diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectRoadmap.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectRoadmap.test.tsx
index 24d04bcb239..2b4c799b861 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectRoadmap.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectRoadmap.test.tsx
@@ -64,7 +64,11 @@ function row(id: string, title: string, values: GitHubProjectFieldValue[]): GitH
   }
 }
 
-function table(fields: GitHubProjectField[], rows: GitHubProjectRow[]): GitHubProjectTable {
+function table(
+  fields: GitHubProjectField[],
+  rows: GitHubProjectRow[],
+  filter = ''
+): GitHubProjectTable {
   return {
     project: {
       id: 'PVT_1',
@@ -79,7 +83,7 @@ function table(fields: GitHubProjectField[], rows: GitHubProjectRow[]): GitHubPr
       number: 2,
       name: 'Roadmap',
       layout: 'ROADMAP_LAYOUT',
-      filter: '',
+      filter,
       fields,
       groupByFields: [],
       sortByFields: []
@@ -263,11 +267,22 @@ describe('ProjectRoadmap', () => {
   it('reports an empty filter result instead of drawing an empty grid', () => {
     render(
       <ProjectRoadmap
-        table={table([TITLE_FIELD, START_FIELD, TARGET_FIELD], [])}
+        table={table([TITLE_FIELD, START_FIELD, TARGET_FIELD], [], 'status:Todo')}
         fallback={<div>list</div>}
       />
     )
     expect(screen.getByText("No items match this view's filter.")).toBeTruthy()
     expect(screen.queryByText('list')).toBeNull()
   })
+
+  it('does not blame a filter an unfiltered roadmap does not have', () => {
+    render(
+      <ProjectRoadmap
+        table={table([TITLE_FIELD, START_FIELD, TARGET_FIELD], [])}
+        fallback={<div>list</div>}
+      />
+    )
+    expect(screen.getByText('This view has no items yet.')).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.queryByText("No items match this view's filter.")).toBeNull()
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectRoadmap.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectRoadmap.tsx
index d06ef409dff..5e06e41d870 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectRoadmap.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectRoadmap.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { i18n, translate } from '@/i18n/i18n'
 import ProjectGroupHeader from './ProjectGroupHeader'
 import ProjectRoadmapBar from './ProjectRoadmapBar'
 import { ProjectTitleCell } from './ProjectCellIdentity'
+import { ProjectItemsEmptyState } from './ProjectViewStates'
 import { formatRoadmapTick } from './roadmap-tick-format'
 import { loadRoadmapZoom, saveRoadmapZoom } from './roadmap-zoom-preference'
 import { groupRows, sortRows } from '../../../../shared/github/project-group-sort'
@@ -145,14 +146,7 @@ export default function ProjectRoadmap({
   }
 
   if (table.rows.length === 0) {
-    return (
-      <div className="flex min-h-[120px] items-center justify-center p-6 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
-        {translate(
-          'auto.components.github.project.ProjectViewList.4f57d2e0b1',
-          "No items match this view's filter."
-        )}
-      </div>
-    )
+    return <ProjectItemsEmptyState filter={view.filter} />
   }
 
   const undatedCount = table.rows.length - spans.size
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewList.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewList.tsx
index e54493418d6..cdb9e2dc487 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewList.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewList.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import ColumnResizeHandle from './ColumnResizeHandle'
 import ProjectGroupHeader from './ProjectGroupHeader'
 import ProjectRow from './ProjectRow'
+import { ProjectItemsEmptyState } from './ProjectViewStates'
 import { groupRows, sortRows } from '../../../../shared/github/project-group-sort'
 import { getAvailableColumns, loadHiddenColumns, saveHiddenColumns } from './columns'
 import {
@@ -181,14 +182,7 @@ export default function ProjectViewList({
   }
 
   if (table.rows.length === 0) {
-    return (
-      <div className="flex min-h-[120px] items-center justify-center p-6 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
-        {translate(
-          'auto.components.github.project.ProjectViewList.4f57d2e0b1',
-          "No items match this view's filter."
-        )}
-      </div>
-    )
+    return <ProjectItemsEmptyState filter={table.selectedView.filter} />
   }
 
