diff --git a/frontend/src/components/editor/EditorToolbar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/editor/EditorToolbar.tsx
index 52c7f01e..11a785ac 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/editor/EditorToolbar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/editor/EditorToolbar.tsx
@@ -163,6 +163,10 @@ export const EditorToolbar = ({
     setCompiling(true);
     setMessage(null);
     setConsoleOpen(true);
+    // Wipe the previous build's output before we append anything new.
+    // Issue #209: lingering logs from prior compiles made it impossible
+    // to tell the latest errors / warnings apart from stale ones.
+    setCompileLogs([]);
     trackCompileCode();
 
     // ── Chip-program path ───────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -380,6 +384,13 @@ export const EditorToolbar = ({
       } else {
         const errText = result.error || result.stderr || 'Compile failed';
         setMessage({ type: 'error', text: errText });
+        // Issue #208: drop the previous successful program from this
+        // board so a subsequent Run cannot silently execute stale code
+        // that doesn't match the editor any more. The Run button gates
+        // on `!compiledProgram` and will refuse + force a re-compile.
+        if (activeBoardId) {
+          updateBoard(activeBoardId, { compiledProgram: null });
+        }
         // Detect missing library errors — common patterns:
         // "No such file or directory" for #include, "fatal error: XXX.h"
         const looksLikeMissingLib =
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/simulator/SimulatorCanvas.tsx b/frontend/src/components/simulator/SimulatorCanvas.tsx
index 5b8d0321..7b064749 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/simulator/SimulatorCanvas.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/simulator/SimulatorCanvas.tsx
@@ -259,9 +259,16 @@ export const SimulatorCanvas = ({ headerSlot }: SimulatorCanvasProps = {}) => {
   // their own state on click instead of opening the property dialog.
   // We treat board-less + un-paused as "interaction-running" so the same
   // gating logic that suppresses the dialog for MCU-running mode also
-  // covers board-less circuits.
+  // covers board-less circuits — BUT only when SPICE has actually
+  // engaged (submittedNetlist != ''). Without that extra check, deleting
+  // the only board on a normal Arduino+LED circuit dropped boards to 0
+  // and silently flipped every remaining component to "running" mode,
+  // which suppresses the property dialog and makes them appear
+  // unresponsive to clicks (issue #211).
   const electricalPaused = useElectricalStore((s) => s.paused);
-  const interactionRunning = running || (boards.length === 0 && !electricalPaused);
+  const electricalEngaged = useElectricalStore((s) => s.submittedNetlist !== '');
+  const interactionRunning =
+    running || (boards.length === 0 && electricalEngaged && !electricalPaused);
 
   // Refs that mirror state/props for use inside touch event closures
   // (touch listeners are added imperatively and can't access current React state)
diff --git a/frontend/src/desktop/Esp32QemuPrompt.tsx b/frontend/src/desktop/Esp32QemuPrompt.tsx
index fe746099..ece53183 100644
--- a/frontend/src/desktop/Esp32QemuPrompt.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/desktop/Esp32QemuPrompt.tsx
@@ -104,7 +104,22 @@ export const Esp32QemuPrompt = () => {
       setStatus(fresh);
       if (fresh.installed) setOpen(false);
     } catch (e) {
-      setErr(e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e));
+      // Issue #212: the backend returns 404 when the velxio team
+      // hasn't published an ESP32 QEMU build for the user's platform
+      // yet (Windows / Linux x86_64 / macOS aarch64). The raw
+      // "download HTTP 404" string is opaque - reword to something
+      // the user can actually act on (or at least understand isn't
+      // their fault).
+      const raw = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
+      if (/HTTP\s*404|not found/i.test(raw)) {
+        setErr(
+          'ESP32 support is not yet available for your platform. ' +
+            'The Velxio team is preparing this build - try again in a ' +
+            'few days, or use Arduino/RP2040 boards in the meantime.',
+        );
+      } else {
+        setErr(raw);
+      }
     } finally {
       setInstalling(false);
       setProgress(null);
diff --git a/frontend/src/desktop/menu.ts b/frontend/src/desktop/menu.ts
index cb54f49a..4916e73e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/desktop/menu.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/desktop/menu.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ import { listen } from './tauriBridge';
 import { dlog } from './log';
 import { triggerDownloadVlx, importVlxFile } from '../utils/vlxFile';
 import { useSimulatorStore } from '../store/useSimulatorStore';
+import { useEditorStore } from '../store/useEditorStore';
+import { useProjectStore } from '../store/useProjectStore';
+import { useCompileLogsStore } from '../store/useCompileLogsStore';
 import { switchLocale } from '../i18n/path';
 import { LOCALES, type Locale } from '../i18n/config';
 
@@ -74,6 +77,8 @@ async function handle(action: MenuAction, payload?: MenuEventPayload): Promise<v
       useSimulatorStore.getState().toggleSerialMonitor();
       return;
     case 'new-project':
+      newProject();
+      return;
     case 'find-in-editor':
     case 'toggle-file-explorer':
       window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(`velxio:menu:${action}`));
@@ -152,6 +157,74 @@ function pickAndImportVlx(): void {
   input.click();
 }
 
+/**
+ * Wipe the current workspace and start from the default Blink sketch +
+ * empty canvas. Issue #210: the menu action used to just dispatch a
+ * CustomEvent that nobody listened to.
+ *
+ * Confirms first if the user has unsaved changes (any modified file
+ * or any component on the canvas). The Tauri-side menu can't show a
+ * confirm dialog cheaply, so we use the browser-native `confirm()`
+ * here — fine for the desktop bundle where it renders as a modal.
+ */
+function newProject(): void {
+  const sim = useSimulatorStore.getState();
+  const editor = useEditorStore.getState();
+  const project = useProjectStore.getState();
+  const compileLogs = useCompileLogsStore.getState();
+
+  const hasWork =
+    sim.boards.length > 0 ||
+    sim.components.length > 0 ||
+    sim.wires.length > 0 ||
+    editor.files.some((f) => f.modified) ||
+    project.currentProject !== null;
+
+  if (hasWork) {
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-alert
+    const ok = window.confirm(
+      'Start a new project? Any unsaved changes will be lost.',
+    );
+    if (!ok) return;
+  }
+
+  // Stop any running simulation first so workers / bridges shut down
+  // cleanly. Idempotent — no-op if nothing is running.
+  if (sim.running) {
+    sim.stopSimulation();
+  }
+
+  // Drop every board (also disconnects its bridges + removes wires
+  // touching it). Iterate over a snapshot copy since removeBoard
+  // mutates the array.
+  for (const board of [...sim.boards]) {
+    sim.removeBoard(board.id);
+  }
+
+  // Any non-board components + wires that weren't connected to a
+  // board still need to go.
+  sim.setComponents([]);
+  sim.setWires([]);
+
+  // Reset the editor to the default Blink sketch. loadFiles takes
+  // a {name, content}[] and rebuilds the file list, picking the
+  // first .ino as active.
+  editor.loadFiles([
+    {
+      name: 'sketch.ino',
+      content:
+        '// Arduino Blink Example\nvoid setup() {\n  pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);\n}\n\nvoid loop() {\n  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);\n  delay(1000);\n  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW);\n  delay(1000);\n}\n',
+    },
+  ]);
+
+  // Drop project metadata so the next Save .vlx doesn't reuse the
+  // previous project's slug / name.
+  project.clearCurrentProject();
+
+  // Clear the compile output panel so old build logs don't carry over.
+  compileLogs.clear();
+}
+
 async function checkForUpdates(): Promise<void> {
   try {
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any