diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardEmptyState.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardEmptyState.tsx
index f60e6a84..afa4561c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardEmptyState.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardEmptyState.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import Box from '@mui/material/Box';
 import Typography from '@mui/material/Typography';
+import { motion, AnimatePresence } from 'framer-motion';
+import { Search, Hammer, PenLine, GraduationCap, ArrowLeft } from 'lucide-react';
+import type { LucideIcon } from 'lucide-react';
 import type { ClaudeTokens } from '@/shared/styles/claudeTokens';
 import { useDashboardActive } from '@/shared/hooks/useDashboardActive';
 import { useAppSelector } from '@/shared/hooks';
@@ -10,13 +13,47 @@ import {
 } from '@/app/components/Onboarding/steps/skipPredicates';
 import ChatBubbleTeardrop from '../ChatBubbleTeardrop';
 
-// Broad, one-click-complete prompts so a brand-new user gets the "it works"
-// moment without thinking up a task. Each runs to a useful result on its own.
-const STARTER_PROMPTS = [
-  'Find the latest AI news and give me a short summary',
-  'Research the top 3 standing desks and compare them',
-  'Explain how RAG works like I\'m five',
-  'Write a short poem about the sea',
+// Two-level starters: pick a category, then its concrete prompts spawn. Every
+// prompt is one-click-runnable (no [placeholders]) and free-trial-safe, it
+// touches the web or the App Builder sandbox, never the user's files.
+type StarterCategory = { id: string; label: string; Icon: LucideIcon; prompts: string[] };
+const STARTER_CATEGORIES: StarterCategory[] = [
+  {
+    id: 'research', label: 'Research', Icon: Search,
+    prompts: [
+      'Find today\'s top AI news and summarize it',
+      'Compare the 3 best standing desks and recommend one',
+      'Plan a weekend trip to Tokyo with a day-by-day itinerary',
+      'Find the highest-rated wireless earbuds under $100',
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'build', label: 'Build', Icon: Hammer,
+    prompts: [
+      'Build a Pomodoro timer that dings when it ends',
+      'Make a tip calculator that splits the bill',
+      'Create a Snake game I can play right now',
+      'Build a habit tracker with a streak counter',
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'write', label: 'Write', Icon: PenLine,
+    prompts: [
+      'Draft a cold outreach email to a potential client',
+      'Turn rough notes into a polished status update',
+      'Write a product description for a coffee mug',
+      'Write a short poem about the sea',
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'learn', label: 'Learn', Icon: GraduationCap,
+    prompts: [
+      'Explain how RAG works like I\'m five',
+      'Break down what an LLM actually is',
+      'Compare REST and GraphQL and when to use each',
+      'Teach me the basics of investing in 5 minutes',
+    ],
+  },
 ];
 
 const DashboardEmptyState: React.FC<{
@@ -30,6 +67,8 @@ const DashboardEmptyState: React.FC<{
   const mode = useAppSelector((s) => s.settings.data.default_mode);
   const canRun = useAppSelector((s) => hasFreeTrialActive(s) || hasModelConnected(s));
   const [launching, setLaunching] = React.useState(false);
+  const [expanded, setExpanded] = React.useState<string | null>(null);
+  const currentPrompts = STARTER_CATEGORIES.find((cat) => cat.id === expanded)?.prompts ?? [];
 
   // Only offer chips once a run can actually succeed (free trial armed or a real
   // model connected); otherwise fall back to the plain hint.
@@ -81,44 +120,97 @@ const DashboardEmptyState: React.FC<{
       </Typography>
 
