diff --git a/apps/cli-docs/src/content/docs/features.md b/apps/cli-docs/src/content/docs/features.md
index 61adf9b7d..8ed71a987 100644
--- a/apps/cli-docs/src/content/docs/features.md
+++ b/apps/cli-docs/src/content/docs/features.md
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ The Sentry CLI includes several features designed to streamline your workflow, e
 
 When the CLI asks you to choose an organization or project, type to filter the loaded options by name or slug. The filter appears as `/text` below the list. Matching ignores case and tolerates small typos. Use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select, and Backspace to edit. Esc clears the filter before cancelling; Ctrl+C cancels immediately. The same controls work in the organization, team, and monorepo app selectors in `sentry init`.
 
+Selectors tolerate typos in unfinished prefixes: `frone` can find `frontend-web`. Queries with one or two characters match literal text only, so `ap` finds `api` but `zz` does not find `ui`.
+
 ## DSN Auto-Detection
 
 The CLI automatically detects your Sentry project from your codebase, eliminating the need to specify the target for every command. DSN detection is one part of the [resolution priority chain](./configuration/#resolution-priority) — it runs after checking for explicit arguments, environment variables, and `.sentryclirc` config files.
diff --git a/apps/cli-docs/src/fragments/commands/init.md b/apps/cli-docs/src/fragments/commands/init.md
index 138e845de..0cc4aa942 100644
--- a/apps/cli-docs/src/fragments/commands/init.md
+++ b/apps/cli-docs/src/fragments/commands/init.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 **Authentication:** Interactive runs start the OAuth login flow automatically when credentials are missing or the stored session has expired. Non-interactive and CI runs must authenticate before running `sentry init`.
 
-In organization, team, and monorepo app selectors, type to filter the loaded choices by name or slug. The filter appears as `/text` below the list. Matching ignores case and tolerates small typos. Use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select, and Backspace to edit. Esc clears an active filter; with no filter, Esc cancels. Ctrl+C always cancels.
+In organization, team, and monorepo app selectors, type to filter the loaded choices by name or slug. The filter appears as `/text` below the list. Matching ignores case and tolerates small typos, including in unfinished prefixes such as `frone` for `frontend-web`. Queries with one or two characters match literal text only. Use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select, and Backspace to edit. Esc clears an active filter; with no filter, Esc cancels. Ctrl+C always cancels.
 
 ## Examples
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/complete.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/complete.ts
index 3fec1796a..062ed302c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/complete.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/complete.ts
@@ -233,10 +233,12 @@ export function completeProjectCreateSpec(partial: string): Completion[] {
     const platformPartial = partial.slice(colonIdx + 1);
     const candidates =
       platformPartial === "" ? COMMON_PLATFORMS : VALID_PLATFORMS;
-    return fuzzyMatch(platformPartial, candidates).map((platform) => ({
-      value: `${specPrefix}${platform}`,
-      description: "Platform",
-    }));
+    return fuzzyMatch(platformPartial, candidates, { mode: "search" }).map(
+      (platform) => ({
+        value: `${specPrefix}${platform}`,
+        description: "Platform",
+      }),
+    );
   }
 
   if (partial.includes("/")) {
@@ -263,7 +265,9 @@ export function completeOrgSlugs(partial: string, suffix = ""): Completion[] {
   }
 
   const nameMap = new Map(orgs.map((o) => [o.slug, o.name]));
-  const matched = fuzzyMatch(partial, Array.from(nameMap.keys()));
+  const matched = fuzzyMatch(partial, Array.from(nameMap.keys()), {
+    mode: "search",
+  });
 
   return matched.map((slug) => ({
     value: `${slug}${suffix}`,
@@ -343,7 +347,9 @@ export function completeProjectSlugs(
   }
 
   const nameMap = new Map(projects.map((p) => [p.projectSlug, p.projectName]));
-  const matched = fuzzyMatch(projectPartial, Array.from(nameMap.keys()));
+  const matched = fuzzyMatch(projectPartial, Array.from(nameMap.keys()), {
+    mode: "search",
+  });
 
   return matched.map((slug) => ({
     value: `${orgSlug}/${slug}`,
@@ -385,7 +391,7 @@ export function completeAliases(partial: string): Completion[] {
   }
 
   const keys = Object.keys(aliases);
-  const matched = fuzzyMatch(partial, keys);
+  const matched = fuzzyMatch(partial, keys, { mode: "search" });
 
