diff --git a/awx/ui/client/legacy/styles/lists.less b/awx/ui/client/legacy/styles/lists.less
index d1a8f0c853..28f9440438 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/legacy/styles/lists.less
+++ b/awx/ui/client/legacy/styles/lists.less
@@ -147,6 +147,14 @@ table, tbody {
     color: @list-actn-icn-hov;
 }
 
+.List-actionButton + .btn-disabled {
+    &:hover {
+        color: @default-icon-hov;
+        background-color: @list-actn-bg !important;
+    }
+    color: @default-icon-hov;
+}
+
 .List-actionButton--delete:hover {
     background-color: @list-actn-del-bg-hov !important;
 }
@@ -217,7 +225,7 @@ table, tbody {
     margin-left: 52%;
     justify-content: flex-start;
     button {
-       height: 34px; 
+       height: 34px;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/inventory.list.js b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/inventory.list.js
index c9fdb09755..5dadf977c6 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/inventory.list.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/inventory.list.js
@@ -104,10 +104,11 @@ export default ['i18n', 'awxNetStrings' , function(i18n, awxNetStrings) {
             copy: {
                 label: i18n._('Copy'),
                 ngClick: 'copyInventory(inventory)',
-                "class": 'btn-danger btn-xs',
-                awToolTip: i18n._('Copy inventory'),
+                awToolTip: "{{ inventory.copyTip }}",
+                dataTipWatch: "inventory.copyTip",
                 dataPlacement: 'top',
-                ngShow: '!inventory.pending_deletion && inventory.summary_fields.user_capabilities.copy'
+                ngShow: '!inventory.pending_deletion && inventory.summary_fields.user_capabilities.copy',
+                ngClass: 'inventory.copyClass'
             },
             view: {
                 label: i18n._('View'),
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/list/inventory-list.controller.js b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/list/inventory-list.controller.js
index 6b5eb6b040..4a4b5d3e7f 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/list/inventory-list.controller.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/inventories-hosts/inventories/list/inventory-list.controller.js
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ function InventoriesList($scope,
         inventory.host_status_class = "Inventories-hostStatus";
 
         if (inventory.has_inventory_sources) {
+            inventory.copyTip = i18n._('Inventories with sources cannot be copied');
+            inventory.copyClass = "btn-disabled";
             if (inventory.inventory_sources_with_failures > 0) {
                 inventory.syncStatus = 'error';
                 inventory.syncTip = inventory.inventory_sources_with_failures + i18n._(' sources with sync failures. Click for details');
@@ -50,6 +52,8 @@ function InventoriesList($scope,
             }
         }
         else {
+            inventory.copyTip = i18n._('Copy Inventory');
+            inventory.copyClass = "";
             inventory.syncStatus = 'na';
             inventory.syncTip = i18n._('Not configured for inventory sync.');
             inventory.launch_class = "btn-disabled";
@@ -74,15 +78,17 @@ function InventoriesList($scope,
     }
 
     $scope.copyInventory = inventory => {
-        Wait('start');
-        new Inventory('get', inventory.id)
-            .then(model => model.copy())
-            .then(copy => $scope.editInventory(copy, true))
-            .catch(({ data, status }) => {
-                const params = { hdr: 'Error!', msg: `Call to copy failed. Return status: ${status}` };
-                ProcessErrors($scope, data, status, null, params);
-            })
-            .finally(() => Wait('stop'));
+        if (!inventory.has_inventory_sources) {
+            Wait('start');
+            new Inventory('get', inventory.id)
+                .then(model => model.copy())
+                .then(copy => $scope.editInventory(copy, true))
+                .catch(({ data, status }) => {
+                    const params = { hdr: 'Error!', msg: `Call to copy failed. Return status: ${status}` };
+                    ProcessErrors($scope, data, status, null, params);
+                })
+                .finally(() => Wait('stop'));
+        }
     };
 
     $scope.goToGraph = function(inventory){