diff --git a/app/api/projects/[projectId]/apps/route.ts b/app/api/projects/[projectId]/apps/route.ts
index 727a5e0..d0d2701 100644
--- a/app/api/projects/[projectId]/apps/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/projects/[projectId]/apps/route.ts
@@ -59,27 +59,24 @@ export async function GET(
       // No apps/ dir — fall through to import detection below
     }
 
-    // Fallback for imported (non-turborepo) projects:
-    // Detect deployable components from top-level dirs and CODEBASE_MAP.md
-    if (apps.length === 0 && (data.isImport || data.creationMode === 'migration')) {
+    // Fallback: no apps/ dir — scan repo root for deployable components.
+    // Works for any project structure (imported, single-repo, monorepo variants).
+    if (apps.length === 0) {
       try {
-        // Try to read CODEBASE_MAP.md first (written by ImportAnalyzer)
+        // Try CODEBASE_MAP.md first (written by ImportAnalyzer for imported repos)
         const mapFile = await giteaGet(`/repos/${giteaRepo}/contents/CODEBASE_MAP.md`).catch(() => null);
         if (mapFile?.content) {
           const decoded = Buffer.from(mapFile.content, 'base64').toString('utf-8');
-          // Extract component folder paths from lines like "### Name — `folder/path`" or "### Name — folder/path"
           const matches = [...decoded.matchAll(/###\s+.+?[—–-]\s+[`]?([^`\n(]+)[`]?/g)];
           const parsedApps = matches
             .map(m => m[1].trim().replace(/^`|`$/g, '').replace(/\/$/, ''))
             .filter(p => p && p.length > 0 && !p.includes(' ') && !p.startsWith('http') && p !== '.')
             .map(p => ({ name: p.split('/').pop() ?? p, path: p }));
-          if (parsedApps.length > 0) {
-            apps = parsedApps;
-          }
+          if (parsedApps.length > 0) apps = parsedApps;
         }
-      } catch { /* CODEBASE_MAP not ready yet */ }
+      } catch { /* CODEBASE_MAP not available */ }
 
-      // If still empty, scan top-level dirs and pick ones that look like apps
+      // Scan top-level dirs for app signals
       if (apps.length === 0) {
         try {
           const SKIP = new Set(['docs', 'scripts', 'keys', '.github', 'node_modules', '.git', 'dist', 'build', 'coverage']);
@@ -88,22 +85,31 @@ export async function GET(
           const root: Array<{ name: string; path: string; type: string }> =
             await giteaGet(`/repos/${giteaRepo}/contents/`);
 
-          const dirs = root.filter(i => i.type === 'dir' && !SKIP.has(i.name));
-
-          const candidates = await Promise.all(
-            dirs.map(async (dir) => {
-              try {
-                const sub: Array<{ name: string; type: string }> = await giteaGet(`/repos/${giteaRepo}/contents/${dir.path}`);
-                // Check direct app signals OR subdirs that each contain app signals (monorepo-style)
-                const hasDirectSignal = sub.some(f => APP_SIGNALS.includes(f.name));
-                return hasDirectSignal ? { name: dir.name, path: dir.path } : null;
-              } catch { return null; }
-            })
-          );
-
-          apps = candidates.filter((a): a is { name: string; path: string } => a !== null && a.name.length > 0);
+          // Check if the root itself is an app (single-repo projects)
+          const rootIsApp = root.some(f => f.type === 'file' && APP_SIGNALS.includes(f.name));
+          if (rootIsApp) {
+            // Repo root is the app — use repo name as label, empty string as path
+            apps = [{ name: giteaRepo.split('/').pop() ?? 'app', path: '' }];
+          } else {
+            // Scan subdirs
+            const dirs = root.filter(i => i.type === 'dir' && !SKIP.has(i.name));
+            const candidates = await Promise.all(
+              dirs.map(async (dir) => {
+                try {
+                  const sub: Array<{ name: string; type: string }> = await giteaGet(`/repos/${giteaRepo}/contents/${dir.path}`);
+                  return sub.some(f => APP_SIGNALS.includes(f.name)) ? { name: dir.name, path: dir.path } : null;
+                } catch { return null; }
+              })
+            );
+            apps = candidates.filter((a): a is { name: string; path: string } => a !== null);
+          }
         } catch { /* scan failed */ }
       }
+
+      // Last resort: expose the repo root so the file tree still works
+      if (apps.length === 0) {
+        apps = [{ name: giteaRepo.split('/').pop() ?? 'app', path: '' }];
+      }
     }
   }