diff --git a/.changeset/fix-direct-dom-prepend-scroll-clamp.md b/.changeset/fix-direct-dom-prepend-scroll-clamp.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..45db6a8d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-direct-dom-prepend-scroll-clamp.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@tanstack/react-virtual': patch
+---
+
+Fix a gap at the top of the list after an end-anchored prepend in `directDomUpdates` mode. The prepend grows the total size and bumps `scrollOffset` to the new bottom in the same pass, but the size container's height was written _after_ `_willUpdate` synced the scroll position — so the browser clamped the `scrollTop` write to the stale (shorter) `scrollHeight`, leaving whitespace at the top until the next scroll. The container is now grown before the scroll sync. Only affected `directDomUpdates` mode (React-rendered sizers receive their height during render).
diff --git a/packages/react-virtual/src/index.tsx b/packages/react-virtual/src/index.tsx
index a78fbdf60..737ad53fc 100644
--- a/packages/react-virtual/src/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-virtual/src/index.tsx
@@ -103,11 +103,15 @@ function useVirtualizerBase<
   directRef.current.enabled = directDomUpdates
   directRef.current.mode = directDomUpdatesMode
 
-  // Writes container size + item positions to the DOM. Idempotent — guarded
-  // by lastSize / lastPositions. Called from onChange (covers scroll-driven
-  // updates) and from a layout effect (covers post-render commits when refs
-  // have just registered new items in elementsCache).
-  const applyDirectStyles = (
+  // Writes the size container's total extent to the DOM. Idempotent — guarded
+  // by lastSize. Split out from applyDirectStyles so it can run *before* the
+  // scroll-position sync in the _willUpdate effect: an end-anchored prepend
+  // grows the total and bumps scrollOffset in the same pass, and if scrollTop
+  // is written before the container has grown the browser clamps it to the
+  // stale (shorter) scrollHeight, leaving a gap at the top until the next
+  // scroll (visible only in directDomUpdates mode — React-rendered sizers get
+  // their height during render).
+  const applyContainerSize = (
     instance: Virtualizer<TScrollElement, TItemElement>,
   ) => {
     const state = directRef.current
@@ -119,6 +123,19 @@ function useVirtualizerBase<
       const sizeAxis = instance.options.horizontal ? 'width' : 'height'
       state.container.style[sizeAxis] = `${totalSize}px`
     }
+  }
+
+  // Writes container size + item positions to the DOM. Idempotent — guarded
+  // by lastSize / lastPositions. Called from onChange (covers scroll-driven
+  // updates) and from a layout effect (covers post-render commits when refs
+  // have just registered new items in elementsCache).
+  const applyDirectStyles = (
+    instance: Virtualizer<TScrollElement, TItemElement>,
+  ) => {
+    const state = directRef.current
+    if (!state.enabled || !state.container) return
+
+    applyContainerSize(instance)
 
     const horizontal = !!instance.options.horizontal
     const useTransform = state.mode === 'transform'
@@ -205,6 +222,13 @@ function useVirtualizerBase<
   }, [])
 
   useIsomorphicLayoutEffect(() => {
+    // Grow the size container to the new total BEFORE _willUpdate syncs the
+    // scroll position. On an end-anchored prepend the scroll target lands at
+    // the new bottom; if the container is still at its old (shorter) height the
+    // browser clamps the scrollTop write and the list is left with a gap at the
+    // top until the next scroll. Positions are written afterwards by the
+    // applyDirectStyles effect below.
+    applyContainerSize(instance)
     return instance._willUpdate()
   })