diff --git a/src/components/wired-tools/WiredCreatorToolsView.tsx b/src/components/wired-tools/WiredCreatorToolsView.tsx
index 063364d..97c5389 100644
--- a/src/components/wired-tools/WiredCreatorToolsView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/wired-tools/WiredCreatorToolsView.tsx
@@ -54,11 +54,8 @@ export const WiredCreatorToolsView: FC<{}> = () =>
     const setEditingVariable = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.setEditingVariable);
     const editingValue = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.editingValue);
     const setEditingValue = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.setEditingValue);
-    const [ selectedInspectionVariableKeys, setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys ] = useState<Record<InspectionElementType, string>>({
-        furni: '',
-        user: '',
-        global: ''
-    });
+    const selectedInspectionVariableKeys = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.selectedInspectionVariableKeys);
+    const setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys);
     const isInspectionGiveOpen = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.isInspectionGiveOpen);
     const setIsInspectionGiveOpen = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.setIsInspectionGiveOpen);
     const [ inspectionGiveVariableItemId, setInspectionGiveVariableItemId ] = useState(0);
@@ -87,12 +84,8 @@ export const WiredCreatorToolsView: FC<{}> = () =>
     const setVariableHighlightOverlays = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.setVariableHighlightOverlays);
     const variableHighlightObjectsRef = useRef<Array<{ category: number; objectId: number; }>>([]);
     const shouldPauseVariableSnapshotRefresh = (!!editingVariable || !!editingManagedHolderVariableId || isInspectionGiveOpen || isManagedGiveOpen);
-    const [ selectedVariableKeys, setSelectedVariableKeys ] = useState<Record<VariablesElementType, string>>({
-        furni: VARIABLE_DEFINITIONS.furni[0].key,
-        user: VARIABLE_DEFINITIONS.user[0].key,
-        global: VARIABLE_DEFINITIONS.global[0].key,
-        context: VARIABLE_DEFINITIONS.context[0].key
-    });
+    const selectedVariableKeys = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.selectedVariableKeys);
+    const setSelectedVariableKeys = useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore(s => s.setSelectedVariableKeys);
     const { roomSession = null } = useRoom();
     const { ownUser: tradeOwnUser = null, otherUser: tradeOtherUser = null, isTrading = false } = useInventoryTrade();
     const { roomSettings, userVariableDefinitions, userVariableAssignments, furniVariableDefinitions, furniVariableAssignments, roomVariableDefinitions, roomVariableAssignments, contextVariableDefinitions, requestUserVariables, assignUserVariable, removeUserVariable, updateUserVariableValue, assignFurniVariable, removeFurniVariable, updateFurniVariableValue, updateRoomVariableValue } = useWiredTools();
diff --git a/src/components/wired-tools/wiredCreatorToolsUiStore.test.ts b/src/components/wired-tools/wiredCreatorToolsUiStore.test.ts
index 49a524e..c128497 100644
--- a/src/components/wired-tools/wiredCreatorToolsUiStore.test.ts
+++ b/src/components/wired-tools/wiredCreatorToolsUiStore.test.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,9 @@ const INITIAL = {
     editingVariable: null,
     editingValue: '',
     editingManagedHolderVariableId: 0,
-    editingManagedHolderValue: ''
+    editingManagedHolderValue: '',
+    selectedInspectionVariableKeys: { furni: '', user: '', global: '' },
+    selectedVariableKeys: { furni: '', user: '', global: '', context: '' }
 };
 
 describe('useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore', () =>
@@ -68,6 +70,8 @@ describe('useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore', () =>
         expect(state.editingValue).toBe('');
         expect(state.editingManagedHolderVariableId).toBe(0);
         expect(state.editingManagedHolderValue).toBe('');
+        expect(state.selectedInspectionVariableKeys).toEqual({ furni: '', user: '', global: '' });
+        expect(state.selectedVariableKeys).toEqual({ furni: '', user: '', global: '', context: '' });
     });
 
