--- a/toolkit/components/console/hudservice/HUDService.jsm
+++ b/toolkit/components/console/hudservice/HUDService.jsm
@@ -1517,16 +1517,17 @@ function HeadsUpDisplay(aConfig)
 
   if (aConfig.consoleOnly) {
     this.HUDBox = aConfig.hudNode;
     this.parentNode = aConfig.hudNode.parentNode;
     this.notificationBox = this.parentNode;
     this.contentWindow = aConfig.contentWindow;
     this.uriSpec = aConfig.contentWindow.location.href;
     this.reattachConsole();
+    this.jsterm.inputNode.focus();
     return;
   }
 
   this.HUDBox = null;
 
   if (aConfig.parentNode) {
     // TODO: need to replace these DOM calls with internal functions
     // that operate on each application's node structure
@@ -1622,16 +1623,17 @@ function HeadsUpDisplay(aConfig)
 
   let console = this.createConsole();
 
   this.contentWindow.wrappedJSObject.console = console;
 
   // create the JSTerm input element
   try {
     this.createConsoleInput(this.contentWindow, this.consoleWrap, this.outputNode);
+    this.jsterm.inputNode.focus();
   }
   catch (ex) {
     Cu.reportError(ex);
   }
 }
 
 HeadsUpDisplay.prototype = {
   /**