have a
+        // folder. It is not cached, so the next call looks again and sees the first write.
+        if (!DirectoryReader.IndexExists(directory))
+        {
+            return new MultiReader();
+        }
+
         var reader = DirectoryReader.Open(directory);
 
         _indexReaders[indexName] = reader;
diff --git a/AzureSearchEmulator/Searching/LuceneNetIndexSearcher.cs b/AzureSearchEmulator/Searching/LuceneNetIndexSearcher.cs
index 08ffea1..f0be510 100644
--- a/AzureSearchEmulator/Searching/LuceneNetIndexSearcher.cs
+++ b/AzureSearchEmulator/Searching/LuceneNetIndexSearcher.cs
@@ -48,17 +48,9 @@ public class LuceneNetIndexSearcher(
 
     public Task<int> GetDocCount(SearchIndex index)
     {
-        try
-        {
-            var reader = indexReaderFactory.GetIndexReader(index.Name);
+        var reader = indexReaderFactory.GetIndexReader(index.Name);
 
-            return Task.FromResult(reader.NumDocs);
-        }
-        catch (DirectoryNotFoundException)
-        {
-            // If we've come this far, the index exists, but has no documents, so it's okay to return 0
-            return Task.FromResult(0);
-        }
+        return Task.FromResult(reader.NumDocs);
     }
 
     public async Task<SearchResponse> Search(SearchIndex index, SearchRequest request)
diff --git a/DebugClient/Program.cs b/DebugClient/Program.cs
index 6ad5fc1..0912c2f 100644
--- a/DebugClient/Program.cs
+++ b/DebugClient/Program.cs
@@ -270,8 +270,46 @@
         Console.WriteLine($"   ✗ Error: {ex.GetType().Name}: {ex.Message}\n");
     }
 
-    // Test 11: Delete Index
-    Console.WriteLine("11. Deleting index...");
+    // Test 11: Search an index that has no documents
+    Console.WriteLine("11. Searching an empty index...");
+    const string emptyIndexName = "empty-test-index";
+    try
+    {
+        await indexClient.CreateIndexAsync(new SearchIndex(emptyIndexName)
+        {
+            Fields =
+            [
+                new SearchField("id", SearchFieldDataType.String) { IsKey = true },
+                new SearchField("name", SearchFieldDataType.String) { IsSearchable = true }
+            ]
+        });
+
+        var emptySearchClient = new SearchClient(new Uri(endpoint), emptyIndexName, credential, options);
+
+        // Azure answers a search on an index with no documents with an empty result, not an error.
+        var results = await emptySearchClient.SearchAsync<object>("*", new SearchOptions { IncludeTotalCount = true });
+        var items = await results.Value.GetResultsAsync().ToListAsync();
+
+        Console.WriteLine($"   ✓ Found {items.Count} results, total count {results.Value.TotalCount}\n");
+    }
+    catch (Exception ex)
+    {
+        Console.WriteLine($"   ✗ Error: {ex.GetType().Name}: {ex.Message}\n");
+    }
+    finally
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            await indexClient.DeleteIndexAsync(emptyIndexName);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            Console.WriteLine($"   ✗ Error deleting {emptyIndexName}: {ex.GetType().Name}: {ex.Message}\n");
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Test 12: Delete Index
+    Console.WriteLine("12. Deleting index...");
     try
     {
         await indexClient.DeleteIndexAsync(indexName);