diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7753f2037..7730307c5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -342,3 +342,8 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/).
   currently knows about becomes briefly unreachable at once — a temporary,
   self-recovering condition. The app now recognizes it and says "All Dash network
   servers are temporarily unreachable. Please wait a minute and retry." instead.
+- The onboarding Welcome screen on first launch no longer shows a red
+  "Disconnected — check your internet connection" banner before you have done
+  anything. On a fresh start there is no wallet yet and no sync has been
+  attempted, so that message was misleading; it now stays hidden until you
+  finish onboarding, and real connection problems are still reported afterwards.
diff --git a/src/app.rs b/src/app.rs
index 21f874d64..d2e735ccd 100644
--- a/src/app.rs
+++ b/src/app.rs
@@ -2489,10 +2489,12 @@ impl App for AppState {
         // runs before the connection banner, which suppresses its redundant
         // Connecting/Syncing text while the overlay is up.
         let spv_overlaying = self.spv_block.is_overlaying();
-        if let Some(task) = self
-            .connection_banner
-            .update(ctx, &active_context, spv_overlaying)
-        {
+        if let Some(task) = self.connection_banner.update(
+            ctx,
+            &active_context,
+            spv_overlaying,
+            self.show_welcome_screen,
+        ) {
             self.handle_backend_task(task);
         }
         if !self.network_selection_required
diff --git a/src/app/reconcilers.rs b/src/app/reconcilers.rs
index f042bf0c9..7ac9cf39c 100644
--- a/src/app/reconcilers.rs
+++ b/src/app/reconcilers.rs
@@ -252,12 +252,15 @@ impl ConnectionBanner {
 
     /// Update the banner for the current connection state. `spv_overlaying`
     /// suppresses the redundant Connecting/Syncing copy while the SPV block is
-    /// up. Returns a [`BackendTask`] to dispatch on the first `Synced`.
+    /// up; `onboarding_active` suppresses the initial `Disconnected` banner while
+    /// the Welcome screen is showing (pre-sync, not a real failure). Returns a
+    /// [`BackendTask`] to dispatch on the first `Synced`.
     pub(super) fn update(
         &mut self,
         ctx: &egui::Context,
         app_context: &Arc<AppContext>,
         spv_overlaying: bool,
+        onboarding_active: bool,
     ) -> Option<BackendTask> {
         let connection_status = app_context.connection_status();
         let current_state = connection_status.overall_state();
@@ -284,6 +287,17 @@ impl ConnectionBanner {
             return None;
         }
 
+        // The Welcome screen initially reads Disconnected before sync starts.
+        if onboarding_active && current_state == OverallConnectionState::Disconnected {
+            if let Some(handle) = self.handle.take() {
+                handle.clear();
+            }
+            // Invalidate rather than cache either state so suppression exit and
+            // recurring pre-suppression states both force reconciliation.
+            self.previous_state = None;
+            return None;
+        }
+
         // Clear old banner on state transitions.
         if state_changed && let Some(handle) = self.handle.take() {
             handle.clear();
@@ -879,4 +893,75 @@ mod tests {
             )),
         );
     }
+
+    /// Disconnected stays hidden throughout onboarding and appears on the first
+    /// frame after onboarding ends, even when the connection state is unchanged.
+    #[test]
+    fn connection_banner_suppresses_disconnected_until_onboarding_ends() {
+        let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().expect("tempdir");
+        let app_context = test_app_context(tmp.path());
+        // ConnectionStatus defaults to Disconnected — no sync has been asked for.
+        assert_eq!(
+            app_context.connection_status().overall_state(),
+            OverallConnectionState::Disconnected
+        );
+        let ctx = egui::Context::default();
+        let mut banner = ConnectionBanner::new();
+
+        // Frame 1: onboarding active, Disconnected — suppressed.
