diff --git a/canvas/src/components/Canvas.tsx b/canvas/src/components/Canvas.tsx
index f099e22e..b55d6808 100644
--- a/canvas/src/components/Canvas.tsx
+++ b/canvas/src/components/Canvas.tsx
@@ -8,11 +8,13 @@ import {
   Controls,
   MiniMap,
   type Edge,
+  type Node,
   BackgroundVariant,
 } from "@xyflow/react";
 import "@xyflow/react/dist/style.css";
 
 import { useCanvasStore } from "@/store/canvas";
+import type { WorkspaceNodeData } from "@/store/canvas";
 import { WORKSPACE_KIND } from "@/lib/workspace-kind";
 import { stripPlatformRootForMap } from "@/store/canvas-topology";
 import { useTheme } from "@/lib/theme-provider";
@@ -86,6 +88,8 @@ function CanvasInner() {
   const a2aEdges = useCanvasStore((s) => s.a2aEdges);
   const showA2AEdges = useCanvasStore((s) => s.showA2AEdges);
   const deletingIds = useCanvasStore((s) => s.deletingIds);
+  const topologyError = useCanvasStore((s) => s.topologyError);
+  const setTopologyError = useCanvasStore((s) => s.setTopologyError);
   // Hide the org-level platform agent (the concierge) from the map graph: it is
   // the undeletable org ROOT surfaced in the shell (topbar + Home tree), not a
   // draggable/deletable map node. Its direct children are reparented to
@@ -304,7 +308,14 @@ function CanvasInner() {
         Skip to canvas
       </a>
       <main id="canvas-main" className="w-full h-full bg-surface">
-        <ReactFlow
+        {topologyError ? (
+          <MapRenderFallback
+            error={topologyError}
+            onDismiss={() => setTopologyError(null)}
+            workspaces={storeNodes}
+          />
+        ) : (
+          <ReactFlow
           colorMode={resolvedTheme}
           nodes={nodes}
           edges={allEdges}
@@ -377,6 +388,7 @@ function CanvasInner() {
               and tracks pan/zoom. */}
           <MessageFlightLayer />
         </ReactFlow>
+        )}
 
