diff --git a/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/Workspace.tsx b/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/Workspace.tsx
index 472b777a9952c..314d64ec25404 100644
--- a/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/Workspace.tsx
+++ b/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/Workspace.tsx
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import { SidebarIconButton } from "components/FullPageLayout/Sidebar";
 import HubOutlined from "@mui/icons-material/HubOutlined";
 import { ResourcesSidebar } from "./ResourcesSidebar";
 import { ResourceCard } from "components/Resources/ResourceCard";
-import { useResourcesNav } from "./useResourcesNav";
+import { resourceOptionValue, useResourcesNav } from "./useResourcesNav";
 import { MemoizedInlineMarkdown } from "components/Markdown/Markdown";
 
 export type WorkspaceError =
@@ -163,6 +163,9 @@ export const Workspace: FC<WorkspaceProps> = ({
     (a, b) => countAgents(b) - countAgents(a),
   );
   const resourcesNav = useResourcesNav(resources);
+  const selectedResource = resources.find(
+    (r) => resourceOptionValue(r) === resourcesNav.value,
+  );
 
   return (
     <div
@@ -377,9 +380,9 @@ export const Workspace: FC<WorkspaceProps> = ({
 
             {buildLogs}
 
-            {resourcesNav.selected && (
+            {selectedResource && (
               <ResourceCard
-                resource={resourcesNav.selected}
+                resource={selectedResource}
                 agentRow={(agent) => (
                   <AgentRow
                     key={agent.id}
diff --git a/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/useResourcesNav.test.tsx b/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/useResourcesNav.test.tsx
index d403ea1b4c3d8..a08fa6b726ed7 100644
--- a/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/useResourcesNav.test.tsx
+++ b/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/useResourcesNav.test.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { renderHook } from "@testing-library/react";
-import { resourceOptionId, useResourcesNav } from "./useResourcesNav";
+import { resourceOptionValue, useResourcesNav } from "./useResourcesNav";
 import { WorkspaceResource } from "api/typesGenerated";
 import { MockWorkspaceResource } from "testHelpers/entities";
 import { RouterProvider, createMemoryRouter } from "react-router-dom";
@@ -20,27 +20,9 @@ describe("useResourcesNav", () => {
         />
       ),
     });
-    expect(result.current.selected?.id).toBe(MockWorkspaceResource.id);
-  });
-
-  it("selects the first resource if it has agents and selected resource is not find", async () => {
-    const resources: WorkspaceResource[] = [
-      MockWorkspaceResource,
-      {
-        ...MockWorkspaceResource,
-        agents: [],
-      },
-    ];
-    const { result } = renderHook(() => useResourcesNav(resources), {
-      wrapper: ({ children }) => (
-        <RouterProvider
-          router={createMemoryRouter([{ path: "/", element: children }], {
-            initialEntries: ["/?resources=not_found_resource_id"],
-          })}
-        />
-      ),
-    });
-    expect(result.current.selected?.id).toBe(MockWorkspaceResource.id);
+    expect(result.current.value).toBe(
+      resourceOptionValue(MockWorkspaceResource),
+    );
   });
 
   it("selects the resource passed in the URL", () => {
@@ -66,12 +48,14 @@ describe("useResourcesNav", () => {
       wrapper: ({ children }) => (
         <RouterProvider
           router={createMemoryRouter([{ path: "/", element: children }], {
-            initialEntries: [`/?resources=${resourceOptionId(resources[1])}`],
+            initialEntries: [
+              `/?resources=${resourceOptionValue(resources[1])}`,
+            ],
           })}
         />
       ),
     });
-    expect(result.current.selected?.id).toBe(resources[1].id);
+    expect(result.current.value).toBe(resourceOptionValue(resources[1]));
   });
 
   it("selects a resource when resources are updated", () => {
@@ -104,7 +88,7 @@ describe("useResourcesNav", () => {
         initialProps: { resources: startedResources },
       },
     );
-    expect(result.current.selected?.id).toBe(startedResources[0].id);
+    expect(result.current.value).toBe(resourceOptionValue(startedResources[0]));
 
