diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/index.ts b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/index.ts
index 879cf92d09cc..b7bb1cced965 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/index.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/index.ts
@@ -1,28 +1,26 @@
 import { initializeSystem } from '../../../utils/providerUtils';
 import { toastError, toastSuccess } from '../../../toasts';
 import { ProviderDetails } from '@/src/api';
-import { getProviderMetadata } from './modelInterface';
+import Model, { getProviderMetadata } from './modelInterface';
 import { ProviderMetadata } from '../../../api';
 import type { ExtensionConfig, FixedExtensionEntry } from '../../ConfigContext';
 
 // titles
-const CHANGE_MODEL_TOAST_TITLE = 'Model selected';
-const START_AGENT_TITLE = 'Initialize agent';
 export const UNKNOWN_PROVIDER_TITLE = 'Provider name lookup';
 
 // errors
-const SWITCH_MODEL_AGENT_ERROR_MSG = 'Failed to start agent with selected model';
-const CONFIG_UPDATE_ERROR_MSG = 'Failed to update configuration settings';
-const CONFIG_READ_MODEL_ERROR_MSG = 'Failed to read GOOSE_MODEL or GOOSE_PROVIDER from config';
+const CHANGE_MODEL_ERROR_TITLE = 'Change failed';
+const SWITCH_MODEL_AGENT_ERROR_MSG =
+  'Failed to start agent with selected model -- please try again';
+const CONFIG_UPDATE_ERROR_MSG = 'Failed to update configuration settings -- please try again';
 export const UNKNOWN_PROVIDER_MSG = 'Unknown provider in config -- please inspect your config.yaml';
 
 // success
+const CHANGE_MODEL_TOAST_TITLE = 'Model changed';
 const SWITCH_MODEL_SUCCESS_MSG = 'Successfully switched models';
-const INITIALIZE_SYSTEM_WITH_MODEL_SUCCESS_MSG = 'Successfully started Goose';
 
 interface changeModelProps {
-  model: string;
-  provider: string;
+  model: Model;
   writeToConfig: (key: string, value: unknown, is_secret: boolean) => Promise<void>;
   getExtensions?: (b: boolean) => Promise<FixedExtensionEntry[]>;
   addExtension?: (name: string, config: ExtensionConfig, enabled: boolean) => Promise<void>;
@@ -31,20 +29,21 @@ interface changeModelProps {
 // TODO: error handling
 export async function changeModel({
   model,
-  provider,
   writeToConfig,
   getExtensions,
   addExtension,
 }: changeModelProps) {
+  const modelName = model.name;
+  const providerName = model.provider;
   try {
-    await initializeSystem(provider, model, {
+    await initializeSystem(providerName, modelName, {
       getExtensions,
       addExtension,
     });
   } catch (error) {
-    console.error(`Failed to change model at agent step -- ${model} ${provider}`);
+    console.error(`Failed to change model at agent step -- ${modelName} ${providerName}`);
     toastError({
-      title: CHANGE_MODEL_TOAST_TITLE,
+      title: CHANGE_MODEL_ERROR_TITLE,
       msg: SWITCH_MODEL_AGENT_ERROR_MSG,
       traceback: error,
     });
@@ -53,12 +52,12 @@ export async function changeModel({
   }
 
   try {
-    await writeToConfig('GOOSE_PROVIDER', provider, false);
-    await writeToConfig('GOOSE_MODEL', model, false);
+    await writeToConfig('GOOSE_PROVIDER', providerName, false);
+    await writeToConfig('GOOSE_MODEL', modelName, false);
   } catch (error) {
-    console.error(`Failed to change model at config step -- ${model} ${provider}`);
+    console.error(`Failed to change model at config step -- ${modelName} ${providerName}}`);
     toastError({
-      title: CHANGE_MODEL_TOAST_TITLE,
+      title: CHANGE_MODEL_ERROR_TITLE,
       msg: CONFIG_UPDATE_ERROR_MSG,
       traceback: error,
     });
@@ -68,7 +67,7 @@ export async function changeModel({
     // show toast
     toastSuccess({
       title: CHANGE_MODEL_TOAST_TITLE,
-      msg: `${SWITCH_MODEL_SUCCESS_MSG} -- using ${model} from ${provider}`,
+      msg: `${SWITCH_MODEL_SUCCESS_MSG} -- using ${model.alias ?? modelName} from ${model.subtext ?? providerName}`,
     });
   }
 }
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 075df28027cf..ff07aad8d746 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
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
-import Model from '../modelInterface';
+import Model, { getProviderMetadata } from '../modelInterface';
 import { useRecentModels } from './recentModels';
 import { changeModel, getCurrentModelAndProvider } from '../index';
 import { useConfig } from '../../../ConfigContext';
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ interface ModelRadioListProps {
   providedModelList?: Model[];
 }
 
