diff --git a/app/components/ComponentList.tsx b/app/components/ComponentList.tsx
index fe96a943..d2d3b54d 100644
--- a/app/components/ComponentList.tsx
+++ b/app/components/ComponentList.tsx
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ const ComponentList: React.FunctionComponent<ComponentListProps> = (props: Compo
       </div>
       {
         components.map(({ name, displayName, tooltip, icon }) => {
-          if (status[name]) {
+          if (status[name] && isLinked) {
             const { filepath, status: fileStatus } = status[name]
             let filename
             if (filepath === 'repo') {
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ const ComponentList: React.FunctionComponent<ComponentListProps> = (props: Compo
                 displayName={displayName}
                 name={name}
                 icon={icon}
-                filename={isLinked ? filename : ''}
+                filename={filename}
                 status={fileStatus}
                 selected={selectedComponent === name}
                 selectionType={selectionType}
diff --git a/app/components/Dataset.tsx b/app/components/Dataset.tsx
index 93944389..36abfffe 100644
--- a/app/components/Dataset.tsx
+++ b/app/components/Dataset.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { ApiAction, ApiActionThunk } from '../store/api'
 import ExternalLink from './ExternalLink'
 import { Resizable } from './Resizable'
 import DatasetSidebar from './DatasetSidebar'
+import UnlinkedDataset from './UnlinkedDataset'
 import DatasetComponent from './DatasetComponent'
 import DatasetListContainer from '../containers/DatasetListContainer'
 import CommitDetailsContainer from '../containers/CommitDetailsContainer'
@@ -82,14 +83,7 @@ export default class Dataset extends React.Component<DatasetProps> {
 
   componentDidMount () {
     // poll for status
-    // setInterval(() => { this.props.fetchWorkingStatus() }, 5000)
-    const { selections, workingDataset } = this.props
-    const { activeTab, isLinked } = selections
-    if (activeTab === 'status' && !isLinked) {
-      this.props.setActiveTab('history')
-    } else if (activeTab === 'history' && workingDataset.history.pageInfo.error && workingDataset.history.pageInfo.error.includes('no history')) {
-      this.props.setActiveTab('status')
-    }
+    setInterval(() => { this.props.fetchWorkingStatus() }, 5000)
 
     this.openWorkingDirectory = this.openWorkingDirectory.bind(this)
     this.publishUnpublishDataset = this.publishUnpublishDataset.bind(this)
@@ -116,13 +110,6 @@ export default class Dataset extends React.Component<DatasetProps> {
     // this "wires up" all of the tooltips, must be called on update, as tooltips
     // in descendents can come and go
     ReactTooltip.rebuild()
-    const { selections, workingDataset } = this.props
-    const { activeTab, isLinked } = selections
-    if (activeTab === 'status' && !isLinked) {
-      this.props.setActiveTab('history')
-    } else if (activeTab === 'history' && workingDataset.history.pageInfo.error && workingDataset.history.pageInfo.error.includes('no history')) {
-      this.props.setActiveTab('status')
-    }
   }
 
