diff --git a/docs/components/content/examples/SelectMenuExampleSearchQuery.vue b/docs/components/content/examples/SelectMenuExampleSearchQuery.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..db05eafb21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/components/content/examples/SelectMenuExampleSearchQuery.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<script setup>
+const people = ['Wade Cooper', 'Arlene Mccoy', 'Devon Webb', 'Tom Cook', 'Tanya Fox', 'Hellen Schmidt', 'Caroline Schultz', 'Mason Heaney', 'Claudie Smitham', 'Emil Schaefer']
+
+const selected = ref()
+const query = ref('Wade')
+</script>
+
+<template>
+  <USelectMenu
+    v-model="selected"
+    v-model:query="query"
+    :options="people"
+    placeholder="Select a person"
+    searchable
+  />
+</template>
diff --git a/docs/content/3.forms/4.select-menu.md b/docs/content/3.forms/4.select-menu.md
index c31451b918..62029af8fe 100644
--- a/docs/content/3.forms/4.select-menu.md
+++ b/docs/content/3.forms/4.select-menu.md
@@ -146,6 +146,18 @@ componentProps:
 ---
 ::
 
+### Control the query :u-badge{label="New" class="align-middle ml-2 !rounded-full" variant="subtle"}
+
+Use a `v-model:query` to control the search query.
+
+::component-example
+---
+component: 'select-menu-example-search-query'
+componentProps:
+  class: 'w-full lg:w-48'
+---
+::
+
 ## Creatable
 
 Use the `creatable` prop to enable the creation of new options when the search doesn't return any results (only works with `searchable`).
diff --git a/src/runtime/components/forms/SelectMenu.vue b/src/runtime/components/forms/SelectMenu.vue
index e87abcab96..f68a0465c5 100644
--- a/src/runtime/components/forms/SelectMenu.vue
+++ b/src/runtime/components/forms/SelectMenu.vue
@@ -58,14 +58,13 @@
           <component :is="searchable ? 'HComboboxOptions' : 'HListboxOptions'" static :class="[uiMenu.base, uiMenu.ring, uiMenu.rounded, uiMenu.shadow, uiMenu.background, uiMenu.padding, uiMenu.height]">
             <HComboboxInput
               v-if="searchable"
-              ref="searchInput"
               :display-value="() => query"
               name="q"
               :placeholder="searchablePlaceholder"
               autofocus
               autocomplete="off"
               :class="uiMenu.input"
-              @change="query = $event.target.value"
+              @change="onChange"
             />
             <component
               :is="searchable ? 'HComboboxOption' : 'HListboxOption'"
@@ -126,7 +125,7 @@
 
 <script lang="ts">
 import { ref, computed, toRef, watch, defineComponent } from 'vue'
-import type { PropType, ComponentPublicInstance } from 'vue'
+import type { PropType } from 'vue'
 import {
   Combobox as HCombobox,
   ComboboxButton as HComboboxButton,
@@ -177,6 +176,10 @@ export default defineComponent({
       type: [String, Number, Object, Array],
       default: ''
     },
+    query: {
+      type: String,
+      default: null
+    },
     by: {
       type: String,
       default: undefined
@@ -326,7 +329,7 @@ export default defineComponent({
       default: () => ({})
     }
   },
-  emits: ['update:modelValue', 'open', 'close', 'change'],
+  emits: ['update:modelValue', 'update:query', 'open', 'close', 'change'],
   setup (props, { emit, slots }) {
     const { ui, attrs } = useUI('select', toRef(props, 'ui'), config, toRef(props, 'class'))
 
@@ -341,8 +344,16 @@ export default defineComponent({
 
     const size = computed(() => sizeButtonGroup.value || sizeFormGroup.value)
 
-    const query = ref('')
-    const searchInput = ref<ComponentPublicInstance<HTMLElement>>()
+    const internalQuery = ref('')
+    const query = computed({
+      get () {
+        return props.query ?? internalQuery.value
+      },
+      set (value) {
+        internalQuery.value = value
+        emit('update:query', value)
+      }
+    })
 
     const selectClass = computed(() => {
       const variant = ui.value.color?.[color.value as string]?.[props.variant as string] || ui.value.variant[props.variant]
@@ -476,17 +487,15 @@ export default defineComponent({
     })
 
     function onUpdate (event: any) {
-      if (query.value && searchInput.value?.$el) {
-        query.value = ''
-        // explicitly set input text because `ComboboxInput` `displayValue` is not reactive
-        searchInput.value.$el.value = ''
-      }
-
       emit('update:modelValue', event)
       emit('change', event)
       emitFormChange()
     }
 
+    function onChange (event: any) {
+      query.value = event.target.value
+    }
+
     return {
       // eslint-disable-next-line vue/no-dupe-keys
       ui,
@@ -512,8 +521,10 @@ export default defineComponent({
       trailingWrapperIconClass,
       filteredOptions,
       createOption,
+      // eslint-disable-next-line vue/no-dupe-keys
       query,
-      onUpdate
+      onUpdate,
+      onChange
     }
   }
 })