diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/hosts/host.list.js b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/hosts/host.list.js
index e91eebb30b..2422666878 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/hosts/host.list.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/hosts/host.list.js
@@ -104,12 +104,14 @@ export default ['i18n', function(i18n) {
             smart_inventory: {
                 mode: 'all',
                 ngClick: "smartInventory()",
-                awToolTip: i18n._("Create a new Smart Inventory from search results."),
+                awToolTip: "{{ smartInventoryButtonTooltip }}",
+                dataTipWatch: 'smartInventoryButtonTooltip',
                 actionClass: 'btn List-buttonDefault',
                 buttonContent: i18n._('SMART INVENTORY'),
                 ngShow: 'canAdd && (hosts.length > 0 || !(searchTags | isEmpty))',
                 dataPlacement: "top",
-                ngDisabled: '!enableSmartInventoryButton'
+                ngDisabled: '!enableSmartInventoryButton',
+                showTipWhenDisabled: true
             }
         }
     };
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/hosts/list/host-list.controller.js b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/hosts/list/host-list.controller.js
index 52a565b40c..693d403ea5 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/hosts/list/host-list.controller.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/hosts/list/host-list.controller.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 function HostsList($scope, HostsList, $rootScope, GetBasePath,
     rbacUiControlService, Dataset, $state, $filter, Prompt, Wait,
-    HostsService, SetStatus, canAdd) {
+    HostsService, SetStatus, canAdd, InventoryHostsStrings) {
 
     let list = HostsList;
 
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ function HostsList($scope, HostsList, $rootScope, GetBasePath,
     function init(){
         $scope.canAdd = canAdd;
         $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = false;
+        $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
 
         // Search init
         $scope.list = list;
@@ -37,14 +38,16 @@ function HostsList($scope, HostsList, $rootScope, GetBasePath,
             if(toParams && toParams.host_search) {
                 let hasMoreThanDefaultKeys = false;
                 angular.forEach(toParams.host_search, function(value, key) {
-                    if(key !== 'order_by' && key !== 'page_size') {
+                    if(key !== 'order_by' && key !== 'page_size' && key !== 'page') {
                         hasMoreThanDefaultKeys = true;
                     }
                 });
                 $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = hasMoreThanDefaultKeys ? true : false;
+                $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = hasMoreThanDefaultKeys ? InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.ENABLED_INSTRUCTIONS') : InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
             }
             else {
                 $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = false;
+                $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
             }
         });
 
@@ -114,5 +117,5 @@ function HostsList($scope, HostsList, $rootScope, GetBasePath,
 
 export default ['$scope', 'HostsList', '$rootScope', 'GetBasePath',
     'rbacUiControlService', 'Dataset', '$state', '$filter', 'Prompt', 'Wait',
-    'HostsService', 'SetStatus', 'canAdd', HostsList
+    'HostsService', 'SetStatus', 'canAdd', 'InventoryHostsStrings', HostsList
 ];
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/related/groups/related/nested-hosts/group-nested-hosts-list.controller.js b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/related/groups/related/nested-hosts/group-nested-hosts-list.controller.js
index f86a550218..056b61cf96 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/related/groups/related/nested-hosts/group-nested-hosts-list.controller.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/related/groups/related/nested-hosts/group-nested-hosts-list.controller.js
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@
 
 export default ['$scope', 'NestedHostsListDefinition', '$rootScope', 'GetBasePath',
     'rbacUiControlService', 'Dataset', '$state', '$filter', 'Prompt', 'Wait',
-    'HostsService', 'SetStatus', 'canAdd', 'GroupsService', 'ProcessErrors', 'groupData', 'inventoryData',
+    'HostsService', 'SetStatus', 'canAdd', 'GroupsService', 'ProcessErrors', 'groupData', 'inventoryData', 'InventoryHostsStrings',
     function($scope, NestedHostsListDefinition, $rootScope, GetBasePath,
     rbacUiControlService, Dataset, $state, $filter, Prompt, Wait,
-    HostsService, SetStatus, canAdd, GroupsService, ProcessErrors, groupData, inventoryData) {
+    HostsService, SetStatus, canAdd, GroupsService, ProcessErrors, groupData, inventoryData, InventoryHostsStrings) {
 
     let list = NestedHostsListDefinition;
 
