diff --git a/cmd/meta.go b/cmd/meta.go
index 8bbed88..b7753d8 100644
--- a/cmd/meta.go
+++ b/cmd/meta.go
@@ -20,11 +20,13 @@ var pushMetaCmd = &cobra.Command{
 var pullMetaCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	Use:   "pull-meta",
 	Short: "Pull and merge stackr metadata from the remote",
-	Long:  "Fetches the shared branch graph, config, and PR metadata from the remote and merges with local state.",
+	Long: "Fetches the shared branch graph, config, and PR metadata from the remote and merges with local state.\n\n" +
+		"Works in an uninitialized clone too: git does not fetch stackr's metadata ref, so this is how a " +
+		"fresh clone of an sr-managed repo bootstraps itself.",
 	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-		if err := ctx.RequireInit(); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
+		// Deliberately no RequireInit: pull-meta is the way OUT of the
+		// uninitialized state for a fresh clone, so gating it on being
+		// initialized would be a bootstrap catch-22.
 		return engine.PullMeta(ctx)
 	},
 }
diff --git a/internal/engine/meta.go b/internal/engine/meta.go
index 5f1f4b7..429493f 100644
--- a/internal/engine/meta.go
+++ b/internal/engine/meta.go
@@ -30,21 +30,43 @@ func PushMeta(c *context.Context) error {
 }
 
 // PullMeta fetches stackr metadata from the remote and merges.
+//
+// It deliberately works in an uninitialized clone: git does not fetch custom
+// refs, so a fresh clone of an sr-managed repo has no local metadata — and the
+// config naming the remote lives inside that metadata. Bootstrapping therefore
+// resolves the remote from the repo itself: the sole configured remote when
+// unambiguous, else "origin".
 func PullMeta(c *context.Context) error {
 	rs, ok := c.Store.(*store.RefStore)
 	if !ok {
 		return fmt.Errorf("metadata pull requires ref-based store — run `sr migrate` to upgrade")
 	}
-	cfg, err := c.Store.ReadConfig()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+
+	remote := "origin"
+	if rs.Exists() {
+		cfg, err := c.Store.ReadConfig()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		remote = cfg.Remote
+	} else if remotes, err := c.Git.ListRemotes(); err == nil && len(remotes) == 1 {
+		remote = remotes[0]
 	}
+
 	if !c.Quiet {
-		fmt.Printf("Pulling stackr metadata from %s...\n", cfg.Remote)
+		fmt.Printf("Pulling stackr metadata from %s...\n", remote)
 	}
-	if err := rs.Pull(cfg.Remote); err != nil {
+	if err := rs.Pull(remote); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to pull metadata: %w", err)
 	}
+	if !rs.Exists() {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s has no stackr metadata — run `sr init` to start fresh", remote)
+	}
+	// A bootstrap pull adopted shared state but never ran init; create the
+	// local scaffolding (undo/rollback dirs) the rest of stackr expects.
+	if err := rs.Init(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	if !c.Quiet {
 		fmt.Println("Metadata synced")
 	}
diff --git a/internal/engine/meta_test.go b/internal/engine/meta_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..76fa1ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/engine/meta_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/context"
+	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/git"
+	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/graph"
+	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/store"
+)
+
+// setupSeededRemote creates a bare remote holding stackr metadata (as if a
+// collaborator initialized and pushed), plus a fresh clone that — like every
+// real clone — has no refs/stackr/data and no .stackr dir.
+func setupSeededRemote(t *testing.T) (fresh *context.Context) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	remoteDir := t.TempDir()
+	remote := &git.Runner{Dir: remoteDir}
+	if _, err := remote.RunGitCapture("init", "--bare"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git init bare: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Seeder clone: initialize metadata and push it.
+	seedDir := t.TempDir()
+	seeder := &git.Runner{Dir: seedDir}
+	if _, err := seeder.RunGitCapture("clone", remoteDir, "."); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("clone seeder: %v", err)
+	}
+	seeder.RunGitCapture("config", "user.email", "seed@test.com")
+	seeder.RunGitCapture("config", "user.name", "Seeder")
+	seedGitDir, _ := seeder.GitCommonDir()
+	seedStore := store.NewRefStore(seeder, seedGitDir)
+	if err := seedStore.WriteConfig(&store.Config{Trunk: "main", Remote: "origin"}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed WriteConfig: %v", err)
+	}
+	g := graph.New()
+	g.AddTrunk("main", "aaa")
+	g.AddBranch("feat-a", "main", "aaa", "bbb")
+	if err := seedStore.WriteGraph(g); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed WriteGraph: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := seedStore.Push("origin"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed Push: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Fresh clone: what a new collaborator actually has.
