diff --git a/src/lib/onboard.ts b/src/lib/onboard.ts
index 5edbca63c0a..a906be0c07b 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard.ts
@@ -7895,7 +7895,7 @@ async function setupMessagingChannels(): Promise<string[]> {
       output.write(`    [${i + 1}] ${marker} ${ch.name} — ${ch.description}${status}\n`);
     });
     output.write("\n");
-    output.write(`  Press 1-${MESSAGING_CHANNELS.length} to toggle, Enter when done: `);
+    output.write(`  Press 1-${MESSAGING_CHANNELS.length} to toggle, Enter when done (none selected skips): `);
   };
 
   showList();
diff --git a/test/onboard.test.ts b/test/onboard.test.ts
index 36759f976bb..3ac23bf525f 100644
--- a/test/onboard.test.ts
+++ b/test/onboard.test.ts
@@ -1353,6 +1353,18 @@ const { setupInference } = require(${onboardPath});
     assert.ok(cleanupPos < createPos, "fresh cleanup should run before createSandbox allocates a port");
   });
 
+  it("tells users that selecting no messaging channels skips the step", () => {
+    const source = fs.readFileSync(
+      path.join(import.meta.dirname, "..", "src", "lib", "onboard.ts"),
+      "utf-8",
+    );
+
+    assert.match(
+      source,
+      /Press 1-\$\{MESSAGING_CHANNELS\.length\} to toggle, Enter when done \(none selected skips\):/,
+    );
+  });
+
   it("migrates a legacy credentials.json into env so setupInference can register the provider", () => {
     const repoRoot = path.join(import.meta.dirname, "..");
     const tmpDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "nemoclaw-onboard-resume-cred-"));