diff --git a/josh-ui/src/App.tsx b/josh-ui/src/App.tsx
index 4c5d57e58..32b7d850c 100644
--- a/josh-ui/src/App.tsx
+++ b/josh-ui/src/App.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import './App.scss';
 import {FileList} from './FileBrowser';
 
 import {useEffect} from 'react';
+import {None, Option} from 'tsoption';
 
 import {
     BrowserRouter,
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ import {match} from "ts-pattern";
 import {FileViewer} from "./FileViewer";
 import {HistoryList} from "./History";
 import {Breadcrumbs} from "./Breadcrumbs";
+import {DEFAULT_FILTER} from "./Josh";
 
 function useNavigateCallback(): NavigateCallback {
     const navigate = useNavigate()
@@ -47,46 +49,80 @@ function useNavigateCallback(): NavigateCallback {
 function useGetSearchParam() {
     let [ searchParams ] = useSearchParams()
 
-    return (key: string): string => {
+    return (key: string): Option<string> => {
         let value = searchParams.get(key)
+
         if (value === null) {
-            throw new Error(`Search param ${key} was not provided`)
+            return new None()
         }
 
-        return value
+        return Option.of(value)
+    }
+}
+
+function useStrictGetSearchParam() {
+    const param = useGetSearchParam()
+
+    return (key: string): string => {
+        const value = param(key)
+
+        if (value.isEmpty()) {
+            throw new Error(`Search param ${key} was not provided`)
+        } else {
+            return value.getOrElse('')
+        }
     }
 }
 
 function Select() {
+    const param = useGetSearchParam()
+
     useEffect(() => {
         document.title = `Select repo - Josh`
     });
 
+    const filter = param('filter').flatMap(value => {
+        if (value === DEFAULT_FILTER) {
+            return new None<string>()
+        } else {
+            return Option.of(value)
+        }
+    })
+
     return <div className={'ui-modal-container'}>
         <div className={'ui-modal'}>
-            <RepoSelector navigateCallback={useNavigateCallback()}/>
+            <RepoSelector
+                repo={param('repo')}
+                filter={filter}
+                navigateCallback={useNavigateCallback()}
+            />
         </div>
     </div>
 }
 
-function TopNav(props: { repo: string, filter: string}) {
+function TopNav(props: { repo: string, filter: string }) {
+    const selectParams = {
+        repo: props.repo,
+        filter: props.filter,
+    }
+
     return <div className={'now-browsing'}>
         <span className={'now-browsing-name'}>
             <span className={'now-browsing-name-repo'}>
-                now browsing: {props.repo} 
+                now browsing: {props.repo}
             </span>
-            {props.filter !== ':/' && <span className={'now-browsing-name-filter'}>
+            {props.filter !== DEFAULT_FILTER && <span className={'now-browsing-name-filter'}>
                 {props.filter}
             </span>}
         </span>
         <span className={'now-browsing-select'}>
-            <Link to='/select'>select repo</Link>
+            <Link to={`/select?${createSearchParams(selectParams)}`}>select repo</Link>
         </span>
     </div>
 }
 
 function Browse() {
-    const param = useGetSearchParam()
+    const param = useStrictGetSearchParam()
 
     useEffect(() => {
         document.title = `/${param('path')} - ${param('repo')} - Josh`
@@ -115,7 +151,7 @@ function Browse() {
 }
 
 function History() {
-    const param = useGetSearchParam()
+    const param = useStrictGetSearchParam()
 
     useEffect(() => {
         document.title = `History - ${param('repo')} - Josh`
@@ -137,7 +173,7 @@ function History() {
 
 
 function View() {
-    const param = useGetSearchParam()
+    const param = useStrictGetSearchParam()
 
     useEffect(() => {
         document.title = `${param('path')} - ${param('repo')} - Josh`
diff --git a/josh-ui/src/Josh.tsx b/josh-ui/src/Josh.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a6c828836
--- /dev/null
+++ b/josh-ui/src/Josh.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export const DEFAULT_FILTER = ':/'
diff --git a/josh-ui/src/RepoSelector.tsx b/josh-ui/src/RepoSelector.tsx
index 9f9c2ee03..e72583000 100644
--- a/josh-ui/src/RepoSelector.tsx
+++ b/josh-ui/src/RepoSelector.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {match, select, when} from 'ts-pattern';
 import {None, Option} from 'tsoption';
 import {getServer} from './Server';
 import {NavigateCallback, NavigateTargetType} from "./Navigation";
+import {DEFAULT_FILTER} from "./Josh";
 
 type Remote =
     | { type: 'None' }
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@ function formatHint(checkResult: UrlCheckResult, filter: Option<string>): string
 
 type RepoSelectorProps = {
     navigateCallback: NavigateCallback
+    repo: Option<string>
+    filter: Option<string>
 }
 
 type State = {
@@ -65,8 +68,8 @@ type ParsedInput = {
 export class RepoSelector extends React.Component<RepoSelectorProps, State> {
     state: State = {
         remote: { type: 'None' },
-        repo: new None(),
-        filter: new None(),
+        repo: this.props.repo,
+        filter: this.props.filter,
     };
 
     componentDidMount () {
@@ -143,7 +146,7 @@ export class RepoSelector extends React.Component<RepoSelectorProps, State> {
         this.props.navigateCallback(NavigateTargetType.History, {
             repo:   parsedInput.target[0].getOrElse('') + '.git',
             path:   '',
-            filter: parsedInput.target[1].getOrElse(':/'),
+            filter: parsedInput.target[1].getOrElse(DEFAULT_FILTER),
             rev:    'HEAD',
         })
     }
@@ -169,6 +172,7 @@ export class RepoSelector extends React.Component<RepoSelectorProps, State> {
                 }
                 <input
                     type={'text'}
+                    value={this.state.repo.getOrElse('')}
                     className={'repo-selector-repo-input ui-input'}
                     placeholder={'repo.git'}
                     onChange={repoChanged}
@@ -177,6 +181,7 @@ export class RepoSelector extends React.Component<RepoSelectorProps, State> {
             <div className={'repo-selector-filter'}>
                 <input
                     type={'text'}
+                    value={this.state.filter.getOrElse('')}
                     className={'repo-selector-filter-input ui-input'}
                     placeholder={':filter'}
                     onChange={filterChanged}