   return matched.map((alias) => {
     const entry = aliases[alias];
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/fuzzy.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/fuzzy.ts
index 63bd6e905..6041fc0b6 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/fuzzy.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/fuzzy.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,16 @@
  * @returns The minimum number of single-character edits (insert, delete, replace)
  */
 export function levenshtein(a: string, b: string): number {
+  return editDistance(a, b);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Return the full-string edit distance, allowing a smaller distance to a
+ * non-empty prefix of `b` when it is within `prefixThreshold`.
+ *
+ * Omit `prefixThreshold` to compare only the complete strings.
+ */
+function editDistance(a: string, b: string, prefixThreshold?: number): number {
   const m = a.length;
   const n = b.length;
   const dp = new Map<number, number>();
@@ -40,7 +50,18 @@ export function levenshtein(a: string, b: string): number {
       dp.set(key(i, j), cost);
     }
   }
-  return dp.get(key(m, n)) ?? 0;
+  let distance = dp.get(key(m, n)) ?? 0;
+  if (prefixThreshold !== undefined) {
+    const firstLength = Math.max(1, m - prefixThreshold);
+    const lastLength = Math.min(n, m + prefixThreshold);
+    for (let length = firstLength; length <= lastLength; length++) {
+      const prefixDistance = dp.get(key(m, length)) ?? Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY;
+      if (prefixDistance <= prefixThreshold) {
+        distance = Math.min(distance, prefixDistance);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return distance;
 }
 
 /** Score tiers for fuzzy matching, ordered by relevance. */
@@ -54,6 +75,8 @@ const FUZZY_BASE_SCORE = 3;
 export type FuzzyMatchOptions = {
   /** Maximum number of results to return (default: unlimited). */
   maxResults?: number;
+  /** Search unfinished input; omit to preserve submitted-name matching. */
+  mode?: "search";
 };
 
 /**
@@ -65,10 +88,16 @@ export type FuzzyMatchOptions = {
  * 3. **Contains match** → score 2 (partial appears as substring)
  * 4. **Fuzzy match** → score 3 + Levenshtein distance (capped by threshold)
  *
- * Threshold: `max(2, floor(partial.length / 3))`. This means `"tnry"`
- * (length 4, threshold 2) matches `"sentry"` (distance 2). Candidates
+ * Threshold: `max(2, floor(partial.length / 3))`. This means `"isseu"`
+ * (length 5, threshold 2) matches `"issue"` (distance 2). Candidates
  * beyond the threshold are excluded entirely.
  *
+ * Search mode requires literal matches for one- and two-character queries.
+ * Longer queries also match candidate prefixes within `floor(length / 3)`
+ * edits, without counting the unfinished suffix. Full-name typo tolerance
+ * stays unchanged. Use this mode for selectors and incomplete completions,
+ * not automatic resolution of submitted names.
+ *
  * When `partial` is empty, all candidates are returned (sorted alphabetically).
  *
  * @param partial - The partial input to match against
@@ -88,6 +117,7 @@ export function fuzzyMatch(
 
   const lowerPartial = partial.toLowerCase();
   const threshold = Math.max(2, Math.floor(partial.length / 3));
+  const search = opts?.mode === "search";
   const scored: { candidate: string; score: number }[] = [];
 
   for (const candidate of candidates) {
@@ -99,8 +129,12 @@ export function fuzzyMatch(
       scored.push({ candidate, score: PREFIX_SCORE });
     } else if (lowerCandidate.includes(lowerPartial)) {
       scored.push({ candidate, score: CONTAINS_SCORE });
-    } else {
-      const dist = levenshtein(lowerPartial, lowerCandidate);
+    } else if (!search || partial.length >= 3) {
+      const dist = editDistance(
+        lowerPartial,
+        lowerCandidate,
+        search ? Math.floor(partial.length / 3) : undefined,
+      );
       if (dist <= threshold) {
         scored.push({ candidate, score: FUZZY_BASE_SCORE + dist });
       }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/init/ui/select-filter.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/init/ui/select-filter.ts
index 1d9ccb7ab..9ce737166 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/init/ui/select-filter.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/init/ui/select-filter.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ export function filterSelectOptions<T extends SelectOption<string>>(
     if (option.hint) {
       candidates.push(option.hint);
     }
-    return fuzzyMatch(query, candidates).length > 0;
+    return fuzzyMatch(query, candidates, { mode: "search" }).length > 0;
   });
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/lib/complete.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/lib/complete.test.ts
index b10bfc6ea..29632c043 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/lib/complete.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/lib/complete.test.ts
@@ -162,6 +162,13 @@ describe("completeProjectCreateSpec", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  test("tolerates a typo in an unfinished platform name", () => {
+    expect(completeProjectCreateSpec("example:javascipt-r")).toContainEqual({
+      value: "example:javascript-react",
+      description: "Platform",
+    });
+  });
+
   test("does not complete existing project names before the colon", () => {
     expect(completeProjectCreateSpec("acme/new-project")).toEqual([]);
   });
@@ -214,6 +221,14 @@ describe("completeOrgSlugs", () => {
     const result = completeOrgSlugs("senry");
     expect(result.some((c) => c.value === "sentry")).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  test("tolerates a typo in an unfinished organization name", async () => {
+    await seedOrgs([{ slug: "frontend-web", name: "Frontend web" }]);
+
+    expect(completeOrgSlugs("frone")).toEqual([
+      { value: "frontend-web", description: "Frontend web" },
+    ]);
+  });
 });
 
