diff --git a/src/settings/tabs/ModelTab.tsx b/src/settings/tabs/ModelTab.tsx
index a4de008..d037325 100644
--- a/src/settings/tabs/ModelTab.tsx
+++ b/src/settings/tabs/ModelTab.tsx
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ export function ModelTab({ config, resyncToken, onSaved }: ModelTabProps) {
   const [inactivityMin, setInactivityMin] = useState(
     config.inference.keep_warm_inactivity_minutes,
   );
+  const [rawMin, setRawMin] = useState(
+    String(config.inference.keep_warm_inactivity_minutes),
+  );
+  const minFocusedRef = useRef(false);
   const [ejecting, setEjecting] = useState(false);
   const [loadedModel, setLoadedModel] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
@@ -138,8 +142,11 @@ export function ModelTab({ config, resyncToken, onSaved }: ModelTabProps) {
 
   if (prevTokenRef.current !== resyncToken) {
     prevTokenRef.current = resyncToken;
-    setInactivityMin(config.inference.keep_warm_inactivity_minutes);
-    resetMin(config.inference.keep_warm_inactivity_minutes);
+    if (!minFocusedRef.current) {
+      setInactivityMin(config.inference.keep_warm_inactivity_minutes);
+      setRawMin(String(config.inference.keep_warm_inactivity_minutes));
+      resetMin(config.inference.keep_warm_inactivity_minutes);
+    }
     const nextCtx = config.inference.num_ctx;
     setNumCtx(nextCtx);
     setCtxPos(ctxToPos(nextCtx));
@@ -210,16 +217,28 @@ export function ModelTab({ config, resyncToken, onSaved }: ModelTabProps) {
             <input
               type="number"
               className={styles.keepWarmNumberInput}
-              value={inactivityMin}
+              value={rawMin}
               min={-1}
               max={1440}
               aria-label="Release after N minutes"
+              onFocus={() => {
+                minFocusedRef.current = true;
+              }}
               onChange={(e) => {
                 const n = parseInt(e.target.value, 10);
-                if (!Number.isNaN(n)) {
-                  // Clamp to BOUNDS_KEEP_WARM_INACTIVITY_MINUTES so the UI
-                  // mirrors the backend cap and never desyncs after a save.
-                  setInactivityMin(Math.max(-1, Math.min(1440, n)));
+                if (Number.isNaN(n)) {
+                  setRawMin(e.target.value);
+                } else {
+                  const clamped = Math.max(-1, Math.min(1440, n));
+                  setRawMin(String(clamped));
+                  setInactivityMin(clamped);
+                }
+              }}
+              onBlur={() => {
+                minFocusedRef.current = false;
+                if (Number.isNaN(parseInt(rawMin, 10))) {
+                  setRawMin('0');
+                  setInactivityMin(0);
                 }
               }}
             />
diff --git a/src/settings/tabs/tabs.test.tsx b/src/settings/tabs/tabs.test.tsx
index ab69272..0f53fd0 100644
--- a/src/settings/tabs/tabs.test.tsx
+++ b/src/settings/tabs/tabs.test.tsx
@@ -245,16 +245,28 @@ describe('ModelTab', () => {
     expect((input as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe('60');
   });
 
-  it('non-numeric inactivity input is ignored', async () => {
+  it('allows empty inactivity input mid-edit; blur defaults to 0', async () => {
     await renderModelTab();
     const input = screen.getByRole('spinbutton', {
       name: 'Release after N minutes',
     });
     fireEvent.change(input, { target: { value: '' } });
+    expect((input as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe('');
+    fireEvent.blur(input);
     expect((input as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe('0');
   });
 
-  it('clamps below-range inactivity input to -1', async () => {
+  it('blur with a valid inactivity value does not reset the field', async () => {
+    await renderModelTab();
+    const input = screen.getByRole('spinbutton', {
+      name: 'Release after N minutes',
+    });
+    fireEvent.change(input, { target: { value: '60' } });
+    fireEvent.blur(input);
+    expect((input as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe('60');
+  });
+
+  it('clamps below-range inactivity input to -1 immediately', async () => {
     await renderModelTab();
     const input = screen.getByRole('spinbutton', {
       name: 'Release after N minutes',
@@ -263,7 +275,7 @@ describe('ModelTab', () => {
     expect((input as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe('-1');
   });
 
-  it('clamps above-range inactivity input to 1440', async () => {
+  it('clamps above-range inactivity input to 1440 immediately', async () => {
     await renderModelTab();
     const input = screen.getByRole('spinbutton', {
       name: 'Release after N minutes',
@@ -371,6 +383,25 @@ describe('ModelTab', () => {
     expect((input as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe('60');
   });
 
+  it('resync does not overwrite rawMin while input is focused', async () => {
+    const { rerender } = await renderModelTab();
+    const input = screen.getByRole('spinbutton', {
+      name: 'Release after N minutes',
+    });
+    fireEvent.focus(input);
+    fireEvent.change(input, { target: { value: '' } });
+    expect((input as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe('');
+
+    const updatedConfig: RawAppConfig = {
+      ...CONFIG,
+      inference: { ...CONFIG.inference, keep_warm_inactivity_minutes: 60 },
+    };
+    rerender(
+      <ModelTab config={updatedConfig} resyncToken={1} onSaved={() => {}} />,
+    );
+    expect((input as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe('');
+  });
+
   it('renders Context Window section with label, slider, chip, tick marks, and VRAM note', async () => {
     await renderModelTab();
     expect(screen.getByText('Context Window')).toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/src/styles/settings.module.css b/src/styles/settings.module.css
index a48d3e6..8e541f3 100644
--- a/src/styles/settings.module.css
+++ b/src/styles/settings.module.css
@@ -1166,7 +1166,7 @@
   font-size: 14px;
   font-weight: 600;
   font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
-  width: 32px;
+  width: 48px;
   padding: 1px 4px;
   text-align: center;
   outline: none;