+	freshDir := t.TempDir()
+	runner := &git.Runner{Dir: freshDir}
+	if _, err := runner.RunGitCapture("clone", remoteDir, "."); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("clone fresh: %v", err)
+	}
+	runner.RunGitCapture("config", "user.email", "new@test.com")
+	runner.RunGitCapture("config", "user.name", "Newcomer")
+	gitDir, _ := runner.GitCommonDir()
+
+	return &context.Context{
+		Git:   runner,
+		Store: store.NewRefStore(runner, gitDir),
+		Quiet: true,
+	}
+}
+
+// A fresh clone of an sr-managed repo must be able to bootstrap itself with
+// pull-meta alone — requiring init first was a catch-22, and running init
+// would shadow the shared graph with a blank one.
+func TestPullMeta_BootstrapsUninitializedClone(t *testing.T) {
+	c := setupSeededRemote(t)
+
+	if c.Store.Exists() {
+		t.Fatal("precondition: fresh clone must start uninitialized")
+	}
+
+	if err := PullMeta(c); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("PullMeta on uninitialized clone: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if !c.Store.Exists() {
+		t.Fatal("store must exist after bootstrap pull")
+	}
+	g, err := c.Store.ReadGraph()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ReadGraph after bootstrap: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !g.Has("main") || !g.Has("feat-a") {
+		t.Fatalf("shared graph not adopted; branches: %v", g.Branches)
+	}
+	cfg, err := c.Store.ReadConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ReadConfig after bootstrap: %v", err)
+	}
+	if cfg.Trunk != "main" {
+		t.Fatalf("trunk = %q, want main", cfg.Trunk)
+	}
+	// Local scaffolding (undo/rollback) must exist too — pull replaces init.
+	if rs, ok := c.Store.(*store.RefStore); ok {
+		if !rs.Exists() {
+			t.Fatal("RefStore.Exists false after bootstrap")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// A clone whose remote has no stackr metadata cannot bootstrap; pull-meta must
+// say so and point at sr init instead of reporting a silent success.
+func TestPullMeta_UninitializedWithEmptyRemoteErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	remoteDir := t.TempDir()
+	remote := &git.Runner{Dir: remoteDir}
+	if _, err := remote.RunGitCapture("init", "--bare"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git init bare: %v", err)
+	}
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	runner := &git.Runner{Dir: dir}
+	if _, err := runner.RunGitCapture("clone", remoteDir, "."); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("clone: %v", err)
+	}
+	gitDir, _ := runner.GitCommonDir()
+	c := &context.Context{
+		Git:   runner,
+		Store: store.NewRefStore(runner, gitDir),
+		Quiet: true,
+	}
+
+	err := PullMeta(c)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("PullMeta must fail when neither clone nor remote has metadata")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "sr init") {
+		t.Fatalf("error should point at sr init, got: %v", err)
+	}
+	if c.Store.Exists() {
+		t.Fatal("failed bootstrap must not leave a half-initialized store")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/errors/errors.go b/internal/errors/errors.go
index 9677a20..784a134 100644
--- a/internal/errors/errors.go
+++ b/internal/errors/errors.go
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ import (
 // Sentinel errors for common failure modes.
 var (
 	ErrNotARepo       = errors.New("not a git repository")
-	ErrNotInitialized = errors.New("stackr not initialized — run `sr init`")
+	ErrNotInitialized = errors.New("stackr not initialized — run `sr init` " +
+		"(or `sr pull-meta` if this repo already uses stackr: fresh clones don't fetch its metadata ref)")
 	ErrDirtyWorktree  = errors.New("working tree has uncommitted changes")
 	ErrOnTrunk        = errors.New("cannot perform this operation on the trunk branch")
 	ErrBranchNotFound = errors.New("branch not found in stack graph")