diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/.agents/skills/react-hook-form/SKILL.md b/ui/litellm-dashboard/.agents/skills/react-hook-form/SKILL.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..98ede27c841
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/.agents/skills/react-hook-form/SKILL.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+name: react-hook-form
+description: Build or change forms in the dashboard with react-hook-form
+---
+
+# react-hook-form
+
+Docs: https://github.com/react-hook-form/documentation/tree/master/src/content
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/InvestigationSetup.integration.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/InvestigationSetup.integration.test.tsx
index 29e9dc4d3d8..9006ae94000 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/InvestigationSetup.integration.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/InvestigationSetup.integration.test.tsx
@@ -129,6 +129,29 @@ describe("Investigation setup", () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Save changes" })).toBeDisabled();
   });
 
+  it.each([
+    ["search", () => userEvent.type(screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Search runs" }), "x")],
+    [
+      "window",
+      async () =>
+        fireEvent.change(screen.getByRole("spinbutton", { name: "Review the last" }), { target: { value: "3" } }),
+    ],
+  ])("drops saved hand-picked runs once the %s changes, and only then", async (_, change) => {
+    proxy.post.mockResolvedValue({ eligible: 2, selected: 2, executions: [run("Saved run", 1), run("Other run", 2)] });
+    renderWithProviders(
+      <InvestigationSetup
+        mode="edit"
+        initial={{ ...settings, execution_ids: [run("Saved run", 1).id] }}
+        onClose={vi.fn()}
+        onSave={vi.fn()}
+      />,
+    );
+    const preview = within(screen.getByRole("region", { name: "Matching activity" }));
+    expect(await preview.findByRole("button", { name: "Clear 1 selected runs" })).toBeVisible();
+    await change();
+    await waitFor(() => expect(preview.queryByRole("button", { name: /Clear/ })).not.toBeInTheDocument());
+  });
+
   it("preserves check identity and disabled state when a check is edited", async () => {
     const save = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
     const user = userEvent.setup();
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/InvestigationSetup.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/InvestigationSetup.tsx
index 7ce94866b9b..18f9609befb 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/InvestigationSetup.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/InvestigationSetup.tsx
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ function SetupEditor({
   const [step, setStep] = useSetupStepRoute();
   const [error, setError] = useState("");
   const [trace, setTrace] = useState<TraceRef | null>(null);
-  const { control, register, setValue, subscribe, trigger, formState } = form;
+  const { control, register, trigger, formState } = form;
   const [selectedModel, repeat] = useWatch({ control, name: ["selectedModel", "repeat"] });
   const activity = useMatchingActivity();
   const { executions } = activity.preview.page;
@@ -133,17 +133,6 @@ function SetupEditor({
     [executions],
   );
   const model = selectedModel ?? analysis.defaultModel ?? "";
-  useEffect(
-    () =>
-      subscribe({
-        name: ["selection.q", "selection.lookback_hours"],
-        formState: { values: true },
-        callback: ({ values }) => {
-          if (values.selection.execution_ids.length) setValue("selection.execution_ids", []);
-        },
-      }),
-    [setValue, subscribe],
-  );
   const next = async () => {
     const following = nextSetupStep(step);
     if (following && (await trigger(investigationStepFields[step]))) setStep(following);
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/fields/SampleFields.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/fields/SampleFields.tsx
index b5e53054559..cadc7b5490b 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/fields/SampleFields.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/fields/SampleFields.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { DurationInput } from "@/components/shared/DurationInput";
 import { FieldError } from "@/components/ui/field";
 import { Slider } from "@/components/ui/slider";
 import type { InvestigationInput } from "../investigationSchema";
+import { useDropPicks } from "../useMatchingActivity";
 
 /** Runs the sampling percentage keeps out of `eligible`, before any cap. */
 export const sampledRuns = (eligible: number, percent: number): number => Math.ceil((eligible * percent) / 100);
@@ -16,6 +17,62 @@ const capFromText = (text: string): number | null => {
   return digits ? Number(digits) : null;
 };
 
