diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bac4fd4..00748b3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -61,6 +61,10 @@ money parsers                # available statement parsers
 money config                 # which data root is in use, and why
 ```
 
+An account folder appears in the app only once its statements have been
+imported — creating an `account.toml` is not enough on its own. Run
+`money import` (or press `i` in the TUI) after adding one.
+
 ### TUI keys
 
 | Key | Action |
diff --git a/internal/tui/tui.go b/internal/tui/tui.go
index 827c036..0ecff76 100644
--- a/internal/tui/tui.go
+++ b/internal/tui/tui.go
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ var (
 	statusStyle = lipgloss.NewStyle().Faint(true).Padding(0, 1)
 	errStyle    = lipgloss.NewStyle().Bold(true).Foreground(lipgloss.Color("9")).Padding(0, 1)
 	helpStyle   = lipgloss.NewStyle().Faint(true).Padding(0, 1)
+	emptyStyle  = lipgloss.NewStyle().Padding(1, 2)
 )
 
 // Run starts the interface.
@@ -477,15 +478,22 @@ func (m *Model) updateNormal(msg tea.KeyMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 func (m *Model) View() string {
 	var b strings.Builder
 
-	b.WriteString(titleStyle.Render(m.title()) + "\n")
+	b.WriteString(titleStyle.Render(m.title()))
+	b.WriteString("\n")
 
-	switch m.view {
-	case viewAccounts:
-		b.WriteString(m.accountTable.View())
-	case viewTxns:
-		b.WriteString(m.txnTable.View())
-	case viewReport:
-		b.WriteString(m.reportTable.View())
+	// An empty table is just a bare header, which says nothing about why it is
+	// empty or what to do next.
+	if empty := m.emptyMessage(); empty != "" {
+		b.WriteString(emptyStyle.Render(empty))
+	} else {
+		switch m.view {
+		case viewAccounts:
+			b.WriteString(m.accountTable.View())
+		case viewTxns:
+			b.WriteString(m.txnTable.View())
+		case viewReport:
+			b.WriteString(m.reportTable.View())
+		}
 	}
 	b.WriteString("\n")
 
@@ -504,6 +512,54 @@ func (m *Model) View() string {
 	return b.String()
 }
 
+// emptyMessage explains an empty view and names the key that fixes it, or
+// returns "" when there is something to show.
+func (m *Model) emptyMessage() string {
+	switch m.view {
+	case viewAccounts:
+		if len(m.accountTable.Rows()) > 0 {
+			return ""
+		}
+		// An account.toml on disk is not enough: folders are only registered
+		// in the index by an import, so say that rather than showing nothing.
+		if n := len(m.accounts); n > 0 {
+			return fmt.Sprintf(
+				"No accounts imported yet.\n\n"+
+					"%d account folder(s) configured in %s.\n"+
+					"Press i to import their statements (same as running `money import`).",
+				n, m.root)
+		}
+		return fmt.Sprintf(
+			"No account folders found in %s.\n\n"+
+				"An account is a folder containing an account.toml.\n"+
+				"Create one, drop statements in, then press i to import.",
+			m.root)
+
+	case viewTxns:
+		if len(m.txns) > 0 {
+			return ""
+		}
+		switch {
+		case m.filter.Search != "":
+			return fmt.Sprintf("No transactions match /%s.\n\nPress / to change the search.", m.filter.Search)
+		case m.onlyUntagged:
+			return "Nothing untagged.\n\nEvery transaction here has a tag. Press u to see them all."
+		case m.filter.AccountSlug != "":
+			return fmt.Sprintf(
+				"No transactions in %s.\n\nPress i to import, or a to see every account.",
+				m.filter.AccountSlug)
+		}
+		return "No transactions yet.\n\nPress i to import (same as running `money import`)."
+
+	case viewReport:
+		if len(m.reportTable.Rows()) > 0 {
+			return ""
+		}
+		return "Nothing to report yet.\n\nPress i to import some statements first."
