diff --git a/editor/js/main.js b/editor/js/main.js
index 09750b85e..9352cd18d 100644
--- a/editor/js/main.js
+++ b/editor/js/main.js
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@
                                             text: "Setup project files",
                                             click: function() {
                                                 persistentNotifications[notificationId].close();
+                                                delete persistentNotifications[notificationId];
                                                 RED.projects.showFilesPrompt();
                                             }
                                         }
@@ -128,11 +129,13 @@
                                             text: "No thanks",
                                             click: function() {
                                                 persistentNotifications[notificationId].close();
+                                                delete persistentNotifications[notificationId];
                                             }
                                         },                                        {
                                             text: "Create default project files",
                                             click: function() {
                                                 persistentNotifications[notificationId].close();
+                                                delete persistentNotifications[notificationId];
                                                 RED.projects.createDefaultFileSet();
                                             }
                                         }
@@ -142,7 +145,7 @@
                             if (!persistentNotifications.hasOwnProperty(notificationId)) {
                                 persistentNotifications[notificationId] = RED.notify(text,options);
                             } else {
-                                persistentNotifications[notificationId].update(text,msg.timeout);
+                                persistentNotifications[notificationId].update(text,options);
                             }
                         } else if (persistentNotifications.hasOwnProperty(notificationId)) {
                             persistentNotifications[notificationId].close();
diff --git a/editor/js/ui/notifications.js b/editor/js/ui/notifications.js
index 1e2a50d53..e09c1f22d 100644
--- a/editor/js/ui/notifications.js
+++ b/editor/js/ui/notifications.js
@@ -85,18 +85,34 @@ RED.notify = (function() {
 
         n.update = (function() {
             var nn = n;
-            return function(msg,timeout) {
+            return function(msg,options) {
                 if (typeof msg === "string") {
                     nn.innerHTML = msg;
                 } else {
                     $(nn).empty().append(msg);
                 }
+                var timeout;
+                if (typeof options === 'number') {
+                    timeout = options;
+                } else if (options !== undefined) {
+                    timeout = options.timeout;
+                    if (options.buttons) {
+                        var buttonSet = $('<div style="margin-top: 20px;" class="ui-dialog-buttonset"></div>').appendTo(nn)
+                        options.buttons.forEach(function(buttonDef) {
+                            var b = $('<button>').html(buttonDef.text).click(buttonDef.click).appendTo(buttonSet);
+                            if (buttonDef.class) {
+                                b.addClass(buttonDef.class);
+                            }
+                        })
+                    }
+                }
                 if (timeout !== undefined && timeout > 0) {
                     window.clearTimeout(nn.timeoutid);
                     nn.timeoutid = window.setTimeout(nn.close,timeout);
                 } else {
                     window.clearTimeout(nn.timeoutid);
                 }
+
             }
         })();
 
