diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/onboarding/InstitutionalSetupCard.test.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/onboarding/InstitutionalSetupCard.test.tsx
index 847a9befc..75fe49435 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/onboarding/InstitutionalSetupCard.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/onboarding/InstitutionalSetupCard.test.tsx
@@ -20,11 +20,27 @@ const PUBLIC_AZURE_KEYS = [
   'AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION',
 ];
 
-async function connectVersaAzure() {
-  render(<InstitutionalSetupCard onSuccess={vi.fn()} />);
+/** Types a key, optionally edits Advanced, and waits for the connect to finish. */
+async function connectVersaAzure(advanced: { endpoint?: string; apiVersion?: string } = {}) {
+  const onSuccess = vi.fn();
+  render(<InstitutionalSetupCard onSuccess={onSuccess} />);
   fireEvent.change(screen.getByLabelText(/API Key/i), { target: { value: 'a-key' } });
+  if (advanced.endpoint !== undefined || advanced.apiVersion !== undefined) {
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Advanced/i }));
+  }
+  if (advanced.endpoint !== undefined) {
+    fireEvent.change(screen.getByDisplayValue('https://unified-api.ucsf.edu/general'), {
+      target: { value: advanced.endpoint },
+    });
+  }
+  if (advanced.apiVersion !== undefined) {
+    fireEvent.change(screen.getByDisplayValue('2025-01-01-preview'), {
+      target: { value: advanced.apiVersion },
+    });
+  }
   fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Connect to Versa Azure OpenAI/i }));
-  await waitFor(() => expect(mockCheckProvider).toHaveBeenCalled());
+  // Past `checkProvider`, so every write the connect makes has been recorded.
+  await waitFor(() => expect(onSuccess).toHaveBeenCalledWith('versa_azure'));
 }
 
 async function connectVersaBedrock() {
@@ -38,6 +54,8 @@ async function connectVersaBedrock() {
   await waitFor(() => expect(onSuccess).toHaveBeenCalledWith('versa_bedrock'));
 }
 
+const writtenKeys = () => mockUpsert.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0] as string);
+
 describe('InstitutionalSetupCard', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.clearAllMocks();
@@ -52,19 +70,52 @@ describe('InstitutionalSetupCard', () => {
     // `check_provider_configured` report a Public provider the user never set
     // up as Configured, one row away in the same grid.
     await connectVersaAzure();
-    const written = mockUpsert.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0] as string);
     for (const key of PUBLIC_AZURE_KEYS) {
-      expect(written).not.toContain(key);
+      expect(writtenKeys()).not.toContain(key);
     }
   });
 
-  it('writes the key and the Versa-namespaced overrides', async () => {
+  it('never writes a deployment: the model a chat picks chooses it', async () => {
+    // `versa_azure` posts each model to its own deployment. A configured
+    // `VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENT_NAME` that names a catalog deployment is ignored,
+    // and any other value pins EVERY model to that one deployment while the
+    // chat still shows the model it picked. Writing the shipped default was
+    // the first case on every connect; the box that let a user write anything
+    // else was the second.
     await connectVersaAzure();
-    const written = mockUpsert.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0] as string);
-    expect(written).toContain('VERSA_AZURE_API_KEY');
-    expect(written).toContain('VERSA_AZURE_ENDPOINT');
-    expect(written).toContain('VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENT_NAME');
-    expect(written).toContain('VERSA_AZURE_API_VERSION');
+    expect(writtenKeys()).not.toContain('VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENT_NAME');
+  });
+
+  it('writes the key, the endpoint and the API version, then selects the provider', async () => {
+    await connectVersaAzure();
+    expect(mockUpsert.mock.calls).toEqual([
+      ['VERSA_AZURE_API_KEY', 'a-key', true],
+      ['VERSA_AZURE_ENDPOINT', 'https://unified-api.ucsf.edu/general', false],
+      ['VERSA_AZURE_API_VERSION', '2025-01-01-preview', false],
+      ['BIOROUTER_PROVIDER', 'versa_azure', false],
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('writes the endpoint and API version typed into Advanced', async () => {
+    await connectVersaAzure({
+      endpoint: ' https://gateway.example.edu/general ',
+      apiVersion: '2024-10-21',
+    });
+    expect(mockUpsert).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'VERSA_AZURE_ENDPOINT',
+      'https://gateway.example.edu/general',
+      false
+    );
+    expect(mockUpsert).toHaveBeenCalledWith('VERSA_AZURE_API_VERSION', '2024-10-21', false);
+  });
+
+  it('offers the endpoint and API version in Advanced, and no deployment', () => {
+    render(<InstitutionalSetupCard onSuccess={vi.fn()} />);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Advanced/i }));
+    expect(screen.getByText('VERSA_AZURE_ENDPOINT')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText('VERSA_AZURE_API_VERSION')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    // Neither a field nor a mention in the collapsed label.
+    expect(screen.queryAllByText(/deployment/i)).toHaveLength(0);
   });
 
   it('never writes a key in the public AWS namespace when connecting UCSF Versa Bedrock', async () => {
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/onboarding/InstitutionalSetupCard.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/onboarding/InstitutionalSetupCard.tsx
index a297f40be..98863acb2 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/onboarding/InstitutionalSetupCard.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/onboarding/InstitutionalSetupCard.tsx
@@ -24,9 +24,16 @@ const VERSA_BEDROCK_DEFAULTS = {
   VERSA_BEDROCK_REGION: 'us-west-2',
 };
 