 describe("completeOrgSlashProject", () => {
@@ -273,6 +288,21 @@ describe("completeOrgSlashProject", () => {
     expect(result).toEqual([]);
   });
 
+  test("does not treat the organization before a slash as unfinished", async () => {
+    await seedOrgs([{ slug: "frontend-web", name: "Frontend web" }]);
+    await seedProjects([
+      {
+        orgId: "1",
+        projectId: "10",
+        orgSlug: "frontend-web",
+        projectSlug: "backend",
+        projectName: "Backend",
+      },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(completeOrgSlashProject("frone/")).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
   test("with slash and partial project filters", async () => {
     await seedOrgs([{ slug: "my-org", name: "My Org" }]);
     await seedProjects([
@@ -327,6 +357,22 @@ describe("completeProjectSlugs", () => {
     expect(result[0].value).toBe("my-org/web");
     expect(result[0].description).toBe("Web App");
   });
+
+  test("tolerates a typo in an unfinished project name", async () => {
+    await seedProjects([
+      {
+        orgId: "1",
+        projectId: "10",
+        orgSlug: "my-org",
+        projectSlug: "frontend-web",
+        projectName: "Frontend web",
+      },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(completeProjectSlugs("frone", "my-org")).toEqual([
+      { value: "my-org/frontend-web", description: "Frontend web" },
+    ]);
+  });
 });
 
 describe("completeAliases", () => {
@@ -352,7 +398,7 @@ describe("completeAliases", () => {
     expect(aCompletion!.description).toBe("my-org/frontend");
   });
 
-  test("filters aliases by prefix (exact match ranks first)", async () => {
+  test("filters short aliases literally with the exact match first", async () => {
     setProjectAliases(
       {
         a: { orgSlug: "org", projectSlug: "proj-a" },
@@ -363,8 +409,6 @@ describe("completeAliases", () => {
     );
 
     const result = completeAliases("a");
-    // "a" is exact match, "abc" is prefix match, "b" is fuzzy match
-    expect(result[0].value).toBe("a"); // exact match first
-    expect(result.some((c) => c.value === "abc")).toBe(true); // prefix match
+    expect(result.map((c) => c.value)).toEqual(["a", "abc"]);
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/lib/fuzzy.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/lib/fuzzy.test.ts
index 2f0a43adf..3513d603f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/lib/fuzzy.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/lib/fuzzy.test.ts
@@ -152,6 +152,44 @@ describe("fuzzyMatch: unit tests", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("fuzzyMatch: search mode", () => {
+  test.each(["frone", "froont", "frnt"])(
+    "matches an unfinished prefix with an edit: %s",
+    (query) => {
+      expect(fuzzyMatch(query, ["frontend-web"], { mode: "search" })).toEqual([
+        "frontend-web",
+      ]);
+    },
+  );
+
+  test("preserves full-name typos while allowing incomplete typo prefixes", () => {
+    expect(fuzzyMatch("isseu", ["issue"], { mode: "search" })).toEqual([
+      "issue",
+    ]);
+    expect(fuzzyMatch("frone", ["frontend-web"])).toEqual([]);
+    expect(fuzzyMatch("frone", ["frontend-web"], { mode: "search" })).toEqual([
+      "frontend-web",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  test("ranks literal matches before typo prefixes and respects the result limit", () => {
+    const candidates = ["frnntend-web", "team-frontend", "frontend", "front"];
+    const expected = ["front", "frontend", "team-frontend", "frnntend-web"];
+    expect(fuzzyMatch("FRONT", candidates, { mode: "search" })).toEqual(
+      expected,
+    );
+    expect(
+      fuzzyMatch("FRONT", candidates, { mode: "search", maxResults: 2 }),
+    ).toEqual(expected.slice(0, 2));
+  });
+
+  test("keeps typo prefixes anchored to the beginning of a candidate", () => {
+    expect(
+      fuzzyMatch("frone", ["team-frontend-web"], { mode: "search" }),
+    ).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("property: fuzzyMatch", () => {
   test("exact candidate is always in the result", () => {
     const candidatesArb = array(shortStringArb, {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/lib/init/ui/ink-app.snapshot.test.tsx b/packages/cli/test/lib/init/ui/ink-app.snapshot.test.tsx
index 39ffe8f90..d926a9135 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/lib/init/ui/ink-app.snapshot.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/test/lib/init/ui/ink-app.snapshot.test.tsx
@@ -1170,7 +1170,7 @@ describe("Ink App snapshot", () => {
       exitOnCtrlC: false,
     });
     try {
-      stdin.push("frontz");
+      stdin.push("frozz");
       // Observe the empty state before later input can coalesce its render.
       await vi.waitFor(() => {
         expect(stripAnsi(output.latestFrame())).toContain("No matches");
@@ -1183,7 +1183,7 @@ describe("Ink App snapshot", () => {
       stdin.push("\u007f\r");
       await vi.waitFor(() => {
         expect(resolve).toHaveBeenCalledExactlyOnceWith("frontend");
-        expect(stripAnsi(output.latestFrame())).toContain("/front 1 of 1");
+        expect(stripAnsi(output.latestFrame())).toContain("/froz 1 of 1");
       });
     } finally {
       instance.unmount();
@@ -1272,9 +1272,9 @@ describe("Ink App snapshot", () => {
     });
 
