diff --git a/cortex-js/src/infrastructure/controllers/models.controller.ts b/cortex-js/src/infrastructure/controllers/models.controller.ts
index c9b1e4ca5..851a9f91a 100644
--- a/cortex-js/src/infrastructure/controllers/models.controller.ts
+++ b/cortex-js/src/infrastructure/controllers/models.controller.ts
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ export class ModelsController {
   })
 
   @Get('download/:modelId(*)')
-  downloadModel(@Param('modelId') modelId: string, @Query('fileName') fileName: string) {
+  downloadModel(@Param('modelId') modelId: string, @Query('fileName') fileName: string, @Query('persistedModelId') persistedModelId?: string) {
     this.modelsUsecases.pullModel(modelId, false, (files) => {
       return new Promise<HuggingFaceRepoSibling>(async (resolve, reject) => {
         const file = files
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ export class ModelsController {
         }
         return resolve(file);
       });
-    }).then(() => this.telemetryUsecases.addEventToQueue({
+    }, persistedModelId).then(() => this.telemetryUsecases.addEventToQueue({
       name: EventName.DOWNLOAD_MODEL,
       modelId,
     })
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ export class ModelsController {
     description: 'The unique identifier of the model.',
   })
   @Get('pull/:modelId(*)')
-  pullModel(@Param('modelId') modelId: string, @Query('fileName') fileName: string) {
+  pullModel(@Param('modelId') modelId: string, @Query('fileName') fileName: string, @Query('persistedModelId') persistedModelId?: string) {
     this.modelsUsecases.pullModel(modelId, false, (files) => {
       return new Promise<HuggingFaceRepoSibling>(async (resolve, reject) => {
         const file = files
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ export class ModelsController {
         }
         return resolve(file);
       });
-    }).then(() => this.telemetryUsecases.addEventToQueue({
+    }, persistedModelId).then(() => this.telemetryUsecases.addEventToQueue({
       name: EventName.DOWNLOAD_MODEL,
       modelId,
     })
diff --git a/cortex-js/src/usecases/models/models.usecases.ts b/cortex-js/src/usecases/models/models.usecases.ts
index ab900cc02..9c3824a17 100644
--- a/cortex-js/src/usecases/models/models.usecases.ts
+++ b/cortex-js/src/usecases/models/models.usecases.ts
@@ -321,12 +321,14 @@ export class ModelsUsecases {
    * @param modelId
    */
   async pullModel(
-    modelId: string,
+    originModelId: string,
     inSequence: boolean = true,
     selection?: (
       siblings: HuggingFaceRepoSibling[],
     ) => Promise<HuggingFaceRepoSibling>,
+    persistedModelId?: string,
   ) {
+    const modelId = persistedModelId ?? originModelId;
     const existingModel = await this.findOne(modelId);
     if (isLocalModel(existingModel?.files)) {
       throw new BadRequestException('Model already exists');
@@ -341,10 +343,10 @@ export class ModelsUsecases {
     const modelFolder = join(modelsContainerDir, normalizeModelId(modelId));
     await promises.mkdir(modelFolder, { recursive: true }).catch(() => {});
 
-    let files = (await fetchJanRepoData(modelId)).siblings;
+    let files = (await fetchJanRepoData(originModelId)).siblings;
     
     // HuggingFace GGUF Repo - Only one file is downloaded
-    if (modelId.includes('/') && selection && files.length) {
+    if (originModelId.includes('/') && selection && files.length) {
       try {
       files = [await selection(files)];
       } catch (e) {
@@ -409,8 +411,6 @@ export class ModelsUsecases {
           model.model = modelId;
           if (!(await this.findOne(modelId))) await this.create(model);
         } else {
-          // Fallback if model.yml is not found & is a GGUF file
-          const data = await this.fetchModelMetadata(modelId);
           await this.populateHuggingFaceModel(modelId, files[0]);
           const model = await this.findOne(modelId);
           if (model) {