+// ⚠ No deployment, deliberately. `versa_azure` posts each model to its own
+// deployment (`VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENTS` in versa_azure.rs), so the model a chat
+// selects chooses it. A `VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENT_NAME` that names a catalog
+// deployment is ignored, and any other value pins EVERY model to that one
+// deployment while the chat still shows the model it selected. This card used
+// to write the shipped default on every connect (ignored) and offer a box for
+// any other value (that trap, in a first-run form). An operator who needs a
+// deployment the catalog does not list yet sets the key in config instead.
 const VERSA_AZURE_DEFAULTS = {
   VERSA_AZURE_ENDPOINT: 'https://unified-api.ucsf.edu/general',
-  VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENT_NAME: 'gpt-5.5-2026-04-24',
   VERSA_AZURE_API_VERSION: '2025-01-01-preview',
 };
 
@@ -69,9 +76,6 @@ export default function InstitutionalSetupCard({
   );
   const [bedrockRegion, setBedrockRegion] = useState(VERSA_BEDROCK_DEFAULTS.VERSA_BEDROCK_REGION);
   const [azureEndpoint, setAzureEndpoint] = useState(VERSA_AZURE_DEFAULTS.VERSA_AZURE_ENDPOINT);
-  const [azureDeployment, setAzureDeployment] = useState(
-    VERSA_AZURE_DEFAULTS.VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENT_NAME
-  );
   const [azureApiVersion, setAzureApiVersion] = useState(
     VERSA_AZURE_DEFAULTS.VERSA_AZURE_API_VERSION
   );
@@ -103,7 +107,6 @@ export default function InstitutionalSetupCard({
       } else {
         await upsert('VERSA_AZURE_API_KEY', azureApiKey.trim(), true);
         await upsert('VERSA_AZURE_ENDPOINT', azureEndpoint.trim(), false);
-        await upsert('VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENT_NAME', azureDeployment.trim(), false);
         await upsert('VERSA_AZURE_API_VERSION', azureApiVersion.trim(), false);
         await checkProvider({ body: { provider: 'versa_azure' }, throwOnError: true });
         await upsert('BIOROUTER_PROVIDER', 'versa_azure', false);
@@ -219,8 +222,7 @@ export default function InstitutionalSetupCard({
         <CollapsibleTrigger className="flex items-center gap-1.5 text-xs text-text-muted hover:text-text-default transition-colors duration-150">
           <span>{advancedOpen ? '▾' : '▸'}</span>
           <span>
-            Advanced (
-            {flavor === 'azure' ? 'endpoint, deployment, API version' : 'endpoint, region'})
+            Advanced ({flavor === 'azure' ? 'endpoint, API version' : 'endpoint, region'})
           </span>
         </CollapsibleTrigger>
         <CollapsibleContent className="mt-2.5 pl-3.5 space-y-2.5 border-l border-border-default">
@@ -238,18 +240,6 @@ export default function InstitutionalSetupCard({
                   disabled={isLoading}
                 />
               </div>
-              <div>
-                <label className="block text-[11px] text-text-muted mb-1">
-                  VERSA_AZURE_DEPLOYMENT_NAME
-                </label>
-                <input
-                  type="text"
-                  value={azureDeployment}
-                  onChange={(e) => setAzureDeployment(e.target.value)}
-                  className={advancedInputClass}
-                  disabled={isLoading}
-                />
-              </div>
               <div>
                 <label className="block text-[11px] text-text-muted mb-1">
                   VERSA_AZURE_API_VERSION
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings/providers/modal/subcomponents/forms/DefaultProviderSetupForm.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings/providers/modal/subcomponents/forms/DefaultProviderSetupForm.tsx
index d3cd29eb0..0e8f83eb5 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/settings/providers/modal/subcomponents/forms/DefaultProviderSetupForm.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/settings/providers/modal/subcomponents/forms/DefaultProviderSetupForm.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@ interface DefaultProviderSetupFormProps {
 // Frontend-side defaults per provider — ensures defaults show up immediately
 // without requiring a backend recompile. The backend also declares these defaults
 // in Rust (azure.rs, bedrock.rs) for CLI consistency.
+//
+// ⚠ An entry only reaches a key the provider DECLARES in `metadata.config_keys`:
+// both readers below look a default up per declared parameter, so one for any
+// other key is never read. `versa_azure` and `versa_bedrock` declare only their
+// credentials, which is why neither has an entry.
 const PROVIDER_KEY_DEFAULTS: Record<string, Record<string, string>> = {
   azure_openai: {
     AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT: 'https://unified-api.ucsf.edu/general',
@@ -30,11 +35,6 @@ const PROVIDER_KEY_DEFAULTS: Record<string, Record<string, string>> = {
   aws_bedrock: {
     AWS_REGION: 'us-west-2',
   },
-  versa_azure: {
-    AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT: 'https://unified-api.ucsf.edu/general',
-    AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT_NAME: 'gpt-5.5-2026-04-24',
-    AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION: '2025-01-01-preview',
-  },
 };
 
 const envToPrettyName = (envVar: string) => {