diff --git a/examples/ota-requestor-app/linux/main.cpp b/examples/ota-requestor-app/linux/main.cpp
index 08957422a2a15f..640a36d7062979 100644
--- a/examples/ota-requestor-app/linux/main.cpp
+++ b/examples/ota-requestor-app/linux/main.cpp
@@ -87,9 +87,11 @@ static void InitOTARequestor(void)
     // Set the global instance of the OTA requestor core component
     SetRequestorInstance(&gRequestorCore);
 
+    // Periodic query timeout must be set prior to requestor being initialized
+    gRequestorUser.SetPeriodicQueryTimeout(gPeriodicQueryTimeoutSec);
+
     gRequestorCore.Init(&(chip::Server::GetInstance()), &gRequestorUser, &gDownloader);
     gRequestorUser.Init(&gRequestorCore, &gImageProcessor);
-    gRequestorUser.SetPeriodicQueryTimeout(gPeriodicQueryTimeoutSec);
 
     // WARNING: this is probably not realistic to know such details of the image or to even have an OTADownloader instantiated at
     // the beginning of program execution. We're using hardcoded values here for now since this is a reference application.
diff --git a/src/app/clusters/ota-requestor/OTARequestor.h b/src/app/clusters/ota-requestor/OTARequestor.h
index 71a410e6a8b567..599a6b0c2a5ea0 100644
--- a/src/app/clusters/ota-requestor/OTARequestor.h
+++ b/src/app/clusters/ota-requestor/OTARequestor.h
@@ -119,6 +119,9 @@ class OTARequestor : public OTARequestorInterface, public BDXDownloader::StateDe
         percent.SetNull();
         OtaRequestorServerSetUpdateStateProgress(percent);
 
+        // This results in the initial periodic timer kicking off
+        RecordNewUpdateState(OTAUpdateStateEnum::kIdle, OTAChangeReasonEnum::kSuccess);
+
         return chip::DeviceLayer::PlatformMgrImpl().AddEventHandler(OnCommissioningCompleteRequestor,
                                                                     reinterpret_cast<intptr_t>(this));
     }
@@ -299,7 +302,7 @@ class OTARequestor : public OTARequestorInterface, public BDXDownloader::StateDe
     uint32_t mTargetVersion  = 0;
     char mFileDesignatorBuffer[bdx::kMaxFileDesignatorLen];
     CharSpan mFileDesignator;
-    OTAUpdateStateEnum mCurrentUpdateState = OTAUpdateStateEnum::kIdle;
+    OTAUpdateStateEnum mCurrentUpdateState = OTAUpdateStateEnum::kUnknown;
     Server * mServer                       = nullptr;
     chip::Optional<bool> mRequestorCanConsent;
     ProviderLocationList mDefaultOtaProviderList;