     const output = await renderApp(store, 80, {
-      input: ["\u001b[200~frontz\u001b[201~\u007f\r"],
+      input: ["\u001b[200~frozz\u001b[201~\u007f\r"],
     });
-    expect(stripAnsi(output.latestFrame())).toContain("/front 1 of 2");
+    expect(stripAnsi(output.latestFrame())).toContain("/froz 1 of 2");
     expect(resolve).toHaveBeenCalledExactlyOnceWith("frontend");
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/lib/init/ui/select-filter.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/lib/init/ui/select-filter.test.ts
index a5dbf6e43..71ef48c26 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/lib/init/ui/select-filter.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/lib/init/ui/select-filter.test.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,26 @@ describe("filterSelectOptions", () => {
     ).toEqual([]);
   });
 
+  test("short queries only match literal parts of the options", () => {
+    const candidates = ["UI", "Go", "DB", "pizza"].map((value) => ({
+      value,
+      label: value,
+    }));
+
+    expect(filterSelectOptions(candidates, "zz")).toEqual([candidates[3]]);
+  });
+
+  test("keeps a matching option visible while typing a prefix with a typo", () => {
+    const candidates = [
+      { value: "frontend-web", label: "Frontend web" },
+      { value: "backend", label: "Backend" },
+    ];
+
+    for (const query of ["fron", "frone", "fronen", "fronend", "fronend-w"]) {
+      expect(filterSelectOptions(candidates, query)).toEqual([candidates[0]]);
+    }
+  });
+
   test("an empty filter restores every original option", () => {
     fcAssert(
       property(
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/lib/resolve-target.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/lib/resolve-target.test.ts
index ec8abc2f5..20903f9a3 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/lib/resolve-target.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/lib/resolve-target.test.ts
@@ -905,6 +905,30 @@ describe("tryFuzzyProjectRecovery", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  test("keeps short submitted project names ambiguous", async () => {
+    setOrgRegion("test-org", DEFAULT_SENTRY_URL);
+    globalThis.fetch = mockListProjects({
+      "test-org": ["go-api", "db"],
+    });
+
+    const result = await tryFuzzyProjectRecovery("go", [{ slug: "test-org" }]);
+
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("suggestions");
+  });
+
+  test("does not recover a submitted project name from a typo in its prefix", async () => {
+    setOrgRegion("test-org", DEFAULT_SENTRY_URL);
+    globalThis.fetch = mockListProjects({
+      "test-org": ["frontend-web"],
+    });
+
+    const result = await tryFuzzyProjectRecovery("frone", [
+      { slug: "test-org" },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(result.kind).toBe("none");
+  });
+
   test("returns 'none' when no similar projects exist", async () => {
     setOrgRegion("test-org", DEFAULT_SENTRY_URL);
     globalThis.fetch = mockListProjects({