diff --git a/src/renderer/components/Experiment/Workflows/WorkflowCanvas.tsx b/src/renderer/components/Experiment/Workflows/WorkflowCanvas.tsx
index b4635812a18286ba743a3b782ea59fc9a9ef7c1b..bcb520499451d3c2b1ef4a0a4f6e475df9ad83b1 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/Experiment/Workflows/WorkflowCanvas.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/components/Experiment/Workflows/WorkflowCanvas.tsx
@@ -19,9 +19,21 @@ const nodeTypes = { customNode: CustomNode };
 
 function generateNodes(workflow: any): any[] {
   const workflowConfig = JSON.parse(workflow?.config);
+  const fakeStartNode = {
+    id: 'start',
+    type: 'input',
+    position: { x: 0, y: -70 },
+    data: {
+      id: 'start',
+      label: 'Start',
+      jobType: 'start',
+      template: 'start',
+      metadata: {},
+    },
+  };
 
   if (workflowConfig.nodes.length == 0) {
-    return [];
+    return [fakeStartNode];
   }
 
   let out: any[] = [];
@@ -30,6 +42,9 @@ function generateNodes(workflow: any): any[] {
 
   // console.log(workflowConfig);
 
+  // Add a fake start node for now -- later the backend will do this
+  out.push(fakeStartNode);
+
   for (let i = 0; i < workflowConfig.nodes.length; i++) {
     const node = workflowConfig.nodes[i];
     // console.log(node);
@@ -56,8 +71,18 @@ function generateNodes(workflow: any): any[] {
 
 function generateEdges(workflow: any) {
   const workflowConfig = JSON.parse(workflow?.config);
-  if (workflowConfig.nodes.length <= 1) {
-    return [];
+
+  let fakeStartNodeEdge = {
+    id: '-100',
+    source: 'start',
+    target: null,
+    markerEnd: {
+      type: 'arrow',
+    },
+  };
+
+  if (workflowConfig.nodes.length < 1) {
+    return [fakeStartNodeEdge];
   }
 
   let out: any[] = [];
@@ -66,6 +91,10 @@ function generateEdges(workflow: any) {
 
   // console.log(workflowConfig);
 
+  // conect the fake start node to the first node:
+  fakeStartNodeEdge.target = currentTask;
+  out.push(fakeStartNodeEdge);
+
   for (let i = 0; i < workflowConfig.nodes.length; i++) {
     const currentNode = workflowConfig.nodes[i];