diff --git a/site-modules/profile/manifests/swh/deploy/search.pp b/site-modules/profile/manifests/swh/deploy/search.pp
--- a/site-modules/profile/manifests/swh/deploy/search.pp
+++ b/site-modules/profile/manifests/swh/deploy/search.pp
@@ -2,7 +2,24 @@
 class profile::swh::deploy::search {
   include ::profile::swh::deploy::base_search
 
-  Package['python3-swh.search'] ~> Service['gunicorn-swh-search']
+  $package = 'python3-swh.search'
+  $service = 'gunicorn-swh-search'
+  $config_dir = lookup('swh::deploy::base_search::config_directory')
+  $config_path = lookup('swh::deploy::search::conf_file')
+  $upgrade_flag_path = "${config_dir}/swh-search.upgrade"
+
+  Package[$package]
+  ~> exec {'active-initialize':
+    command     => "touch ${upgrade_flag_path}",
+    path        => '/usr/bin',
+    refreshonly => true,
+  }
+  ~> exec { 'swh-search-initialize':
+    command => "swh search --config-file ${config_path} initialize && rm ${upgrade_flag_path}",
+    path    => '/usr/bin',
+    onlyif  => "test -f ${upgrade_flag_path}",
+  }
+  ~> Service[$service]
 
   ::profile::swh::deploy::rpc_server {'search':
     executable => 'swh.search.api.server:make_app_from_configfile()',