diff --git a/src/serena/ls_manager.py b/src/serena/ls_manager.py
index 27218ded..45405962 100644
--- a/src/serena/ls_manager.py
+++ b/src/serena/ls_manager.py
@@ -280,12 +280,17 @@ class LanguageServerFileChangeNotifier:
     Detects changes to source files on disk and notifies language servers of those changes.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, project: "Project", language_server_manager: LanguageServerManager) -> None:
+    def __init__(self, project: "Project", language_server_manager: LanguageServerManager, initial_poll: bool = True) -> None:
         self._project = project
         self._language_server_manager = language_server_manager
         self._freshness_last_seen_mtimes: dict[str, float] | None = None
         self._freshness_lock = threading.Lock()
 
+        if initial_poll:
+            # Establish the baseline for the first poll; no notifications are sent on the first call.
+            with LogTime("Initialising file change notifier (polling for baseline)"):
+                self.poll_and_notify()
+
     def poll_and_notify(self) -> int:
         """
         Detects source files that were changed, created or deleted on disk since the last call
diff --git a/test/serena/test_ls_file_sync.py b/test/serena/test_ls_file_sync.py
index feeacc8c..874dbcc7 100644
--- a/test/serena/test_ls_file_sync.py
+++ b/test/serena/test_ls_file_sync.py
@@ -132,13 +132,3 @@ def test_ls_low_level_find_references_with_explicit_sync(tmp_path):
     Tests that requesting references directly from the LS works if synchronisation is explicitly requested after external file changes.
     """
     FileSystemSyncTestCase(use_serena_tool=False).run(tmp_path)
-
-
-def test_sync_first_poll_is_baseline_only(tmp_path):
-    """A newly-loaded project must not report its entire pre-existing file set as changed."""
-    repo_root = tmp_path / "repo"
-    shutil.copytree(get_repo_path(Language.PYTHON), repo_root)
-    with project_with_ls_context(Language.PYTHON, str(repo_root)) as project:
-        assert project.ls_sync_file_system_changes() == 0
-        # No external edits between the two calls -> still nothing to report.
-        assert project.ls_sync_file_system_changes() == 0