diff --git a/packages/ui/src/App.tsx b/packages/ui/src/App.tsx
index b02861c1..c36ceb1b 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/App.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/App.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import { useTheme } from "./lib/theme"
 import { useCommands } from "./lib/hooks/use-commands"
 import { useAppLifecycle } from "./lib/hooks/use-app-lifecycle"
 import { getLogger } from "./lib/logger"
+import { launchError, showLaunchError, clearLaunchError } from "./stores/launch-errors"
+import { formatLaunchErrorMessage, isMissingBinaryMessage } from "./lib/launch-errors"
 import { initReleaseNotifications } from "./stores/releases"
 import { runtimeEnv } from "./lib/runtime-env"
 import { useI18n } from "./lib/i18n"
@@ -74,12 +76,6 @@ const App: Component = () => {
     setThinkingBlocksExpansion,
   } = useConfig()
   const [escapeInDebounce, setEscapeInDebounce] = createSignal(false)
-  interface LaunchErrorState {
-    message: string
-    binaryPath: string
-    missingBinary: boolean
-  }
-  const [launchError, setLaunchError] = createSignal<LaunchErrorState | null>(null)
   const [isAdvancedSettingsOpen, setIsAdvancedSettingsOpen] = createSignal(false)
   const [remoteAccessOpen, setRemoteAccessOpen] = createSignal(false)
   const [instanceTabBarHeight, setInstanceTabBarHeight] = createSignal(0)
@@ -244,35 +240,6 @@ const App: Component = () => {
 
   const launchErrorMessage = () => launchError()?.message ?? ""
 
-  const formatLaunchErrorMessage = (error: unknown): string => {
-    if (!error) {
-      return t("app.launchError.fallbackMessage")
-    }
-    const raw = typeof error === "string" ? error : error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
-    try {
-      const parsed = JSON.parse(raw)
-      if (parsed && typeof parsed.error === "string") {
-        return parsed.error
-      }
-    } catch {
-      // ignore JSON parse errors
-    }
-    return raw
-  }
-
-  const isMissingBinaryMessage = (message: string): boolean => {
-    const normalized = message.toLowerCase()
-    return (
-      normalized.includes("opencode binary not found") ||
-      normalized.includes("binary not found") ||
-      normalized.includes("no such file or directory") ||
-      normalized.includes("binary is not executable") ||
-      normalized.includes("enoent")
-    )
-  }
-
-  const clearLaunchError = () => setLaunchError(null)
-
   async function handleSelectFolder(folderPath: string, binaryPath?: string) {
     if (!folderPath) {
       return
@@ -291,13 +258,9 @@ const App: Component = () => {
         port: instances().get(instanceId)?.port,
       })
     } catch (error) {
-      const message = formatLaunchErrorMessage(error)
+      const message = formatLaunchErrorMessage(error, t("app.launchError.fallbackMessage"))
       const missingBinary = isMissingBinaryMessage(message)
-      setLaunchError({
-        message,
-        binaryPath: selectedBinary,
-        missingBinary,
-      })
+      showLaunchError({ source: "create", message, binaryPath: selectedBinary, missingBinary })
       log.error("Failed to create instance", error)
     } finally {
       setIsSelectingFolder(false)
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/lib/launch-errors.ts b/packages/ui/src/lib/launch-errors.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0d495f97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ui/src/lib/launch-errors.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+export function formatLaunchErrorMessage(error: unknown, fallbackMessage: string): string {
+  if (!error) {
+    return fallbackMessage
+  }
+
+  const raw = typeof error === "string" ? error : error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+
+  try {
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as unknown
+    if (parsed && typeof parsed === "object" && "error" in parsed && typeof (parsed as any).error === "string") {
+      return (parsed as any).error
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // ignore JSON parse errors
+  }
+
+  return raw
+}
+
+export function isMissingBinaryMessage(message: string): boolean {
+  const normalized = message.toLowerCase()
+  return (
+    normalized.includes("opencode binary not found") ||
+    normalized.includes("binary not found") ||
+    normalized.includes("no such file or directory") ||
+    normalized.includes("binary is not executable") ||
+    normalized.includes("enoent")
+  )
+}
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/stores/instances.ts b/packages/ui/src/stores/instances.ts
index 20c63443..2d4bb6ec 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/stores/instances.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/stores/instances.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import { upsertPermissionV2, removePermissionV2, upsertQuestionV2, removeQuestio
 import { clearCacheForInstance } from "../lib/global-cache"
 import { getLogger } from "../lib/logger"
 import { mergeInstanceMetadata, clearInstanceMetadata } from "./instance-metadata"
+import { showWorkspaceLaunchError } from "./launch-errors"
 
 const log = getLogger("api")
 
@@ -372,6 +373,7 @@ function handleWorkspaceEvent(event: WorkspaceEventPayload) {
       break
     case "workspace.error":
       upsertWorkspace(event.workspace)
+      showWorkspaceLaunchError(event.workspace)
       break
     case "workspace.stopped":
       releaseInstanceResources(event.workspaceId)
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/stores/launch-errors.ts b/packages/ui/src/stores/launch-errors.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..814790f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ui/src/stores/launch-errors.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { createSignal } from "solid-js"
+import type { WorkspaceDescriptor } from "../../../server/src/api-types"
+import { tGlobal } from "../lib/i18n"
+import { formatLaunchErrorMessage, isMissingBinaryMessage } from "../lib/launch-errors"
+
+type LaunchErrorSource = "create" | "workspace"
+
+export interface LaunchErrorState {
+  source: LaunchErrorSource
+  message: string
+  binaryPath: string
+  missingBinary: boolean
+  instanceId?: string
+}
+
+const [launchError, setLaunchError] = createSignal<LaunchErrorState | null>(null)
+
+// Avoid spamming the user with the same modal on repeated events.
+const lastWorkspaceErrorByInstanceId = new Map<string, string>()
+
+export function showLaunchError(next: LaunchErrorState) {
+  setLaunchError(next)
+}
+
+export function clearLaunchError() {
+  setLaunchError(null)
+}
+
+export function showWorkspaceLaunchError(workspace: WorkspaceDescriptor) {
+  const instanceId = workspace.id
+  const rawMessage = workspace.error
+  const message = formatLaunchErrorMessage(rawMessage, tGlobal("app.launchError.fallbackMessage"))
+
+  const previous = lastWorkspaceErrorByInstanceId.get(instanceId)
+  if (previous && previous === message) {
+    return
+  }
+
+  lastWorkspaceErrorByInstanceId.set(instanceId, message)
+
+  const binaryPath = (workspace.binaryLabel || workspace.binaryId || "opencode").trim() || "opencode"
+  const missingBinary = isMissingBinaryMessage(message)
+
+  showLaunchError({
+    source: "workspace",
+    instanceId,
+    message,
+    binaryPath,
+    missingBinary,
+  })
+}
+
+export { launchError }