+interface RunCountProps {
+  /** The cap the user typed, or null to analyze every sampled run. */
+  readonly cap: number | null;
+  /** Sampled runs before any cap; undefined while the preview loads. */
+  readonly sampled: number | undefined;
+  readonly onCapChange: (cap: number | null) => void;
+  readonly onBlur: () => void;
+}
+
+/** Shows how many runs will be analyzed; typing a smaller number caps it, and a cap that limits nothing is dropped. */
+function RunCount({ cap, sampled, onCapChange, onBlur }: RunCountProps) {
+  const [typing, setTyping] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const analyzed = sampled === undefined ? cap : Math.min(sampled, cap ?? Infinity);
+  const capped = cap != null && (sampled === undefined || cap < sampled);
+  const shown = typing ?? analyzed?.toLocaleString() ?? "";
+  const finishTyping = () => {
+    setTyping(null);
+    if (cap != null && sampled !== undefined && cap >= sampled) onCapChange(null);
+    onBlur();
+  };
+  return (
+    <div className="grid justify-items-end gap-0.5">
+      <label className="flex items-baseline gap-1.5">
+        <input
+          inputMode="numeric"
+          aria-label="Runs to analyze"
+          value={shown}
+          placeholder="All"
+          onFocus={(event) => event.target.select()}
+          onChange={(event) => {
+            setTyping(event.target.value);
+            onCapChange(capFromText(event.target.value));
+          }}
+          onBlur={finishTyping}
+          style={{ width: `${Math.max((shown || "All").length, 2) + 1}ch` }}
+          className="-mr-1 rounded-sm border-0 bg-transparent px-1 py-0 shadow-none focus:ring-0 text-right text-xl font-semibold tabular-nums tracking-tight outline-none hover:bg-muted/60 focus:bg-muted/60"
+        />
+        <span className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">runs</span>
+      </label>
+      {capped ? (
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          aria-label="Remove cap"
+          onClick={() => onCapChange(null)}
+          className="flex items-center gap-1 text-xs text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
+        >
+          Capped
+          <X aria-hidden="true" className="size-3" />
+        </button>
+      ) : (
+        <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">Type a number to cap</span>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
 export interface SampleFieldsProps {
   /** Runs the search matches; undefined while the preview loads. */
   readonly eligible: number | undefined;
@@ -24,22 +81,13 @@ export interface SampleFieldsProps {
 export function SampleFields({ eligible }: SampleFieldsProps) {
   const {
     control,
-    setValue,
     formState: { errors },
   } = useFormContext<InvestigationInput>();
-  const [percentValue, cap] = useWatch({ control, name: ["selection.sample_percent", "selection.sample_size"] });
+  const dropPicks = useDropPicks();
+  const percentValue = useWatch({ control, name: "selection.sample_percent" });
   const selectionErrors = errors.selection;
   const percent = Number.isFinite(percentValue) ? percentValue : 100;
   const sampled = eligible === undefined ? undefined : sampledRuns(eligible, percent);
-  const capped = cap != null && (sampled === undefined || cap < sampled);
-  const analyzed = sampled === undefined ? cap : Math.min(sampled, cap ?? Infinity);
-  const setCap = (next: number | null) => setValue("selection.sample_size", next, { shouldValidate: true });
-  const [typing, setTyping] = useState<string | null>(null);
-  const shown = typing ?? analyzed?.toLocaleString() ?? "";
-  const finishTyping = () => {
-    setTyping(null);
-    if (cap != null && sampled !== undefined && cap >= sampled) setCap(null);
-  };
   return (
     <>
       <div className="grid gap-2">
@@ -47,7 +95,15 @@ export function SampleFields({ eligible }: SampleFieldsProps) {
           control={control}
           name="selection.lookback_hours"
           render={({ field }) => (
-            <DurationInput label="Review the last" value={field.value ?? 24} base="hours" onChange={field.onChange} />
+            <DurationInput
+              label="Review the last"
+              value={field.value ?? 24}
+              base="hours"
+              onChange={(hours) => {
+                if (hours !== field.value) dropPicks();
+                field.onChange(hours);
+              }}
+            />
           )}
         />
         <FieldError>{selectionErrors?.lookback_hours?.message}</FieldError>
@@ -60,38 +116,18 @@ export function SampleFields({ eligible }: SampleFieldsProps) {
               {eligible === undefined ? `${percent}% of matching runs` : `${percent}% of ${eligible.toLocaleString()}`}
             </span>
           </div>
-          <div className="grid justify-items-end gap-0.5">
-            <label className="flex items-baseline gap-1.5">
-              <input
-                inputMode="numeric"
-                aria-label="Runs to analyze"
-                value={shown}
-                placeholder="All"
-                onFocus={(event) => event.target.select()}
-                onChange={(event) => {
-                  setTyping(event.target.value);
-                  setCap(capFromText(event.target.value));
-                }}
-                onBlur={finishTyping}
-                style={{ width: `${Math.max((shown || "All").length, 2) + 1}ch` }}
-                className="-mr-1 rounded-sm border-0 bg-transparent px-1 py-0 shadow-none focus:ring-0 text-right text-xl font-semibold tabular-nums tracking-tight outline-none hover:bg-muted/60 focus:bg-muted/60"
+          <Controller
+            control={control}
+            name="selection.sample_size"
+            render={({ field }) => (
+              <RunCount
+                cap={field.value ?? null}
+                sampled={sampled}
+                onCapChange={field.onChange}
+                onBlur={field.onBlur}
               />
-              <span className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">runs</span>
-            </label>
-            {capped ? (
-              <button
-                type="button"
-                aria-label="Remove cap"
-                onClick={() => setCap(null)}
-                className="flex items-center gap-1 text-xs text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
-              >
-                Capped
-                <X aria-hidden="true" className="size-3" />
-              </button>
-            ) : (
-              <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">Type a number to cap</span>
             )}
-          </div>
+          />
         </div>
         <Controller
           control={control}
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/fields/ScopeFields.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/fields/ScopeFields.tsx
index c3bbd62a98f..4261e1910b8 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/fields/ScopeFields.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/fields/ScopeFields.tsx
@@ -4,11 +4,12 @@ import { Controller, useFormContext } from "react-hook-form";
 