+        assert!(banner.update(&ctx, &app_context, false, true).is_none());
+        assert!(
+            banner.handle.is_none(),
+            "the Disconnected banner must stay hidden while onboarding is active"
+        );
+
+        // Frame 2: onboarding still active, state unchanged — still suppressed.
+        assert!(banner.update(&ctx, &app_context, false, true).is_none());
+        assert!(
+            banner.handle.is_none(),
+            "Disconnected must stay hidden for every frame while onboarding is active"
+        );
+
+        // Frame 3: onboarding ends, connection is still Disconnected — the real
+        // banner must now appear even though `current_state` never changed.
+        assert!(banner.update(&ctx, &app_context, false, false).is_none());
+        assert!(
+            banner.handle.is_some(),
+            "a genuine Disconnected state must be reported once onboarding ends, \
+             even if the connection state itself never changed"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn connection_banner_restores_recurring_error_after_onboarding_suppression() {
+        let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().expect("tempdir");
+        let app_context = test_app_context(tmp.path());
+        let connection_status = app_context.connection_status();
+        let ctx = egui::Context::default();
+        let mut banner = ConnectionBanner::new();
+
+        connection_status.set_spv_status(crate::model::spv_status::SpvStatus::Error);
+        connection_status.refresh_state();
+        assert!(banner.update(&ctx, &app_context, false, true).is_none());
+        assert!(
+            banner.handle.is_some(),
+            "the first SPV error must be reported"
+        );
+
+        connection_status.set_spv_status(crate::model::spv_status::SpvStatus::Idle);
+        connection_status.refresh_state();
+        assert!(banner.update(&ctx, &app_context, false, true).is_none());
+        assert!(
+            banner.handle.is_none(),
+            "Disconnected must be suppressed while onboarding is active"
+        );
+
+        connection_status.set_spv_status(crate::model::spv_status::SpvStatus::Error);
+        connection_status.refresh_state();
+        assert!(banner.update(&ctx, &app_context, false, true).is_none());
+        assert!(
+            banner.handle.is_some(),
+            "a recurring SPV error must be restored after Disconnected suppression"
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/kittest/welcome_screen.rs b/tests/kittest/welcome_screen.rs
index 8289f4b8e..c64f341ce 100644
--- a/tests/kittest/welcome_screen.rs
+++ b/tests/kittest/welcome_screen.rs
@@ -222,3 +222,39 @@ fn just_explore_lands_on_identities_hub() {
         );
     });
 }
+
+/// A cold start opens on the Welcome screen while the connection state is still
+/// its default `Disconnected` — no wallet exists and nothing has asked SPV to
+/// sync, so this is "hasn't started yet", not a real failure. The alarming red
+/// "Disconnected — check your internet connection" banner must be suppressed
+/// until onboarding completes; otherwise it reads as a connectivity problem the
+/// user cannot act on.
+#[test]
+fn welcome_screen_suppresses_disconnected_banner() {
+    with_isolated_data_dir(|| {
+        let rt = tokio::runtime::Runtime::new().expect("Failed to create tokio runtime");
+        let _guard = rt.enter();
+
+        // A fresh data dir leaves onboarding incomplete, so the welcome screen
+        // renders on the first frame while the connection state is still the
+        // default `Disconnected` (no sync has been attempted).
+        let mut harness = Harness::builder().with_max_steps(100).build_eframe(|ctx| {
+            dash_evo_tool::app::AppState::new(ctx.egui_ctx.clone())
+                .expect("Failed to create AppState")
+                .with_animations(false)
+        });
+        harness.set_size(egui::vec2(1024.0, 768.0));
+        harness.run_steps(10);
+
+        assert!(
+            harness.state().show_welcome_screen,
+            "a fresh data dir must open on the onboarding welcome screen"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            harness
+                .query_by_label_contains("check your internet connection")
+                .is_none(),
+            "the onboarding screen must not show the red 'Disconnected' connection banner"
+        );
+    });
+}