diff --git a/frontend/tests/unit/components/workspace/input-box-empty-skills.dom.test.tsx b/frontend/tests/unit/components/workspace/input-box-empty-skills.dom.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8378f6004
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/tests/unit/components/workspace/input-box-empty-skills.dom.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, rs } from "@rstest/core";
+import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { cleanup, fireEvent, render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+
+import { PromptInputProvider } from "@/components/ai-elements/prompt-input";
+import { InputBox } from "@/components/workspace/input-box";
+import { ThreadContext } from "@/components/workspace/messages/context";
+import { AuthProvider } from "@/core/auth/AuthProvider";
+import { DEFAULT_LOCALE } from "@/core/i18n";
+import { I18nProvider } from "@/core/i18n/context";
+
+rs.mock("next/navigation", () => ({
+  useRouter: () => ({ push: rs.fn(), replace: rs.fn(), refresh: rs.fn() }),
+  usePathname: () => "/workspace",
+  useSearchParams: () => new URLSearchParams(),
+}));
+
+// The composer's model selector is irrelevant to skill-suggestion alignment;
+// keep the react-query + network machinery out of the way entirely.
+rs.mock("@/core/models/hooks", () => ({
+  useModels: () => ({
+    models: [],
+    tokenUsageEnabled: false,
+    isLoading: false,
+    isFetching: false,
+    error: null,
+    refetch: rs.fn(),
+  }),
+}));
+
+// The server-side resource-level filter (GET /api/skills filtered by
+// filter_resources(principal, "skill", ...)) is what produces an empty
+// catalog for a denied role. Pin the composer wiring against that shape:
+// useSkills returning [] must degrade to a builtin-only dropdown, never a
+// broken or fully-vanishing catalog.
+rs.mock("@/core/skills/hooks", () => ({
+  useSkills: () => ({
+    skills: [],
+    isLoading: false,
+    error: null,
+  }),
+}));
+
+function renderComposer() {
+  const queryClient = new QueryClient({
+    defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false }, mutations: { retry: false } },
+  });
+  const tree: ReactNode = (
+    <I18nProvider initialLocale={DEFAULT_LOCALE}>
+      <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
+        <AuthProvider
+          initialUser={{
+            id: "user-1",
+            email: "user@example.test",
+            system_role: "user",
+            needs_setup: false,
+            oauth_provider: null,
+          }}
+        >
+          <ThreadContext.Provider
+            value={{ thread: { messages: [] } as never, isMock: true }}
+          >
+            <PromptInputProvider>
+              <InputBox
+                threadId="thread-1"
+                status="ready"
+                context={{ mode: "flash" } as never}
+              />
+            </PromptInputProvider>
+          </ThreadContext.Provider>
+        </AuthProvider>
+      </QueryClientProvider>
+    </I18nProvider>
+  );
+  return render(tree);
+}
+
+function getComposerTextarea(container: HTMLElement): HTMLTextAreaElement {
+  const textarea = container.querySelector("textarea");
+  if (!(textarea instanceof HTMLTextAreaElement)) {
+    throw new Error("composer textarea not rendered");
+  }
+  return textarea;
+}
+
+function typeSlashQuery(
+  container: HTMLElement,
+  value: string,
+): HTMLTextAreaElement {
+  const textarea = getComposerTextarea(container);
+  fireEvent.focus(textarea);
+  fireEvent.change(textarea, { target: { value } });
+  return textarea;
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  rs.restoreAllMocks();
+  cleanup();
+});
+
+describe("InputBox skill suggestions with an empty (denied) catalog", () => {
+  it("offers the builtin commands when '/' is typed with zero visible skills", () => {
+    const { container } = renderComposer();
+
+    typeSlashQuery(container, "/");
+
+    // The dropdown survives the empty catalog and offers exactly the builtin
+    // commands (/goal, /compact) — no phantom skill rows, no crash.
+    const listbox = screen.getByRole("listbox", {
+      name: "Skill suggestions",
+    });
+    const options = Array.from(listbox.querySelectorAll('[role="option"]'));
+    const names = options.map((option) => option.textContent ?? "");
+    expect(names.some((name) => name.includes("/goal"))).toBe(true);
+    expect(names.some((name) => name.includes("/compact"))).toBe(true);
+    expect(names.every((name) => !name.includes("/data-analysis"))).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("hides the dropdown when an empty catalog matches nothing more specifically", () => {
+    const { container } = renderComposer();
+
+    // No builtin matches "nosuch" and the catalog is empty, so the dropdown
+    // must be absent — same silent behavior as an unmatched query today.
+    typeSlashQuery(container, "/nosuch");
+
+    expect(
+      screen.queryByRole("listbox", { name: "Skill suggestions" }),
+    ).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/tests/unit/components/workspace/input-box-helpers.test.ts b/frontend/tests/unit/components/workspace/input-box-helpers.test.ts
index 3529cc7d8..893e1ffac 100644
--- a/frontend/tests/unit/components/workspace/input-box-helpers.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/unit/components/workspace/input-box-helpers.test.ts
@@ -322,6 +322,22 @@ describe("filterSkillsForAgent", () => {
 });
 
 describe("getMatchingSkillSuggestions", () => {
+  it("offers only builtin commands when the catalog is empty (denied role)", () => {
+    // A role whose `skills` policy allows nothing gets an empty catalog from
+    // GET /api/skills (resource-level listing filter); the composer must
+    // still offer the builtin commands rather than lose the whole dropdown.
+    const result = getMatchingSkillSuggestions([], "", builtins);
+
+    expect(result.map((s) => `${s.kind}:${s.name}`)).toEqual([
+      "builtin:goal",
+      "builtin:new",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("returns an empty list when an empty catalog matches nothing", () => {
+    expect(getMatchingSkillSuggestions([], "deep", builtins)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
   it("excludes disabled skills and ranks prefix matches first", () => {
     const skills = [
       makeSkill("deep-research"),