diff --git a/python/grass/app/runtime.py b/python/grass/app/runtime.py
index 110013f69cb..98adf465564 100644
--- a/python/grass/app/runtime.py
+++ b/python/grass/app/runtime.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 """
 
 import collections
+import ctypes
 import os
 import shutil
 import subprocess
@@ -329,6 +330,44 @@ def set_dynamic_library_path(variable_name, install_path, env):
     env[variable_name] += os.pathsep + os.path.join(install_path, "lib")
 
 
+def preload_dynamic_libraries(install_path):
+    """Load GRASS dynamic libraries into the current process.
+
+    The dynamic linker reads the library search path variable (set by
+    :func:`set_dynamic_library_path`) only at process startup, so setting it
+    in an already running process is not enough for the GRASS libraries to
+    find each other when a library is loaded later, e.g., through
+    :mod:`grass.lib`. Loading the libraries here by their full path works
+    around that because the dynamic linker resolves dependencies of any
+    library loaded later against the already loaded ones.
+
+    Libraries can be loaded only after the libraries they depend on, so
+    loading is repeated until it makes no progress. Libraries which never
+    load, e.g., due to a missing optional system dependency, are silently
+    skipped; importing the corresponding :mod:`grass.lib` module fails
+    either way.
+
+    On Windows, this is not needed because the loading of DLLs is driven by
+    directories from PATH, which is read when the DLL is loaded.
+    """
+    if WINDOWS:
+        return
+    lib_path = Path(install_path) / "lib"
+    remaining = sorted(lib_path.glob("libgrass_*.so")) + sorted(
+        lib_path.glob("libgrass_*.dylib")
+    )
+    while remaining:
+        failed = []
+        for library in remaining:
+            try:
+                ctypes.CDLL(str(library))
+            except OSError:
+                failed.append(library)
+        if len(failed) == len(remaining):
+            break
+        remaining = failed
+
+
 def set_python_path_variable(install_path, env):
     """Set PYTHONPATH to find GRASS Python package in subprocesses"""
     path = env.get("PYTHONPATH")
diff --git a/python/grass/script/setup.py b/python/grass/script/setup.py
index 454bbe5d0e2..e26e6118d54 100644
--- a/python/grass/script/setup.py
+++ b/python/grass/script/setup.py
@@ -214,6 +214,7 @@ def setup_runtime_env(gisbase=None, *, env=None):
     """
     from grass.app.runtime import (
         get_grass_config_dir,
+        preload_dynamic_libraries,
         set_dynamic_library_path,
         set_executable_paths,
         set_path_to_python_executable,
@@ -252,6 +253,9 @@ def setup_runtime_env(gisbase=None, *, env=None):
     set_dynamic_library_path(
         variable_name=runtime_paths.ld_library_path_var, install_path=gisbase, env=env
     )
+    # The variable set above applies only to newly started processes, so load
+    # the libraries into the current process for ctypes-based interfaces.
+    preload_dynamic_libraries(install_path=gisbase)
     set_python_path_variable(install_path=gisbase, env=env)
     set_path_to_python_executable(env=env)
 
@@ -305,10 +309,10 @@ def init(
     standard main executable grass. No GRASS modules shall be called before
     call of this function but any module or user script can be called
     afterwards because a GRASS session has been set up. GRASS Python
-    libraries are usable as well in general but the ones using C
-    libraries through ``ctypes`` are not (which is caused by library
-    path not being updated for the current process which is a common
-    operating system limitation).
+    libraries are usable as well, including the ones using C libraries
+    through ``ctypes`` (``grass.lib``) which work because the C libraries
+    are loaded into the current process (operating systems don't apply
+    a modified library search path to an already running process).
 
     When the path or specified mapset does not exist, ValueError is raised.
 
diff --git a/python/grass/script/tests/grass_script_setup_test.py b/python/grass/script/tests/grass_script_setup_test.py
index 454ee04d736..2bb216b3ec2 100644
--- a/python/grass/script/tests/grass_script_setup_test.py
+++ b/python/grass/script/tests/grass_script_setup_test.py
@@ -204,6 +204,33 @@ def test_init_finish_global_functions_runtime_persists(tmp_path):
     assert result["region_data"]["crs"]["type"] == "xy"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("mock_no_session")
+def test_init_makes_ctypes_libraries_loadable(tmp_path):
+    """Check that grass.lib imports work after init in the global environment.
+
+    The subprocess is started without the dynamic library search path variable,
+    so importing grass.lib works only if init loads the GRASS libraries
+    into the process.
+    """
+    project = tmp_path / "test"
+    code = f"""
+        import json
+        import grass.script as gs
+
+        gs.create_project(r"{project}")
+        with gs.setup.init(r"{project}"):
+            import grass.lib.gis as libgis
+
+            libgis.G_gisinit("test")
+        print(json.dumps({{"gis_init_worked": True}}))
+    """
+    env = os.environ.copy()
+    env.pop("LD_LIBRARY_PATH", None)
+    env.pop("DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH", None)
+    result = run_in_subprocess(code, tmp_path=tmp_path, env=env)
+    assert result["gis_init_worked"]
+
+
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("mock_no_session")
 def test_init_finish_global_functions_set_environment(tmp_path):
     """Check that init and finish global functions work with global env.