diff --git a/.changeset/bright-cats-explain.md b/.changeset/bright-cats-explain.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b5db273c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/bright-cats-explain.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'onsystem': patch
+---
+
+Explain when a project has no design-system components available.
diff --git a/src/server/index.ts b/src/server/index.ts
index 93609249..50e379d3 100644
--- a/src/server/index.ts
+++ b/src/server/index.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import {
   capDiagnostics,
   importStatement,
   listComponents,
+  noComponentsMessage,
   type Listing,
   renderAmbiguous,
   renderCatalogList,
@@ -484,6 +485,9 @@ export function createServer({ getDesignSystem, getProjects }: CreateServerOptio
         const matches = catalog.find(name);
         const [entry] = matches;
         if (!entry) {
+          if (!catalog.roots().length) {
+            return errorResult(noComponentsMessage(catalog.root, undefined, true));
+          }
           const guess = catalog.suggest(name);
           const names = [...new Set(catalog.roots().map((e) => e.component.name))];
           return errorResult(
@@ -515,6 +519,12 @@ export function createServer({ getDesignSystem, getProjects }: CreateServerOptio
       const { ds } = found;
       const component = ds.getComponent(name);
       if (!component) {
+        if (!ds.roots().length) {
+          return {
+            isError: true,
+            content: [{ type: 'text', text: noComponentsMessage(ds.root, found.project?.dir) }],
+          };
+        }
         const guess = ds.suggestComponent(name);
         return {
           isError: true,
diff --git a/src/server/render.ts b/src/server/render.ts
index 999af410..407a1b79 100644
--- a/src/server/render.ts
+++ b/src/server/render.ts
@@ -172,6 +172,15 @@ function listTail(listed: Listing<unknown>): string[] {
   return lines;
 }
 
+/** The shared explanation when a project has no design-system components to show. */
+export function noComponentsMessage(root: string, project?: string, monorepo = false): string {
+  if (monorepo) {
+    return `No design-system components found in any project of this monorepo (root: ${root}). Check the "components" globs in the config. Run \`onsystem inspect\` there to see what was looked at.`;
+  }
+  const where = project ? ` in ${project}` : '';
+  return `No design-system components found${where}. Check the "components" globs in the config (root: ${root}).`;
+}
+
 /** `project`: the folder of a workspace root's project the list is for. */
 export function renderComponentList(
   ds: DesignSystem,
@@ -181,7 +190,7 @@ export function renderComponentList(
   const roots = ds.roots();
   const where = project ? ` in ${project}` : '';
   if (!roots.length) {
-    return `No components found${where}. Check the "components" globs in the config (root: ${ds.root}).`;
+    return noComponentsMessage(ds.root, project);
   }
   const listed = listComponents(roots, (c) => c, filter);
   if (!listed.matched) {
@@ -240,7 +249,7 @@ const PICK_PROJECT =
 export function renderCatalogList(catalog: Catalog, filter: ListFilter = {}): string {
   const roots = catalog.roots();
   if (!roots.length) {
-    return `No components found in any project of this monorepo (root: ${catalog.root}). Run \`onsystem inspect\` there to see what was looked at.`;
+    return noComponentsMessage(catalog.root, undefined, true);
   }
   const listed = listComponents(
     roots,
diff --git a/test/design-system-packages-docs.test.ts b/test/design-system-packages-docs.test.ts
index bed11c58..a5a9ae9b 100644
--- a/test/design-system-packages-docs.test.ts
+++ b/test/design-system-packages-docs.test.ts
@@ -305,12 +305,12 @@ describe('what apps get from a design-system package (docs/design-system-package
     );
     expect(whatAppsGet).toContain(`\`check\` says \`${notice}\`\n`);
     // Agents find no component.
-    expect(await tool(app, 'list_components', {})).toMatch(/^No components found/);
+    expect(await tool(app, 'list_components', {})).toMatch(/^No design-system components found/);
     expect(await tool(app, 'search_components', { query: 'button' })).toMatch(
       /^No components match/,
     );
     expect(await tool(app, 'get_component', { name: 'Button' })).toMatch(
-      /^No component named "Button"/,
+      /^No design-system components found/,
     );
     // check_ui reports from the same rules.
     const checked = await tool(app, 'check_ui', { path: 'app/page.tsx' });
diff --git a/test/server.test.ts b/test/server.test.ts
index 4191a64a..e49c1ac5 100644
--- a/test/server.test.ts
+++ b/test/server.test.ts
@@ -121,6 +121,25 @@ describe('MCP server over the in-memory transport', () => {
     expect(text(result)).toContain('Did you mean "Button"?');
   });
 
+  it('get_component says when the project has no components at all', async () => {
+    const ds = await load(fixture({ 'package.json': '{ "name": "plain" }' }));
+    const server = createServer({ getDesignSystem: () => Promise.resolve(ds) });
+    const other = new Client({ name: 'empty', version: '1.0.0' });
+    const [clientTransport, serverTransport] = InMemoryTransport.createLinkedPair();
+    await Promise.all([server.connect(serverTransport), other.connect(clientTransport)]);
+
+    const result = await other.callTool({ name: 'get_component', arguments: { name: 'Button' } });
+    const listing = await other.callTool({ name: 'list_components', arguments: {} });
+
+    expect(result.isError).toBe(true);
+    expect(text(result)).toContain('No design-system components found');
+    expect(text(result)).toContain('Check the "components" globs in the config');
+    expect(text(result)).toContain(`(root: ${ds.root})`);
+    expect(text(result)).not.toContain('Available: .');
+    expect(text(result)).toBe(text(listing));
+    await other.close();
+  });
+
   it('search_components', async () => {
     const result = await client.callTool({
       name: 'search_components',