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export default ['$scope', 'NestedHostsListDefinition', '$rootScope', 'GetBasePat
         $scope.canAdd = canAdd;
         $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = false;
         $scope.disassociateFrom = groupData;
+        $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
 
         // Search init
         $scope.list = list;
@@ -50,14 +51,16 @@ export default ['$scope', 'NestedHostsListDefinition', '$rootScope', 'GetBasePat
             if(toParams && toParams.host_search) {
                 let hasMoreThanDefaultKeys = false;
                 angular.forEach(toParams.host_search, function(value, key) {
-                    if(key !== 'order_by' && key !== 'page_size') {
+                    if(key !== 'order_by' && key !== 'page_size' && key !== 'page') {
                         hasMoreThanDefaultKeys = true;
                     }
                 });
                 $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = hasMoreThanDefaultKeys ? true : false;
+                $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = hasMoreThanDefaultKeys ? InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.ENABLED_INSTRUCTIONS') : InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
             }
             else {
                 $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = false;
+                $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
             }
         });
 
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/related/hosts/list/host-list.controller.js b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/related/hosts/list/host-list.controller.js
index c19110b627..11507bb8c8 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/related/hosts/list/host-list.controller.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/related/hosts/list/host-list.controller.js
@@ -7,10 +7,10 @@
 // import HostsService from './../hosts/host.service';
 export default ['$scope', 'ListDefinition', '$rootScope', 'GetBasePath',
     'rbacUiControlService', 'Dataset', '$state', '$filter', 'Prompt', 'Wait',
-    'HostsService', 'SetStatus', 'canAdd', 'i18n',
+    'HostsService', 'SetStatus', 'canAdd', 'i18n', 'InventoryHostsStrings',
     function($scope, ListDefinition, $rootScope, GetBasePath,
     rbacUiControlService, Dataset, $state, $filter, Prompt, Wait,
-    HostsService, SetStatus, canAdd, i18n) {
+    HostsService, SetStatus, canAdd, i18n, InventoryHostsStrings) {
 
     let list = ListDefinition;
 
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export default ['$scope', 'ListDefinition', '$rootScope', 'GetBasePath',
     function init(){
         $scope.canAdd = canAdd;
         $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = false;
+        $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
 
         // Search init
         $scope.list = list;
@@ -45,14 +46,16 @@ export default ['$scope', 'ListDefinition', '$rootScope', 'GetBasePath',
             if(toParams && toParams.host_search) {
                 let hasMoreThanDefaultKeys = false;
                 angular.forEach(toParams.host_search, function(value, key) {
-                    if(key !== 'order_by' && key !== 'page_size') {
+                    if(key !== 'order_by' && key !== 'page_size' && key !== 'page') {
                         hasMoreThanDefaultKeys = true;
                     }
                 });
                 $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = hasMoreThanDefaultKeys ? true : false;
+                $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = hasMoreThanDefaultKeys ? InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.ENABLED_INSTRUCTIONS') : InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
             }
             else {
                 $scope.enableSmartInventoryButton = false;
+                $scope.smartInventoryButtonTooltip = InventoryHostsStrings.get('smartinventorybutton.DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS');
             }
         });
 
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventory-hosts.strings.js b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventory-hosts.strings.js
index c64b73a933..6c46f7c9d5 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventory-hosts.strings.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventory-hosts.strings.js
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ function InventoryHostsStrings (BaseString) {
             MISSING_PERMISSIONS: t.s('You do not have sufficient permissions to edit the host filter.')
         }
     };
+
+    ns.smartinventorybutton = {
+        DISABLED_INSTRUCTIONS: "Please enter at least one search term to create a new Smart Inventory.",
+        ENABLED_INSTRUCTIONS: "Create a new Smart Inventory from search results."
+    };
 }
 
 InventoryHostsStrings.$inject = ['BaseStringService'];