diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/ChatBubbleTeardrop.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/ChatBubbleTeardrop.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..34ff5c7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/ChatBubbleTeardrop.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import React from 'react';
+
+// Custom near-circular speech bubble with a teardrop tail at the
+// bottom-left. The bubble body is a rounded square with corner radius
+// ~half the body size, so it reads as a circle. Matches Image #57; MUI
+// rounded chat glyphs either fill the bubble or omit the tail.
+export default function ChatBubbleTeardrop(props: { sx?: { fontSize?: number } }) {
+  const size = props.sx?.fontSize ?? 18;
+  return (
+    <svg
+      width={size} height={size} viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+      fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth={2}
+      strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round"
+      style={{ display: 'block' }}
+    >
+      <path d="M 8 3 H 16 A 5 5 0 0 1 21 8 V 13 A 5 5 0 0 1 16 18 H 11 L 6 22 L 8 18 A 5 5 0 0 1 3 13 V 8 A 5 5 0 0 1 8 3 Z" />
+    </svg>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/DashboardToolbar.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/DashboardToolbar.tsx
index 604ecfad..2ba753c9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/DashboardToolbar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/DashboardToolbar.tsx
@@ -9,23 +9,8 @@ import { styled } from '@mui/material/styles';
 import AddRounded from '@mui/icons-material/AddRounded';
 import HistoryRounded from '@mui/icons-material/HistoryRounded';
 
-// Custom near-circular speech bubble with a teardrop tail at the
-// bottom-left. The bubble body is a rounded square with corner radius
-// ~half the body size, so it reads as a circle. Matches Image #57; MUI
-// rounded chat glyphs either fill the bubble or omit the tail.
-function ChatBubbleTeardrop(props: { sx?: { fontSize?: number } }) {
-  const size = props.sx?.fontSize ?? 18;
-  return (
-    <svg
-      width={size} height={size} viewBox="0 0 24 24"
-      fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth={2}
-      strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round"
-      style={{ display: 'block' }}
-    >
-      <path d="M 8 3 H 16 A 5 5 0 0 1 21 8 V 13 A 5 5 0 0 1 16 18 H 11 L 6 22 L 8 18 A 5 5 0 0 1 3 13 V 8 A 5 5 0 0 1 8 3 Z" />
-    </svg>
-  );
-}
+import ChatBubbleTeardrop from './ChatBubbleTeardrop';
+
 // Collapsed-row buttons hop up one after another when the toolbar appears.
 const popIn = (i: number) => ({
   animation: `toolbar-pop 0.4s cubic-bezier(0.2, 1.4, 0.4, 1) ${i * 55}ms both`,
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardEmptyState.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardEmptyState.tsx
index 749f9343..e59c8492 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardEmptyState.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardEmptyState.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import React from 'react';
 import Box from '@mui/material/Box';
 import Typography from '@mui/material/Typography';
 import type { ClaudeTokens } from '@/shared/styles/claudeTokens';
+import ChatBubbleTeardrop from '../ChatBubbleTeardrop';
 
 const DashboardEmptyState: React.FC<{ c: ClaudeTokens }> = ({ c }) => (
   <Box
@@ -22,6 +23,9 @@ const DashboardEmptyState: React.FC<{ c: ClaudeTokens }> = ({ c }) => (
     <Typography
       sx={{
         fontSize: '0.9rem',
+        display: 'inline-flex',
+        alignItems: 'center',
+        gap: 0.7,
         background: `linear-gradient(90deg, ${c.text.ghost} 0%, ${c.text.ghost} 40%, ${c.text.primary} 50%, ${c.text.ghost} 60%, ${c.text.ghost} 100%)`,
         backgroundSize: '200% 100%',
         WebkitBackgroundClip: 'text',
@@ -31,7 +35,12 @@ const DashboardEmptyState: React.FC<{ c: ClaudeTokens }> = ({ c }) => (
         animation: 'empty-state-shimmer 6s linear infinite',
       }}
     >
-      Click the chat bubble below to launch your first agent
+      Click the
+      {/* Literal toolbar glyph; the shimmer's transparent color would hide it, so reset color here. */}
+      <Box component="span" sx={{ display: 'inline-flex', color: c.text.tertiary }}>
+        <ChatBubbleTeardrop sx={{ fontSize: 15 }} />
+      </Box>
+      below to launch your first agent
     </Typography>
   </Box>
 );