diff --git a/dashboard/src/components/EmptyState.tsx b/dashboard/src/components/EmptyState.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b28b63b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dashboard/src/components/EmptyState.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+
+
+export type EmptyStateAction =
+  | { label: string; href: string; onClick?: never }
+  | { label: string; onClick: () => void; href?: never };
+
+export interface EmptyStateProps {
+  icon: string;
+  title: string;
+  description: string;
+  action?: EmptyStateAction;
+  hint?: string;
+}
+
+const ICONS: Record<string, string> = {
+  edge: '\u{1F5A8}',
+  agents: '\u{1F916}',
+  decisions: '\u{1F4CB}',
+  policy: '\u{2696}',
+  graph: '\u{1F578}',
+  tenants: '\u{1F3E2}',
+  bootstrap: '\u{1F331}',
+  shield: '\u{1F6E1}',
+  keys: '\u{1F511}',
+  score: '\u{1F4C8}',
+  attest: '\u{1F4DD}',
+  issuer: '\u{1F5D3}',
+  clock: '\u{23F0}',
+  chart: '\u{1F4CA}',
+  plug: '\u{1F50C}',
+  seedling: '\u{1F331}',
+  warning: '\u{26A0}',
+  empty: '\u{1F4ED}',
+};
+
+export function EmptyState({ icon, title, description, action, hint }: EmptyStateProps) {
+  const glyph = ICONS[icon] ?? ICONS.empty;
+  return (
+    <div className="empty-state">
+      <div className="empty-state__icon" aria-hidden="true">{glyph}</div>
+      <div className="empty-state__body">
+        <p className="empty-state__title">{title}</p>
+        <p className="empty-state__desc muted">{description}</p>
+        {action && (
+          <div className="empty-state__action">
+            {'href' in action ? (
+              <a href={action.href} className="empty-state__cta" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">
+                {action.label}
+              </a>
+            ) : (
+              <button type="button" className="empty-state__cta" onClick={action.onClick}>
+                {action.label}
+              </button>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        )}
+        {hint && <p className="empty-state__hint muted">{hint}</p>}
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/admin/BootstrapEditor.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/admin/BootstrapEditor.tsx
index 14b1348..f9dcd20 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/admin/BootstrapEditor.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/admin/BootstrapEditor.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { useState } from 'react';
 import type { BootstrapIssuer } from '../../api/admin';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 export interface BootstrapEditorProps {
   issuers: BootstrapIssuer[];
@@ -10,7 +11,18 @@ const STEPS = [1.0, 0.5, 0.25, 0];
 