       {showChips && (
-        <Box
-          sx={{
-            mt: 3,
-            display: 'flex',
-            flexWrap: 'wrap',
-            justifyContent: 'center',
-            gap: 1,
-            maxWidth: 520,
-            pointerEvents: 'auto',
-          }}
-        >
-          <Typography sx={{ width: '100%', textAlign: 'center', color: c.text.ghost, fontSize: '0.8rem', mb: 0.5 }}>
-            or try one of these
-          </Typography>
-          {STARTER_PROMPTS.map((prompt) => (
-            <Box
-              component="button"
-              key={prompt}
-              onClick={() => launch(prompt)}
-              disabled={launching}
-              sx={{
-                px: 1.4,
-                py: 0.8,
-                borderRadius: 2,
-                border: `1px solid ${c.border.medium}`,
-                background: c.bg.surface,
-                color: c.text.secondary,
-                fontSize: '0.82rem',
-                cursor: launching ? 'default' : 'pointer',
-                opacity: launching ? 0.5 : 1,
-                fontFamily: 'inherit',
-                transition: 'background 150ms ease-in-out, border-color 150ms ease-in-out',
-                '&:hover': launching ? {} : { background: c.bg.elevated, borderColor: c.border.strong },
-              }}
-            >
-              {prompt}
-            </Box>
-          ))}
+        <Box sx={{ mt: 3, width: '100%', maxWidth: 560, pointerEvents: 'auto', display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', alignItems: 'center' }}>
+          <AnimatePresence mode="wait" initial={false}>
+            {expanded === null ? (
+              <motion.div
+                key="categories"
+                initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 4 }}
+                animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
+                exit={{ opacity: 0, y: -4 }}
+                transition={{ duration: 0.18 }}
+                style={{ width: '100%', display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', alignItems: 'center' }}
+              >
+                <Typography sx={{ color: c.text.ghost, fontSize: '0.8rem', mb: 1.2 }}>
+                  or try one of these
+                </Typography>
+                <Box sx={{ display: 'grid', gridTemplateColumns: '1fr 1fr', gap: 1, width: '100%', maxWidth: 420 }}>
+                  {STARTER_CATEGORIES.map((cat) => (
+                    <Box
+                      component="button"
+                      key={cat.id}
+                      onClick={() => setExpanded(cat.id)}
+                      sx={{
+                        display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 1,
+                        px: 1.6, py: 1.1,
+                        borderRadius: 2.5,
+                        border: `1px solid ${c.border.medium}`,
+                        background: c.bg.surface,
+                        color: c.text.secondary,
+                        fontSize: '0.85rem', fontWeight: 500,
+                        cursor: 'pointer', fontFamily: 'inherit',
+                        transition: 'background 150ms, border-color 150ms',
+                        '&:hover': { background: c.bg.elevated, borderColor: c.border.strong },
+                      }}
+                    >
+                      <cat.Icon size={16} />
+                      {cat.label}
+                    </Box>
+                  ))}
+                </Box>
+              </motion.div>
+            ) : (
+              <motion.div
+                key="specifics"
+                initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 4 }}
+                animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
+                exit={{ opacity: 0, y: -4 }}
+                transition={{ duration: 0.18 }}
+                style={{ width: '100%', display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', alignItems: 'center' }}
+              >
+                <Box
+                  component="button"
+                  onClick={() => setExpanded(null)}
+                  sx={{
+                    display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 0.5,
+                    mb: 1.2, px: 1, py: 0.4,
+                    border: 'none', background: 'transparent',
+                    color: c.text.ghost, fontSize: '0.8rem',
+                    cursor: 'pointer', fontFamily: 'inherit',
+                    '&:hover': { color: c.text.secondary },
+                  }}
+                >
+                  <ArrowLeft size={14} /> back
+                </Box>
+                <Box sx={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 0.8, width: '100%', maxWidth: 460 }}>
+                  {currentPrompts.map((prompt) => (
+                    <Box
+                      component="button"
+                      key={prompt}
+                      onClick={() => launch(prompt)}
+                      disabled={launching}
+                      sx={{
+                        textAlign: 'left',
+                        px: 1.6, py: 0.9,
+                        borderRadius: 2,
+                        border: `1px solid ${c.border.medium}`,
+                        background: c.bg.surface,
+                        color: c.text.secondary,
+                        fontSize: '0.82rem',
+                        cursor: launching ? 'default' : 'pointer',
+                        opacity: launching ? 0.5 : 1,
+                        fontFamily: 'inherit',
+                        transition: 'background 150ms, border-color 150ms',
+                        '&:hover': launching ? {} : { background: c.bg.elevated, borderColor: c.border.strong },
+                      }}
+                    >
+                      {prompt}
+                    </Box>
+                  ))}
+                </Box>
+              </motion.div>
+            )}
+          </AnimatePresence>
         </Box>
       )}
     </Box>