diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chat.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chat.ts
index f97e377c7dd..357ca063a54 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chat.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chat.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ export interface IChatListItemRendererOptions {
 
 export interface IChatWidgetViewOptions {
 	renderInputOnTop?: boolean;
+	renderFollowups?: boolean;
 	renderStyle?: 'default' | 'compact';
 	supportsFileReferences?: boolean;
 	filter?: (item: ChatTreeItem) => boolean;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatWidget.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatWidget.ts
index 7e243af391a..b8a793deebf 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatWidget.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/chatWidget.ts
@@ -259,15 +259,16 @@ export class ChatWidget extends Disposable implements IChatWidget {
 		const viewId = 'viewId' in this.viewContext ? this.viewContext.viewId : undefined;
 		this.editorOptions = this._register(this.instantiationService.createInstance(ChatEditorOptions, viewId, this.styles.listForeground, this.styles.inputEditorBackground, this.styles.resultEditorBackground));
 		const renderInputOnTop = this.viewOptions.renderInputOnTop ?? false;
+		const renderFollowups = this.viewOptions.renderFollowups ?? !renderInputOnTop;
 		const renderStyle = this.viewOptions.renderStyle;
 
 		this.container = dom.append(parent, $('.interactive-session'));
 		if (renderInputOnTop) {
-			this.createInput(this.container, { renderFollowups: false, renderStyle });
+			this.createInput(this.container, { renderFollowups, renderStyle });
 			this.listContainer = dom.append(this.container, $(`.interactive-list`));
 		} else {
 			this.listContainer = dom.append(this.container, $(`.interactive-list`));
-			this.createInput(this.container, { renderFollowups: true, renderStyle });
+			this.createInput(this.container, { renderFollowups, renderStyle });
 		}
 
 		this.createList(this.listContainer, { ...this.viewOptions.rendererOptions, renderStyle });
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatContentWidget.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatContentWidget.ts
index 90870d48786..dfd3b06a278 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatContentWidget.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatContentWidget.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ export class InlineChatContentWidget implements IContentWidget {
 				editorOverflowWidgetsDomNode: _editor.getOverflowWidgetsDomNode(),
 				renderStyle: 'compact',
 				renderInputOnTop: true,
+				renderFollowups: true,
 				supportsFileReferences: false,
 				menus: {
 					telemetrySource: 'inlineChat-content'
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatController.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatController.ts
index 78827e18545..ffec0fdfd21 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatController.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatController.ts
@@ -343,9 +343,6 @@ export class InlineChatController implements IEditorContribution {
 				break;
 		}
 
-		if (session.session.input) {
-			options.message = session.session.input;
-		}
 		this._session = session;
 		return State.INIT_UI;
 	}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatSessionServiceImpl.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatSessionServiceImpl.ts
index ef4c23b3527..35a3b2f9f0b 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatSessionServiceImpl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatSessionServiceImpl.ts
@@ -186,6 +186,29 @@ class BridgeAgent implements IChatAgentImplementation {
 		coalesceInPlace(chatFollowups);
 		return chatFollowups;
 	}
+
+	provideWelcomeMessage(token: CancellationToken): string[] {
+		// without this provideSampleQuestions is not called
+		return [];
+	}
+
+	async provideSampleQuestions(location: ChatAgentLocation, token: CancellationToken): Promise<IChatFollowup[]> {
+		// TODO@jrieken DEBT
+		// (hack) this function is called while creating the session. We need the timeout to make sure this._sessions is populated.
+		// (hack) we have no context/session id and therefore use the first session with an active editor
+		await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 10));
+
+		for (const [, data] of this._sessions) {
+			if (data.session.session.input && data.editor.hasWidgetFocus()) {
+				return [{
+					kind: 'reply',
+					agentId: _bridgeAgentId,
+					message: data.session.session.input,
+				}];
+			}
+		}
+		return [];
+	}
 }
 
 type SessionData = {
@@ -342,19 +365,6 @@ export class InlineChatSessionServiceImpl implements IInlineChatSessionService {
 			return undefined;
 		}
 
-		const chatModel = this._chatService.startSession(ChatAgentLocation.Editor, token);
-		if (!chatModel) {
-			this._logService.trace('[IE] NO chatModel found');
-			return undefined;
-		}
-
-		const store = new DisposableStore();
-
-		store.add(toDisposable(() => {
-			this._chatService.clearSession(chatModel.sessionId);
-			chatModel.dispose();
-		}));
-
 		this._onWillStartSession.fire(editor);
 
 		const textModel = editor.getModel();
@@ -375,8 +385,19 @@ export class InlineChatSessionServiceImpl implements IInlineChatSessionService {
 			return undefined;
 		}
 
+		const store = new DisposableStore();
 		this._logService.trace(`[IE] creating NEW session for ${editor.getId()}, ${provider.extensionId}`);
 
+		const chatModel = this._chatService.startSession(ChatAgentLocation.Editor, token);
+		if (!chatModel) {
+			this._logService.trace('[IE] NO chatModel found');
+			return undefined;
+		}
+
+		store.add(toDisposable(() => {
+			this._chatService.clearSession(chatModel.sessionId);
+			chatModel.dispose();
+		}));
 
 		const lastResponseListener = store.add(new MutableDisposable());
 		store.add(chatModel.onDidChange(e => {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatWidget.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatWidget.ts
index 20f5331bd70..989405de2a5 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatWidget.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/inlineChat/browser/inlineChatWidget.ts
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ export class InlineChatWidget {
 				defaultElementHeight: 32,
 				renderStyle: 'compact',
 				renderInputOnTop: true,
+				renderFollowups: true,
 				supportsFileReferences: true,
 				editorOverflowWidgetsDomNode: options.editorOverflowWidgetsDomNode,
 				rendererOptions: options.rendererOptions,