 export function BootstrapEditor({ issuers, onUpdate }: BootstrapEditorProps) {
   if (issuers.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No bootstrap issuers registered.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="bootstrap"
+        title="No bootstrap issuers registered"
+        description="The bootstrap registry is empty. Run the seed script to populate the curated root-of-truth with the VeriLink bootstrap issuer and initial seed agents."
+        action={{
+          label: 'Open bootstrap runbook',
+          href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink/blob/main/docs/superpowers/plans/2026-08-11-plan-10-bootstrap-cold-start.md',
+        }}
+        hint="The seed is idempotent: reruns are no-ops and staff de-emphasis state is preserved."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <table className="table">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/admin/GraphHealth.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/admin/GraphHealth.tsx
index 84c97fc..e32e5c8 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/admin/GraphHealth.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/admin/GraphHealth.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,24 @@
 import type { GraphSummary } from '../../api/provider';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
-/** Read-only graph health (Plan 9 Decision 5: no path explorer). */
 export function GraphHealth({ summary }: { summary: GraphSummary | undefined }) {
   if (!summary) return <p className="muted">Loading graph health...</p>;
+
+  if (summary.principals.total === 0) {
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="graph"
+        title="Trust graph is empty"
+        description="The graph will populate once principals (agents and issuers) are registered and attestations start flowing. Run the bootstrap seed to initialize the root-of-trust registry."
+        action={{
+          label: 'Open bootstrap runbook',
+          href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink/blob/main/docs/superpowers/plans/2026-08-11-plan-10-bootstrap-cold-start.md',
+        }}
+        hint="The seed creates the VeriLink bootstrap issuer and initial attestations for a non-empty cold-start graph."
+      />
+    );
+  }
+
   return (
     <dl className="kv">
       <div>
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/admin/IssuerVerificationQueue.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/admin/IssuerVerificationQueue.tsx
index d0279fa..526178c 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/admin/IssuerVerificationQueue.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/admin/IssuerVerificationQueue.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 import type { UnverifiedIssuer } from '../../api/admin';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 export function IssuerVerificationQueue({ issuers }: { issuers: UnverifiedIssuer[] }) {
   if (issuers.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No issuers awaiting verification.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="issuer"
+        title="No issuers awaiting verification"
+        description="New issuers that have submitted a key-control proof but not yet been staff-verified appear here. The queue is empty when all known issuers are verified."
+        hint="Verification is a manual staff action that sets issuers.verified_at."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <table className="table">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/admin/TenantList.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/admin/TenantList.tsx
index 6d4d113..5add062 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/admin/TenantList.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/admin/TenantList.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 import type { TenantRow } from '../../api/admin';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 export function TenantList({ tenants }: { tenants: TenantRow[] }) {
   if (tenants.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No tenants visible to this account.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="tenants"
+        title="No tenants visible"
+        description="Tenants appear here once they are created. Your API key may be scoped to a single tenant; switch to a platform-staff key to see all tenants."
+        hint="Tenants are the top-level isolation boundary for principals, policies, and edge nodes."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <table className="table">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/AttestationFeed.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/AttestationFeed.tsx
index 9f45d5c..fc67020 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/AttestationFeed.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/AttestationFeed.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { AttestationRow } from '../../api/agentBuilder';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 function shortId(id: string): string {
   const parts = id.split(':');
@@ -14,10 +15,30 @@ export function AttestationFeed({
   items: AttestationRow[];
 }) {
   if (items.length === 0) {
+    const isIn = direction === 'in';
     return (
-      <p className="muted">
-        No {direction === 'in' ? 'incoming' : 'outgoing'} attestations visible.
-      </p>
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="attest"
+        title={isIn ? 'No incoming attestations' : 'No outgoing attestations'}
+        description={
+          isIn
+            ? 'Other issuers can attest to this principal\'s behaviour. Incoming attestations appear here once a counterparty submits a signed JWS attestation naming this principal as the subject.'
+            : 'Submit a signed attestation about another principal to start building a trust relationship. Use the Go or Node client to sign and submit a JWS token to the control plane.'
+        }
+        action={
+          isIn
+            ? undefined
+            : {
+                label: 'View client docs',
+                href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink/tree/main/client',
+              }
+        }
+        hint={
+          isIn
+            ? 'Attestations are cryptographically signed JWS tokens with RFC 8785 canonicalized facts.'
+            : 'The client signs with your Ed25519 private key; the control plane verifies and stores the attestation.'
+        }
+      />
     );
   }
   return (
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/KeyList.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/KeyList.tsx
index 25d83b2..137c338 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/KeyList.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/KeyList.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,20 @@
 import type { PrincipalKey } from '../../api/agentBuilder';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 export function KeyList({ keys }: { keys: PrincipalKey[] }) {
   if (keys.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No keys registered for this principal.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="keys"
+        title="No keys registered"
+        description="This principal has no registered Ed25519 keys. Register a key by submitting an attestation signed with the key, or use the keygen tool to generate a new keypair and register the public key."
+        action={{
+          label: 'Generate keypair',
+          href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink#keygen',
+        }}
+        hint="Key control is verified when the principal proves ownership via a signed challenge."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <table className="table">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/PrincipalList.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/PrincipalList.tsx
index eb0705b..e502182 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/PrincipalList.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/PrincipalList.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { OwnedPrincipal } from '../../api/agentBuilder';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 export interface PrincipalListProps {
   principals: OwnedPrincipal[];
@@ -8,7 +9,18 @@ export interface PrincipalListProps {
 
 export function PrincipalList({ principals, selectedId, onSelect }: PrincipalListProps) {
   if (principals.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No owned principals yet. Create one to start building.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="keys"
+        title="No owned principals yet"
+        description="Principals are the identity layer for agents and issuers. Create one by submitting an attestation with a new vrl:p:<uuid> subject, or use the keygen tool to generate a keypair."
+        action={{
+          label: 'Generate keypair',
+          href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink#keygen',
+        }}
+        hint="Each principal has an Ed25519 keypair. The private key stays with you; the public key is registered with VeriLink."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <ul className="select-list">
@@ -22,7 +34,7 @@ export function PrincipalList({ principals, selectedId, onSelect }: PrincipalLis
             <span className="select-list__title">{p.name ?? p.id}</span>
             <span className="select-list__meta">
               {p.entity_kind}
-              {' · '}
+              {' \u00B7 '}
               {p.assurance_level === 'verified_key' ? (
                 <span className="badge badge--allow">verified key</span>
               ) : (
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/ScoreHistoryChart.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/ScoreHistoryChart.tsx
index f6c896e..2631fd9 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/ScoreHistoryChart.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/agent-builder/ScoreHistoryChart.tsx
@@ -8,10 +8,18 @@ import {
   YAxis,
 } from 'recharts';
 import type { ScoreSeriesPoint } from '../../lib/scoreSeries';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 export function ScoreHistoryChart({ points }: { points: ScoreSeriesPoint[] }) {
   if (points.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No score history recorded for this principal yet.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="score"
+        title="No score history yet"
+        description="This principal\'s network score will appear here once the trust engine computes a score. Scores are recomputed periodically (hourly) and on every new attestation."
+        hint="The score is derived from the transitive trust graph using the VeriRank algorithm with time decay and distance decay."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <div className="chart" aria-label="Network score history">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/AgentList.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/AgentList.tsx
index 81f0306..9c64175 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/AgentList.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/AgentList.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { AgentRow } from '../../api/provider';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 function shortId(id: string): string {
-  // vrl:p:<uuid> -> trailing 8 chars keeps tables readable
   const parts = id.split(':');
   const tail = parts[parts.length - 1] ?? id;
   return tail.length > 8 ? `...${tail.slice(-8)}` : tail;
@@ -9,7 +9,18 @@ function shortId(id: string): string {
 
