diff --git a/app/assets/services/path_utils.py b/app/assets/services/path_utils.py
index 683ed2481..cd47255b1 100644
--- a/app/assets/services/path_utils.py
+++ b/app/assets/services/path_utils.py
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Literal
 
 import folder_paths
-from app.assets.helpers import normalize_tags
 
 
 _NON_MODEL_FOLDER_NAMES = frozenset({"configs", "custom_nodes"})
@@ -331,10 +330,11 @@ def get_path_derived_tag_vocabulary() -> set[str]:
     vocabulary = {"input", "output", "temp", "models"}
     vocabulary.update(_KNOWN_SUBFOLDER_TAGS)
     for folder_name, _bases, _extensions in get_comfy_models_folders():
-        vocabulary.add(f"model_type:{folder_name}")
-    # Stored names reach the database through normalize_tags, so an un-normalized
-    # entry would never match the tag it exists to authorise removing.
-    return set(normalize_tags(list(vocabulary)))
+        # Strip the name, not the finished tag: whitespace landing after
+        # "model_type:" survives the strip that stored names are put through,
+        # so the entry would never match the tag it authorises removing.
+        vocabulary.add(f"model_type:{folder_name.strip()}")
+    return vocabulary
 
 
 def get_name_and_tags_from_asset_path(file_path: str) -> tuple[str, list[str]]:
diff --git a/tests-unit/assets_test/test_semantics_reset.py b/tests-unit/assets_test/test_semantics_reset.py
index 48fd8b4f9..a866124da 100644
--- a/tests-unit/assets_test/test_semantics_reset.py
+++ b/tests-unit/assets_test/test_semantics_reset.py
@@ -392,19 +392,26 @@ class TestTagReprojection:
             tags={"model_type:loras": "automatic"},
         )
 
-        with patch(
-            "app.assets.services.path_utils.get_comfy_models_folders",
-            return_value=[
-                ("checkpoints", [str(comfy_dirs["checkpoints"])], {".safetensors"}),
-                ("loras ", [str(comfy_dirs["loras"])], {".safetensors"}),
-            ],
-        ):
-            reproject_derived_state()
+        # Leading whitespace lands after "model_type:", where a strip of the
+        # finished tag cannot reach it; trailing whitespace a strip would catch.
+        for registered in (" loras", "loras "):
+            with patch(
+                "app.assets.services.path_utils.get_comfy_models_folders",
+                return_value=[
+                    (
+                        "checkpoints",
+                        [str(comfy_dirs["checkpoints"])],
+                        {".safetensors"},
+                    ),
+                    (registered, [str(comfy_dirs["loras"])], {".safetensors"}),
+                ],
+            ):
+                reproject_derived_state()
 
-        assert "model_type:loras" not in _tags(session, "ref-1"), (
-            "a category name with stray whitespace must not smuggle an entry "
-            "past the vocabulary and leave the stale tag in place"
-        )
+            assert "model_type:loras" not in _tags(session, "ref-1"), (
+                f"a category registered as {registered!r} must not smuggle an "
+                "entry past the vocabulary and leave the stale tag in place"
+            )
 
     def test_automatic_tag_outside_the_vocabulary_is_left_alone(
         self, session, comfy_dirs