diff --git a/app/cli/cmd/trace_init_identity.go b/app/cli/cmd/trace_init_identity.go
index ee5ceeadd..725c3ec64 100644
--- a/app/cli/cmd/trace_init_identity.go
+++ b/app/cli/cmd/trace_init_identity.go
@@ -357,9 +357,15 @@ func resolveInteractiveProject(ctx context.Context, lister projectLister, p prom
 	// Creating one is a permission of the organization role, not of any project:
 	// an organization contributor administering every project it can see still
 	// cannot create another. With nothing to pick either, there is no way
-	// forward, so say so instead of asking.
+	// forward, so say so instead of asking. Seeing no project at all and seeing
+	// only projects that cannot be written to are different dead ends, and what
+	// there is to ask an administrator for differs with them.
 	if !listing.CanCreateProject && len(writable) == 0 {
-		return nil, errors.New("you cannot create projects in this organization, and none of the projects you can see accepts a new workflow; ask an administrator for access to one")
+		if len(readOnly) == 0 {
+			return nil, errors.New("you do not belong to any project in this organization, and cannot create a new one; ask an administrator to add you to one")
+		}
+
+		return nil, errors.New("you can only view the projects in this organization, and cannot create a new one; ask an administrator for write access to one")
 	}
 
 	// Nothing to choose from, so go straight to naming one rather than showing a
diff --git a/app/cli/cmd/trace_init_identity_test.go b/app/cli/cmd/trace_init_identity_test.go
index 42274fcda..2e2603316 100644
--- a/app/cli/cmd/trace_init_identity_test.go
+++ b/app/cli/cmd/trace_init_identity_test.go
@@ -685,12 +685,23 @@ func TestResolveInteractiveProject(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			// Nothing to pick and nothing to create is a dead end, so it says so
-			// instead of asking for a name the control plane would refuse.
-			name:         "no writable project and no permission to create says so",
+			// instead of asking for a name the control plane would refuse. The
+			// projects are there to be seen, so the reason is the missing write
+			// access, not a missing membership.
+			name:         "projects that can only be viewed and no permission to create says so",
 			readOnly:     []string{"payments"},
 			cannotCreate: true,
 			repoDir:      repoDirMyRepo,
-			wantErr:      "you cannot create projects in this organization",
+			wantErr:      "you can only view the projects in this organization, and cannot create a new one",
+		},
+		{
+			// Seeing nothing at all is a different dead end: talking about the
+			// projects the caller can see, or about workflows, describes neither
+			// what happened nor what to ask an administrator for.
+			name:         "an organization with no project in sight says the membership is missing",
+			cannotCreate: true,
+			repoDir:      repoDirMyRepo,
+			wantErr:      "you do not belong to any project in this organization, and cannot create a new one",
 		},
 	}