diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index f756fad..c03a91a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ For breaking changes, check [here](#breaking-changes).
 
 [Babashka CLI](https://github.com/babashka/cli): turn Clojure functions into CLIs!
 
+## Unreleased
+
+- zsh completion: disable sorting for registered program names to preserve candidate order
+
 ## 0.12.90
 
 - `dispatch`: add `:supplied` to the opts map's `:org.babashka/cli` metadata with the set of option keys given on the command line
diff --git a/src/babashka/cli.cljc b/src/babashka/cli.cljc
index 4d7b9dc..0808394 100644
--- a/src/babashka/cli.cljc
+++ b/src/babashka/cli.cljc
@@ -1754,6 +1754,9 @@
         names-zstyle (str/join "\n"
                                (map #(str "zstyle ':completion:*:*:" % ":*:options' prefix-needed false")
                                     names))
+        names-zsort (str/join "\n"
+                              (map #(str "zstyle ':completion:*:*:" % ":*' sort false")
+                                   names))
         names-nu (str "[" (str/join " " (map #(str "\"" % "\"") names)) "]")]
    (case shell
     :bash (str fn "()
@@ -1841,6 +1844,8 @@ complete -F " fn " " names-sp "
 # zsh hides options until a dash is typed. After a command there is usually
 # nothing else to complete, so opt out for these programs only
 " names-zstyle "
+# show candidates in the order the program emits them
+" names-zsort "
 # register the bare name(s); zsh's _normal completes ./name and /abs/name via the basename
 compdef " fn " " names-sp "
 ")
diff --git a/test/babashka/cli/completion_test.cljc b/test/babashka/cli/completion_test.cljc
index 2427916..64b5bd9 100644
--- a/test/babashka/cli/completion_test.cljc
+++ b/test/babashka/cli/completion_test.cljc
@@ -177,6 +177,12 @@
       (is (str/includes? zsh "zstyle ':completion:*:*:sq:*:options' prefix-needed false"))
       (is (str/includes? zsh "zstyle ':completion:*:*:squint:*:options' prefix-needed false")))))
 
+(deftest zsh-snippet-keeps-order-test
+  (testing "every registered name turns off zsh sorting"
+    (let [zsh (snippet-via-cmd cmd-table {:prog "x"} "zsh" "--prog" "sq" "--prog" "squint")]
+      (is (str/includes? zsh "zstyle ':completion:*:*:sq:*' sort false"))
+      (is (str/includes? zsh "zstyle ':completion:*:*:squint:*' sort false")))))
+
 (defn- complete-out
   "Run the completion handler for `cmdline` and return its emitted
   `value\\tdescription` lines as a set of strings."
diff --git a/test/resources/completion/completion.zsh b/test/resources/completion/completion.zsh
index e8c8bb2..2b881f8 100644
--- a/test/resources/completion/completion.zsh
+++ b/test/resources/completion/completion.zsh
@@ -35,5 +35,7 @@ _babashka_cli_complete_myprogram() {
 # zsh hides options until a dash is typed. After a command there is usually
 # nothing else to complete, so opt out for these programs only
 zstyle ':completion:*:*:myprogram:*:options' prefix-needed false
+# show candidates in the order the program emits them
+zstyle ':completion:*:*:myprogram:*' sort false
 # register the bare name(s); zsh's _normal completes ./name and /abs/name via the basename
 compdef _babashka_cli_complete_myprogram myprogram