 import { RunSearch } from "../../traces/list/runSearch/RunSearch";
 import type { InvestigationInput } from "../investigationSchema";
-import type { ScopeOptions } from "../useMatchingActivity";
+import { useDropPicks, type ScopeOptions } from "../useMatchingActivity";
 
 /** Which runs to review, written in the same search language as the Traces tab. */
 export function ScopeFields({ runs, range }: ScopeOptions) {
   const { control } = useFormContext<InvestigationInput>();
+  const dropPicks = useDropPicks();
   return (
     <div className="grid gap-2">
       <span className="text-sm font-medium">Runs to review</span>
@@ -16,7 +17,17 @@ export function ScopeFields({ runs, range }: ScopeOptions) {
         <Controller
           control={control}
           name="selection.q"
-          render={({ field }) => <RunSearch value={field.value} onChange={field.onChange} runs={runs} range={range} />}
+          render={({ field }) => (
+            <RunSearch
+              value={field.value}
+              onChange={(q) => {
+                if (q !== field.value) dropPicks();
+                field.onChange(q);
+              }}
+              runs={runs}
+              range={range}
+            />
+          )}
         />
       </div>
       <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/useMatchingActivity.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/useMatchingActivity.ts
index 8384e717c16..4c417d68734 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/useMatchingActivity.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/lens/setup/useMatchingActivity.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@ type PreviewPageData = Pick<Sample, "eligible" | "selected">;
 
 export type { Execution };
 
+/** Hand-picked runs belong to the search and window they were picked from, so changing either drops them. */
+export function useDropPicks(): () => void {
+  const { getValues, setValue } = useFormContext<InvestigationInput>();
+  return useCallback(() => {
+    if (getValues("selection.execution_ids").length) setValue("selection.execution_ids", []);
+  }, [getValues, setValue]);
+}
+
 /** What the search box needs: the runs already previewed suggest values, and the window bounds the copied query. */
 export interface ScopeOptions {
   readonly runs: readonly TraceSummary[];