         {/* Screen-reader live region — announces workspace count on initial load and
             live status updates from WebSocket events (online, offline, provisioning, etc.).
@@ -441,3 +453,52 @@ function CanvasInner() {
     </>
   );
 }
+
+interface MapRenderFallbackProps {
+  error: string;
+  onDismiss: () => void;
+  workspaces: Node<WorkspaceNodeData>[];
+}
+
+function MapRenderFallback({ error, onDismiss, workspaces }: MapRenderFallbackProps) {
+  return (
+    <div className="w-full h-full flex flex-col items-center justify-center bg-surface p-8">
+      <div className="max-w-md w-full bg-surface-sunken border border-line rounded-lg p-6 shadow-lg">
+        <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold text-ink mb-2">Couldn&apos;t render workspace map</h2>
+        <p className="text-ink-mid text-sm mb-4">
+          The org-map layout hit an unexpected tree shape and stopped to avoid a silent hang.
+        </p>
+        {error && (
+          <code className="block text-xs text-ink-mid bg-surface p-2 rounded mb-4 break-words">
+            {error}
+          </code>
+        )}
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={onDismiss}
+          className="w-full px-4 py-2 bg-accent text-on-accent rounded-md hover:bg-accent/90 transition-colors"
+        >
+          Try again
+        </button>
+      </div>
+      {workspaces.length > 0 && (
+        <div className="mt-8 max-w-md w-full">
+          <h3 className="text-sm font-medium text-ink-mid mb-3">Workspaces in this org</h3>
+          <ul className="space-y-2">
+            {workspaces.slice(0, 50).map((n) => (
+              <li
+                key={n.id}
+                className="text-sm text-ink bg-surface-sunken border border-line rounded px-3 py-2"
+              >
+                {n.data.name || n.id}
+              </li>
+            ))}
+          </ul>
+          {workspaces.length > 50 && (
+            <p className="text-xs text-ink-mid mt-2">...and {workspaces.length - 50} more</p>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/canvas/src/store/__tests__/canvas-topology.test.ts b/canvas/src/store/__tests__/canvas-topology.test.ts
index dcf853aa..25925159 100644
--- a/canvas/src/store/__tests__/canvas-topology.test.ts
+++ b/canvas/src/store/__tests__/canvas-topology.test.ts
@@ -155,6 +155,21 @@ describe("buildNodesAndEdges – parent + child workspaces", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("buildNodesAndEdges – cycle detection", () => {
+  it("throws a clear error when parent chain contains a cycle", () => {
+    const workspaces = [
+      makeWS({ id: "a", parent_id: "b" }),
+      makeWS({ id: "b", parent_id: "a" }),
+    ];
+    expect(() => buildNodesAndEdges(workspaces)).toThrow(/cyclic parent chain detected/);
+  });
+
+  it("throws a clear error on a self-referencing parent", () => {
+    const workspaces = [makeWS({ id: "a", parent_id: "a" })];
+    expect(() => buildNodesAndEdges(workspaces)).toThrow(/cyclic parent chain detected/);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("buildNodesAndEdges – auto-rescue respects live grown parent size", () => {
   // Regression: child the user dragged into a user-grown area was
   // false-rescued by every periodic rehydrate (socket health check
diff --git a/canvas/src/store/__tests__/canvas.test.ts b/canvas/src/store/__tests__/canvas.test.ts
index 941d979e..d5a366bf 100644
--- a/canvas/src/store/__tests__/canvas.test.ts
+++ b/canvas/src/store/__tests__/canvas.test.ts
@@ -215,6 +215,33 @@ describe("hydrate", () => {
     // gates on currentTask (e.g. ChatTab thinking indicator).
     expect(!!node.data.currentTask).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  it("catches cyclic parent chains and sets topologyError instead of hanging (issue #2601)", () => {
+    const cyclic = [
+      makeWS({ id: "a", name: "A", parent_id: "b" }),
+      makeWS({ id: "b", name: "B", parent_id: "a" }),
+    ];
+
+    useCanvasStore.getState().hydrate(cyclic);
+    const { topologyError, nodes, edges } = useCanvasStore.getState();
+
+    expect(topologyError).toMatch(/cyclic parent chain/i);
+    // Should fall back to empty/unchanged canvas, not wedge or partial bad nodes.
+    expect(nodes).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(edges).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it("clears topologyError on the next successful hydrate", () => {
+    useCanvasStore.getState().hydrate([
+      makeWS({ id: "a", parent_id: "b" }),
+      makeWS({ id: "b", parent_id: "a" }),
+    ]);
+    expect(useCanvasStore.getState().topologyError).toMatch(/cyclic parent chain/i);
+
+    useCanvasStore.getState().hydrate([makeWS({ id: "solo", name: "Solo" })]);
+    expect(useCanvasStore.getState().topologyError).toBeNull();
+    expect(useCanvasStore.getState().nodes).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
 });
 
 describe("summarizeWorkspaceCapabilities", () => {
@@ -1293,7 +1320,7 @@ describe("hydrate – cyclic parent chain", () => {
       makeWS({ id: "b", parent_id: "a" }),
     ]);
 
-    expect(useCanvasStore.getState().hydrationError).toContain("cyclic parent chain");
+    expect(useCanvasStore.getState().topologyError).toContain("cyclic parent chain");
     expect(useCanvasStore.getState().nodes).toEqual(before);
   });
 });
diff --git a/canvas/src/store/canvas.ts b/canvas/src/store/canvas.ts
index f3c5ee6d..60c00176 100644
--- a/canvas/src/store/canvas.ts
+++ b/canvas/src/store/canvas.ts
@@ -284,6 +284,10 @@ interface CanvasState {
   /** Hydration error message — set when initial canvas load fails. Null when no error. */
   hydrationError: string | null;
   setHydrationError: (error: string | null) => void;
+  /** Topology/layout error message — set when computeAutoLayout/buildNodesAndEdges
+   *  cannot safely render the workspace tree (e.g. cyclic parent chain). Null when no error. */
+  topologyError: string | null;
+  setTopologyError: (error: string | null) => void;
   // ── A2A topology overlay (issue #744) ─────────────────────────────────────
   /** Directed delegation edges shown as an overlay on the canvas (separate from topology edges). */
   a2aEdges: Edge[];
@@ -383,6 +387,8 @@ export const useCanvasStore = create<CanvasState>((set, get) => ({
   setWsStatus: (status) => set({ wsStatus: status }),
   hydrationError: null,
   setHydrationError: (error) => set({ hydrationError: error }),
+  topologyError: null,
+  setTopologyError: (error) => set({ topologyError: error }),
   // A2A overlay — default on, persisted to localStorage
   a2aEdges: [],
   setA2AEdges: (edges) => set({ a2aEdges: edges }),
@@ -941,49 +947,50 @@ export const useCanvasStore = create<CanvasState>((set, get) => ({
   },
 
