diff --git a/app/assets/database/queries/tags.py b/app/assets/database/queries/tags.py
index 2ea4b187e..2501665ac 100644
--- a/app/assets/database/queries/tags.py
+++ b/app/assets/database/queries/tags.py
@@ -78,7 +78,13 @@ def get_reference_tags(session: Session, reference_id: str) -> list[str]:
             session.execute(
                 select(AssetReferenceTag.tag_name)
                 .where(AssetReferenceTag.asset_reference_id == reference_id)
-                .order_by(AssetReferenceTag.tag_name.asc())
+                # Match the response-path ordering used by
+                # list_references_page / fetch_reference_asset_and_tags so
+                # upload responses and subsequent GETs agree on tag order.
+                .order_by(
+                    AssetReferenceTag.added_at.asc(),
+                    AssetReferenceTag.tag_name.asc(),
+                )
             )
         ).all()
     ]
@@ -153,8 +159,12 @@ def add_tags_to_reference(
 
     current = set(get_reference_tags(session, reference_id))
 
+    # Preserve the caller's insertion order rather than alphabetizing —
+    # the retrieval ORDER BY added_at + microsecond stagger only meaningfully
+    # preserves insertion order if "the order we insert in" actually matches
+    # the caller's intent.
     want = set(norm)
-    to_add = sorted(want - current)
+    to_add = [t for t in norm if t not in current]
 
     if to_add:
         # See set_reference_tags for the rationale behind the per-tag stagger.
diff --git a/tests-unit/assets_test/test_user_tag_http_smoke.py b/tests-unit/assets_test/test_user_tag_http_smoke.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e12a8b9d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests-unit/assets_test/test_user_tag_http_smoke.py
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+"""HTTP-layer smoke test: user-added tags via POST /api/assets/{id}/tags
+land after path tags when read back via GET /api/assets.
+
+Exercises the full route handler -> service -> query path that the unit
+tests at tests-unit/assets_test/queries/test_asset_info.py only cover at
+the service layer.
+"""
+import json
+
+import pytest
+import requests
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def smoke_asset(http: requests.Session, api_base: str):
+    """Upload a single asset into models/checkpoints/unit-tests/smoke
+    and delete it on teardown."""
+    name = "smoke_user_tag.safetensors"
+    tags = ["models", "checkpoints", "unit-tests", "smoke"]
+    files = {"file": (name, b"S" * 4096, "application/octet-stream")}
+    form_data = {
+        "tags": json.dumps(tags),
+        "name": name,
+        "user_metadata": json.dumps({}),
+    }
+    r = http.post(api_base + "/api/assets", files=files, data=form_data, timeout=120)
+    assert r.status_code == 201, r.text
+    body = r.json()
+    yield body
+    http.delete(
+        f"{api_base}/api/assets/{body['id']}?delete_content=true", timeout=30
+    )
+
+
+def _fetch_asset_tags(http, api_base, ref_id):
+    r = http.get(f"{api_base}/api/assets/{ref_id}", timeout=30)
+    assert r.status_code == 200, r.text
+    return r.json()["tags"]
+
+
+def test_user_tag_lands_after_path_tags_via_http(
+    http: requests.Session, api_base: str, smoke_asset: dict
+):
+    ref_id = smoke_asset["id"]
+
+    initial_tags = _fetch_asset_tags(http, api_base, ref_id)
+    # Path tags should already be at the front in upload order.
+    assert initial_tags[:2] == ["models", "checkpoints"]
+
+    # Add a user tag that would jump to position 0 under alphabetical sort.
+    r = http.post(
+        f"{api_base}/api/assets/{ref_id}/tags",
+        json={"tags": ["aaa-user-tag"]},
+        timeout=30,
+    )
+    assert r.status_code in (200, 201), r.text
+
+    tags_after = _fetch_asset_tags(http, api_base, ref_id)
+    # Path tags must still be at the front; user tag goes to the end.
+    assert tags_after[0] == "models"
+    assert tags_after[1] == "checkpoints"
+    assert "aaa-user-tag" in tags_after
+    assert tags_after[-1] == "aaa-user-tag"
+
+
+def test_user_tag_batch_lands_after_path_tags_via_http(
+    http: requests.Session, api_base: str, smoke_asset: dict
+):
+    ref_id = smoke_asset["id"]
+
+    # Add three user tags in a single request, in non-alphabetical input
+    # order. They should all land after the path tags (microsecond stagger
+    # in set_reference_tags / add_tags_to_reference is what makes this
+    # work — without it, "aaa" would jump to position 0).
+    r = http.post(
+        f"{api_base}/api/assets/{ref_id}/tags",
+        json={"tags": ["zzz-z", "favorite", "aaa-experiment"]},
+        timeout=30,
+    )
+    assert r.status_code in (200, 201), r.text
+
+    tags_after = _fetch_asset_tags(http, api_base, ref_id)
+    assert tags_after[0] == "models"
+    assert tags_after[1] == "checkpoints"
+    user_tail = tags_after[len({"models", "checkpoints", "unit-tests", "smoke"}):]
+    assert set(user_tail) >= {"zzz-z", "favorite", "aaa-experiment"}
+    # Critically: alphabetical sort would put 'aaa-experiment' at position 0.
+    assert tags_after.index("aaa-experiment") > tags_after.index("models")
+    assert tags_after.index("aaa-experiment") > tags_after.index("checkpoints")