diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/ProjectDefaultsSettings.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/ProjectDefaultsSettings.tsx
index 182b8bc5b1fdf..97c9ca0483ab8 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/ProjectDefaultsSettings.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/ProjectDefaultsSettings.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import {
   type WorktreeSubmodules,
   managedRuntimeModeDenial,
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
-import { createModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
+import { createModelSelection, pickModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
 import { resolveProjectSettings } from "@t3tools/shared/projectSettings";
 import { useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ export function ProjectDefaultsSettings({ category }: { category: ProjectSetting
                   });
               }}
               onInstanceModelChange={(instanceId, model) =>
-                setModel(createModelSelection(instanceId, model))
+                setModel(pickModelSelection(mixedModel ? null : selection, instanceId, model))
               }
             />
             {!mixedModel && !presentation.providerNote && !effortDisabledReason && activeEntry ? (
@@ -288,7 +288,13 @@ export function ProjectDefaultsSettings({ category }: { category: ProjectSetting
                   });
                   return;
                 }
-                updateSettings({ fallbackModelSelection: createModelSelection(instanceId, model) });
+                updateSettings({
+                  fallbackModelSelection: pickModelSelection(
+                    mixedFallback ? null : settings.fallbackModelSelection,
+                    instanceId,
+                    model,
+                  ),
+                });
               }}
             />
             {settings.fallbackModelSelection !== null && fallbackEntry && !mixedFallback ? (
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
index ea874c2b18c30..633e18a567b2f 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import {
   ToolCallVisibility,
 } from "@t3tools/contracts/settings";
 import { desktopUpdateChannelOf } from "@t3tools/shared/cliRelease";
-import { createModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
+import { createModelSelection, pickModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
 import { resolvePastedPath } from "@t3tools/shared/path";
 import * as Equal from "effect/Equal";
 import * as Schema from "effect/Schema";
@@ -2046,7 +2046,11 @@ export function ThreadsSettingsPanel() {
                       textGenerationModelSelection: resolveAppModelSelectionState(
                         {
                           ...settings,
-                          textGenerationModelSelection: createModelSelection(instanceId, model),
+                          textGenerationModelSelection: pickModelSelection(
+                            textGenerationModelSelection,
+                            instanceId,
+                            model,
+                          ),
                         },
                         textGenerationProviders,
                       ),
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SourceControlWritingSettings.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SourceControlWritingSettings.tsx
index 26cf6eb3dcbb2..6270639f4c167 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SourceControlWritingSettings.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SourceControlWritingSettings.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import {
   textGeneratorForSelection,
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS } from "@t3tools/contracts/settings";
-import { createModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
+import { createModelSelection, pickModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
 import {
   resolveReviewGuideModelSelection,
   resolveSourceControlWriterModelSelection,
@@ -365,7 +365,11 @@ export function SourceControlWritingSettingsSection() {
                           return;
                         }
                         updateSettings({
-                          reviewGuideModelSelection: createModelSelection(instanceId, model),
+                          reviewGuideModelSelection: pickModelSelection(
+                            mixedReviewGuideModel ? null : reviewGuideSelection,
+                            instanceId,
+                            model,
+                          ),
                         });
                       }}
                     />
@@ -564,7 +568,11 @@ export function SourceControlWritingSettingsSection() {
                         return;
                       }
                       updateSettings({
-                        sourceControlWriterModelSelection: createModelSelection(instanceId, model),
+                        sourceControlWriterModelSelection: pickModelSelection(
+                          mixedWriterModel ? null : activeSelection,
+                          instanceId,
