diff --git a/src/components/RecordViewTable.tsx b/src/components/RecordViewTable.tsx
index df526ed..71369af 100644
--- a/src/components/RecordViewTable.tsx
+++ b/src/components/RecordViewTable.tsx
@@ -3,12 +3,13 @@ import { useNavigate } from "react-router-dom";
 import {
   ChevronLeft, ChevronRight, Search, ArrowUp, ArrowDown,
   X, CheckCircle2, XCircle, PauseCircle, MessageSquare,
-  Inbox, MoreHorizontal, ArrowRight, RefreshCw,
+  Inbox, MoreHorizontal, ArrowRight, RefreshCw, Plus,
 } from "lucide-react";
 import { getRVScreen, getRecordView, type RecordViewField, type SearchQuery } from "../api/viewService";
 import { TableSkeleton } from "./Skeleton";
 import FormModal from "./FormModal";
 import { STATE_IDS, ACTIVITY_IDS } from "../config";
+import { startWorkflowButtons, type StartButton } from "../lib/startButtons";
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Row actions by state
@@ -46,13 +47,21 @@ export default function RecordViewTable({ viewId, onRowClick, toolbarAction }: P
   const [loading, setLoading]             = useState(true);
   const [dataLoading, setDataLoading]     = useState(false);
   const [error, setError]                 = useState<string | null>(null);
-  const [formModal, setFormModal]         = useState<{ activityId: string; instanceId: string; title: string } | null>(null);
+  // instanceId is absent for start-workflow buttons (they create the instance).
+  const [formModal, setFormModal]         = useState<{ activityId: string; instanceId?: string; title: string } | null>(null);
+  // Workflow-launching buttons configured on the rv_screen ("Create New
+  // Invoice" and friends). They live in the rv_screen layout, not the screen
+  // layout, so this is the only place they can be picked up.
+  const [startButtons, setStartButtons]   = useState<StartButton[]>([]);
   const searchRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     setLoading(true);
     getRVScreen(viewId)
-      .then((rv) => setRvTemplateId(rv.rv_template_uid))
+      .then((rv) => {
+        setRvTemplateId(rv.rv_template_uid);
+        setStartButtons(startWorkflowButtons(rv.layout));
+      })
       .catch((err) => { setError(err.message); setLoading(false); });
   }, [viewId]);
 
@@ -145,8 +154,18 @@ export default function RecordViewTable({ viewId, onRowClick, toolbarAction }: P
             </div>
           )}
 
-          {toolbarAction && (
-            <div className="pl-3 border-l border-slate-200 dark:border-zinc-700">
+          {(startButtons.length > 0 || toolbarAction) && (
+            <div className="pl-3 border-l border-slate-200 dark:border-zinc-700 flex items-center gap-2">
+              {startButtons.map((b) => (
+                <button
+                  key={b.key}
+                  onClick={() => setFormModal({ activityId: b.activityId, title: b.label })}
+                  className="h-8 px-3.5 text-[12px] font-semibold text-white rounded-xl inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 transition-all hover:scale-[1.02] active:scale-[0.98] shadow-md shadow-violet-500/20"
+                  style={{ background: "linear-gradient(135deg, #7c3aed, #a855f7)" }}
+                >
+                  <Plus size={13} strokeWidth={2.5} />{b.label}
+                </button>
+              ))}
               {toolbarAction}
             </div>
           )}
diff --git a/src/components/ScreenRenderer.tsx b/src/components/ScreenRenderer.tsx
index 40893b8..42f6dac 100644
--- a/src/components/ScreenRenderer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ScreenRenderer.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import type { LayoutElement } from "../api/viewService";
 import RecordViewTable from "./RecordViewTable";
 import DetailViewPanel from "./DetailViewPanel";
 import FormModal from "./FormModal";
+import { collectStartButtons } from "../lib/startButtons";
 
 interface Props { layout: LayoutElement[]; instanceId?: string; onRefresh?: () => void; onRowClick?: (instanceId: string) => void; }
 