+// renders a model list and handles changing models when user clicks on them
 export function BaseModelsList({
   renderItem,
   className = '',
@@ -28,9 +29,8 @@ export function BaseModelsList({
   } else {
     modelList = providedModelList;
   }
-  const { read, upsert } = useConfig();
-  const [selectedModel, setSelectedModel] = useState<string | null>(null);
-  const [selectedProvider, setSelectedProvider] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const { read, upsert, getProviders } = useConfig();
+  const [selectedModel, setSelectedModel] = useState<Model | null>(null);
   const [isInitialized, setIsInitialized] = useState(false);
 
   // Load current model/provider once on component mount
@@ -41,8 +41,18 @@ export function BaseModelsList({
       try {
         const result = await getCurrentModelAndProvider({ readFromConfig: read });
         if (isMounted) {
-          setSelectedModel(result.model);
-          setSelectedProvider(result.provider);
+          // try to look up the model in the modelList
+          let currentModel: Model;
+          const match = modelList.find(
+            (model) => model.name == result.model && model.provider == result.provider
+          );
+          // no matches so just create a model object (maybe user updated config.yaml from CLI usage, manual editing etc)
+          if (!match) {
+            currentModel = { name: result.model, provider: result.provider };
+          } else {
+            currentModel = match;
+          }
+          setSelectedModel(currentModel);
           setIsInitialized(true);
         }
       } catch (error) {
@@ -61,19 +71,21 @@ export function BaseModelsList({
   }, [read]);
 
   const handleModelSelection = async (modelName: string, providerName: string) => {
-    await changeModel({ model: modelName, provider: providerName, writeToConfig: upsert });
+    await changeModel({ model: selectedModel, writeToConfig: upsert });
   };
 
   // Updated to work with CustomRadio
   const handleRadioChange = async (model: Model) => {
-    if (selectedModel === model.name) {
+    if (selectedModel.name === model.name && selectedModel.provider === model.provider) {
       console.log(`Model "${model.name}" is already active.`);
       return;
     }
 
-    // Update local state immediately for UI feedback
-    setSelectedModel(model.name);
-    setSelectedProvider(model.provider);
+    const providerMetaData = await getProviderMetadata(model.provider, getProviders);
+    const providerDisplayName = providerMetaData.display_name;
+
+    // Update local state immediately for UI feedback and add in display name
+    setSelectedModel({ ...model, alias: providerDisplayName });
 
     try {
       await handleModelSelection(model.name, model.provider);
@@ -92,7 +104,7 @@ export function BaseModelsList({
       {modelList.map((model) =>
         renderItem({
           model,
-          isSelected: selectedModel === model.name,
+          isSelected: selectedModel === model,
           onSelect: () => handleRadioChange(model),
         })
       )}
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/subcomponents/AddModelModal.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/subcomponents/AddModelModal.tsx
index a552e5dcb236..b813240092fd 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/subcomponents/AddModelModal.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings_v2/models/subcomponents/AddModelModal.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { Select } from '../../../ui/Select';
 import { useConfig } from '../../../ConfigContext';
 import { changeModel } from '../index';
 import type { View } from '../../../../App';
+import Model, { getProviderMetadata } from '../modelInterface';
 
 const ModalButtons = ({ onSubmit, onCancel, isValid, validationErrors }) => (
   <div>
@@ -77,9 +78,11 @@ export const AddModelModal = ({ onClose, setView }: AddModelModalProps) => {
     const isFormValid = validateForm();
 
     if (isFormValid) {
+      const providerMetaData = await getProviderMetadata(provider, getProviders);
+      const providerDisplayName = providerMetaData.display_name;
+
       await changeModel({
-        model: model,
-        provider: provider,
+        model: { name: model, provider: provider, subtext: providerDisplayName } as Model, // pass in a Model object
         writeToConfig: upsert,
         getExtensions,
         addExtension,