diff --git a/src/widgets/ComparisonView/model/stores/comparisonStore.svelte.ts b/src/widgets/ComparisonView/model/stores/comparisonStore.svelte.ts
index 6136a63..f43cce4 100644
--- a/src/widgets/ComparisonView/model/stores/comparisonStore.svelte.ts
+++ b/src/widgets/ComparisonView/model/stores/comparisonStore.svelte.ts
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ export class ComparisonStore {
         this.#fontsByIdsStore = new FontsByIdsStore(fontAId && fontBId ? [fontAId, fontBId] : []);
 
         $effect.root(() => {
-            // Effect 1: Sync batch results → fontA / fontB
+            // Sync batch results → fontA / fontB
             $effect(() => {
                 const fonts = this.#fontsByIdsStore.fonts;
                 if (fonts.length === 0) {
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ export class ComparisonStore {
                 }
             });
 
-            // Effect 2: Trigger font loading whenever selection or weight changes
+            // Trigger font loading whenever selection or weight changes
             $effect(() => {
                 const fa = this.#fontA;
                 const fb = this.#fontB;
@@ -154,24 +154,38 @@ export class ComparisonStore {
                 }
             });
 
-            // Effect 3: Set default fonts when storage is empty
+            // Set default fonts when storage is empty
             $effect(() => {
                 if (this.#fontA && this.#fontB) {
                     return;
                 }
 
-                const fonts = fontCatalogStore.fonts;
-                if (fonts.length >= 2) {
-                    untrack(() => {
-                        const id1 = fonts[0].id;
-                        const id2 = fonts[fonts.length - 1].id;
-                        storage.value = { fontAId: id1, fontBId: id2 };
-                        this.#fontsByIdsStore.setIds([id1, id2]);
-                    });
+                // Don't clobber a pending rehydration - only seed when storage is empty.
+                // Untracked: only the catalog load should drive this effect, not the
+                // user's storage writes that happen as a result of normal selection.
+                const hasStoredSelection = untrack(() => {
+                    return storage.value.fontAId !== null || storage.value.fontBId !== null;
+                });
+
+                if (hasStoredSelection) {
+                    return;
                 }
+
+                const fonts = fontCatalogStore.fonts;
+
+                if (fonts.length < 2) {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                untrack(() => {
+                    const id1 = fonts[0].id;
+                    const id2 = fonts[fonts.length - 1].id;
+                    storage.value = { fontAId: id1, fontBId: id2 };
+                    this.#fontsByIdsStore.setIds([id1, id2]);
+                });
             });
 
-            // Effect 4: Pin fontA/fontB so eviction never removes on-screen fonts
+            // Pin fontA/fontB so eviction never removes on-screen fonts
             $effect(() => {
                 const fa = this.#fontA;
                 const fb = this.#fontB;
diff --git a/src/widgets/ComparisonView/model/stores/comparisonStore.test.ts b/src/widgets/ComparisonView/model/stores/comparisonStore.test.ts
index 21fb026..9227469 100644
--- a/src/widgets/ComparisonView/model/stores/comparisonStore.test.ts
+++ b/src/widgets/ComparisonView/model/stores/comparisonStore.test.ts
@@ -165,6 +165,46 @@ describe('ComparisonStore', () => {
                 expect(mockStorage._value.fontBId).toBe(mockFontB.id);
             });
         });
+
+        /**
+         * Regression: when storage already holds the user's selection, the
+         * seed-defaults effect must bail out — even if it fires before the
+         * per-id batch returns (catalog wins the race on slow networks or
+         * cold reloads). Pre-fix the effect only checked fontA/fontB, both
+         * still undefined at this point, and clobbered storage with whatever
+         * the catalog had as fonts[0] / fonts[N-1].
+         */
+        it('should not overwrite stored IDs when batch is still in flight', async () => {
+            const seededA = UNIFIED_FONTS.lato;
+            const seededB = UNIFIED_FONTS.montserrat;
+
+            mockStorage._value.fontAId = seededA.id;
+            mockStorage._value.fontBId = seededB.id;
+
+            // Catalog defaults differ from the stored selection — if the
+            // effect mis-seeds, storage will flip to roboto / open-sans.
+            (fontCatalogStore as any).fonts = [mockFontA, mockFontB];
+
+            // Delay the batch so the catalog-driven effect runs first.
+            vi.spyOn(proxyFonts, 'fetchFontsByIds').mockImplementation(
+                () => new Promise(r => setTimeout(() => r([seededA, seededB]), 50)),
+            );
+
+            const store = new ComparisonStore();
+
+            // Let the catalog effect run; storage must be untouched.
+            await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 10));
+            expect(mockStorage._value.fontAId).toBe(seededA.id);
+            expect(mockStorage._value.fontBId).toBe(seededB.id);
+
+            // Batch resolves with the seeded selection — fontA/B must match.
+            await vi.waitFor(() => {
+                expect(store.fontA?.id).toBe(seededA.id);
+                expect(store.fontB?.id).toBe(seededB.id);
+            }, { timeout: 2000 });
+            expect(mockStorage._value.fontAId).toBe(seededA.id);
+            expect(mockStorage._value.fontBId).toBe(seededB.id);
+        });
     });
 
     describe('Aggregate Loading State', () => {