diff --git a/src/app.rs b/src/app.rs
index 3cff17c..87977ea 100644
--- a/src/app.rs
+++ b/src/app.rs
@@ -644,6 +644,14 @@ impl Damus {
 
         let debug = parsed_args.debug;
 
+        if timelines.is_empty() {
+            let filter = Filter::from_json(include_str!("../queries/timeline.json")).unwrap();
+            timelines.push(Timeline::new(
+                ColumnKind::Generic,
+                FilterState::ready(vec![filter]),
+            ));
+        }
+
         Self {
             pool,
             debug,