   // Why: the visible sort indicator reflects either the local override or the
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewStates.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewStates.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..84033b7d40b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewStates.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// @vitest-environment happy-dom
+
+import { cleanup, render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { ProjectItemsEmptyState } from './ProjectViewStates'
+
+afterEach(cleanup)
+
+const FILTERED_COPY = "No items match this view's filter."
+const UNFILTERED_COPY = 'This view has no items yet.'
+const TRANSIENCE_HINT = 'Recently added items can take a while to appear.'
+
+describe('ProjectItemsEmptyState', () => {
+  it('blames the filter only when the view actually has one', () => {
+    render(<ProjectItemsEmptyState filter="status:Todo" />)
+    expect(screen.getByText(FILTERED_COPY)).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.queryByText(UNFILTERED_COPY)).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  // #12648: an unfiltered board that momentarily reads back empty must not be
+  // reported as a filter miss — that reads as data loss.
+  it.each(['', '   ', '\n\t'])('reports an unfiltered view as empty for filter %j', (filter) => {
+    render(<ProjectItemsEmptyState filter={filter} />)
+    expect(screen.getByText(UNFILTERED_COPY)).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.getByText(TRANSIENCE_HINT)).toBeTruthy()
+    expect(screen.queryByText(FILTERED_COPY)).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewStates.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewStates.tsx
index e3184878851..d2cb13bbfb4 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewStates.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/github-project/ProjectViewStates.tsx
@@ -225,3 +225,41 @@ export function ProjectTableSkeleton(): React.JSX.Element {
     </div>
   )
 }
+
+/**
+ * Empty result for a project view, worded from the view's own filter.
+ *
+ * Why: an unfiltered view has no filter to blame, so "no items match this
+ * view's filter" reads as data loss when a freshly populated board momentarily
+ * comes back empty (#12648). `ProjectV2.items(query:)` defaults to `""`, so
+ * there is no non-search request shape to fall back to — the honest remedy is
+ * to name the state correctly and say the emptiness may be transient.
+ */
+export function ProjectItemsEmptyState({ filter }: { filter: string }): React.JSX.Element {
+  if (filter.trim().length > 0) {
+    return (
+      <div className="flex min-h-[120px] items-center justify-center p-6 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+        {translate(
+          'auto.components.github.project.ProjectViewList.4f57d2e0b1',
+          "No items match this view's filter."
+        )}
+      </div>
+    )
+  }
+  return (
+    <div className="flex min-h-[120px] flex-col items-center justify-center gap-1 p-6 text-center text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+      <span>
+        {translate(
+          'auto.components.github.project.ProjectViewStates.3b9c1d5e47',
+          'This view has no items yet.'
+        )}
+      </span>
+      <span className="text-xs">
+        {translate(
+          'auto.components.github.project.ProjectViewStates.7e4a2f80c6',
+          'Recently added items can take a while to appear.'
+        )}
+      </span>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/en.json b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/en.json
index 94ebfc81af8..81700b22ff3 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/en.json
+++ b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/en.json
@@ -2584,7 +2584,9 @@
           },
           "ProjectViewStates": {
             "ac83c45672": "Switch to a Table or Roadmap view to work with this project in Orca.",
-            "e4cc8b14f2": "Orca renders table and roadmap project views. This view uses a layout it cannot render yet."
+            "e4cc8b14f2": "Orca renders table and roadmap project views. This view uses a layout it cannot render yet.",
+            "3b9c1d5e47": "This view has no items yet.",
+            "7e4a2f80c6": "Recently added items can take a while to appear."
           }
         },
         "GitHubMarkdownComposer": {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/es.json b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/es.json
index 29ddcca9bb0..61c3f812f5f 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/es.json
+++ b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/es.json
@@ -2218,6 +2218,10 @@
                 "7c302f8174": "Sin título"
               }
             }
+          },
+          "ProjectViewStates": {
+            "3b9c1d5e47": "Esta vista aún no tiene elementos.",
+            "7e4a2f80c6": "Los elementos añadidos recientemente pueden tardar un poco en aparecer."
           }
         },
         "GitHubMarkdownComposer": {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/fr.json b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/fr.json
index 35bebb63736..c21e08e7a5a 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/fr.json
+++ b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/fr.json
@@ -2382,6 +2382,10 @@
                 "7c302f8174": "Sans titre"
               }
             }
+          },
+          "ProjectViewStates": {
+            "3b9c1d5e47": "Cette vue ne contient encore aucun élément.",
+            "7e4a2f80c6": "Les éléments ajoutés récemment peuvent mettre un moment à apparaître."
           }
         },
         "GitHubMarkdownComposer": {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/ja.json b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/ja.json
index 02bfa9a9eaf..422e2b39fbc 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/ja.json
+++ b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/ja.json
@@ -2218,6 +2218,10 @@
                 "7c302f8174": "無題"
               }
             }
+          },
+          "ProjectViewStates": {
+            "3b9c1d5e47": "このビューにはまだ項目がありません。",
+            "7e4a2f80c6": "最近追加した項目は、表示されるまで少し時間がかかることがあります。"
           }
         },
         "GitHubMarkdownComposer": {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/ko.json b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/ko.json
index 1b87a3d3d37..45d2d30a225 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/ko.json
+++ b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/ko.json
@@ -2223,6 +2223,10 @@
                 "7c302f8174": "제목 없음"
               }
             }
+          },
+          "ProjectViewStates": {
+            "3b9c1d5e47": "이 보기에는 아직 항목이 없습니다.",
+            "7e4a2f80c6": "최근에 추가한 항목은 표시되기까지 시간이 걸릴 수 있습니다."
           }
         },
         "GitHubMarkdownComposer": {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/zh.json b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/zh.json
index bb8ecf5ac76..f64188d7201 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/zh.json
+++ b/src/renderer/src/i18n/locales/zh.json
@@ -2221,6 +2221,10 @@
                 "7c302f8174": "无标题"
               }
             }
+          },
+          "ProjectViewStates": {
+            "3b9c1d5e47": "此视图暂无任何项目。",
+            "7e4a2f80c6": "最近添加的项目可能需要一段时间才会显示。"
           }
         },
         "GitHubMarkdownComposer": {
diff --git a/src/shared/github/project-types.ts b/src/shared/github/project-types.ts
index 0d33dc5d976..1fcbc9e5d33 100644
--- a/src/shared/github/project-types.ts
+++ b/src/shared/github/project-types.ts
@@ -81,9 +81,10 @@ export type GitHubProjectView = {
   number: number
   name: string
   layout: GitHubProjectViewLayout
-  /** Normalized to '' when GitHub returns null. Why: passing null through as
-   *  `$q` in the items query would change the query shape between filtered
-   *  and unfiltered views; the empty string keeps the GraphQL shape stable. */
+  /** Normalized to '' when GitHub returns null. `ProjectV2.items(query:)` is
+   *  declared `String = ""`, so sending '' and omitting the argument are the
+   *  same request — there is no non-search item field to fall back to. '' is
+   *  therefore only a UI signal: it means "this view is unfiltered". */
   filter: string
   fields: GitHubProjectField[]
   groupByFields: GitHubProjectField[]