diff --git a/apps/examples/desktop-app/webview/components/views/settings/settings-view.tsx b/apps/examples/desktop-app/webview/components/views/settings/settings-view.tsx
index 6a5d0a855f..9f6c547add 100644
--- a/apps/examples/desktop-app/webview/components/views/settings/settings-view.tsx
+++ b/apps/examples/desktop-app/webview/components/views/settings/settings-view.tsx
@@ -29,12 +29,14 @@ import {
 	setStoredAppIcon,
 } from "@/lib/app-icon";
 import { desktopClient } from "@/lib/desktop-client";
+import { readModelSelectionStorageFromWindow } from "@/lib/model-selection";
 import { resetOnboarding } from "@/lib/onboarding";
 import {
 	getProviderAuthKind,
 	isProviderConnected,
 	runProviderOAuthLogin,
 } from "@/lib/provider-connection";
+import { normalizeProviderId } from "@/lib/provider-id";
 import {
 	invalidateProviderCatalogCache,
 	notifyVoiceInputSettingsChanged,
@@ -138,6 +140,9 @@ export function SettingsView({
 	const [selectedProviderId, setSelectedProviderId] = useState<string | null>(
 		null,
 	);
+	const [inUseProviderId] = useState(() =>
+		normalizeProviderId(readModelSelectionStorageFromWindow().lastProvider),
+	);
 	const [addingProvider, setAddingProvider] = useState(false);
 	// Bumped by every optimistic provider mutation and catalog load. An
 	// in-flight catalog response is discarded when the generation moved on,
@@ -427,9 +432,13 @@ export function SettingsView({
 	);
 
 	// The detail panel is always open: with no explicit selection, default to
-	// the first connected provider (the one in use), then the first provider.
+	// the provider the chat uses, then the first connected one, then the first.
 	const effectiveSelectedProviderId =
 		selectedProviderId ??
+		providers.find(
+			(provider) =>
+				provider.id === inUseProviderId && isProviderConnected(provider),
+		)?.id ??
 		providers.find(isProviderConnected)?.id ??
 		providers[0]?.id ??
 		null;