diff --git a/ee/app/models/ai/catalog/concerns/flow_version.rb b/ee/app/models/ai/catalog/concerns/flow_version.rb
index 7eb32477dec7407e395f0b6c02b2258a841db7c2..e7c9bb89b4a7d29d897975c315ce966e6b7ddac6 100644
--- a/ee/app/models/ai/catalog/concerns/flow_version.rb
+++ b/ee/app/models/ai/catalog/concerns/flow_version.rb
@@ -7,16 +7,28 @@ module FlowVersion
         extend ActiveSupport::Concern
 
         included do
+          validate :validate_released_version_has_steps, if: -> { released? && definition_for_flow? }
+
           def delete_no_longer_used_dependencies
             dependencies.where.not(dependency_id: dependency_ids).delete_all
           end
 
           def dependency_ids
-            # Check to ensure item is a flow and not an agent, so we don't have to load item for item.flow?
-            return unless definition['steps']
+            return unless definition_for_flow? && definition['steps'].present?
 
             definition['steps'].pluck('agent_id').uniq.compact # rubocop:disable Database/AvoidUsingPluckWithoutLimit -- Not ActiveRecord
           end
+
+          def validate_released_version_has_steps
+            return unless definition['steps'].empty?
+
+            errors.add(:definition, s_('AICatalog|must have at least one node'))
+          end
+
+          # A shortcut to avoid checking item.flow? which would require loading `item`
+          def definition_for_flow?
+            definition.key?('steps')
+          end
         end
       end
     end
diff --git a/ee/spec/factories/ai/catalog/item_versions.rb b/ee/spec/factories/ai/catalog/item_versions.rb
index 6b1bda42c61bfc2b00c5798e3feb8b2a79c8da0a..e48a9ee23a653109bbe0a688a52b3bab06a538df 100644
--- a/ee/spec/factories/ai/catalog/item_versions.rb
+++ b/ee/spec/factories/ai/catalog/item_versions.rb
@@ -28,9 +28,13 @@
     trait :for_flow do
       item { association :ai_catalog_flow }
       definition do
+        agent = Ai::Catalog::Item.find_by(item_type: :agent) || create(:ai_catalog_agent) # rubocop:disable RSpec/FactoryBot/InlineAssociation -- Not used for an association
+
         {
           'triggers' => [1],
-          'steps' => []
+          'steps' => [
+            { 'agent_id' => agent.id, 'current_version_id' => agent.latest_version.id, 'pinned_version_prefix' => nil }
+          ]
         }
       end
     end
diff --git a/ee/spec/lib/ai/catalog/duo_workflow_payload_builder/experimental_spec.rb b/ee/spec/lib/ai/catalog/duo_workflow_payload_builder/experimental_spec.rb
index f1ecfc331b69eab95d5adc91e33d7beec93a8994..85c38e6fd14af8792f3c87f99d1ab8dac6bba976 100644
--- a/ee/spec/lib/ai/catalog/duo_workflow_payload_builder/experimental_spec.rb
+++ b/ee/spec/lib/ai/catalog/duo_workflow_payload_builder/experimental_spec.rb
@@ -70,13 +70,6 @@
   end
 
   describe '#build' do
-    context 'when flow has no versions' do
-      let_it_be(:empty_flow) { create(:ai_catalog_flow, project: project) }
-      let_it_be(:builder) { described_class.new(empty_flow) }
-
-      it_behaves_like 'invalid flow configuration'
-    end
-
     context 'when flow has no agents' do
       let_it_be(:empty_steps_definition) { { 'triggers' => [1], 'steps' => [] } }
       let_it_be(:empty_steps_flow) { create(:ai_catalog_flow, project: project) }
diff --git a/ee/spec/support/shared_examples/models/ai/catalog/flow_version.rb b/ee/spec/support/shared_examples/models/ai/catalog/flow_version.rb
index ce1366458142ddc2314cbdfd3bb04bab831ccddd..82d07cccfdd9ffeeeba5b102de1db07097e17f56 100644
--- a/ee/spec/support/shared_examples/models/ai/catalog/flow_version.rb
+++ b/ee/spec/support/shared_examples/models/ai/catalog/flow_version.rb
@@ -5,6 +5,42 @@
   let_it_be(:agent2) { create(:ai_catalog_item, :agent) }
   let_it_be(:agent3) { create(:ai_catalog_item, :agent) }
 
+  describe 'validations' do
+    it 'does not allow a released version without steps' do
+      version = build(
+        :ai_catalog_item_version,
+        :released,
+        :for_flow,
+        'definition' => { 'steps' => [], 'triggers' => [] }
+      )
+
+      expect(version).not_to be_valid
+      expect(version.errors[:definition]).to include(s_('AICatalog|must have at least one node'))
+    end
+
+    it 'allow a released version with steps' do
+      version = build(:ai_catalog_item_version, :released, :for_flow)
+
+      expect(version).to be_valid
+    end
+
+    it 'allows an unreleased version to have no steps' do
+      version = build(
+        :ai_catalog_item_version,
+        :for_flow,
+        'definition' => { 'steps' => [], 'triggers' => [] }
+      )
+
+      expect(version).to be_valid
+    end
+
+    it 'allows a released agent version to not have steps' do
+      version = build(:ai_catalog_agent_version, :for_agent, :released)
+
+      expect(version).to be_valid
+    end
+  end
+
   describe '#delete_no_longer_used_dependencies' do
     let_it_be(:flow_version) do
       create(
diff --git a/locale/gitlab.pot b/locale/gitlab.pot
index ba0835f58f9537901466bcfdbbdcdfa49316e246..8053685915e9240adb1d00ca97081975fc52efa2 100644
--- a/locale/gitlab.pot
+++ b/locale/gitlab.pot
@@ -2811,6 +2811,9 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "AICatalog|is private to another project"
 msgstr ""
 
+msgid "AICatalog|must have at least one node"
+msgstr ""
+
 msgid "AICatalog|organization must match the item consumer's organization"
 msgstr ""