diff --git a/api/api.go b/api/api.go
index e3409effe17a..b89f47e1ba0e 100644
--- a/api/api.go
+++ b/api/api.go
@@ -51,6 +51,18 @@ func Startup(opts ...options.AppOption) (*options.Option, *config.ConfigLoader,
 		log.Error().Msgf("error downloading models: %s", err.Error())
 	}
 
+	if options.PreloadJSONModels != "" {
+		if err := localai.ApplyGalleryFromString(options.Loader.ModelPath, options.PreloadJSONModels, cl, options.Galleries); err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
+	if options.PreloadModelsFromPath != "" {
+		if err := localai.ApplyGalleryFromFile(options.Loader.ModelPath, options.PreloadModelsFromPath, cl, options.Galleries); err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
 	if options.Debug {
 		for _, v := range cl.ListConfigs() {
 			cfg, _ := cl.GetConfig(v)
@@ -67,18 +79,6 @@ func Startup(opts ...options.AppOption) (*options.Option, *config.ConfigLoader,
 		}
 	}
 
-	if options.PreloadJSONModels != "" {
-		if err := localai.ApplyGalleryFromString(options.Loader.ModelPath, options.PreloadJSONModels, cl, options.Galleries); err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if options.PreloadModelsFromPath != "" {
-		if err := localai.ApplyGalleryFromFile(options.Loader.ModelPath, options.PreloadModelsFromPath, cl, options.Galleries); err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, err
-		}
-	}
-
 	// turn off any process that was started by GRPC if the context is canceled
 	go func() {
 		<-options.Context.Done()
diff --git a/api/config/config.go b/api/config/config.go
index 4c28f49b33a5..350d2c6585f8 100644
--- a/api/config/config.go
+++ b/api/config/config.go
@@ -267,6 +267,7 @@ func (cm *ConfigLoader) ListConfigs() []string {
 	return res
 }
 
+// Preload prepare models if they are not local but url or huggingface repositories
 func (cm *ConfigLoader) Preload(modelPath string) error {
 	cm.Lock()
 	defer cm.Unlock()
diff --git a/api/localai/gallery.go b/api/localai/gallery.go
index a1cab6dc3edd..a2ad5bd1ac46 100644
--- a/api/localai/gallery.go
+++ b/api/localai/gallery.go
@@ -130,6 +130,12 @@ func (g *galleryApplier) Start(c context.Context, cm *config.ConfigLoader) {
 					continue
 				}
 
+				err = cm.Preload(g.modelPath)
+				if err != nil {
+					updateError(err)
+					continue
+				}
+
 				g.updateStatus(op.id, &galleryOpStatus{Processed: true, Message: "completed", Progress: 100})
 			}
 		}