diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/components/model-load-status.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/components/model-load-status.tsx
index 19eff054f7..ad9946b0fe 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/components/model-load-status.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/components/model-load-status.tsx
@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@
 import { Progress } from "@/components/ui/progress";
 import { Spinner } from "@/components/ui/spinner";
 import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
+import { XIcon } from "lucide-react";
 
 type ModelLoadDescriptionProps = {
+  title?: string | null;
   message?: string | null;
   progressPercent?: number | null;
   progressLabel?: string | null;
@@ -17,6 +19,7 @@ function clampProgress(value: number): number {
 }
 
 export function ModelLoadDescription({
+  title,
   message,
   progressPercent,
   progressLabel,
@@ -25,10 +28,14 @@ export function ModelLoadDescription({
   const hasProgress = typeof progressPercent === "number";
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex items-center gap-1.5">
+    <div className="flex min-h-12 w-full items-stretch gap-2">
+      <div className="flex h-full shrink-0 items-center self-center">
+        <Spinner className="size-4 text-foreground" />
+      </div>
       <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
+        {title ? <p className="text-foreground leading-5 font-semibold">{title}</p> : null}
         {hasProgress ? (
-          <div className="w-[12.5rem] max-w-full">
+          <div className="w-full pt-1">
             <div className="flex items-center justify-between text-[10px] font-medium tracking-[0.08em] text-muted-foreground/80">
               <span>{progressLabel}</span>
               <span>{Math.round(clampProgress(progressPercent))}%</span>
@@ -36,18 +43,19 @@ export function ModelLoadDescription({
             <Progress value={clampProgress(progressPercent)} className="h-1 bg-foreground/[0.08]" />
           </div>
         ) : message ? (
-          <p className="text-xs leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground">{message}</p>
+          <p className="pt-1 text-xs leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground">{message}</p>
         ) : null}
       </div>
       {onStop ? (
         <Button
           type="button"
-          size="xs"
-          variant="outline"
-          className="h-5 shrink-0 px-2 text-[10px]"
+          size="icon-sm"
+          variant="ghost"
+          aria-label="Stop model loading"
+          className="h-auto w-10 self-stretch shrink-0 rounded-xl text-muted-foreground hover:bg-destructive/10 hover:text-destructive focus-visible:text-destructive"
           onClick={onStop}
         >
-          Stop
+          <XIcon className="size-3.5" />
         </Button>
       ) : null}
     </div>
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts
index 6927b1871f..cfdd4e774a 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 
 import { createElement, useCallback, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { toast } from "sonner";
-import { Spinner } from "@/components/ui/spinner";
 import { ModelLoadDescription } from "../components/model-load-status";
 import {
   getDownloadProgress,
@@ -34,12 +33,10 @@ type SelectedModelInput = {
 };
 
 const MODEL_LOAD_TOAST_CLASSNAMES = {
-  toast: "items-start gap-2.5 pr-8",
-  content: "gap-0.5",
+  toast: "items-start gap-2.5",
+  content: "gap-0.5 flex-1 min-w-0",
   title: "leading-5",
-  description: "mt-0",
-  closeButton:
-    "!left-auto !right-1.5 !top-1.5 !translate-x-0 !translate-y-0 !border-transparent !bg-transparent !shadow-none hover:!bg-transparent hover:opacity-70",
+  description: "mt-0 w-full",
 } as const;
 
 const LORA_SUFFIX_RE = /_(\d{9,})$/;
@@ -200,12 +197,14 @@ export function useChatModelRuntime() {
 
   const renderLoadDescription = useCallback(
     (
+      title: string,
       message: string,
       progressPercent?: number | null,
       progressLabel?: string | null,
       onStop?: () => void,
     ) =>
       createElement(ModelLoadDescription, {
+        title,
         message,
         progressPercent,
         progressLabel,
@@ -448,18 +447,19 @@ export function useChatModelRuntime() {
           }
         }
 
+        const toastTitle = isDownloaded ? "Starting model…" : "Downloading model…";
         const toastId = toast(
-          isDownloaded ? "Starting model…" : "Downloading model…",
+          null,
           {
-            icon: createElement(Spinner, { className: "size-4" }),
             description: renderLoadDescription(
+              toastTitle,
               loadingDescription,
               isDownloaded ? null : 0,
               isDownloaded ? null : "Preparing download",
               cancelLoading,
             ),
             duration: Infinity,
-            closeButton: true,
+            closeButton: false,
             classNames: MODEL_LOAD_TOAST_CLASSNAMES,
             onDismiss: (dismissedToast) => {
               if (loadToastIdRef.current !== dismissedToast.id) {
@@ -505,18 +505,18 @@ export function useChatModelRuntime() {
                 });
                 if (loadToastDismissedRef.current) return;
                 toast(
-                  "Downloading model…",
+                  null,
                   {
                     id: toastId,
-                    icon: createElement(Spinner, { className: "size-4" }),
                     description: renderLoadDescription(
+                      "Downloading model…",
                       loadingDescription,
                       pct,
                       progressLabel,
                       cancelLoading,
                     ),
                     duration: Infinity,
-                    closeButton: true,
+                    closeButton: false,
                     classNames: MODEL_LOAD_TOAST_CLASSNAMES,
                     onDismiss: (dismissedToast) => {
                       if (loadToastIdRef.current !== dismissedToast.id) return;
@@ -542,17 +542,17 @@ export function useChatModelRuntime() {
                   if (progressInterval) clearInterval(progressInterval);
                   return;
                 }
-                toast("Starting model…", {
+                toast(null, {
                   id: toastId,
-                  icon: createElement(Spinner, { className: "size-4" }),
                   description: renderLoadDescription(
+                    "Starting model…",
                     "Download complete. Loading the model into memory.",
                     100,
                     "Download complete",
                     cancelLoading,
                   ),
                   duration: Infinity,
-                  closeButton: true,
+                  closeButton: false,
                   classNames: MODEL_LOAD_TOAST_CLASSNAMES,
                   onDismiss: (dismissedToast) => {
                     if (loadToastIdRef.current !== dismissedToast.id) return;
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/shared-composer.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/shared-composer.tsx
index c2ca25a658..018c3ba410 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/shared-composer.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/shared-composer.tsx
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ export function SharedComposer({
         // Side 1: load → generate → wait
         if (handle1 && model1?.id) {
           toast("Loading Model 1…", { id: toastId, description: name1, duration: Infinity });
-          await ensureModelLoaded(model1);
+          const status = await ensureModelLoaded(model1);
           toast("Generating with Model 1…", { id: toastId, description: name1, duration: Infinity });
           const done = handle1.waitForRunEnd();
           handle1.startRun();