diff --git a/editor/js/ui/projects/projects.js b/editor/js/ui/projects/projects.js
index 8dc3a715c..bc7d5c40f 100644
--- a/editor/js/ui/projects/projects.js
+++ b/editor/js/ui/projects/projects.js
@@ -1067,7 +1067,7 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
             'open': (function() {
                 var selectedProject;
                 return {
-                    title: "Open a project", // TODO: NLS
+                    title: "Select a project to open", // TODO: NLS
                     content: function() {
                         return createProjectList({
                             canSelectActive: false,
@@ -1111,6 +1111,7 @@ RED.projects = (function() {
             'delete': (function() {
                 var selectedProject;
                 return {
+                    title: "Select a project to delete", // TODO: NLS
                     content: function() {
                         return createProjectList({
                             canSelectActive: false,
diff --git a/editor/js/ui/tab-info.js b/editor/js/ui/tab-info.js
index 31b801d31..f8f2025b1 100644
--- a/editor/js/ui/tab-info.js
+++ b/editor/js/ui/tab-info.js
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ RED.sidebar.info = (function() {
         });
         nodeSection.expand();
         infoSection = sections.add({
-            title: RED._("sidebar.info.help"),
+            title: RED._("sidebar.info.nodeHelp"),
             collapsible: true
         });
         infoSection.expand();
diff --git a/editor/sass/notifications.scss b/editor/sass/notifications.scss
index 7f1fe4f43..096fa607d 100644
--- a/editor/sass/notifications.scss
+++ b/editor/sass/notifications.scss
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@
     border-left-width: 16px;
     overflow: hidden;
 }
+.notification p:first-child {
+    font-size: 1.1em;
+    font-weight: 500;
+}
 .notification a {
     text-decoration: none;
     &:hover {
diff --git a/editor/sass/projects.scss b/editor/sass/projects.scss
index 1730b27cb..e9ac97f82 100644
--- a/editor/sass/projects.scss
+++ b/editor/sass/projects.scss
@@ -214,8 +214,8 @@
         cursor: pointer;
         &:hover {
             background: #f3f3f3;
-            border-left-color: #aaa;
-            border-right-color: #aaa;
+            // border-left-color: #aaa;
+            // border-right-color: #aaa;
         }
     }
     i {
diff --git a/red/api/editor/locales/en-US/editor.json b/red/api/editor/locales/en-US/editor.json
index 187aba33c..d5d665146 100644
--- a/red/api/editor/locales/en-US/editor.json
+++ b/red/api/editor/locales/en-US/editor.json
@@ -85,9 +85,9 @@
             "nodeActionDisabled": "node actions disabled within subflow",
             "missing-types": "Flows stopped due to missing node types. Check logs for details.",
             "restartRequired": "Node-RED must be restarted to enable upgraded modules",
-            "credentials_load_failed": "Flows stopped due to missing or invalid credentialSecret",
-            "missing_flow_file": "Could not find the project flow file",
-            "project_empty": "<p>The project repository is empty.</p><p>Do you want to create a default set of project files?<br/>Otherwise, you will have to manually add files to the project outside of the editor.</p>"
+            "credentials_load_failed": "<p>Flows stopped due to missing or invalid credentialSecret.</p>",
+            "missing_flow_file": "<p>Project flow file not found.</p><p>The project is not configured with a flow file.</p>",
+            "project_empty": "<p>The project is empty.</p><p>Do you want to create a default set of project files?<br/>Otherwise, you will have to manually add files to the project outside of the editor.</p>"
         },
 
         "error": "<strong>Error</strong>: __message__",
diff --git a/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/Project.js b/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/Project.js
index 65f2e8aec..7bf631492 100644
--- a/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/Project.js
+++ b/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/Project.js
@@ -155,7 +155,8 @@ Project.prototype.loadRemotes = function() {
     return gitTools.getRemotes(project.path).then(function(remotes) {
         project.remotes = remotes;
     }).then(function() {
-        return project.loadBranches();
+        project.branches = {};
+        return project.status();
     }).then(function() {
         var allRemotes = Object.keys(project.remotes);
         var match = "";
@@ -189,15 +190,6 @@ Project.prototype.parseRemoteBranch = function (remoteBranch) {
 
 };
 
