diff --git a/web/public/assets/js/app/__tests__/chat-log-tabs.test.js b/web/public/assets/js/app/__tests__/chat-log-tabs.test.js
index e20d0d3..008f278 100644
--- a/web/public/assets/js/app/__tests__/chat-log-tabs.test.js
+++ b/web/public/assets/js/app/__tests__/chat-log-tabs.test.js
@@ -113,11 +113,9 @@ test('buildChatTabModel returns sorted nodes and channel buckets', () => {
   assert.deepEqual(secondaryChannel.entries.map(entry => entry.message.id), ['iso-ts', 'recent-alt']);
 });
 
-test('buildChatTabModel always includes channel zero bucket', () => {
+test('buildChatTabModel skips channel buckets when there are no messages', () => {
   const model = buildChatTabModel({ nodes: [], messages: [], nowSeconds: NOW, windowSeconds: WINDOW });
-  assert.equal(model.channels.length, 1);
-  assert.equal(model.channels[0].index, 0);
-  assert.equal(model.channels[0].entries.length, 0);
+  assert.equal(model.channels.length, 0);
 });
 
 test('buildChatTabModel falls back to numeric label when no metadata provided', () => {
diff --git a/web/public/assets/js/app/chat-log-tabs.js b/web/public/assets/js/app/chat-log-tabs.js
index 1923673..3ed638c 100644
--- a/web/public/assets/js/app/chat-log-tabs.js
+++ b/web/public/assets/js/app/chat-log-tabs.js
@@ -65,7 +65,8 @@ function resolveSnapshotList(entry) {
  * Build a data model describing the content for chat tabs.
  *
  * Entries outside the recent activity window, encrypted messages, and
- * channels above {@link MAX_CHANNEL_INDEX} are filtered out.
+ * channels above {@link MAX_CHANNEL_INDEX} are filtered out. Channel
+ * buckets are only created when messages are present for that channel.
  *
  * @param {{
  *   nodes?: Array<Object>,
@@ -287,26 +288,6 @@ export function buildChatTabModel({
 
   logEntries.sort((a, b) => a.ts - b.ts);
 
-  let hasPrimaryBucket = false;
-  for (const bucket of channelBuckets.values()) {
-    if (bucket.index === 0) {
-      hasPrimaryBucket = true;
-      break;
-    }
-  }
-  if (!hasPrimaryBucket) {
-    const bucketKey = '0';
-    channelBuckets.set(bucketKey, {
-      key: bucketKey,
-      id: buildChannelTabId(bucketKey),
-      index: 0,
-      label: '0',
-      entries: [],
-      labelPriority: CHANNEL_LABEL_PRIORITY.INDEX,
-      isPrimaryFallback: true
-    });
-  }
-
   const channels = Array.from(channelBuckets.values()).sort((a, b) => {
     if (a.index !== b.index) {
       return a.index - b.index;