diff --git a/ui/src/App.tsx b/ui/src/App.tsx
index 340ebdc0..5d7f2ceb 100644
--- a/ui/src/App.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/App.tsx
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ function NoCompaniesStartPage() {
           Get started by creating a company.
         </p>
         <div className="mt-4">
-          <Button onClick={openOnboarding}>New Company</Button>
+          <Button onClick={() => openOnboarding()}>New Company</Button>
         </div>
       </div>
       <OnboardingWizard />
diff --git a/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.tsx b/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.tsx
index 60bcd85f..b7c49f53 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/OnboardingWizard.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useState } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useNavigate } from "react-router-dom";
 import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { useDialog } from "../context/DialogContext";
@@ -48,12 +48,15 @@ const DEFAULT_TASK_DESCRIPTION = `Setup yourself as the CEO. Use the ceo persona
 Ensure you have a folder agents/ceo and then download this AGENTS.md as well as the sibling HEARTBEAT.md, SOUL.md, and TOOLS.md. and set that AGENTS.md as the path to your agents instruction file`;
 
 export function OnboardingWizard() {
-  const { onboardingOpen, closeOnboarding } = useDialog();
-  const { setSelectedCompanyId } = useCompany();
+  const { onboardingOpen, onboardingOptions, closeOnboarding } = useDialog();
+  const { selectedCompanyId, companies, setSelectedCompanyId } = useCompany();
   const queryClient = useQueryClient();
   const navigate = useNavigate();
 
-  const [step, setStep] = useState<Step>(1);
+  const initialStep = onboardingOptions.initialStep ?? 1;
+  const existingCompanyId = onboardingOptions.companyId;
+
+  const [step, setStep] = useState<Step>(initialStep);
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
   const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [modelOpen, setModelOpen] = useState(false);
@@ -75,12 +78,25 @@ export function OnboardingWizard() {
   const [taskTitle, setTaskTitle] = useState("Create your CEO HEARTBEAT.md");
   const [taskDescription, setTaskDescription] = useState(DEFAULT_TASK_DESCRIPTION);
 
-  // Created entity IDs
-  const [createdCompanyId, setCreatedCompanyId] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  // Created entity IDs — pre-populate from existing company when skipping step 1
+  const [createdCompanyId, setCreatedCompanyId] = useState<string | null>(existingCompanyId ?? null);
   const [createdCompanyPrefix, setCreatedCompanyPrefix] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [createdAgentId, setCreatedAgentId] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [createdIssueRef, setCreatedIssueRef] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
+  // Sync step and company when onboarding opens with options
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (onboardingOpen) {
+      const cId = onboardingOptions.companyId ?? null;
+      setStep(onboardingOptions.initialStep ?? 1);
+      setCreatedCompanyId(cId);
+      if (cId) {
+        const company = companies.find((c) => c.id === cId);
+        if (company) setCreatedCompanyPrefix(company.issuePrefix);
+      }
+    }
+  }, [onboardingOpen, onboardingOptions, companies]);
+
   const { data: adapterModels } = useQuery({
     queryKey: ["adapter-models", adapterType],
     queryFn: () => agentsApi.adapterModels(adapterType),
@@ -634,7 +650,7 @@ export function OnboardingWizard() {
               {/* Footer navigation */}
               <div className="flex items-center justify-between mt-8">
                 <div>
-                  {step > 1 && (
+                  {step > 1 && step > (onboardingOptions.initialStep ?? 1) && (
                     <Button
                       variant="ghost"
                       size="sm"
diff --git a/ui/src/context/DialogContext.tsx b/ui/src/context/DialogContext.tsx
index e0a98539..b21e6b8a 100644
--- a/ui/src/context/DialogContext.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/context/DialogContext.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,11 @@ interface NewGoalDefaults {
   parentId?: string;
 }
 
+interface OnboardingOptions {
+  initialStep?: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4;
+  companyId?: string;
+}
+
 interface DialogContextValue {
   newIssueOpen: boolean;
   newIssueDefaults: NewIssueDefaults;
@@ -27,7 +32,8 @@ interface DialogContextValue {
   openNewAgent: () => void;
   closeNewAgent: () => void;
   onboardingOpen: boolean;
-  openOnboarding: () => void;
+  onboardingOptions: OnboardingOptions;
+  openOnboarding: (options?: OnboardingOptions) => void;
   closeOnboarding: () => void;
 }
 
@@ -41,6 +47,7 @@ export function DialogProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
   const [newGoalDefaults, setNewGoalDefaults] = useState<NewGoalDefaults>({});
   const [newAgentOpen, setNewAgentOpen] = useState(false);
   const [onboardingOpen, setOnboardingOpen] = useState(false);
+  const [onboardingOptions, setOnboardingOptions] = useState<OnboardingOptions>({});
 
   const openNewIssue = useCallback((defaults: NewIssueDefaults = {}) => {
     setNewIssueDefaults(defaults);
@@ -78,12 +85,14 @@ export function DialogProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
     setNewAgentOpen(false);
   }, []);
 
-  const openOnboarding = useCallback(() => {
+  const openOnboarding = useCallback((options: OnboardingOptions = {}) => {
+    setOnboardingOptions(options);
     setOnboardingOpen(true);
   }, []);
 
   const closeOnboarding = useCallback(() => {
     setOnboardingOpen(false);
+    setOnboardingOptions({});
   }, []);
 
   return (
@@ -104,6 +113,7 @@ export function DialogProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
         openNewAgent,
         closeNewAgent,
         onboardingOpen,
+        onboardingOptions,
         openOnboarding,
         closeOnboarding,
       }}
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/Companies.tsx b/ui/src/pages/Companies.tsx
index f5e02f32..e00c25db 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/Companies.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/pages/Companies.tsx
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ export function Companies() {
   return (
     <div className="space-y-6">
       <div className="flex items-center justify-end">
-        <Button size="sm" onClick={openOnboarding}>
+        <Button size="sm" onClick={() => openOnboarding()}>
           <Plus className="h-3.5 w-3.5 mr-1.5" />
           New Company
         </Button>
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/Dashboard.tsx b/ui/src/pages/Dashboard.tsx
index f4ae5cd0..823d57df 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/Dashboard.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/pages/Dashboard.tsx
@@ -182,10 +182,29 @@ export function Dashboard() {
     return <PageSkeleton variant="dashboard" />;
   }
 
+  const hasNoAgents = agents !== undefined && agents.length === 0;
+
   return (
     <div className="space-y-6">
       {error && <p className="text-sm text-destructive">{error.message}</p>}
 
+      {hasNoAgents && (
+        <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-3 rounded-md border border-amber-300 bg-amber-50 px-4 py-3 dark:border-amber-500/25 dark:bg-amber-950/60">
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-2.5">
+            <Bot className="h-4 w-4 text-amber-600 dark:text-amber-400 shrink-0" />
+            <p className="text-sm text-amber-900 dark:text-amber-100">
+              You have no agents.
+            </p>
+          </div>
+          <button
+            onClick={() => openOnboarding({ initialStep: 2, companyId: selectedCompanyId! })}
+            className="text-sm font-medium text-amber-700 hover:text-amber-900 dark:text-amber-300 dark:hover:text-amber-100 underline underline-offset-2 shrink-0"
+          >
+            Create one here
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
       <ActiveAgentsPanel companyId={selectedCompanyId!} />
 
       {data && (