diff --git a/frontend/src/components/security/FirewallTab.jsx b/frontend/src/components/security/FirewallTab.jsx
index c9fbd592..c44e300c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/security/FirewallTab.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/security/FirewallTab.jsx
@@ -447,7 +447,8 @@ const FirewallTab = () => {
 
     return (
         <div className="firewall-tab">
-            {partialError && <ErrorState compact error={partialError} onRetry={loadData} />}
+            {/* With no firewall installed the rules/blocked reads fail as a side effect; the call to action below already says so. */}
+            {partialError && status?.any_installed && <ErrorState compact error={partialError} onRetry={loadData} />}
             {!status?.any_installed ? (
                 <EmptyState
                     icon={Shield}