-Project.prototype.loadBranches = function() {
-    var project = this;
-    return gitTools.getBranchInfo(project.path).then(function(branches) {
-        project.branches = branches;
-        project.empty = project.branches.empty;
-        delete project.branches.empty;
-    });
-}
-
 Project.prototype.isEmpty = function () {
     return this.empty;
 };
@@ -439,6 +431,37 @@ Project.prototype.status = function(user) {
                     code: fetchError.code
                 }
             }
+            if (result.commits.total === 0 && Object.keys(result.files).length === 0) {
+                if (!self.empty) {
+                    runtime.events.emit("runtime-event",{
+                        id:"runtime-state",
+                        payload:{
+                            type:"warning",
+                            error:"project_empty",
+                            text:"notification.warnings.project_empty"},
+                            retain:true
+                        }
+                    );
+                }
+                self.empty = true;
+            } else {
+                if (self.empty) {
+                    if (self.paths.flowFile) {
+                        runtime.events.emit("runtime-event",{id:"runtime-state",retain:true});
+                    } else {
+                        runtime.events.emit("runtime-event",{
+                            id:"runtime-state",
+                            payload:{
+                                type:"warning",
+                                error:"missing_flow_file",
+                                text:"notification.warnings.missing_flow_file"},
+                                retain:true
+                            }
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
+                delete self.empty;
+            }
             return result;
         }).catch(function(err) {
             if (/ambiguous argument/.test(err.message)) {
diff --git a/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/git/index.js b/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/git/index.js
index d710a0131..bc6b066f3 100644
--- a/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/git/index.js
+++ b/red/runtime/storage/localfilesystem/projects/git/index.js
@@ -117,25 +117,28 @@ function parseFilenames(name) {
     }
     return result;
 }
-function getBranchInfo(localRepo) {
-    return runGitCommand(["status","--porcelain","-b"],localRepo).then(function(output) {
-        var lines = output.split("\n");
-        var unknownDirs = [];
-        var branchLineRE = /^## (No commits yet on )?(.+?)($|\.\.\.(.+?)($| \[(ahead (\d+))?.*?(behind (\d+))?\]))/m;
-        var m = branchLineRE.exec(output);
-        var result = {}; //commits:{}};
-        if (m) {
-            if (m[1]) {
-                result.empty = true;
-            }
-            result.local = m[2];
-            if (m[4]) {
-                result.remote = m[4];
-            }
-        }
-        return result;
-    });
-}
+// function getBranchInfo(localRepo) {
+//     return runGitCommand(["status","--porcelain","-b"],localRepo).then(function(output) {
+//         var lines = output.split("\n");
+//         var unknownDirs = [];
+//         var branchLineRE = /^## (No commits yet on )?(.+?)($|\.\.\.(.+?)($| \[(ahead (\d+))?.*?(behind (\d+))?\]))/m;
+//         console.log(output);
+//         console.log(lines);
+//         var m = branchLineRE.exec(output);
+//         console.log(m);
+//         var result = {}; //commits:{}};
+//         if (m) {
+//             if (m[1]) {
+//                 result.empty = true;
+//             }
+//             result.local = m[2];
+//             if (m[4]) {
+//                 result.remote = m[4];
+//             }
+//         }
+//         return result;
+//     });
+// }
 function getStatus(localRepo) {
     // parseFilename('"test with space"');
     // parseFilename('"test with space" -> knownFile.txt');
@@ -147,6 +150,12 @@ function getStatus(localRepo) {
     }
     return runGitCommand(['rev-list', 'HEAD', '--count'],localRepo).then(function(count) {
         result.commits.total = parseInt(count);
+    }).catch(function(err) {
+        if (/ambiguous argument/.test(err.message)) {
+            result.commits.total = 0;
+        } else {
+            throw err;
+        }
     }).then(function() {
         return runGitCommand(["ls-files","--cached","--others","--exclude-standard"],localRepo).then(function(output) {
             var lines = output.split("\n");
@@ -174,7 +183,7 @@ function getStatus(localRepo) {
             return runGitCommand(["status","--porcelain","-b"],localRepo).then(function(output) {
                 var lines = output.split("\n");
                 var unknownDirs = [];
-                var branchLineRE = /^## (.+?)(?:$|\.\.\.(.+?)(?:$| \[(?:(?:ahead (\d+)(?:,\s*)?)?(?:behind (\d+))?|(gone))\]))/;
+                var branchLineRE = /^## (?:No commits yet on )?(.+?)(?:$|\.\.\.(.+?)(?:$| \[(?:(?:ahead (\d+)(?:,\s*)?)?(?:behind (\d+))?|(gone))\]))/;
                 lines.forEach(function(line) {
                     if (line==="") {
                         return;
@@ -566,7 +575,7 @@ module.exports = {
         })
     },
     getBranches: getBranches,
-    getBranchInfo: getBranchInfo,
+    // getBranchInfo: getBranchInfo,
     checkoutBranch: function(cwd, branchName, isCreate) {
         var args = ['checkout'];
         if (isCreate) {