diff --git a/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/graph/gharialAdapter.js b/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/graph/gharialAdapter.js
index a87808d692..035e96589e 100644
--- a/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/graph/gharialAdapter.js
+++ b/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/graph/gharialAdapter.js
@@ -188,6 +188,14 @@ function GharialAdapter(nodes, edges, viewer, config) {
         return;
       }
       result = result[0];
+      if (result.length === 0) {
+        if (callback) {
+          callback({
+            errorCode: 404
+          });
+        }
+        return;
+      }
       var inserted = {},
         n = absAdapter.insertNode(result[0].vertex),
         oldLength = nodes.length;
diff --git a/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/graphViewer.js b/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/graphViewer.js
index 5a4794f017..02934440cd 100644
--- a/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/graphViewer.js
+++ b/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/graphViewer.js
@@ -208,6 +208,20 @@ function GraphViewer(svg, width, height, adapterConfig, config) {
       }
     });
   };
+
+  this.loadGraphWithRandomStart = function(callback) {
+    adapter.loadRandomNode(function (node) {
+      if (node.errorCode) {
+        callback(node);
+        return;
+      }
+      node._expanded = true;
+      self.start();
+      if (_.isFunction(callback)) {
+        callback();
+      }
+    });
+  };
   
   this.loadGraphWithAttributeValue = function(attribute, value, callback) {
     adapter.loadInitialNodeByAttributeValue(attribute, value, function (node) {
diff --git a/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/ui/graphViewerUI.js b/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/ui/graphViewerUI.js
index 34460a1ff0..8a12445340 100644
--- a/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/ui/graphViewerUI.js
+++ b/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/graphViewer/ui/graphViewerUI.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 /*global document, $, _ */
 /*global EventDispatcherControls, NodeShaperControls, EdgeShaperControls */
 /*global LayouterControls, GharialAdapterControls*/
-/*global GraphViewer, d3, window*/
+/*global GraphViewer, d3, window, alert*/
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief Graph functionality
 ///
@@ -448,7 +448,15 @@ function GraphViewerUI(container, adapterConfig, optWidth, optHeight, viewerConf
   createColourList();
 
   if (startNode) {
-    graphViewer.loadGraph(startNode);
+    if (typeof startNode === "string") {
+      graphViewer.loadGraph(startNode);
+    } else {
+      graphViewer.loadGraphWithRandomStart(function(node) {
+        if (node && node.errorCode) {
+          alert("Sorry your graph seems to be empty");
+        }
+      });
+    }
   }
 
   this.changeWidth = function(w) {
diff --git a/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/views/graphManagementView.js b/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/views/graphManagementView.js
index 5d277a5640..ba6128127c 100644
--- a/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/views/graphManagementView.js
+++ b/js/apps/system/aardvark/frontend/js/views/graphManagementView.js
@@ -25,12 +25,11 @@
       var adapterConfig = {
         type: "gharial",
         graphName: name,
-        graph: name,
         baseUrl: require("internal").arango.databasePrefix("/")
       };
       var width = $("#content").width() - 75;
       $("#content").html("");
-      this.ui = new GraphViewerUI($("#content")[0], adapterConfig, width, 680, {});
+      this.ui = new GraphViewerUI($("#content")[0], adapterConfig, width, 680, {}, true);
     },
 
     addNewGraph: function(e) {