     // When a workspace is stopped, there are no resources with agents, so we
     // need to retain the currently selected resource. This ensures consistency
@@ -121,12 +105,46 @@ describe("useResourcesNav", () => {
       },
     ];
     rerender({ resources: stoppedResources });
-    expect(result.current.selectedValue).toBe(
-      resourceOptionId(startedResources[0]),
-    );
+    expect(result.current.value).toBe(resourceOptionValue(startedResources[0]));
 
     // When a workspace is started again a resource is selected
     rerender({ resources: startedResources });
-    expect(result.current.selected?.id).toBe(startedResources[0].id);
+    expect(result.current.value).toBe(resourceOptionValue(startedResources[0]));
+  });
+
+  // This happens when a new workspace is created and there are no resources
+  it("selects a resource when resources are not defined previously", () => {
+    const startingResources: WorkspaceResource[] = [];
+    const { result, rerender } = renderHook(
+      ({ resources }) => useResourcesNav(resources),
+      {
+        wrapper: ({ children }) => (
+          <RouterProvider
+            router={createMemoryRouter([{ path: "/", element: children }])}
+          />
+        ),
+        initialProps: { resources: startingResources },
+      },
+    );
+    const startedResources: WorkspaceResource[] = [
+      {
+        ...MockWorkspaceResource,
+        type: "docker_container",
+        name: "coder_python",
+      },
+      {
+        ...MockWorkspaceResource,
+        type: "docker_container",
+        name: "coder_java",
+      },
+      {
+        ...MockWorkspaceResource,
+        type: "docker_image",
+        name: "coder_image_python",
+        agents: [],
+      },
+    ];
+    rerender({ resources: startedResources });
+    expect(result.current.value).toBe(resourceOptionValue(startedResources[0]));
   });
 });
diff --git a/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/useResourcesNav.ts b/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/useResourcesNav.ts
index 7774d1073240c..313c5558a0d3e 100644
--- a/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/useResourcesNav.ts
+++ b/site/src/pages/WorkspacePage/useResourcesNav.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { useTab } from "hooks";
 import { useEffectEvent } from "hooks/hookPolyfills";
 import { useCallback, useEffect } from "react";
 
-export const resourceOptionId = (resource: WorkspaceResource) => {
+export const resourceOptionValue = (resource: WorkspaceResource) => {
   return `${resource.type}_${resource.name}`;
 };
 
@@ -18,30 +18,29 @@ export const useResourcesNav = (resources: WorkspaceResource[]) => {
 
   const isSelected = useCallback(
     (resource: WorkspaceResource) => {
-      return resourceOptionId(resource) === resourcesNav.value;
+      return resourceOptionValue(resource) === resourcesNav.value;
     },
     [resourcesNav.value],
   );
 
-  const selectedResource = resources.find(isSelected);
-  const onSelectedResourceChange = useEffectEvent(
-    (previousResource?: WorkspaceResource) => {
+  const onResourceChanges = useEffectEvent(
+    (resources?: WorkspaceResource[]) => {
+      const hasSelectedResource = resourcesNav.value !== "";
+      const hasResources = resources && resources.length > 0;
       const hasResourcesWithAgents =
-        resources.length > 0 &&
-        resources[0].agents &&
-        resources[0].agents.length > 0;
-      if (!previousResource && hasResourcesWithAgents) {
-        resourcesNav.set(resourceOptionId(resources[0]));
+        hasResources && resources[0].agents && resources[0].agents.length > 0;
+      if (!hasSelectedResource && hasResourcesWithAgents) {
+        resourcesNav.set(resourceOptionValue(resources[0]));
       }
     },
   );
   useEffect(() => {
-    onSelectedResourceChange(selectedResource);
-  }, [onSelectedResourceChange, selectedResource]);
+    onResourceChanges(resources);
+  }, [onResourceChanges, resources]);
 
   const select = useCallback(
     (resource: WorkspaceResource) => {
-      resourcesNav.set(resourceOptionId(resource));
+      resourcesNav.set(resourceOptionValue(resource));
     },
     [resourcesNav],
   );
@@ -49,7 +48,6 @@ export const useResourcesNav = (resources: WorkspaceResource[]) => {
   return {
     isSelected,
     select,
-    selected: selectedResource,
-    selectedValue: resourcesNav.value,
+    value: resourcesNav.value,
   };
 };