diff --git a/app/pages/project/instances/instance/SerialConsolePage.tsx b/app/pages/project/instances/instance/SerialConsolePage.tsx
index f8f083e55f..ad9c8526f8 100644
--- a/app/pages/project/instances/instance/SerialConsolePage.tsx
+++ b/app/pages/project/instances/instance/SerialConsolePage.tsx
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import {
   apiQueryClient,
   instanceCan,
   usePrefetchedApiQuery,
-  type InstanceState,
+  type Instance,
 } from '@oxide/api'
 import { PrevArrow12Icon } from '@oxide/design-system/icons/react'
 
@@ -53,14 +53,24 @@ SerialConsolePage.loader = async ({ params }: LoaderFunctionArgs) => {
   return null
 }
 
+function isStarting(i: Instance | undefined) {
+  return i?.runState === 'creating' || i?.runState === 'starting'
+}
+
 export function SerialConsolePage() {
   const instanceSelector = useInstanceSelector()
   const { project, instance } = instanceSelector
 
-  const { data: instanceData } = usePrefetchedApiQuery('instanceView', {
-    query: { project },
-    path: { instance },
-  })
+  const { data: instanceData } = usePrefetchedApiQuery(
+    'instanceView',
+    {
+      query: { project },
+      path: { instance },
+    },
+    // if we land here and the instance is starting, we will not be able to
+    // connect, so we poll and connect as soon as it's running.
+    { refetchInterval: (q) => (isStarting(q.state.data) ? 1000 : false) }
+  )
 
   const ws = useRef<WebSocket | null>(null)
 
@@ -140,7 +150,7 @@ export function SerialConsolePage() {
         {connectionStatus === 'connecting' && <ConnectingSkeleton />}
         {connectionStatus === 'error' && <ErrorSkeleton />}
         {connectionStatus === 'closed' && !canConnect && (
-          <CannotConnect instanceState={instanceData.runState} />
+          <CannotConnect instance={instanceData} />
         )}
         {/* closed && canConnect shouldn't be possible because there's no way to
          * close an open connection other than leaving the page */}
@@ -161,13 +171,12 @@ export function SerialConsolePage() {
   )
 }
 
-function SerialSkeleton({
-  children,
-  connecting,
-}: {
+type SkeletonProps = {
   children: React.ReactNode
-  connecting?: boolean
-}) {
+  animate?: boolean
+}
+
+function SerialSkeleton({ children, animate }: SkeletonProps) {
   return (
     <div className="relative h-full shrink grow overflow-hidden">
       <div className="h-full space-y-2 overflow-hidden">
@@ -175,7 +184,7 @@ function SerialSkeleton({
           <div
             key={i}
             className={cn('h-4 rounded bg-tertiary', {
-              'motion-safe:animate-pulse': connecting,
+              'motion-safe:animate-pulse': animate,
             })}
             style={{
               width: `${Math.sin(Math.sin(i)) * 20 + 40}%`,
@@ -198,7 +207,7 @@ function SerialSkeleton({
 }
 
 const ConnectingSkeleton = () => (
-  <SerialSkeleton connecting>
+  <SerialSkeleton animate>
     <Spinner size="lg" />
     <div className="mt-4 text-center">
       <p className="text-sans-xl">Connecting to serial console</p>
@@ -206,14 +215,16 @@ const ConnectingSkeleton = () => (
   </SerialSkeleton>
 )
 