@@ -25,7 +26,11 @@ export default function ScreenRenderer({ layout, instanceId, onRefresh, onRowCli
   const visit = (el: any) => {
     const cfg = el.config || {};
     if (cfg.type === "button" || cfg.job_template) {
-      const aid = cfg.params?.activity_id_init || cfg.params?.activity_id;
+      // Current studio writes params.activity_uid_init; older configs used
+      // activity_id_init. collectStartButtons accepts both — see lib/startButtons.
+      const [btn] = collectStartButtons(cfg);
+      const aid = btn?.activityId;
+      if (!aid) return; // a button with no activity to run is not renderable
       const label = (cfg.name || "").replace(/^\+\s*/, "");
       buttons.push(
         <button
diff --git a/src/lib/startButtons.ts b/src/lib/startButtons.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a3ee8d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/startButtons.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+// collectStartButtons — find the workflow-launching buttons in a studio layout.
+//
+// Studio puts these buttons in two different places, in two different shapes,
+// which is why they were previously missed entirely:
+//
+//   * screen layout (tbl_appconfig_screens.layout) — the button lives under a
+//     node's `config` key, nested anywhere in a `children` tree.
+//   * rv_screen layout (tbl_appconfig_rv_screens.layout) — the button object
+//     itself carries `type` / `params` / `job_template` at its top level.
+//
+// The activity identifier has also changed key over time. Current studio writes
+// `params.activity_uid_init`; older configs (and the dev-era app) used
+// `params.activity_id_init`. Both are accepted here, newest first.
+//
+// Rather than model either shape, this walks every object in the tree and picks
+// out anything that looks like a button carrying an activity id.
+
+export interface StartButton {
+  /** React key — the activity uid is unique per button in practice. */
+  key: string;
+  label: string;
+  /** Activity uid to launch. For start_state_machine this is the INIT activity. */
+  activityId: string;
+  /** 'start_state_machine' (new instance) | 'perform_activity' (existing) | other. */
+  jobTemplate?: string;
+  workflowUuid?: string;
+  versionUuid?: string;
+}
+
+const pickActivityId = (params: any): string | undefined =>
+  params?.activity_uid_init ||
+  params?.activity_id_init ||
+  params?.activity_uid ||
+  params?.activity_id ||
+  undefined;
+
+// A node is button-ish if it says so, or if it carries a job_template (studio
+// omits type on some button variants).
+const isButtonish = (o: any): boolean =>
+  o?.type === "button" || typeof o?.job_template === "string";
+
+export function collectStartButtons(layout: unknown): StartButton[] {
+  const out: StartButton[] = [];
+  const seen = new Set<string>();
+
+  const visit = (node: any): void => {
+    if (!node || typeof node !== "object") return;
+
+    if (Array.isArray(node)) {
+      node.forEach(visit);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (isButtonish(node)) {
+      const activityId = pickActivityId(node.params);
+      if (activityId) {
+        const jobTemplate = node.job_template;
+        const key = `${jobTemplate ?? "button"}:${activityId}`;
+        if (!seen.has(key)) {
+          seen.add(key);
+          out.push({
+            key,
+            // Studio labels sometimes carry a leading "+ ".
+            label: String(node.name ?? "New").replace(/^\+\s*/, ""),
+            activityId,
+            jobTemplate,
+            workflowUuid: node.params?.workflow_uuid,
+            versionUuid: node.params?.version_uuid,
+          });
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Recurse into everything — `config`, `children`, and any other nesting.
+    for (const v of Object.values(node)) visit(v);
+  };
+
+  visit(layout);
+  return out;
+}
+
+/** Buttons that start a brand-new workflow instance. */
+export const startWorkflowButtons = (layout: unknown): StartButton[] =>
+  collectStartButtons(layout).filter(
+    (b) => b.jobTemplate === "start_state_machine" || b.jobTemplate === undefined,
+  );