diff --git a/src/common/hotbar-store.ts b/src/common/hotbar-store.ts
index 062a947557..b90a007b34 100644
--- a/src/common/hotbar-store.ts
+++ b/src/common/hotbar-store.ts
@@ -38,16 +38,12 @@ export interface HotbarItem {
   }
 }
 
-export interface Hotbar {
-  id: string;
-  name: string;
-  items: HotbarItem[];
-}
+export type Hotbar = Required<HotbarCreateOptions>;
 
 export interface HotbarCreateOptions {
   id?: string;
   name: string;
-  items?: HotbarItem[];
+  items?: (HotbarItem | null)[];
 }
 
 export interface HotbarStoreModel {
@@ -123,18 +119,19 @@ export class HotbarStore extends BaseStore<HotbarStoreModel> {
     return this.hotbars.find((hotbar) => hotbar.id === id);
   }
 
-  add(data: HotbarCreateOptions) {
+  @action
+  add(data: HotbarCreateOptions, { setActive = false } = {}) {
     const {
       id = uuid.v4(),
       items = HotbarStore.getInitialItems(),
       name,
     } = data;
 
-    const hotbar = { id, name, items };
+    this.hotbars.push({ id, name, items });
 
-    this.hotbars.push(hotbar as Hotbar);
-
-    return hotbar as Hotbar;
+    if (setActive) {
+      this._activeHotbarId = id;
+    }
   }
 
   @action
diff --git a/src/migrations/hotbar-store/5.0.0-beta.10.ts b/src/migrations/hotbar-store/5.0.0-beta.10.ts
index 4150038e8e..d17f1448db 100644
--- a/src/migrations/hotbar-store/5.0.0-beta.10.ts
+++ b/src/migrations/hotbar-store/5.0.0-beta.10.ts
@@ -22,10 +22,12 @@
 import { createHash } from "crypto";
 import { app } from "electron";
 import fse from "fs-extra";
+import { isNull } from "lodash";
 import path from "path";
 import * as uuid from "uuid";
 import type { ClusterStoreModel } from "../../common/cluster-store";
-import { defaultHotbarCells, Hotbar } from "../../common/hotbar-store";
+import { defaultHotbarCells, Hotbar, HotbarStore } from "../../common/hotbar-store";
+import { catalogEntity } from "../../main/catalog-sources/general";
 import type { MigrationDeclaration } from "../helpers";
 
 interface Pre500WorkspaceStoreModel {
@@ -75,6 +77,46 @@ export default {
         hotbars.push(hotbar);
       }
 
+      /**
+       * Finally, make sure that the catalog entity hotbar item is in place.
+       * Just in case something else removed it.
+       *
+       * if every hotbar has elements that all not the `catalog-entity` item
+       */
+      if (hotbars.every(hotbar => hotbar.items.every(item => item?.entity?.uid !== "catalog-entity"))) {
+        // note, we will add a new whole hotbar here called "default" if that was previously removed
+        const defaultHotbar = hotbars.find(hotbar => hotbar.name === "default");
+        const { metadata: { uid, name, source } } = catalogEntity;
+
+        if (defaultHotbar) {
+          const freeIndex = defaultHotbar.items.findIndex(isNull);
+
+          if (freeIndex === -1) {
+            // making a new hotbar is less destructive if the first hotbar called default
+            // is full then overriding a previously pinned item
+            const hotbar = {
+              id: uuid.v4(),
+              name: "initial",
+              items: HotbarStore.getInitialItems(),
+            };
+
+            hotbar.items[0] = { entity: { uid, name, source } };
+            hotbars.unshift(hotbar);
+          } else {
+            defaultHotbar.items[freeIndex] = { entity: { uid, name, source } };
+          }
+        } else {
+          const hotbar = {
+            id: uuid.v4(),
+            name: "default",
+            items: HotbarStore.getInitialItems(),
+          };
+
+          hotbar.items[0] = { entity: { uid, name, source } };
+          hotbars.unshift(hotbar);
+        }
+      }
+
       store.set("hotbars", hotbars);
     } catch (error) {
       if (!(error.code === "ENOENT" && error.path.endsWith("lens-workspace-store.json"))) {
diff --git a/src/renderer/components/hotbar/hotbar-add-command.tsx b/src/renderer/components/hotbar/hotbar-add-command.tsx
index 8141594b7c..fde97ef561 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/hotbar/hotbar-add-command.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/components/hotbar/hotbar-add-command.tsx
@@ -33,22 +33,14 @@ const uniqueHotbarName: InputValidator = {
 
 @observer
 export class HotbarAddCommand extends React.Component {
-
-  onSubmit(name: string) {
+  onSubmit = (name: string) => {
     if (!name.trim()) {
       return;
     }
 
-    const hotbarStore = HotbarStore.getInstance();
-
-    const hotbar = hotbarStore.add({
-      name
-    });
-
-    hotbarStore.activeHotbarId = hotbar.id;
-
+    HotbarStore.getInstance().add({ name }, { setActive: true });
     CommandOverlay.close();
-  }
+  };
 
   render() {
     return (
@@ -58,10 +50,11 @@ export class HotbarAddCommand extends React.Component {
           autoFocus={true}
           theme="round-black"
           data-test-id="command-palette-hotbar-add-name"
-          validators={[uniqueHotbarName]}
-          onSubmit={(v) => this.onSubmit(v)}
+          validators={uniqueHotbarName}
+          onSubmit={this.onSubmit}
           dirty={true}
-          showValidationLine={true} />
+          showValidationLine={true}
+        />
         <small className="hint">
           Please provide a new hotbar name (Press &quot;Enter&quot; to confirm or &quot;Escape&quot; to cancel)
         </small>