   hydrate: (workspaces: WorkspaceData[]) => {
-    // Drop ids tombstoned by a recent removeSubtree (#2069 — stale
-    // in-flight GET /workspaces).
-    const live = workspaces.filter((w) => !wasRecentlyDeleted(w.id));
-    const layoutOverrides = computeAutoLayout(live);
-    // Carry the live measured/grown parent sizes from the existing
-    // store into the rebuild. buildNodesAndEdges runs an auto-rescue
-    // pass on each child to detach orphans whose stored relative
-    // position falls outside the parent bbox — without the live
-    // size, the bbox is the initial grid-derived minimum, which
-    // false-flags any child the user has dragged into the
-    // user-grown area. Periodic rehydrate (socket.ts health check,
-    // 30s) was reasserting the rescue against legitimate user
-    // placements, causing the "child jumps to weird location, then
-    // settles" symptom.
-    const current = get().nodes;
-    const currentParentSizes = new Map<string, { width: number; height: number }>();
-    for (const n of current) {
-      const w = (n.measured?.width ?? n.width) as number | undefined;
-      const h = (n.measured?.height ?? n.height) as number | undefined;
-      if (typeof w === "number" && typeof h === "number") {
-        currentParentSizes.set(n.id, { width: w, height: h });
-      }
-    }
     try {
+      // Drop ids tombstoned by a recent removeSubtree (#2069 — stale
+      // in-flight GET /workspaces).
+      const live = workspaces.filter((w) => !wasRecentlyDeleted(w.id));
+      const layoutOverrides = computeAutoLayout(live);
+      // Carry the live measured/grown parent sizes from the existing
+      // store into the rebuild. buildNodesAndEdges runs an auto-rescue
+      // pass on each child to detach orphans whose stored relative
+      // position falls outside the parent bbox — without the live
+      // size, the bbox is the initial grid-derived minimum, which
+      // false-flags any child the user has dragged into the
+      // user-grown area. Periodic rehydrate (socket.ts health check,
+      // 30s) was reasserting the rescue against legitimate user
+      // placements, causing the "child jumps to weird location, then
+      // settles" symptom.
+      const current = get().nodes;
+      const currentParentSizes = new Map<string, { width: number; height: number }>();
+      for (const n of current) {
+        const w = (n.measured?.width ?? n.width) as number | undefined;
+        const h = (n.measured?.height ?? n.height) as number | undefined;
+        if (typeof w === "number" && typeof h === "number") {
+          currentParentSizes.set(n.id, { width: w, height: h });
+        }
+      }
       const { nodes, edges } = buildNodesAndEdges(
         live,
         layoutOverrides,
         currentParentSizes,
       );
-      set({ nodes, edges });
+      set({ nodes, edges, topologyError: null });
+      for (const [nodeId, { x, y }] of layoutOverrides) {
+        api.patch(`/workspaces/${nodeId}`, { x, y }).catch(() => {});
+      }
     } catch (err) {
-      // Fail closed: cyclic/corrupt topology must not hang or blank the app.
-      // Surface a retryable error state and keep the previous nodes so the
-      // user isn't left with an empty canvas.
-      const message =
-        err instanceof TopologyCycleError
-          ? `Workspace map has a cyclic parent chain: ${err.message}. Please reload or contact support.`
-          : "Failed to render workspace map: corrupt topology. Please reload or contact support.";
-      set({ hydrationError: message });
-      return;
-    }
-    for (const [nodeId, { x, y }] of layoutOverrides) {
-      api.patch(`/workspaces/${nodeId}`, { x, y }).catch(() => {});
+      const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+      console.error("[canvas] topology render failed:", err);
+      set({ topologyError: message });
+      // Preserve existing nodes if we have them so the user isn't left
+      // with a blank canvas on a transient layout bug. Empty nodes fall
+      // back to the EmptyState / Onboarding wizard path.
+      const currentNodes = get().nodes;
+      if (currentNodes.length === 0) {
+        set({ nodes: [], edges: [] });
+      }
     }
   },