diff --git a/src/components/TrendingTopics.tsx b/src/components/TrendingTopics.tsx
index f20e1f5268..e765f03ea4 100644
--- a/src/components/TrendingTopics.tsx
+++ b/src/components/TrendingTopics.tsx
@@ -103,6 +103,30 @@ export function TrendingTopic({
   )
 }
 
+export function TrendingTopicSkeleton({size}: {size: 'large' | 'small'}) {
+  const t = useTheme()
+  const isSmall = size === 'small'
+  return (
+    <View
+      style={[
+        a.rounded_full,
+        a.border,
+        t.atoms.border_contrast_medium,
+        t.atoms.bg_contrast_25,
+        isSmall
+          ? {
+              width: 90,
+              height: 27,
+            }
+          : {
+              width: 110,
+              height: 36,
+            },
+      ]}
+    />
+  )
+}
+
 export function TrendingTopicLink({
   topic: raw,
   children,
diff --git a/src/view/shell/desktop/SidebarTrendingTopics.tsx b/src/view/shell/desktop/SidebarTrendingTopics.tsx
index c62d0c8898..28f47d9810 100644
--- a/src/view/shell/desktop/SidebarTrendingTopics.tsx
+++ b/src/view/shell/desktop/SidebarTrendingTopics.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,11 @@ import {Divider} from '#/components/Divider'
 import {TimesLarge_Stroke2_Corner0_Rounded as X} from '#/components/icons/Times'
 import {Trending2_Stroke2_Corner2_Rounded as Graph} from '#/components/icons/Trending2'
 import * as Prompt from '#/components/Prompt'
-import {TrendingTopic, TrendingTopicLink} from '#/components/TrendingTopics'
+import {
+  TrendingTopic,
+  TrendingTopicLink,
+  TrendingTopicSkeleton,
+} from '#/components/TrendingTopics'
 import {Text} from '#/components/Typography'
 
 export function SidebarTrendingTopics() {
@@ -28,8 +32,9 @@ function Inner() {
   const {setTrendingSidebarHidden} = useTrendingSettingsApi()
 
   const {data: topics, error, isLoading} = useTrendingTopics()
+  const noTopics = !isLoading && !error && !topics
 
-  return (
+  return error || noTopics ? null : (
     <>
       <View style={[a.gap_md]}>
         <View style={[a.flex_row, a.align_center, a.gap_xs]}>
@@ -55,7 +60,11 @@ function Inner() {
         </View>
 
         <View style={[a.flex_row, a.flex_wrap, a.gap_xs]}>
-          {isLoading ? null : error || !topics ? null : (
+          {isLoading ? (
+            Array(8)
+              .fill(0)
+              .map((_, i) => <TrendingTopicSkeleton key={i} size="small" />)
+          ) : error || !topics ? null : (
             <>
               {topics.map(topic => (
                 <TrendingTopicLink key={topic.link} topic={topic}>