+                          model,
+                        ),
                       });
                     }}
                   />
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/TextGeneratorsSettings.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/TextGeneratorsSettings.tsx
index ce0e729309bf2..76bf4f6b41e58 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/TextGeneratorsSettings.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/TextGeneratorsSettings.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import {
   TextGeneratorConfig,
   type TextGeneratorModel,
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
-import { createModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
+import { pickModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
 import { AsyncResult } from "effect/reactivity";
 import * as Option from "effect/Option";
 import * as Schema from "effect/Schema";
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ function TextGenerationTaskPicker({
           )}
           triggerClassName={SETTINGS_PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASSNAME}
           onInstanceModelChange={(instanceId, model) =>
-            updateSettings({ [settingKey]: createModelSelection(instanceId, model) })
+            updateSettings({ [settingKey]: pickModelSelection(selection, instanceId, model) })
           }
         />
       </div>
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/VoiceSettingsPanel.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/VoiceSettingsPanel.tsx
index 22ae59e55d31e..66cacf6eb7ee9 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/VoiceSettingsPanel.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/VoiceSettingsPanel.tsx
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import {
   type SpeechModelUnloadTimeout,
   type VoiceShortcutMode,
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
-import { createModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
+import { createModelSelection, pickModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
 import { resolveSpeechPostProcessingModelSelection } from "@t3tools/shared/serverSettings";
 import { cloudSpeechLanguages } from "@t3tools/shared/speech";
 import {
@@ -576,7 +576,7 @@ function CleanupModelRow() {
                   triggerClassName={SETTINGS_PICKER_TRIGGER_CLASSNAME}
                   getModelDisabledReason={modelDisabledReason}
                   onInstanceModelChange={(instanceId, model) =>
-                    setModel(createModelSelection(instanceId, model))
+                    setModel(pickModelSelection(selection, instanceId, model))
                   }
                 />
                 <TraitsPicker
diff --git a/packages/shared/src/model.test.ts b/packages/shared/src/model.test.ts
index 7d504feab1c09..3bb7bf4a1a885 100644
--- a/packages/shared/src/model.test.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/src/model.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   getProviderOptionDescriptors,
   readCustomModelEntries,
   modelSelectionsEqual,
+  pickModelSelection,
   withImplicitFastModeDefault,
 } from "./model.ts";
 
@@ -99,6 +100,27 @@ describe("descriptor helpers", () => {
     ).toBe(false);
     expect(modelSelectionsEqual(left, { ...reordered, model: "gpt-5.5" })).toBe(false);
   });
+
+  it("keeps the options when the current model is picked again", () => {
+    const codex = ProviderInstanceId.make("codex");
+    const current = createModelSelection(codex, "gpt-5.4", [
+      { id: "reasoningEffort", value: "high" },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(pickModelSelection(current, codex, "gpt-5.4")).toBe(current);
+    expect(pickModelSelection(current, codex, "gpt-5.5")).toEqual({
+      instanceId: "codex",
+      model: "gpt-5.5",
+    });
+    expect(pickModelSelection(current, ProviderInstanceId.make("codex_work"), "gpt-5.4")).toEqual({
+      instanceId: "codex_work",
+      model: "gpt-5.4",
+    });
+    expect(pickModelSelection(null, codex, "gpt-5.4")).toEqual({
+      instanceId: "codex",
+      model: "gpt-5.4",
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 describe("applyClaudePromptEffortPrefix", () => {
diff --git a/packages/shared/src/model.ts b/packages/shared/src/model.ts
index 6714bae9b8de1..babe1347cc056 100644
--- a/packages/shared/src/model.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/src/model.ts
@@ -538,6 +538,17 @@ export function createModelSelection(
   return selections.length > 0 ? { ...base, options: selections } : base;
 }
 
+/** A model picker's pick: re-picking the current model keeps its options, another model starts without any. */
+export function pickModelSelection(
+  current: ModelSelection | null | undefined,
+  instanceId: ProviderInstanceId,
+  model: string,
+): ModelSelection {
+  return current?.instanceId === instanceId && current.model === model
+    ? current
+    : createModelSelection(instanceId, model);
+}
+
 export function resolvePromptInjectedEffort(
   caps: ModelCapabilities,
   rawEffort: string | null | undefined,