diff --git a/internal/stacks/stackruntime/internal/stackeval/component_instance.go b/internal/stacks/stackruntime/internal/stackeval/component_instance.go
index 64ab813497..d10fd52151 100644
--- a/internal/stacks/stackruntime/internal/stackeval/component_instance.go
+++ b/internal/stacks/stackruntime/internal/stackeval/component_instance.go
@@ -269,6 +269,17 @@ func (c *ComponentInstance) PlanChanges(ctx context.Context) ([]stackplan.Planne
 	var changes []stackplan.PlannedChange
 	var diags tfdiags.Diagnostics
 
+	// We must always at least announce that the component instance exists,
+	// and that must come before any resource instance changes referring to it.
+	changes = append(changes, &stackplan.PlannedChangeComponentInstance{
+		Addr: c.Addr(),
+
+		// FIXME: Once we actually have a prior state this should vary
+		// depending on whether the same component instance existed in
+		// the prior state.
+		Action: plans.Create,
+	})
+
 	_, moreDiags := c.CheckInputVariableValues(ctx, PlanPhase)
 	diags = diags.Append(moreDiags)
 
diff --git a/internal/stacks/stackruntime/plan_test.go b/internal/stacks/stackruntime/plan_test.go
index dbd99404df..39ded6d445 100644
--- a/internal/stacks/stackruntime/plan_test.go
+++ b/internal/stacks/stackruntime/plan_test.go
@@ -51,6 +51,15 @@ func TestPlanWithSingleResource(t *testing.T) {
 		&stackplan.PlannedChangeApplyable{
 			Applyable: true,
 		},
+		&stackplan.PlannedChangeComponentInstance{
+			Addr: stackaddrs.Absolute(
+				stackaddrs.RootStackInstance,
+				stackaddrs.ComponentInstance{
+					Component: stackaddrs.Component{Name: "self"},
+				},
+			),
+			Action: plans.Create,
+		},
 		&stackplan.PlannedChangeHeader{
 			TerraformVersion: version.SemVer,
 		},