diff --git a/invokeai/frontend/web/src/features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterSettings.tsx b/invokeai/frontend/web/src/features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterSettings.tsx
index 50f7da129d..0d92c1cf70 100644
--- a/invokeai/frontend/web/src/features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterSettings.tsx
+++ b/invokeai/frontend/web/src/features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterSettings.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { BeginEndStepPct } from 'features/controlLayers/components/common/BeginE
 import { CanvasEntitySettingsWrapper } from 'features/controlLayers/components/common/CanvasEntitySettingsWrapper';
 import { Weight } from 'features/controlLayers/components/common/Weight';
 import { IPAdapterMethod } from 'features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterMethod';
+import { IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState } from 'features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState';
 import { useEntityIdentifierContext } from 'features/controlLayers/contexts/EntityIdentifierContext';
 import { usePullBboxIntoGlobalReferenceImage } from 'features/controlLayers/hooks/saveCanvasHooks';
 import { useCanvasIsBusy } from 'features/controlLayers/hooks/useCanvasIsBusy';
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@ import {
   referenceImageIPAdapterWeightChanged,
 } from 'features/controlLayers/store/canvasSlice';
 import { selectIsFLUX } from 'features/controlLayers/store/paramsSlice';
-import { selectCanvasSlice, selectEntityOrThrow } from 'features/controlLayers/store/selectors';
+import { selectCanvasSlice, selectEntity, selectEntityOrThrow } from 'features/controlLayers/store/selectors';
 import type { CanvasEntityIdentifier, CLIPVisionModelV2, IPMethodV2 } from 'features/controlLayers/store/types';
 import type { SetGlobalReferenceImageDndTargetData } from 'features/dnd/dnd';
 import { setGlobalReferenceImageDndTarget } from 'features/dnd/dnd';
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ const buildSelectIPAdapter = (entityIdentifier: CanvasEntityIdentifier<'referenc
     (canvas) => selectEntityOrThrow(canvas, entityIdentifier, 'IPAdapterSettings').ipAdapter
   );
 
-export const IPAdapterSettings = memo(() => {
+const IPAdapterSettingsContent = memo(() => {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
   const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
   const entityIdentifier = useEntityIdentifierContext('reference_image');
@@ -134,4 +135,25 @@ export const IPAdapterSettings = memo(() => {
   );
 });
 
+IPAdapterSettingsContent.displayName = 'IPAdapterSettingsContent';
+
+const buildSelectIPAdapterHasImage = (entityIdentifier: CanvasEntityIdentifier<'reference_image'>) =>
+  createSelector(selectCanvasSlice, (canvas) => {
+    const referenceImage = selectEntity(canvas, entityIdentifier);
+    return !!referenceImage && referenceImage.ipAdapter.image !== null;
+  });
+
+export const IPAdapterSettings = memo(() => {
+  const entityIdentifier = useEntityIdentifierContext('reference_image');
+
+  const selectIPAdapterHasImage = useMemo(() => buildSelectIPAdapterHasImage(entityIdentifier), [entityIdentifier]);
+  const hasImage = useAppSelector(selectIPAdapterHasImage);
+
+  if (!hasImage) {
+    return <IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState />;
+  }
+
+  return <IPAdapterSettingsContent />;
+});
+
 IPAdapterSettings.displayName = 'IPAdapterSettings';
diff --git a/invokeai/frontend/web/src/features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState.tsx b/invokeai/frontend/web/src/features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4928cf7cb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/invokeai/frontend/web/src/features/controlLayers/components/IPAdapter/IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import { Button, Flex, Text } from '@invoke-ai/ui-library';
+import { useAppDispatch } from 'app/store/storeHooks';
+import { useImageUploadButton } from 'common/hooks/useImageUploadButton';
+import { useEntityIdentifierContext } from 'features/controlLayers/contexts/EntityIdentifierContext';
+import { useCanvasIsBusy } from 'features/controlLayers/hooks/useCanvasIsBusy';
+import type { SetGlobalReferenceImageDndTargetData } from 'features/dnd/dnd';
+import { setGlobalReferenceImageDndTarget } from 'features/dnd/dnd';
+import { DndDropTarget } from 'features/dnd/DndDropTarget';
+import { setGlobalReferenceImage } from 'features/imageActions/actions';
+import { activeTabCanvasRightPanelChanged } from 'features/ui/store/uiSlice';
+import { memo, useCallback, useMemo } from 'react';
+import { Trans, useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
+import type { ImageDTO } from 'services/api/types';
+
+export const IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState = memo(() => {
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const entityIdentifier = useEntityIdentifierContext('reference_image');
+  const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
+  const isBusy = useCanvasIsBusy();
+  const onUpload = useCallback(
+    (imageDTO: ImageDTO) => {
+      setGlobalReferenceImage({ imageDTO, entityIdentifier, dispatch });
+    },
+    [dispatch, entityIdentifier]
+  );
+  const uploadApi = useImageUploadButton({ onUpload, allowMultiple: false });
+  const onClickGalleryButton = useCallback(() => {
+    dispatch(activeTabCanvasRightPanelChanged('gallery'));
+  }, [dispatch]);
+
+  const dndTargetData = useMemo<SetGlobalReferenceImageDndTargetData>(
+    () => setGlobalReferenceImageDndTarget.getData({ entityIdentifier }),
+    [entityIdentifier]
+  );
+
+  const components = useMemo(
+    () => ({
+      UploadButton: (
+        <Button isDisabled={isBusy} size="sm" variant="link" color="base.300" {...uploadApi.getUploadButtonProps()} />
+      ),
+      GalleryButton: (
+        <Button onClick={onClickGalleryButton} isDisabled={isBusy} size="sm" variant="link" color="base.300" />
+      ),
+    }),
+    [isBusy, onClickGalleryButton, uploadApi]
+  );
+
+  return (
+    <Flex flexDir="column" gap={3} position="relative" w="full" p={4}>
+      <Text textAlign="center" color="base.300">
+        <Trans i18nKey="controlLayers.referenceImageEmptyState" components={components} />
+      </Text>
+      <input {...uploadApi.getUploadInputProps()} />
+      <DndDropTarget
+        dndTarget={setGlobalReferenceImageDndTarget}
+        dndTargetData={dndTargetData}
+        label={t('controlLayers.useImage')}
+        isDisabled={isBusy}
+      />
+    </Flex>
+  );
+});
+
+IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState.displayName = 'IPAdapterSettingsEmptyState';