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 func (m *Model) title() string {
 	scope := "all accounts"
 	if m.filter.AccountSlug != "" {
diff --git a/internal/tui/tui_test.go b/internal/tui/tui_test.go
index 9c25102..4fefae7 100644
--- a/internal/tui/tui_test.go
+++ b/internal/tui/tui_test.go
@@ -257,6 +257,109 @@ func TestReportViewExcludesTransfers(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// newEmptyModel builds a model over an index with nothing in it.
+func newEmptyModel(t *testing.T, accounts []*config.Account) *Model {
+	t.Helper()
+	db, err := store.Open(filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "index.db"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { db.Close() })
+
+	m := New("/data/root", db, accounts, rules.New(&config.Rules{}))
+	if err := m.reload(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	m.Update(tea.WindowSizeMsg{Width: 120, Height: 30})
+	return m
+}
+
+// Configured but never imported is the confusing case: the folders exist on
+// disk, but nothing is registered in the index until an import runs.
+func TestEmptyAccountsWithConfiguredFolders(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newEmptyModel(t, []*config.Account{
+		{Slug: "checking", Currency: "EUR", Parser: "csv"},
+		{Slug: "savings", Currency: "EUR", Parser: "csv"},
+	})
+
+	view := m.View()
+	for _, want := range []string{"No accounts imported yet", "2 account folder(s)", "/data/root", "Press i to import"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(view, want) {
+			t.Errorf("accounts view missing %q:\n%s", want, view)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEmptyAccountsWithNoFolders(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newEmptyModel(t, nil)
+
+	view := m.View()
+	for _, want := range []string{"No account folders found", "/data/root", "account.toml"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(view, want) {
+			t.Errorf("accounts view missing %q:\n%s", want, view)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEmptyTransactionsMessages(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newEmptyModel(t, nil)
+	key(t, m, "2")
+
+	if view := m.View(); !strings.Contains(view, "No transactions yet") {
+		t.Errorf("expected an empty-transactions message:\n%s", view)
+	}
+
+	// Each way of emptying the view explains itself differently.
+	m.filter.AccountSlug = "checking"
+	if err := m.reloadTxns(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if view := m.View(); !strings.Contains(view, "No transactions in checking") {
+		t.Errorf("expected an account-scoped message:\n%s", view)
+	}
+
+	m.filter.AccountSlug = ""
+	m.filter.Search = "lidl"
+	if err := m.reloadTxns(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if view := m.View(); !strings.Contains(view, "No transactions match /lidl") {
+		t.Errorf("expected a search message:\n%s", view)
+	}
+
+	m.filter.Search = ""
+	m.onlyUntagged = true
+	if err := m.reloadTxns(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if view := m.View(); !strings.Contains(view, "Nothing untagged") {
+		t.Errorf("expected an untagged message:\n%s", view)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEmptyReportMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newEmptyModel(t, nil)
+	key(t, m, "3")
+	if view := m.View(); !strings.Contains(view, "Nothing to report yet") {
+		t.Errorf("expected an empty-report message:\n%s", view)
+	}
+}
+
+// With data present, the tables render instead of the empty-state text.
+func TestNoEmptyMessageWhenPopulated(t *testing.T) {
+	m, _ := newTestModel(t)
+	for _, k := range []string{"1", "2", "3"} {
+		key(t, m, k)
+		if got := m.emptyMessage(); got != "" {
+			t.Errorf("view %s showed an empty message with data present: %q", k, got)
+		}
+	}
+	key(t, m, "2")
+	if !strings.Contains(m.View(), "LIDL SOFIA") {
+		t.Error("expected the transactions table to render")
+	}
+}
+
 func findTxn(t *testing.T, db *store.DB, desc string) model.Transaction {
 	t.Helper()
 	txns, err := db.Transactions(store.Filter{})
diff --git a/main b/main
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..5292f1e
Binary files /dev/null and b/main differ