 export function AgentList({ agents }: { agents: AgentRow[] }) {
   if (agents.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No agents observed in the last 24 hours.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="agents"
+        title="No agents observed yet"
+        description="Agents appear here once the edge verifier starts processing requests. Deploy the edge verifier in front of your API to start collecting decision data."
+        action={{
+          label: 'Deploy edge verifier',
+          href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink#edge-verifier',
+        }}
+        hint="Agents are identified by their cryptographic fingerprint and named vrl:p:<uuid>."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <table className="table">
@@ -33,7 +44,6 @@ export function AgentList({ agents }: { agents: AgentRow[] }) {
             <td className="num">{a.decisions}</td>
             <td className="num">{a.score ?? <span className="muted">-</span>}</td>
             <td>
-              {/* blacklisted comes from network_scores only - never inferred from score */}
               {a.blacklisted ? (
                 <span className="badge badge--deny">blacklisted</span>
               ) : a.score === null ? (
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/DecisionFeed.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/DecisionFeed.tsx
index 57f5c4e..b45e3e1 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/DecisionFeed.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/DecisionFeed.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { SampleRow } from '../../api/provider';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 function shortFingerprint(fp: string): string {
   return fp.length > 12 ? `${fp.slice(0, 12)}...` : fp;
@@ -6,7 +7,18 @@ function shortFingerprint(fp: string): string {
 
 export function DecisionFeed({ samples }: { samples: SampleRow[] }) {
   if (samples.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No sampled decisions in the last 24 hours.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="decisions"
+        title="No decisions recorded yet"
+        description="The decision feed populates once the edge verifier starts evaluating incoming API requests against your trust policy. All deny decisions are kept; allows are sampled."
+        action={{
+          label: 'Configure policy',
+          href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink#policies',
+        }}
+        hint="Decisions are categorized as allow, deny, or passthrough based on your active policy threshold."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <table className="table">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/EdgeSyncStatus.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/EdgeSyncStatus.tsx
index 6193e57..714b756 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/EdgeSyncStatus.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/EdgeSyncStatus.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,20 @@
 import type { EdgeNodeRow } from '../../api/provider';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 export function EdgeSyncStatus({ edges }: { edges: EdgeNodeRow[] }) {
   if (edges.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No edge nodes registered for this tenant yet.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="edge"
+        title="No edge nodes registered"
+        description="Register an edge verifier node to start receiving trust decisions. The edge verifier sits in front of your API and enforces allow/deny based on VeriLink trust scores."
+        action={{
+          label: 'View setup guide',
+          href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink/blob/main/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-25-verilink-productization-design.md',
+        }}
+        hint="The edge verifier connects to the control plane via SSE sync and enforces your active policy."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <table className="table">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/PolicyCard.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/PolicyCard.tsx
index 3456711..d0e81f4 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/PolicyCard.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/PolicyCard.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,20 @@
 import type { Policy } from '../../api/provider';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
-/** Read-only active policy summary. Editing lands in Plan 9 PR C. */
 export function PolicyCard({ policy }: { policy: Policy | null }) {
   if (!policy) {
-    return <p className="muted">No active policy for this tenant.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="policy"
+        title="No active policy set"
+        description="An active policy defines the trust score threshold, below-threshold action, and unsigned request handling. Set one to start enforcing trust decisions at the edge."
+        action={{
+          label: 'Set active policy',
+          href: 'https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink#policies',
+        }}
+        hint="The policy is per-tenant and synced to all edge nodes via SSE."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <dl className="kv">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/StalenessBanner.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/StalenessBanner.tsx
index 7d615d1..3fd3c03 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/StalenessBanner.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/StalenessBanner.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,16 @@ export function StalenessBanner({ show }: { show: boolean }) {
   if (!show) return null;
   return (
     <div className="banner banner--stale" role="status">
-      Scores may be stale — no successful network score write in over an hour.
+      <span className="banner--stale__icon" aria-hidden="true">{'\u26A0'}</span>
+      <div className="banner--stale__body">
+        <p className="banner--stale__title">Scores may be stale</p>
+        <p className="banner--stale__desc">
+          No successful network score write in over an hour. This usually means the trust-engine is not running or cannot reach the control plane.
+        </p>
+      </div>
+      <a href="https://github.com/Numeracode/verilink/blob/main/docs/gate-contract.md" className="banner--stale__action" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">
+        Troubleshoot
+      </a>
     </div>
   );
 }
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/TrustSummaryChart.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/TrustSummaryChart.tsx
index ac034a9..1e2d295 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/TrustSummaryChart.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/TrustSummaryChart.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
   YAxis,
 } from 'recharts';
 import type { BucketPoint } from '../../lib/aggregates';
+import { EmptyState } from '../../components/EmptyState';
 
