diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/frontend-primitives.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/frontend-primitives.md
index 699b48d82..9bace80ca 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/frontend-primitives.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/frontend-primitives.md
@@ -886,10 +886,15 @@ prompt explain the same operator-facing priority.
    example the Verify Patrol button in
    `AIModelSelectionSection.tsx`, which must drive the typed
    `runPatrolPreflight` client through `useAISettingsState.ts` rather
-   than inlining fetch calls in the section component, and which must
-   hydrate its result panel from the `patrol_preflight` snapshot on
+   than inlining fetch calls in the section component, must hydrate
+   its result panel from the `patrol_preflight` snapshot on
    `/api/settings/ai` so the "last verified" state survives page
-   reloads without forcing a re-click)
+   reloads without forcing a re-click, must pass the form's pending
+   `patrolModel` as the model override so the click tests the
+   operator's unsaved dropdown selection rather than whatever was
+   previously saved, and must surface a stale-cache warning when the
+   form's selection differs from the cached result's model so the
+   green badge cannot silently mislead)
 2. Keep top-level settings surfaces routed through the canonical settings shell
    and maintain both `frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/__tests__/settingsArchitecture.test.ts`
    plus `tests/integration/tests/15-settings-shell-consistency.spec.ts`
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/AIModelSelectionSection.tsx b/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/AIModelSelectionSection.tsx
index 351c4c8ed..f08d6a2b8 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/AIModelSelectionSection.tsx
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/AIModelSelectionSection.tsx
@@ -11,13 +11,34 @@ interface AIModelSelectionSectionProps {
   state: AISettingsState;
 }
 
+const stripModelProvider = (modelId: string) => {
+  const trimmed = modelId.trim();
+  const colon = trimmed.indexOf(':');
+  return colon === -1 ? trimmed : trimmed.slice(colon + 1);
+};
+
 const PatrolPreflightControl: Component<{ state: AISettingsState }> = (controlProps) => {
   const { state } = controlProps;
   const result = state.patrolPreflightResult;
 
+  // The cached result may be for a model the operator already moved away
+  // from in the form (e.g. they changed the dropdown but haven't clicked
+  // Verify Patrol yet). When that happens, surface a hint so the green
+  // "verified" badge doesn't silently mislead. The backend reads the
+  // form's pending patrolModel on Verify Patrol click, so refreshing
+  // resolves the staleness.
+  const pendingFormModel = () => stripModelProvider(state.form.patrolModel || '');
+  const cachedResultModel = () => result()?.model?.trim() || '';
+  const isStaleAgainstFormSelection = () => {
+    const pending = pendingFormModel();
+    const cached = cachedResultModel();
+    return pending !== '' && cached !== '' && pending !== cached;
+  };
+
   const tone = () => {
     const r = result();
     if (!r) return 'idle';
+    if (isStaleAgainstFormSelection()) return 'warning';
     if (r.success) return 'success';
     if (r.cause === 'model_tool_support_unverified') return 'warning';
     return 'error';
@@ -39,6 +60,9 @@ const PatrolPreflightControl: Component<{ state: AISettingsState }> = (controlPr
   const headline = () => {
     const r = result();
     if (!r) return '';
+    if (isStaleAgainstFormSelection()) {
+      return `Verified result is for ${cachedResultModel()}, your current selection is ${pendingFormModel()}`;
+    }
     if (r.success) {
       return 'Tool calling verified';
     }
@@ -51,6 +75,9 @@ const PatrolPreflightControl: Component<{ state: AISettingsState }> = (controlPr
   const detail = () => {
     const r = result();
     if (!r) return '';
+    if (isStaleAgainstFormSelection()) {
+      return 'Click Verify Patrol to test the pending selection.';
+    }
     return r.summary || r.message || '';
   };
 
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/__tests__/settingsArchitecture.test.ts b/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/__tests__/settingsArchitecture.test.ts
index 3e2f450c6..83d4fb20a 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/__tests__/settingsArchitecture.test.ts
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/__tests__/settingsArchitecture.test.ts
@@ -256,6 +256,27 @@ describe('settings architecture guardrails', () => {
     expect(aiModelSelectionSectionSource).toContain('last verified');
   });
 
+  it('passes the form\'s pending patrolModel to runPatrolPreflight so Verify Patrol tests the unsaved selection', () => {
+    // Without this, clicking Verify Patrol after changing the model
+    // dropdown silently tested the previously-saved model and the
+    // operator would believe their pending selection was verified.
+    expect(aiSettingsStateSource).toContain('form.patrolModel');
+    expect(aiSettingsStateSource).toContain('pendingModel');
+    expect(aiSettingsStateSource).toContain('runPatrolPreflight(pendingModel ? { model: pendingModel } : {})');
+  });
+
+  it('flags the inline preflight panel as stale when the cached result is for a different model than the form\'s current selection', () => {
+    // Cache may hold a green result for the previously-saved model
+    // while the operator has changed the dropdown. Show a warning-tone
+    // panel with copy that names both models so the green badge
+    // doesn't silently mislead.
+    expect(aiModelSelectionSectionSource).toContain('isStaleAgainstFormSelection');
+    expect(aiModelSelectionSectionSource).toContain('pendingFormModel');
+    expect(aiModelSelectionSectionSource).toContain('cachedResultModel');
+    expect(aiModelSelectionSectionSource).toContain('Verified result is for');
+    expect(aiModelSelectionSectionSource).toContain('Click Verify Patrol to test the pending selection');
+  });
+
   it('keeps contextual settings feature gates free of retired commercial telemetry wrappers', () => {
     for (const source of [
       agentProfilesPanelSource,
diff --git a/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/useAISettingsState.ts b/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/useAISettingsState.ts
index 9b48b7688..8fe8d0366 100644
--- a/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/useAISettingsState.ts
+++ b/frontend-modern/src/components/Settings/useAISettingsState.ts
@@ -595,10 +595,16 @@ export const useAISettingsState = () => {
   // runPatrolToolPreflight verifies the configured Patrol provider+model
   // can actually call tools end-to-end. Distinct from runProviderPreflight,
   // which only confirms each provider's model catalog is reachable.
+  //
+  // Passes the form's pending patrolModel as a model override so clicking
+  // Verify Patrol after changing the dropdown actually tests the operator's
+  // pending selection, not whatever was previously saved. Empty form value
+  // means "use the shared default" — the backend handles the fallback.
   const runPatrolToolPreflight = async () => {
     setPatrolPreflightRunning(true);
     try {
-      const result = await runPatrolPreflight();
+      const pendingModel = form.patrolModel.trim();
+      const result = await runPatrolPreflight(pendingModel ? { model: pendingModel } : {});
       setPatrolPreflightResult(result);
     } catch (error) {
       const message =