diff --git a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart.js b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart.js
index a3a52593e8..7fb9181298 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-chart.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const Edge = require('./edge');
 const Naming = require('../constants/naming');
 const NodesLayout = require('./nodes-layout');
 const Node = require('./node');
+const NodesError = require('./nodes-error');
 
 const MARGINS = {
   top: 130,
@@ -151,6 +152,27 @@ const NodesChart = React.createClass({
     }, this);
   },
 
+  renderMaxNodesError: function(show) {
+    return (
+      <NodesError faIconClass="fa-ban" hidden={!show}>
+        <div className="centered">Too many nodes to show in the browser.<br />We're working on it, but for now, try a different view?</div>
+      </NodesError>
+    );
+  },
+
+  renderEmptyTopologyError: function(show) {
+    return (
+      <NodesError faIconClass="fa-circle-thin" hidden={!show}>
+        <div className="heading">Nothing to show. This can have any of these reasons:</div>
+        <ul>
+          <li>We haven't received any reports from probes recently. Are the probes properly configured?</li>
+          <li>There are nodes, but they're currently hidden. Check the view options in the bottom-left if they allow for showing hidden nodes.</li>
+          <li>Containers view only: you're not running Docker, or you don't have any containers.</li>
+        </ul>
+      </NodesError>
+    );
+  },
+
   render: function() {
     const nodeElements = this.renderGraphNodes(this.state.nodes, this.state.nodeScale);
     const edgeElements = this.renderGraphEdges(this.state.edges, this.state.nodeScale);
@@ -165,15 +187,14 @@ const NodesChart = React.createClass({
       translate = shiftTranslate;
       wasShifted = true;
     }
-    const errorClassNames = this.state.maxNodesExceeded ? 'nodes-chart-error' : 'nodes-chart-error hide';
     const svgClassNames = this.state.maxNodesExceeded || _.size(nodeElements) === 0 ? 'hide' : '';
+    const errorEmpty = this.renderEmptyTopologyError(AppStore.isTopologyEmpty());
+    const errorMaxNodesExceeded = this.renderMaxNodesError(this.state.maxNodesExceeded);
 
     return (
       <div className="nodes-chart">
-        <div className={errorClassNames}>
-          <span className="nodes-chart-error-icon fa fa-ban" />
-          <div>Too many nodes to show in the browser.<br />We're working on it, but for now, try a different view?</div>
-        </div>
+        {errorEmpty}
+        {errorMaxNodesExceeded}
         <svg width="100%" height="100%" className={svgClassNames} onMouseUp={this.handleMouseUp}>
           <Spring endValue={{val: translate, config: [80, 20]}}>
             {function(interpolated) {
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-error.js b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-error.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5c152678ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/app/scripts/charts/nodes-error.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+const React = require('react');
+
+const NodesError = React.createClass({
+
+  render: function() {
+    let classNames = 'nodes-chart-error';
+    if (this.props.hidden) {
+      classNames += ' hide';
+    }
+    let iconClassName = 'fa ' + this.props.faIconClass;
+
+    return (
+      <div className={classNames}>
+        <div className="nodes-chart-error-icon">
+          <span className={iconClassName} />
+        </div>
+        {this.props.children}
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+
+});
+
+module.exports = NodesError;
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/stores/__tests__/app-store-test.js b/client/app/scripts/stores/__tests__/app-store-test.js
index 197c586107..5e524e1ce7 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/stores/__tests__/app-store-test.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/stores/__tests__/app-store-test.js
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ describe('AppStore', function() {
     topologyId: 'topo1'
   };
 
+  const ClickTopology2Action = {
+    type: ActionTypes.CLICK_TOPOLOGY,
+    topologyId: 'topo2'
+  };
+
   const ClickGroupingAction = {
     type: ActionTypes.CLICK_GROUPING,
     grouping: 'grouped'
@@ -112,10 +117,19 @@ describe('AppStore', function() {
           {value: 'off', default: true}
         ]
       },
+      stats: {
+        node_count: 1
+      },
       sub_topologies: [{
         url: '/topo1-grouped',
         name: 'topo 1 grouped'
       }]
+    }, {
+      url: '/topo2',
+      name: 'Topo2',
+      stats: {
+        node_count: 0
+      }
     }]
   };
 
@@ -142,7 +156,7 @@ describe('AppStore', function() {
     registeredCallback(ClickTopologyAction);
     registeredCallback(ReceiveTopologiesAction);
 
