diff --git a/studio/backend/routes/models.py b/studio/backend/routes/models.py
index c1afc5c87e..cf1785cd0c 100644
--- a/studio/backend/routes/models.py
+++ b/studio/backend/routes/models.py
@@ -3528,6 +3528,14 @@ async def list_cached_models(
         return {"cached": []}
 
 
+def _loaded_id_matches_repo(loaded_id: str, repo_id: str) -> bool:
+    """True when *loaded_id* is *repo_id* or a file within it; ``/``-boundary aware so a
+    loaded ``org/model-2512`` does not block deleting the sibling cached ``org/model``."""
+    rid = repo_id.lower()
+    lid = loaded_id.lower()
+    return lid == rid or lid.startswith(f"{rid}/")
+
+
 @router.delete("/delete-cached")
 async def delete_cached_model(
     repo_id: str = Body(...),
@@ -3549,7 +3557,7 @@ async def delete_cached_model(
         llama_backend = get_llama_cpp_backend()
         if llama_backend.is_loaded and llama_backend.model_identifier:
             loaded_id = llama_backend.model_identifier.lower()
-            if loaded_id == repo_id.lower() or loaded_id.startswith(repo_id.lower()):
+            if _loaded_id_matches_repo(loaded_id, repo_id):
                 raise HTTPException(
                     status_code = 400,
                     detail = "Unload the model before deleting",
@@ -3563,7 +3571,7 @@ async def delete_cached_model(
         inference_backend = get_inference_backend()
         if inference_backend.active_model_name:
             active = inference_backend.active_model_name.lower()
-            if active == repo_id.lower() or active.startswith(repo_id.lower()):
+            if _loaded_id_matches_repo(active, repo_id):
                 raise HTTPException(
                     status_code = 400,
                     detail = "Unload the model before deleting",
@@ -3586,7 +3594,7 @@ async def delete_cached_model(
         diffusion_status = engine.status()
         if diffusion_status.get("loaded") and diffusion_status.get("repo_id"):
             loaded_id = str(diffusion_status["repo_id"]).lower()
-            if loaded_id == repo_id.lower() or loaded_id.startswith(repo_id.lower()):
+            if _loaded_id_matches_repo(loaded_id, repo_id):
                 raise HTTPException(
                     status_code = 400,
                     detail = "Unload the model before deleting",
@@ -3597,7 +3605,7 @@ async def delete_cached_model(
         loading_ids = getattr(engine, "loading_repo_ids", tuple)()
         for lid in loading_ids:
             lid = str(lid).lower()
-            if lid == repo_id.lower() or lid.startswith(repo_id.lower()):
+            if _loaded_id_matches_repo(lid, repo_id):
                 raise HTTPException(
                     status_code = 400,
                     detail = "An Images model load is using this repo; wait for it to finish",
@@ -3618,7 +3626,7 @@ async def delete_cached_model(
         video_status = video_backend.status()
         if video_status.get("loaded") and video_status.get("repo_id"):
             loaded_id = str(video_status["repo_id"]).lower()
-            if loaded_id == repo_id.lower() or loaded_id.startswith(repo_id.lower()):
+            if _loaded_id_matches_repo(loaded_id, repo_id):
                 raise HTTPException(
                     status_code = 400,
                     detail = "Unload the model before deleting",
@@ -3628,7 +3636,7 @@ async def delete_cached_model(
         # from under the in-flight download/assembly -- same as the Images guard above.
         for lid in getattr(video_backend, "loading_repo_ids", tuple)():
             lid = str(lid).lower()
-            if lid == repo_id.lower() or lid.startswith(repo_id.lower()):
+            if _loaded_id_matches_repo(lid, repo_id):
                 raise HTTPException(
                     status_code = 400,
                     detail = "A Video model load is using this repo; wait for it to finish",
diff --git a/studio/backend/tests/test_cached_gguf_routes.py b/studio/backend/tests/test_cached_gguf_routes.py
index 1dc391cd30..6c29daedf2 100644
--- a/studio/backend/tests/test_cached_gguf_routes.py
+++ b/studio/backend/tests/test_cached_gguf_routes.py
@@ -919,6 +919,75 @@ def test_delete_cached_refuses_video_loaded_repo(monkeypatch):
         assert "Unload the model before deleting" in e.detail
 
 
+def test_delete_cached_allows_sibling_of_loaded_diffusion_repo(monkeypatch):
+    # A loaded Images repo must not block deleting a DIFFERENT cached repo that merely shares a
+    # name prefix. Qwen/Qwen-Image and Qwen/Qwen-Image-2512 are both real catalog artifacts, so
+    # with Qwen-Image-2512 loaded, deleting the sibling Qwen-Image is a supported operation. The
+    # guard is `/`-boundary aware, so it refuses only the loaded repo (or a file within it), not
+    # a prefix sibling.
+    from fastapi import HTTPException
+    import core.inference.diffusion_engine_router as der
+    import core.inference.video as video_mod
+    import routes.inference as routes_inference
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        routes_inference,
+        "get_llama_cpp_backend",
+        lambda: SimpleNamespace(is_loaded = False, model_identifier = None),
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        models_route,
+        "get_inference_backend",
+        lambda: SimpleNamespace(active_model_name = None),
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        der,
+        "get_active_diffusion_engine",
+        lambda: SimpleNamespace(
+            status = lambda: {"loaded": True, "repo_id": "Qwen/Qwen-Image-2512"},
+            loading_repo_ids = lambda: (),
+        ),
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        video_mod,
+        "get_video_backend",
+        lambda: SimpleNamespace(
+            status = lambda: {"loaded": False, "repo_id": None},
+            loading_repo_ids = lambda: (),
+        ),
+    )
+    # Nothing cached, so a delete that clears the guards reaches the not-found path.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(models_route, "_all_hf_cache_scans", lambda: [])
+
+    # The sibling repo clears every guard and reaches the cache lookup, which 404s -- it is NOT
+    # refused with the 400 "Unload" the un-delimited prefix match would have produced.
+    try:
+        asyncio.run(
+            models_route.delete_cached_model(
+                repo_id = "Qwen/Qwen-Image",
+                variant = None,
+                current_subject = "u",
+            )
+        )
+        assert False, "expected HTTPException (404 not-found) after clearing the guard"
+    except HTTPException as e:
+        assert e.status_code == 404, f"sibling delete wrongly blocked: {e.status_code} {e.detail}"
+
+    # The loaded repo itself is still refused (exact match).
+    try:
+        asyncio.run(
+            models_route.delete_cached_model(
+                repo_id = "Qwen/Qwen-Image-2512",
+                variant = None,
+                current_subject = "u",
+            )
+        )
+        assert False, "expected HTTPException refusing delete of the loaded repo"
+    except HTTPException as e:
+        assert e.status_code == 400
+        assert "Unload the model before deleting" in e.detail
+
+
 def test_cached_repo_partial_scopes_probe_to_snapshot_dir(monkeypatch):
     # The partial probe must be scoped to the snapshot row being listed. Unscoped, the scan
     # spans every HF cache root, so a stale .incomplete copy in one root would flag a complete