diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
index b24e15e7..82862c3d 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
@@ -93,8 +93,8 @@ export default function App() {
       try {
         const config = window.electron.getConfig();
 
-        const provider = config.GOOSE_PROVIDER ?? (await read('GOOSE_PROVIDER', false));
-        const model = config.GOOSE_MODEL ?? (await read('GOOSE_MODEL', false));
+        const provider = (await read('GOOSE_PROVIDER', false)) ?? config.GOOSE_DEFAULT_PROVIDER;
+        const model = (await read('GOOSE_MODEL', false)) ?? config.GOOSE_DEFAULT_MODEL;
 
         if (provider && model) {
           setView('chat');
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/index.ts b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/index.ts
index b7bb1cce..eb63cb6a 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/index.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/index.ts
@@ -74,10 +74,12 @@ export async function changeModel({
 
 interface getCurrentModelAndProviderProps {
   readFromConfig: (key: string, is_secret: boolean) => Promise<unknown>;
+  writeToConfig?: (key: string, value: unknown, is_secret: boolean) => Promise<void>;
 }
 
 export async function getCurrentModelAndProvider({
   readFromConfig,
+  writeToConfig,
 }: getCurrentModelAndProviderProps) {
   let model: string;
   let provider: string;
@@ -90,6 +92,26 @@ export async function getCurrentModelAndProvider({
     console.error(`Failed to read GOOSE_MODEL or GOOSE_PROVIDER from config`);
     throw error;
   }
+  if (!model || !provider) {
+    console.log('[getCurrentModelAndProvider] Checking app environment as fallback');
+    return getFallbackModelAndProvider(writeToConfig);
+  }
+  return { model: model, provider: provider };
+}
+
+export async function getFallbackModelAndProvider(
+  writeToConfig: (key: string, value: unknown, is_secret: boolean) => Promise<void>
+) {
+  const provider = window.appConfig.get('GOOSE_DEFAULT_PROVIDER');
+  const model = window.appConfig.get('GOOSE_DEFAULT_MODEL');
+  if (provider && model && writeToConfig) {
+    try {
+      await writeToConfig('GOOSE_MODEL', model, false);
+      await writeToConfig('GOOSE_PROVIDER', provider, false);
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error('[getFallbackModelAndProvider] Failed to write to config', error);
+    }
+  }
   return { model: model, provider: provider };
 }
 
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/model_list/BaseModelsList.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/model_list/BaseModelsList.tsx
index 85e0641b..ce749765 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/model_list/BaseModelsList.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/model_list/BaseModelsList.tsx
@@ -40,7 +40,10 @@ export function BaseModelsList({
 
     const initializeCurrentModel = async () => {
       try {
-        const result = await getCurrentModelAndProvider({ readFromConfig: read });
+        const result = await getCurrentModelAndProvider({
+          readFromConfig: read,
+          writeToConfig: upsert,
+        });
         if (isMounted) {
           // try to look up the model in the modelList
           let currentModel: Model;
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/providers/modal/ProviderConfiguationModal.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/providers/modal/ProviderConfiguationModal.tsx
index 774ea03d..0fc1b61e 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/providers/modal/ProviderConfiguationModal.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/providers/modal/ProviderConfiguationModal.tsx
@@ -118,7 +118,10 @@ export default function ProviderConfigurationModal() {
   const handleDelete = async () => {
     // Check if this is the currently active provider
     try {
-      const providerModel = await getCurrentModelAndProvider({ readFromConfig: read });
+      const providerModel = await getCurrentModelAndProvider({
+        readFromConfig: read,
+        writeToConfig: upsert,
+      });
       if (currentProvider.name === providerModel.provider) {
         // It's the active provider - set state and show warning
         setIsActiveProvider(true);
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/main.ts b/ui/desktop/src/main.ts
index 068352dc..f33b6193 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/main.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/main.ts
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ const getGooseProvider = () => {
   //{env-macro-start}//
   //needed when goose is bundled for a specific provider
   //{env-macro-end}//
-  return [process.env.GOOSE_PROVIDER, process.env.GOOSE_MODEL];
+  return [process.env.GOOSE_DEFAULT_PROVIDER, process.env.GOOSE_DEFAULT_MODEL];
 };
 
 const generateSecretKey = () => {
@@ -144,8 +144,8 @@ let sharingUrl = getSharingUrl();
 let gooseVersion = getVersion();
 
 let appConfig = {
-  GOOSE_PROVIDER: provider,
-  GOOSE_MODEL: model,
+  GOOSE_DEFAULT_PROVIDER: provider,
+  GOOSE_DEFAULT_MODEL: model,
   GOOSE_API_HOST: 'http://127.0.0.1',
   GOOSE_PORT: 0,
   GOOSE_WORKING_DIR: '',