   // using component state + getDerivedStateFromProps to determine when a new
@@ -318,16 +305,26 @@ export default class Dataset extends React.Component<DatasetProps> {
             />
           </Resizable>
           <div className='content-wrapper'>
+            {/* Show the overlay to dim the rest of the app when the sidebar is open */}
             {showDatasetList && <div className='overlay' onClick={toggleDatasetList}></div>}
             <div className='transition-group' >
               <CSSTransition
-                in={activeTab === 'status'}
+                in={(activeTab === 'status') && !isLinked}
+                classNames='fade'
+                timeout={300}
+                mountOnEnter
+                unmountOnExit
+              >
+                <UnlinkedDataset />
+              </CSSTransition>
+              <CSSTransition
+                in={activeTab === 'status' && isLinked}
                 classNames='fade'
                 timeout={300}
                 mountOnEnter
                 unmountOnExit
               >
-                <DatasetComponent component={selectedComponent} componentStatus={status[selectedComponent]} isLoading={workingDataset.isLoading}/>
+                <DatasetComponent component={selectedComponent} componentStatus={status[selectedComponent]} isLoading={workingDataset.isLoading} />
               </CSSTransition>
               <CSSTransition
                 in={activeTab === 'history'}
diff --git a/app/components/DatasetSidebar.tsx b/app/components/DatasetSidebar.tsx
index 8cdc712a..e4751d37 100644
--- a/app/components/DatasetSidebar.tsx
+++ b/app/components/DatasetSidebar.tsx
@@ -79,19 +79,19 @@ const DatasetSidebar: React.FunctionComponent<DatasetSidebarProps> = ({
   return (
     <div className='dataset-sidebar'>
       <div id='tabs' className='sidebar-list-item'>
-        {isLinked && <div
+        <div
           className={classNames('tab', { 'active': activeTab === 'status' })}
           onClick={() => { onTabClick('status') }}
           data-tip='View the latest version or working changes<br/> to this dataset&apos;s components'
         >
-            Status
-        </div>}
+          Status
+        </div>
         {!(history.pageInfo.error && history.pageInfo.error.includes('no history')) && <div
           className={classNames('tab', { 'active': activeTab === 'history' })}
           onClick={() => { onTabClick('history') }}
           data-tip={path ? 'Explore older versions of this dataset' : 'This dataset has no previous versions'}
         >
-            History
+          History
         </div>}
       </div>
       <div id='content'>
diff --git a/app/components/UnlinkedDataset.tsx b/app/components/UnlinkedDataset.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..93916593
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/components/UnlinkedDataset.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import * as React from 'react'
+import { FontAwesomeIcon } from '@fortawesome/react-fontawesome'
+import { faUnlink } from '@fortawesome/free-solid-svg-icons'
+
+const UnlinkedDataset: React.FunctionComponent = () => (
+  <div className={'unlinked-dataset'}>
+    <div className={'message-container'}>
+      <div>
+        <h4>This is an Unlinked Dataset</h4>
+        <p>To use the status tab, link the dataset to your filesystem.</p>
+        <a href='#'>Link this Dataset</a>
+      </div>
+      <FontAwesomeIcon icon={faUnlink} color='#777'/>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+)
+
+export default UnlinkedDataset
diff --git a/app/reducers/selections.ts b/app/reducers/selections.ts
index 02ce5f56..06bd2390 100644
--- a/app/reducers/selections.ts
+++ b/app/reducers/selections.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,16 @@ export default (state = initialState, action: AnyAction) => {
       localStore().setItem('name', name)
       localStore().setItem('isLinked', isLinked)
       localStore().setItem('published', published)
-      return Object.assign({}, state, { peername, name, isLinked, published })
+
+      const newActiveTab = isLinked ? 'status' : 'history'
+
+      return Object.assign({}, state, {
+        peername,
+        name,
+        isLinked,
+        published,
+        activeTab: newActiveTab
+      })
 
     case LIST_SUCC:
       // if there is no peername + name in selections, use the first one on the list
diff --git a/app/scss/_dataset.scss b/app/scss/_dataset.scss
index b7123082..f02e5de4 100644
--- a/app/scss/_dataset.scss
+++ b/app/scss/_dataset.scss
@@ -436,3 +436,28 @@ $header-font-size: .9rem;
     border-bottom: $list-item-bottom-border;
   }
 }
+
+
+////////////////////////////
+//    Unlinked Dataset    //
+////////////////////////////
+
+.unlinked-dataset {
+  height: 100%;
+
+  .message-container {
+    h4 {
+      color: #777;
+      font-weight: 500;
+    }
+
+    color: #777;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: row;
+    padding: 19px;
+    border: 2px solid #E9F0F7;
+    max-width: 475px;
+    margin: 150px auto;
+    border-radius: 5px;
+  }
+}