diff --git a/src/components/CollaborativeEditor.vue b/src/components/CollaborativeEditor.vue
index da0b2f86d22..c2a01092ada 100644
--- a/src/components/CollaborativeEditor.vue
+++ b/src/components/CollaborativeEditor.vue
@@ -652,6 +652,7 @@ export default defineComponent({
 					})
 					setInitialYjsState(this.ydoc, content, {
 						isRichEditor: this.isRichEditor,
+						origin: this.syncProvider,
 					})
 				}
 			})
diff --git a/src/helpers/setInitialYjsState.ts b/src/helpers/setInitialYjsState.ts
index 543dbe3ddc6..b71928bd144 100644
--- a/src/helpers/setInitialYjsState.ts
+++ b/src/helpers/setInitialYjsState.ts
@@ -17,11 +17,14 @@ import markdownit from '../markdownit/index.js'
  * @param content desired content of the final document
  * @param options options
  * @param options.isRichEditor use a rich editor for the content
+ * @param options.origin origin of the update, e.g. the sync provider.
+ * Pass the sync provider to mark the initial state as received from the server
+ * so it does not count as local changes that need to be pushed and saved.
  */
 export function setInitialYjsState(
 	ydoc: Doc,
 	content: string,
-	{ isRichEditor }: { isRichEditor: boolean },
+	{ isRichEditor, origin }: { isRichEditor: boolean, origin?: unknown },
 ) {
 	const html = isRichEditor
 		? markdownit.render(content) + '<p/>'
@@ -54,5 +57,5 @@ export function setInitialYjsState(
 	}
 
 	const baseUpdate = encodeStateAsUpdate(getBaseDoc(node))
-	applyUpdate(ydoc, baseUpdate)
+	applyUpdate(ydoc, baseUpdate, origin)
 }
diff --git a/src/tests/helpers/setInitialYjsState.spec.ts b/src/tests/helpers/setInitialYjsState.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8a45907784f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/helpers/setInitialYjsState.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+/**
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Nextcloud GmbH and Nextcloud contributors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+ */
+
+import type { Mock } from 'vitest'
+
+import * as decoding from 'lib0/decoding'
+import * as encoding from 'lib0/encoding'
+import mitt from 'mitt'
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import * as syncProtocol from 'y-protocols/sync'
+import * as Y from 'yjs'
+import { encodeArrayBuffer } from '../../helpers/base64.ts'
+import { setInitialYjsState } from '../../helpers/setInitialYjsState.ts'
+import initWebSocketPolyfill from '../../services/WebSocketPolyfill.ts'
+import { messageSync, WebsocketProvider } from '../../services/y-websocket.js'
+
+describe('setInitialYjsState', () => {
+	it('applies the content to the ydoc', () => {
+		const ydoc = new Y.Doc()
+		setInitialYjsState(ydoc, '# Hello world', { isRichEditor: true })
+		expect(ydoc.getXmlFragment('default').length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+	})
+
+	it('passes the given origin to the update', () => {
+		const ydoc = new Y.Doc()
+		const origin = { iAmTheOrigin: true }
+		const updateHandler = vi.fn()
+		ydoc.on('update', updateHandler)
+		setInitialYjsState(ydoc, '# Hello world', { isRichEditor: true, origin })
+		expect(updateHandler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+		expect(updateHandler.mock.calls[0][1]).toBe(origin)
+	})
+
+	describe('with the sync provider as origin', () => {
+		// Sync update messages sort between 'AAE' and 'AQ' in base64,
+		// matching the classification in Outbox.storeStep.
+		const isSyncUpdate = (step: Uint8Array) => {
+			const encoded = encodeArrayBuffer(step)
+			return encoded >= 'AAE' && encoded < 'AQ'
+		}
+
+		const setupProvider = async (ydoc: Y.Doc) => {
+			const syncService = {
+				bus: mitt(),
+				open: vi.fn(async () => ({})),
+				hasActiveConnection: vi.fn(() => true),
+				sendStep: vi.fn(),
+				version: -1,
+			}
+			const WebSocketPolyfill = initWebSocketPolyfill(
+				syncService as any,
+				123,
+			)
+			const provider = new WebsocketProvider(
+				'ws://localhost:1234',
+				'file:123',
+				ydoc,
+				{ WebSocketPolyfill: WebSocketPolyfill as any, disableBc: true },
+			)
+			// wait for the deferred onopen call of the polyfill
+			await vi.waitUntil(() => provider.wsconnected)
+			const sentSyncUpdates = () => (syncService.sendStep as Mock).mock.calls
+				.map(([step]) => step)
+				.filter(isSyncUpdate)
+			return { provider, sentSyncUpdates }
+		}
+
+		it('does not send the initial state as a step', async () => {
+			const ydoc = new Y.Doc()
+			const { provider, sentSyncUpdates } = await setupProvider(ydoc)
+			setInitialYjsState(ydoc, '# Hello world', {
+				isRichEditor: true,
+				origin: provider,
+			})
+			expect(sentSyncUpdates()).toHaveLength(0)
+		})
+
+		it('sends the initial state along with later local changes', async () => {
+			const ydoc = new Y.Doc()
+			const { provider, sentSyncUpdates } = await setupProvider(ydoc)
+			setInitialYjsState(ydoc, '# Hello world', {
+				isRichEditor: true,
+				origin: provider,
+			})
+			// a local change without origin - as caused by user edits
+			const paragraph = new Y.XmlElement('paragraph')
+			paragraph.insert(0, [new Y.XmlText('typed later')])
+			ydoc.getXmlFragment('default').insert(0, [paragraph])
+			const sent = sentSyncUpdates()
+			expect(sent).toHaveLength(1)
+			// the sent update also contains the initial state
+			const receiving = new Y.Doc()
+			const decoder = decoding.createDecoder(sent[0])
+			expect(decoding.readVarUint(decoder)).toBe(messageSync)
+			syncProtocol.readSyncMessage(
+				decoder,
+				encoding.createEncoder(),
+				receiving,
+				'test',
+			)
+			const received = receiving.getXmlFragment('default').toJSON()
+			expect(received).toContain('Hello world')
+			expect(received).toContain('typed later')
+		})
+
+		it('sends the initial state as a step without an origin', async () => {
+			const ydoc = new Y.Doc()
+			const { sentSyncUpdates } = await setupProvider(ydoc)
+			setInitialYjsState(ydoc, '# Hello world', { isRichEditor: true })
+			expect(sentSyncUpdates()).toHaveLength(1)
+		})
+	})
+})