diff --git a/public/src/uncloseai-embed-modal.js b/public/src/uncloseai-embed-modal.js
index f7780aa..cfb991d 100644
--- a/public/src/uncloseai-embed-modal.js
+++ b/public/src/uncloseai-embed-modal.js
@@ -1101,11 +1101,7 @@ async function openUncloseaiEmbeddedModalNew() {
 		function applySettingsState() {
 			settingsPanel.classList.toggle("open", settingsOpen);
 			chatArea.style.display = settingsOpen ? "none" : "";
-			controls.style.display = settingsOpen ? "none" : "";
-		}
-
-		if (settingsOpen) {
-			applySettingsState();
+			if (controls) controls.style.display = settingsOpen ? "none" : "";
 		}
 
 		menuBtn.onclick = () => {
@@ -1134,6 +1130,11 @@ async function openUncloseaiEmbeddedModalNew() {
 		const controls = document.createElement("div");
 		controls.className = "uncloseai-modal-controls";
 
+		// Apply initial settings state now that controls exists
+		if (settingsOpen) {
+			applySettingsState();
+		}
+
 		// HTML to Markdown converter function
 		function htmlToMarkdown(html) {
 			// Create a temporary element to parse HTML