diff --git a/app/src/ui/sign-in/sign-in.tsx b/app/src/ui/sign-in/sign-in.tsx
index d9ab5d2d54..ffc2306487 100644
--- a/app/src/ui/sign-in/sign-in.tsx
+++ b/app/src/ui/sign-in/sign-in.tsx
@@ -36,9 +36,8 @@ const DefaultTitle = 'Sign in'
 
 const browserSignInInfoContent = (
   <p>
-    Your browser will redirect you back to GitHub Desktop once you've signed in.
-    If your browser asks for your permission to launch GitHub Desktop, please
-    allow it.
+    Your browser will open so you can approve this sign-in. Come back here for
+    the code you'll need to enter.
   </p>
 )
 
@@ -188,10 +187,28 @@ export class SignIn extends React.Component<ISignInProps, ISignInState> {
         </p>
       ) : undefined
 
+    // Sign in is the OAuth device flow: the user has to type a short code into
+    // their browser, so this is the one place it can be read from. Until the
+    // code arrives there is nothing to show but what is about to happen.
+    const { deviceFlow } = state
+
     return (
       <DialogContent>
         {credentialHelperInfo}
-        {browserSignInInfoContent}
+        {deviceFlow ? (
+          <>
+            <p className="device-flow-instructions">
+              Enter this code at <Ref>{deviceFlow.verificationURI}</Ref> to
+              finish signing in. Keep this window open — it'll continue
+              automatically once you approve.
+            </p>
+            <div className="device-flow-user-code" role="status">
+              {deviceFlow.userCode}
+            </div>
+          </>
+        ) : (
+          browserSignInInfoContent
+        )}
       </DialogContent>
     )
   }
diff --git a/app/styles/ui/_device-flow.scss b/app/styles/ui/_device-flow.scss
index 6979cf82c0..fe5ea2bda2 100644
--- a/app/styles/ui/_device-flow.scss
+++ b/app/styles/ui/_device-flow.scss
@@ -1,27 +1,29 @@
 // Sign in uses the OAuth device flow: the user is shown a short code to type
 // into their browser. The code has to be effortless to read and transcribe, so
 // it gets a monospace face, generous tracking and a lot of size.
-.sign-in-form {
-  .device-flow-instructions {
-    margin-bottom: var(--spacing);
-    color: var(--text-secondary-color);
-  }
+//
+// Deliberately not scoped to a container. The code is shown from two places -
+// the welcome flow's form and the sign-in dialog - and scoping this to the
+// first is what left the second with no styles for it at all.
+.device-flow-instructions {
+  margin-bottom: var(--spacing);
+  color: var(--text-secondary-color);
+}
 
-  .device-flow-user-code {
-    font-family: var(--font-family-monospace);
-    font-size: var(--font-size-xl);
-    font-weight: var(--font-weight-semibold);
+.device-flow-user-code {
+  font-family: var(--font-family-monospace);
+  font-size: var(--font-size-xl);
+  font-weight: var(--font-weight-semibold);
 
-    // Digits and letters are easy to confuse when they're packed together.
-    letter-spacing: 0.2em;
-    text-align: center;
-    user-select: text;
+  // Digits and letters are easy to confuse when they're packed together.
+  letter-spacing: 0.2em;
+  text-align: center;
+  user-select: text;
 
-    padding: var(--spacing) var(--spacing-double);
-    margin-bottom: var(--spacing-double);
+  padding: var(--spacing) var(--spacing-double);
+  margin-bottom: var(--spacing-double);
 
-    border: var(--base-border);
-    border-radius: var(--border-radius);
-    background: var(--box-alt-background-color, var(--box-background-color));
-  }
+  border: var(--base-border);
+  border-radius: var(--border-radius);
+  background: var(--box-alt-background-color, var(--box-background-color));
 }