diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ModelControls.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ModelControls.tsx
index e235025a..f7f9e1f2 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ModelControls.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ModelControls.tsx
@@ -915,25 +915,29 @@ export const ModelControls: React.FC<ModelControlsProps> = ({
                 ? useSelectionStore.getState().getSessionAgentSelection(currentSessionId)
                 : null;
             if (savedAgentName) {
-                if (currentAgentName !== savedAgentName) {
-                    setAgent(savedAgentName);
-                }
-
                 const savedModel = getAgentModelForSession(currentSessionId, savedAgentName);
                 if (savedModel) {
                     const result = tryApplyModelSelection(savedModel.providerId, savedModel.modelId, savedAgentName);
                     if (result === 'applied') {
+                        if (currentAgentName !== savedAgentName) {
+                            setAgent(savedAgentName);
+                        }
                         return 'resolved';
                     }
                     if (result === 'provider-missing') {
                         return 'waiting';
                     }
+                } else if (currentAgentName !== savedAgentName) {
+                    setAgent(savedAgentName);
                 }
             }
 
             if (savedSessionModel) {
                 const result = tryApplyModelSelection(savedSessionModel.providerId, savedSessionModel.modelId, savedAgentName || currentAgentName || undefined);
                 if (result === 'applied') {
+                    if (savedAgentName && currentAgentName !== savedAgentName) {
+                        setAgent(savedAgentName);
+                    }
                     return 'resolved';
                 }
                 if (result === 'provider-missing') {
@@ -947,16 +951,15 @@ export const ModelControls: React.FC<ModelControlsProps> = ({
                     continue;
                 }
 
-                if (currentAgentName !== agent.name) {
-                    setAgent(agent.name);
-                }
-
-                const existingSelection = useSelectionStore.getState().getSessionAgentSelection(currentSessionId) || stickySessionAgentRef.current;
-                if (!existingSelection) {
-                    saveSessionAgentSelection(currentSessionId, agent.name);
-                }
                 const result = tryApplyModelSelection(selection.providerId, selection.modelId, agent.name);
                 if (result === 'applied') {
+                    if (currentAgentName !== agent.name) {
+                        setAgent(agent.name);
+                    }
+                    const existingSelection = useSelectionStore.getState().getSessionAgentSelection(currentSessionId) || stickySessionAgentRef.current;
+                    if (!existingSelection) {
+                        saveSessionAgentSelection(currentSessionId, agent.name);
+                    }
                     return 'resolved';
                 }
                 if (result === 'provider-missing') {
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/__tests__/issue-3036-stale-model.test.ts b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/__tests__/issue-3036-stale-model.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ff341f3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/__tests__/issue-3036-stale-model.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/**
+ * Regression coverage for https://github.com/openchamber/openchamber/issues/3036.
+ *
+ * Restoring persisted agent/model pairs used to switch agents before checking
+ * whether each model still existed. Several stale pairs could therefore keep
+ * changing the active agent on every effect pass until React hit its nested
+ * update limit. The API error belongs in the assistant message; an invalid
+ * persisted pair must not mutate the current selection while it is rendered.
+ */
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { dirname, join } from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+
+const __dirname = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+const modelControlsSource = readFileSync(join(__dirname, '..', 'ModelControls.tsx'), 'utf-8');
+
+describe('issue #3036 stale persisted models', () => {
+  test('changes the agent only after its persisted model is accepted', () => {
+    const candidateLoop = modelControlsSource.slice(
+      modelControlsSource.indexOf('for (const agent of agents)'),
+      modelControlsSource.indexOf("return 'continue';"),
+    );
+
+    const applyIndex = candidateLoop.indexOf('const result = tryApplyModelSelection');
+    const acceptedIndex = candidateLoop.indexOf("if (result === 'applied')");
+    const setAgentIndex = candidateLoop.indexOf('setAgent(agent.name)');
+
+    expect(applyIndex).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+    expect(acceptedIndex).toBeGreaterThan(applyIndex);
+    expect(setAgentIndex).toBeGreaterThan(acceptedIndex);
+  });
+});