diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ModelDialog.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ModelDialog.test.tsx
index 752106ecce..2ec9b21c32 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ModelDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ModelDialog.test.tsx
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ describe('<ModelDialog />', () => {
     expect(lastFrame()).toContain('Select Model');
     expect(lastFrame()).toContain('(Press Esc to close)');
     expect(lastFrame()).toContain(
-      '> To use a specific Gemini model, use the --model flag.',
+      '> To use a specific Gemini model on startup, use the --model flag.',
     );
     unmount();
   });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ModelDialog.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ModelDialog.tsx
index 6879b5a32d..73c36089ae 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ModelDialog.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ModelDialog.tsx
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ export function ModelDialog({ onClose }: ModelDialogProps): React.JSX.Element {
       </Box>
       <Box flexDirection="column">
         <Text color={theme.text.secondary}>
-          {'> To use a specific Gemini model, use the --model flag.'}
+          {'> To use a specific Gemini model on startup, use the --model flag.'}
         </Text>
       </Box>
       <Box marginTop={1} flexDirection="column">