-    expect(AppStore.getTopologies().length).toBe(1);
+    expect(AppStore.getTopologies().length).toBe(2);
     expect(AppStore.getCurrentTopology().name).toBe('Topo1');
     expect(AppStore.getCurrentTopologyUrl()).toBe('/topo1');
     expect(AppStore.getCurrentTopologyOptions().option1).toBeDefined();
@@ -152,7 +166,7 @@ describe('AppStore', function() {
     registeredCallback(ReceiveTopologiesAction);
     registeredCallback(ClickSubTopologyAction);
 
-    expect(AppStore.getTopologies().length).toBe(1);
+    expect(AppStore.getTopologies().length).toBe(2);
     expect(AppStore.getCurrentTopology().name).toBe('topo 1 grouped');
     expect(AppStore.getCurrentTopologyUrl()).toBe('/topo1-grouped');
     expect(AppStore.getCurrentTopologyOptions()).toBeUndefined();
@@ -312,4 +326,18 @@ describe('AppStore', function() {
     expect(AppStore.getAdjacentNodes().size).toEqual(0);
   });
 
+  // empty topology
+
+  it('detects that the topology is empty', function() {
+    registeredCallback(ReceiveTopologiesAction);
+    registeredCallback(ClickTopologyAction);
+    expect(AppStore.isTopologyEmpty()).toBeFalsy();
+
+    registeredCallback(ClickTopology2Action);
+    expect(AppStore.isTopologyEmpty()).toBeTruthy();
+
+    registeredCallback(ClickTopologyAction);
+    expect(AppStore.isTopologyEmpty()).toBeFalsy();
+  });
+
 });
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/stores/app-store.js b/client/app/scripts/stores/app-store.js
index 17d9f1976b..a5ce2873e6 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/stores/app-store.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/stores/app-store.js
@@ -217,6 +217,10 @@ const AppStore = assign({}, EventEmitter.prototype, {
     return topologiesLoaded;
   },
 
+  isTopologyEmpty: function() {
+    return currentTopology && currentTopology.stats && currentTopology.stats.node_count === 0 && nodes.size === 0;
+  },
+
   isWebsocketClosed: function() {
     return websocketClosed;
   }
@@ -310,10 +314,15 @@ AppStore.registeredCallback = function(payload) {
       break;
 
     case ActionTypes.RECEIVE_NODES_DELTA:
-      debug('RECEIVE_NODES_DELTA',
-        'remove', _.size(payload.delta.remove),
-        'update', _.size(payload.delta.update),
-        'add', _.size(payload.delta.add));
+      const emptyMessage = !payload.delta.add && !payload.delta.remove
+        && payload.delta.update;
+
+      if (!emptyMessage) {
+        debug('RECEIVE_NODES_DELTA',
+          'remove', _.size(payload.delta.remove),
+          'update', _.size(payload.delta.update),
+          'add', _.size(payload.delta.add));
+      }
 
       errorUrl = null;
 
diff --git a/client/app/scripts/utils/web-api-utils.js b/client/app/scripts/utils/web-api-utils.js
index 2da49c7a49..4f839cb76d 100644
--- a/client/app/scripts/utils/web-api-utils.js
+++ b/client/app/scripts/utils/web-api-utils.js
@@ -60,9 +60,7 @@ function createWebsocket(topologyUrl, optionsQuery) {
 
   socket.onmessage = function(event) {
     const msg = JSON.parse(event.data);
-    if (msg.add || msg.remove || msg.update) {
-      AppActions.receiveNodesDelta(msg);
-    }
+    AppActions.receiveNodesDelta(msg);
   };
 }
 
@@ -146,4 +144,3 @@ module.exports = {
 
   getNodesDelta: getTopology
 };
-
diff --git a/client/app/styles/main.less b/client/app/styles/main.less
index 2cde182b38..1410685b8f 100644
--- a/client/app/styles/main.less
+++ b/client/app/styles/main.less
@@ -191,10 +191,15 @@ h2 {
     left: 50%;
     top: 50%;
     transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
-    text-align: center;
     color: @text-secondary-color;
+    width: 33%;
+
+    .heading {
+      font-size: 125%;
+    }
 
     &-icon {
+      text-align: center;
       opacity: 0.25;
       font-size: 320px;
     }