diff --git a/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/modules/airi-card.browser.test.ts b/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/modules/airi-card.browser.test.ts
index 1e97da5608..042c168be0 100644
--- a/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/modules/airi-card.browser.test.ts
+++ b/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/modules/airi-card.browser.test.ts
@@ -276,3 +276,39 @@ describe('issue #3124 restores the active Character after a restart', () => {
     expect(localStorage.getItem(activeCardIdKey)).toBeNull()
   })
 })
+
+// ROOT CAUSE:
+//
+// `initialize()` looked up the module stores after an `await`, through the active Pinia.
+// A stray action of a disposed Pinia could make that one active, so CI failed with `Pinia destroyed`.
+//
+// We fixed this by passing the card store's own Pinia to these lookups.
+describe('airi card store keeps to its own Pinia', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    localStorage.clear()
+  })
+
+  it('initializes while another Pinia becomes active', async () => {
+    const stale = createPinia()
+    createApp({}).use(stale)
+    disposePinia(stale)
+
+    const pinia = createPinia()
+    // Stands in for that stray action: every action of this Pinia hands the active Pinia back to the stale one.
+    pinia.use(({ store }) => {
+      store.$onAction(({ after, onError }) => {
+        after(() => setActivePinia(stale))
+        onError(() => setActivePinia(stale))
+      })
+    })
+    createApp({}).use(pinia).use(PiniaColada)
+    setActivePinia(pinia)
+    const cardStore = useAiriCardStore()
+    const initialized = cardStore.initialize()
+    setActivePinia(stale)
+
+    await expect(initialized).resolves.toBeUndefined()
+    expect(cardStore.cards.has('default')).toBe(true)
+    disposePinia(pinia)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/modules/airi-card.ts b/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/modules/airi-card.ts
index 1c7a993568..8f86f6a59b 100644
--- a/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/modules/airi-card.ts
+++ b/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/modules/airi-card.ts
@@ -226,10 +226,10 @@ export const useAiriCardStore = defineStore('airi-card', () => {
 
   function useRuntimeModuleStores() {
     return {
-      artistry: useArtistryStore(),
-      consciousness: useConsciousnessStore(),
-      speech: useSpeechStore(),
-      vision: useVisionStore(),
+      artistry: useArtistryStore(pinia),
+      consciousness: useConsciousnessStore(pinia),
+      speech: useSpeechStore(pinia),
+      vision: useVisionStore(pinia),
     }
   }
 
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ export const useAiriCardStore = defineStore('airi-card', () => {
   /** Loads the effective auth-owned voice catalog after card setup finishes. */
   async function loadAuthenticatedSpeechVoices(): Promise<void> {
     const { speech } = useRuntimeModuleStores()
-    const provider = useProviderConfigStore().providers[speech.activeSpeechProvider]
+    const provider = useProviderConfigStore(pinia).providers[speech.activeSpeechProvider]
     if (provider?.configuredBy !== 'authentication')
       return
 
@@ -647,14 +647,14 @@ export const useAiriCardStore = defineStore('airi-card', () => {
    */
   async function selectActiveCardVisionProvider(provider: string) {
     await pendingAuthenticationSetup
-    const vision = useVisionStore()
+    const vision = useVisionStore(pinia)
     vision.enabled = true
     if (vision.activeProvider === provider)
       return true
     vision.activeProvider = provider
     vision.resetModelSelection()
     await vision.loadModelsForProvider(provider)
-    const model = useProviderStore().getDefaultModelForProvider(provider) ?? ''
+    const model = useProviderStore(pinia).getDefaultModelForProvider(provider) ?? ''
     return await updateActiveCardVision({ provider, model })
   }
 
@@ -1383,7 +1383,7 @@ export const useAiriCardStore = defineStore('airi-card', () => {
         ),
       },
     }
-    const providers = useProviderConfigStore().providers
+    const providers = useProviderConfigStore(pinia).providers
     for (const module of ['consciousness', 'vision', 'speech'] as const) {
       const provider = providers[resolved[module].provider]
       // Logout disables authenticated providers without deleting card choices.
@@ -1422,7 +1422,7 @@ export const useAiriCardStore = defineStore('airi-card', () => {
     rememberInheritedSettings()
     // The runtime holds a mix of two cards until the write completes. See followInheritedSettings.
     appliedModules = undefined
-    const artistry = useArtistryStore()
+    const artistry = useArtistryStore(pinia)
 
     artistry.resetToGlobal()
 
diff --git a/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/settings/stage-model.ts b/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/settings/stage-model.ts
index 088997ae44..c7c7771de0 100644
--- a/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/settings/stage-model.ts
+++ b/packages/stage-ui/src/stores/settings/stage-model.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ export const useSettingsStageModel = defineStore('settings-stage-model', () => {
   let disposed = false
   onScopeDispose(() => {
     disposed = true
+    // Cancel a pending update. Its next store action would make this disposed Pinia active again.
+    stageModelUpdateSequence++
   })
   const stageModelSelected = computed<string>({
     get: () => stageModelSelectedState.value,