diff --git a/INSTALL.md b/INSTALL.md
index ce52e892..15ae55f5 100644
--- a/INSTALL.md
+++ b/INSTALL.md
@@ -94,8 +94,8 @@ These steps are the same for every install.
 3. **Trust the certificate.**  Your browser will warn about the HTTPS certificate because it was made by your WROLPi,
    not by a public authority.  Download https://wrolpi.local/ca.crt and trust it on each device you use; see
    *Help > Certificates* on your WROLPi for per-device instructions.
-4. **Refresh your files.**  If you copied files onto the drive, the dashboard will ask you to refresh so WROLPi can find
-   them.  Your library looks empty until the refresh completes.
+4. **Wait for the first refresh.**  WROLPi refreshes all your files when it first starts so it can find anything already
+   on the drive.  Your library looks empty, and Download and Upload are disabled, until the refresh completes.
 5. Start adding content: download a video channel, archive a web page, or add a Zim (Wikipedia) file.  The *Help* page
    on your WROLPi explains each module.
 
diff --git a/app/src/DashboardPage.js b/app/src/DashboardPage.js
index b5b9aac7..1ab785ab 100644
--- a/app/src/DashboardPage.js
+++ b/app/src/DashboardPage.js
@@ -252,6 +252,8 @@ export function Getters() {
             </div>
             <span className='wrolpi-or-label'>Or</span>
         </div>
+        {status?.flags && gettersDisabled &&
+            <p>Download and Upload are available after your files are refreshed.</p>}
     </Panel>;
 
     let getterModal;
diff --git a/app/src/DashboardPage.test.js b/app/src/DashboardPage.test.js
index 1d75414c..26d5bdb7 100644
--- a/app/src/DashboardPage.test.js
+++ b/app/src/DashboardPage.test.js
@@ -21,11 +21,11 @@ jest.mock('./hooks/customHooks', () => ({
     useWROLMode: () => false,
 }));
 
-function renderAtUrl(url) {
+function renderAtUrl(url, flags = {refresh_complete: true}) {
     // test-utils' render() wraps content in a BrowserRouter (not MemoryRouter),
     // so point the jsdom location at the desired URL before rendering.
     window.history.pushState({}, '', url);
-    const status = {flags: {refresh_complete: true}};
+    const status = {flags};
     return render(
         <StatusContext.Provider value={{status}}>
             <Getters/>
@@ -67,6 +67,25 @@ describe('DashboardPage Getters deep-link', () => {
     });
 });
 
+describe('DashboardPage Getters before the first refresh', () => {
+    const note = /available after your files are refreshed/i;
+
+    it('explains why Download and Upload are disabled', () => {
+        renderAtUrl('/', {refresh_complete: false});
+        expect(screen.getByText(note)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it('says nothing once the refresh has completed', () => {
+        renderAtUrl('/');
+        expect(screen.queryByText(note)).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('says nothing before the status has loaded', () => {
+        renderAtUrl('/', null);
+        expect(screen.queryByText(note)).toBeNull();
+    });
+});
+
 // The DownloadMenu's seed-object construction (joining initialUrls with
 // newlines into the `download` prop's `urls` field) is exercised in the
 // browser via manual verification, not unit-tested here — reaching into the
diff --git a/main.py b/main.py
index 5fdf94ea..e29d49ff 100755
--- a/main.py
+++ b/main.py
@@ -310,6 +310,8 @@ async def start_single_tasks(app: Sanic):
     if flags.refresh_complete.is_set():
         # Set all downloads to new.
         download_manager.retry_downloads_on_startup()
+    else:
+        file_worker.queue_first_refresh()
 
     # Hotspot/throttle on startup are now handled by the Controller service.
 
diff --git a/wrolpi/files/test/test_worker.py b/wrolpi/files/test/test_worker.py
index 8ef1ae08..8c585617 100644
--- a/wrolpi/files/test/test_worker.py
+++ b/wrolpi/files/test/test_worker.py
@@ -1949,3 +1949,29 @@ async def test_directory_refresh_deletes_stale_ignored_file_groups(
     test_session.expire_all()
     primary_paths = {str(i.primary_path) for i in test_session.query(FileGroup)}
     assert primary_paths == {str(video)}
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_queue_first_refresh(async_client, test_session, test_directory, make_files_structure,
+                                   await_background_tasks, flags_lock):
+    """A new database is refreshed without the user asking, so a fresh WROLPi can download right away."""
+    make_files_structure(['docs/file1.txt'])
+    flags.refresh_complete.clear()
+
+    assert file_worker.queue_first_refresh() is not None
+    await await_background_tasks()
+
+    assert flags.refresh_complete.is_set() is True
+    assert test_session.query(FileGroup).count() == 1
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_queue_first_refresh_skipped(async_client, test_session, test_directory, wrol_mode_fixture,
+                                           flags_lock):
+    """Only the first refresh is automatic, and WROL Mode never refreshes."""
+    flags.refresh_complete.set()
+    assert file_worker.queue_first_refresh() is None
+
+    flags.refresh_complete.clear()
+    await wrol_mode_fixture(True)
+    assert file_worker.queue_first_refresh() is None
diff --git a/wrolpi/files/worker.py b/wrolpi/files/worker.py
index c676adb5..b33ccb0f 100644
--- a/wrolpi/files/worker.py
+++ b/wrolpi/files/worker.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import text, or_
 
 from wrolpi import flags
 from wrolpi.common import apply_modelers, apply_refresh_cleanup
-from wrolpi.common import get_media_directory, logger
+from wrolpi.common import get_media_directory, logger, wrol_mode_enabled
 from wrolpi.db import get_db_session, get_db_curs
 from wrolpi.events import Events
 from wrolpi.vars import PYTEST
@@ -254,6 +254,18 @@ class FileWorker(FileMoveMixin, FileReorganizeMixin):
         self.public_queue.put_nowait(task)
         return job_id
 
+    def queue_first_refresh(self) -> str | None:
+        """Queue a refresh of the entire media directory if one has never completed for this database (a fresh
+        install, or a rebuilt database).  Downloads and uploads are disabled until it completes.
+
+        Returns:
+            The job_id, or None if no refresh was queued.
+        """
+        if flags.refresh_complete.is_set() or wrol_mode_enabled():
+            return None
+        logger.info('Refreshing all files because no refresh has completed')
+        return self.queue_refresh([get_media_directory()])
+
     def queue_move(self, destination: pathlib.Path, sources: list[pathlib.Path]) -> str:
         """Queue a move task for background processing.