diff --git a/packages/stage-pages/src/pages/settings/providers/speech/kokoro-local.vue b/packages/stage-pages/src/pages/settings/providers/speech/kokoro-local.vue
index b489b2a7e..ede7703f9 100644
--- a/packages/stage-pages/src/pages/settings/providers/speech/kokoro-local.vue
+++ b/packages/stage-pages/src/pages/settings/providers/speech/kokoro-local.vue
@@ -108,6 +108,12 @@ onMounted(async () => {
     await providersStore.fetchModelsForProvider(providerId)
 
     const config = providersStore.getProviderConfig(providerId)
+
+    // Persist the default model if none is saved yet so validation passes on first visit
+    if (!config.model) {
+      config.model = getDefaultKokoroModel(hasWebGPU.value)
+    }
+
     const metadata = providersStore.getProviderMetadata(providerId)
     const validationResult = await metadata.validators.validateProviderConfig(config)
     if (validationResult.valid) {