-const CannotConnect = ({ instanceState }: { instanceState: InstanceState }) => (
-  <SerialSkeleton>
+const CannotConnect = ({ instance }: { instance: Instance }) => (
+  <SerialSkeleton animate={isStarting(instance)}>
     <p className="flex items-center justify-center text-sans-xl">
-      <span>The instance is</span>
-      <InstanceStatusBadge className="ml-1" status={instanceState} />
+      <span>The instance is </span>
+      <InstanceStatusBadge className="ml-1.5" status={instance.runState} />
     </p>
-    <p className="mt-2 text-center text-secondary">
-      You can only connect to the serial console on a running instance.
+    <p className="mt-2 text-balance text-center text-secondary">
+      {isStarting(instance)
+        ? 'Waiting for the instance to start before connecting.'
+        : 'You can only connect to the serial console on a running instance.'}
     </p>
   </SerialSkeleton>
 )
diff --git a/mock-api/msw/handlers.ts b/mock-api/msw/handlers.ts
index c84bbdc03e..16daa62477 100644
--- a/mock-api/msw/handlers.ts
+++ b/mock-api/msw/handlers.ts
@@ -518,11 +518,11 @@ export const handlers = makeHandlers({
 
     setTimeout(() => {
       newInstance.run_state = 'starting'
-    }, 1000)
+    }, 500)
 
     setTimeout(() => {
       newInstance.run_state = 'running'
-    }, 5000)
+    }, 4000)
 
     db.instances.push(newInstance)
 
@@ -686,7 +686,7 @@ export const handlers = makeHandlers({
 
     setTimeout(() => {
       instance.run_state = 'running'
-    }, 1000)
+    }, 3000)
 
     return json(instance, { status: 202 })
   },
@@ -696,7 +696,7 @@ export const handlers = makeHandlers({
 
     setTimeout(() => {
       instance.run_state = 'stopped'
-    }, 1000)
+    }, 3000)
 
     return json(instance, { status: 202 })
   },
diff --git a/test/e2e/instance-serial.e2e.ts b/test/e2e/instance-serial.e2e.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ed3246eeeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/instance-serial.e2e.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/*
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, you can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ *
+ * Copyright Oxide Computer Company
+ */
+import { expect, test } from './utils'
+
+test('serial console can connect while starting', async ({ page }) => {
+  // create an instance
+  await page.goto('/projects/mock-project/instances-new')
+  await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Name', exact: true }).fill('abc')
+  await page.getByLabel('Image', { exact: true }).click()
+  await page.getByRole('option', { name: 'ubuntu-22-04' }).click()
+
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create instance' }).click()
+
+  // now go starting to its serial console page while it's starting up
+  await expect(page).toHaveURL('/projects/mock-project/instances/abc/storage')
+  await page.getByRole('tab', { name: 'Connect' }).click()
+  await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Connect' }).click()
+
+  // The message goes from creating to starting and then disappears once
+  // the instance is running
+  await expect(page.getByText('The instance is creating')).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(page.getByText('Waiting for the instance to start')).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(page.getByText('The instance is starting')).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(page.getByText('The instance is')).toBeHidden()
+
+  // Here it would be nice to test that the serial console connects, but we
+  // can't mock websockets with MSW yet: https://github.com/mswjs/msw/pull/2011
+})
diff --git a/test/e2e/instance.e2e.ts b/test/e2e/instance.e2e.ts
index 3fc9a3c68f..973b44d006 100644
--- a/test/e2e/instance.e2e.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/instance.e2e.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ test('can stop and delete a running instance', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.getByRole('menuitem', { name: 'Stop' }).click()
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Confirm' }).click()
 
-  await sleep(3000)
+  await sleep(4000)
   await refreshInstance(page)
 
   // now it's stopped
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ test('can stop a starting instance', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.getByRole('menuitem', { name: 'Stop' }).click()
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Confirm' }).click()
 
-  await sleep(3000)
+  await sleep(4000)
   await refreshInstance(page)
 
   await expect(row.getByRole('cell', { name: /stopped/ })).toBeVisible()
diff --git a/test/e2e/utils.ts b/test/e2e/utils.ts
index a1800ef735..998a561937 100644
--- a/test/e2e/utils.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/utils.ts
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ export async function stopInstance(page: Page) {
   await page.getByRole('menuitem', { name: 'Stop' }).click()
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Confirm' }).click()
   await closeToast(page)
-  await sleep(1200)
+  await sleep(2000)
   await refreshInstance(page)
   await expect(page.getByText('statusstopped')).toBeVisible()
 }