 const ACTION_COLORS: Record<string, string> = {
   allow: '#0f6b4c',
@@ -18,7 +19,14 @@ const ACTION_COLORS: Record<string, string> = {
 
 export function TrustSummaryChart({ points }: { points: BucketPoint[] }) {
   if (points.length === 0) {
-    return <p className="muted">No decisions in the last 24 hours.</p>;
+    return (
+      <EmptyState
+        icon="chart"
+        title="No decision data yet"
+        description="The trust summary chart populates once the edge verifier starts processing and sampling requests. Decisions are bucketed per minute and stacked by action (allow, deny, passthrough)."
+        hint="This chart updates automatically as decisions flow in."
+      />
+    );
   }
   return (
     <div className="chart" aria-label="Decisions per minute by action">
diff --git a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/components.test.tsx b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/components.test.tsx
index c7a4be8..d661152 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/pages/provider/components.test.tsx
+++ b/dashboard/src/pages/provider/components.test.tsx
@@ -84,6 +84,6 @@ describe('DecisionFeed', () => {
 
   it('renders an empty state', () => {
     render(<DecisionFeed samples={[]} />);
-    expect(screen.getByText(/No sampled decisions/)).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.getByText(/No decisions recorded/)).toBeTruthy();
   });
 });
diff --git a/dashboard/src/styles/index.css b/dashboard/src/styles/index.css
index 7055cdd..634867a 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/styles/index.css
+++ b/dashboard/src/styles/index.css
@@ -424,3 +424,94 @@ a {
   background: var(--danger);
   color: #fff;
 }
+
+/* Empty state component */
+.empty-state {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: flex-start;
+  gap: 1rem;
+  padding: 1.5rem 1rem;
+}
+.empty-state__icon {
+  font-size: 2rem;
+  line-height: 1;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+  padding-top: 0.25rem;
+}
+.empty-state__body {
+  flex: 1;
+}
+.empty-state__title {
+  font-weight: 600;
+  margin: 0 0 0.25rem 0;
+  color: var(--ink);
+}
+.empty-state__desc {
+  margin: 0 0 0.75rem 0;
+  font-size: 0.875rem;
+  line-height: 1.4;
+}
+.empty-state__action {
+  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+}
+.empty-state__cta {
+  display: inline-block;
+  padding: 0.4rem 0.9rem;
+  border: 1px solid var(--accent);
+  border-radius: 4px;
+  background: transparent;
+  color: var(--accent);
+  font-size: 0.875rem;
+  font-weight: 500;
+  text-decoration: none;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  transition: background 0.15s, color 0.15s;
+}
+.empty-state__cta:hover {
+  background: var(--accent);
+  color: #fff;
+}
+.empty-state__hint {
+  font-size: 0.8rem;
+  margin: 0;
+  font-style: italic;
+}
+
+/* Enhanced staleness banner */
+.banner--stale {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: flex-start;
+  gap: 0.75rem;
+  padding: 0.75rem 1rem;
+  margin-bottom: 1rem;
+  border: 1px solid var(--danger);
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  background: #fff5f5;
+  color: var(--danger);
+}
+.banner--stale__icon {
+  font-size: 1.25rem;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+.banner--stale__body {
+  flex: 1;
+}
+.banner--stale__title {
+  font-weight: 600;
+  margin: 0;
+}
+.banner--stale__desc {
+  font-size: 0.8rem;
+  margin: 0.25rem 0 0 0;
+  color: var(--muted);
+}
+.banner--stale__action {
+  font-size: 0.8rem;
+  color: var(--accent);
+  text-decoration: none;
+  font-weight: 500;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+}
+.banner--stale__action:hover {
+  text-decoration: underline;
+}