diff --git a/bot_bottle/cli/dashboard.py b/bot_bottle/cli/dashboard.py
index 1b45ff9..a317108 100644
--- a/bot_bottle/cli/dashboard.py
+++ b/bot_bottle/cli/dashboard.py
@@ -368,8 +368,6 @@ def _picker_modal(
     """Modal agent picker. Type to filter; j/k or arrows to
     navigate; Enter to confirm; Esc to abort (first press clears
     filter if any, second press exits)."""
-    if not names:
-        return None
     selected = 0
     query = ""
     while True:
@@ -455,9 +453,13 @@ def _draw_picker_modal(
     list_start_row = 3
     visible_rows = box_h - list_start_row - 1
     if not filtered:
+        empty_message = (
+            "(no agents configured)"
+            if not all_names else "(no agents match filter)"
+        )
         win.addnstr(
             list_start_row, 2,
-            "(no agents match filter)",
+            empty_message,
             box_w - 4, curses.A_DIM,
         )
     else:
@@ -1154,6 +1156,8 @@ def _new_agent_flow(
     names = sorted(manifest.agents.keys())
     picked = _picker_modal(stdscr, names, _running_counts(bottles, agents_now))
     if picked is None:
+        if not names:
+            return "no agents configured; create ~/.bot-bottle/agents/*.md"
         return "agent start aborted"
 
     # Backend picker (issue #77): operator chooses docker /
@@ -1401,8 +1405,10 @@ def _main_loop(stdscr: "curses._CursesWindow") -> None:
 
     def _get_manifest() -> Manifest:
         if manifest_cache[0] is None:
-            manifest_cache[0] = Manifest.resolve(USER_CWD)
+            manifest_cache[0] = Manifest.resolve(USER_CWD, missing_ok=True)
         return manifest_cache[0]
+    if not _get_manifest().bottles and not _get_manifest().agents:
+        status_line = "warning: no bot-bottle config/agents found; new-agent picker is empty"
     # First-tick guard: a brand-new dashboard finds any
     # pre-existing queue entries on its first poll; those
     # shouldn't ring the bell as if they just arrived.
diff --git a/bot_bottle/manifest.py b/bot_bottle/manifest.py
index 220dbe0..619d13e 100644
--- a/bot_bottle/manifest.py
+++ b/bot_bottle/manifest.py
@@ -661,7 +661,7 @@ class Manifest:
     agents: Mapping[str, Agent]
 
     @classmethod
-    def resolve(cls, cwd: str) -> "Manifest":
+    def resolve(cls, cwd: str, *, missing_ok: bool = False) -> "Manifest":
         """Walk the per-file manifest tree and build a Manifest.
 
         Layout (PRD 0011):
@@ -674,6 +674,11 @@ class Manifest:
         warning and ignored — the filesystem layout IS the trust
         boundary.
 
+        If `missing_ok` is true, a missing `$HOME/.bot-bottle/`
+        returns an empty manifest instead of dying. This is for
+        passive UI surfaces like the dashboard, which can still
+        monitor already-running agents without launch config.
+
         If `bot-bottle.json` exists alongside a missing
         `.bot-bottle/` directory at either side, dies with a
         clear pointer at the README's manifest section — the
@@ -689,6 +694,8 @@ class Manifest:
             _check_stale_json(cwd_dir, cwd_md, "$CWD")
 
         if not home_md.is_dir():
+            if missing_ok:
+                return cls.from_json_obj({"bottles": {}, "agents": {}})
             die(
                 f"no manifest found: {home_md} does not exist. "
                 f"See README.md for the per-file Markdown layout "
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_dashboard_active_agents.py b/tests/unit/test_dashboard_active_agents.py
index e285044..209cb8e 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_dashboard_active_agents.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_dashboard_active_agents.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import tempfile
 import unittest
 from pathlib import Path
+from unittest import mock
 
 from bot_bottle import supervise
 from bot_bottle.cli import dashboard
@@ -144,6 +145,18 @@ class TestFilterAgents(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(["beta", "echo"], out)
 
 
+class TestDashboardManifestLoading(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_new_agent_flow_empty_manifest_has_no_picker_entries(self):
+        manifest = dashboard.Manifest.from_json_obj({"bottles": {}, "agents": {}})
+        with mock.patch("bot_bottle.cli.dashboard._picker_modal", return_value=None) as picker:
+            status = dashboard._new_agent_flow(
+                None, manifest, {}, [], tmux_state=None,  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+            )
+        picker.assert_called_once()
+        self.assertEqual([], picker.call_args.args[1])
+        self.assertIn("no agents configured", status)
+
+
 class TestRunningCounts(unittest.TestCase):
     """Per-agent running-count surfaced in the picker so the
     operator sees `(N running)` before picking. Counts come from
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_manifest_md_load.py b/tests/unit/test_manifest_md_load.py
index fa05fab..03c86dc 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_manifest_md_load.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_manifest_md_load.py
@@ -280,6 +280,11 @@ class TestNoManifestDies(_ResolveCase):
         with self.assertRaises(Die):
             self.resolve()
 
+    def test_missing_ok_returns_empty_manifest(self):
+        m = Manifest.resolve(str(self.cwd_root), missing_ok=True)
+        self.assertEqual({}, dict(m.bottles))
+        self.assertEqual({}, dict(m.agents))
+
 
 class TestUnknownBottleReferenceDies(_ResolveCase):
     """An agent file naming a bottle that doesn't exist on disk