diff --git a/packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/shared/ModelSelector.tsx b/packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/shared/ModelSelector.tsx
index cd9dc341383..4c99925df50 100644
--- a/packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/shared/ModelSelector.tsx
+++ b/packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/shared/ModelSelector.tsx
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ export const ModelSelectorBase: Component<ModelSelectorBaseProps> = (props) => {
 
   // Flat filtered list for keyboard navigation
   const filtered = createMemo(() => {
-    const q = debouncedSearch()
+    const q = debouncedSearch().trim()
     if (!q) {
       return visibleModels()
     }