     describe('setIsVisible', () =>
@@ -404,4 +408,54 @@ describe('useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore', () =>
             expect(useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().editingManagedHolderValue).toBe('');
         });
     });
+
+    describe('variable-key records', () =>
+    {
+        it('setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys accepts the updater shape used by give/remove handlers', () =>
+        {
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys(prev => ({ ...prev, furni: '@state' }));
+            expect(useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().selectedInspectionVariableKeys).toEqual({ furni: '@state', user: '', global: '' });
+
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys(prev => ({ ...prev, user: 'username' }));
+            expect(useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().selectedInspectionVariableKeys).toEqual({ furni: '@state', user: 'username', global: '' });
+        });
+
+        it('setSelectedVariableKeys preserves untouched keys when patching a single type', () =>
+        {
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setSelectedVariableKeys(prev => ({ ...prev, furni: '@state', user: 'level' }));
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setSelectedVariableKeys(prev => ({ ...prev, context: 'hotel.uptime' }));
+
+            expect(useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().selectedVariableKeys).toEqual({
+                furni: '@state',
+                user: 'level',
+                global: '',
+                context: 'hotel.uptime'
+            });
+        });
+
+        it('setSelectedVariableKeys accepts a direct record (definition-sync write path)', () =>
+        {
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setSelectedVariableKeys({
+                furni: '~teleport.target_id',
+                user: 'username',
+                global: 'hotel.uptime',
+                context: 'event.type'
+            });
+
+            expect(useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().selectedVariableKeys.furni).toBe('~teleport.target_id');
+            expect(useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().selectedVariableKeys.context).toBe('event.type');
+        });
+
+        it('variable-key records persist across the panel close/reopen lifecycle', () =>
+        {
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setSelectedVariableKeys(prev => ({ ...prev, furni: '@state' }));
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys(prev => ({ ...prev, user: 'level' }));
+
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setIsVisible(false);
+            useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().setIsVisible(true);
+
+            expect(useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().selectedVariableKeys.furni).toBe('@state');
+            expect(useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore.getState().selectedInspectionVariableKeys.user).toBe('level');
+        });
+    });
 });
diff --git a/src/components/wired-tools/wiredCreatorToolsUiStore.ts b/src/components/wired-tools/wiredCreatorToolsUiStore.ts
index 03c4c0e..3726b6f 100644
--- a/src/components/wired-tools/wiredCreatorToolsUiStore.ts
+++ b/src/components/wired-tools/wiredCreatorToolsUiStore.ts
@@ -81,6 +81,16 @@ interface WiredCreatorToolsUiState
     editingManagedHolderVariableId: number;
     editingManagedHolderValue: string;
 
+    /**
+     * Currently selected variable key per tab/type, used as the "active"
+     * row in the Inspection and Variables tabs. The sync effects in
+     * `WiredCreatorToolsView` auto-pick the first available key whenever
+     * the definitions list for that type changes, so we initialize empty
+     * — the component's first paint populates them.
+     */
+    selectedInspectionVariableKeys: Record<InspectionElementType, string>;
+    selectedVariableKeys: Record<VariablesElementType, string>;
+
     setIsVisible: (next: Updater<boolean>) => void;
     setActiveTab: (next: WiredToolsTab) => void;
     setInspectionType: (next: InspectionElementType) => void;
@@ -115,6 +125,9 @@ interface WiredCreatorToolsUiState
     setEditingValue: (next: string) => void;
     setEditingManagedHolderVariableId: (next: number) => void;
     setEditingManagedHolderValue: (next: string) => void;
+
+    setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys: (next: Updater<Record<InspectionElementType, string>>) => void;
+    setSelectedVariableKeys: (next: Updater<Record<VariablesElementType, string>>) => void;
 }
 
 export const useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore = createNitroStore<WiredCreatorToolsUiState>()((set) => ({
@@ -152,6 +165,9 @@ export const useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore = createNitroStore<WiredCreatorToolsUiS
     editingManagedHolderVariableId: 0,
     editingManagedHolderValue: '',
 
+    selectedInspectionVariableKeys: { furni: '', user: '', global: '' },
+    selectedVariableKeys: { furni: '', user: '', global: '', context: '' },
+
     setIsVisible: (next) => set(state => ({ isVisible: apply(state.isVisible, next) })),
     setActiveTab: (next) => set({ activeTab: next }),
     setInspectionType: (next) => set({ inspectionType: next }),
@@ -185,5 +201,8 @@ export const useWiredCreatorToolsUiStore = createNitroStore<WiredCreatorToolsUiS
     setEditingVariable: (next) => set({ editingVariable: next }),
     setEditingValue: (next) => set({ editingValue: next }),
     setEditingManagedHolderVariableId: (next) => set({ editingManagedHolderVariableId: next }),
-    setEditingManagedHolderValue: (next) => set({ editingManagedHolderValue: next })
+    setEditingManagedHolderValue: (next) => set({ editingManagedHolderValue: next }),
+
+    setSelectedInspectionVariableKeys: (next) => set(state => ({ selectedInspectionVariableKeys: apply(state.selectedInspectionVariableKeys, next) })),
+    setSelectedVariableKeys: (next) => set(state => ({ selectedVariableKeys: apply(state.selectedVariableKeys, next) }))
 }));