diff --git a/.chronus/changes/playground-preserve-sample-config-2026-08-13.md b/.chronus/changes/playground-preserve-sample-config-2026-08-13.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..975fc5db36d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.chronus/changes/playground-preserve-sample-config-2026-08-13.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+changeKind: fix
+packages:
+  - "@typespec/playground"
+---
+
+Preserve a sample's preferred emitter and compiler options when loading it in the playground.
diff --git a/packages/playground/src/react/hooks/use-monaco-sync.ts b/packages/playground/src/react/hooks/use-monaco-sync.ts
index d1e59d1213b..0af0c5e43c2 100644
--- a/packages/playground/src/react/hooks/use-monaco-sync.ts
+++ b/packages/playground/src/react/hooks/use-monaco-sync.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,17 @@ export function useMonacoSync({
   // to avoid the sync effect resetting the model during typing
   const isModelDrivenChangeRef = useRef(false);
 
+  // Keep the listener's view of React state current before syncing an external
+  // content change into Monaco. `setValue` fires `onDidChangeContent`
+  // synchronously, so updating these refs after the sync effect would let that
+  // event call a stale callback with stale content.
+  const contentRef = useRef(content);
+  const onContentChangeRef = useRef(onContentChange);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    contentRef.current = content;
+    onContentChangeRef.current = onContentChange;
+  }, [content, onContentChange]);
+
   // Sync external content changes → Monaco model
   useEffect(() => {
     if (isModelDrivenChangeRef.current) {
@@ -34,16 +45,6 @@ export function useMonacoSync({
     }
   }, [content, typespecModel]);
 
-  // Use refs to avoid re-subscribing to onDidChangeContent on every keystroke
-  const contentRef = useRef(content);
-  const onContentChangeRef = useRef(onContentChange);
-  useEffect(() => {
-    contentRef.current = content;
-  }, [content]);
-  useEffect(() => {
-    onContentChangeRef.current = onContentChange;
-  }, [onContentChange]);
-
   // Sync Monaco model changes → React state
   useEffect(() => {
     const disposable = typespecModel.onDidChangeContent(() => {
diff --git a/packages/playground/test/use-monaco-sync.test.ts b/packages/playground/test/use-monaco-sync.test.ts
index 23721e827ca..38cc84f8b39 100644
--- a/packages/playground/test/use-monaco-sync.test.ts
+++ b/packages/playground/test/use-monaco-sync.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ function createMockModel(initialValue = "") {
     getValue: vi.fn(() => value),
     setValue: vi.fn((v: string) => {
       value = v;
+      for (const cb of listeners) cb();
     }),
     onDidChangeContent: vi.fn((cb: () => void) => {
       listeners.push(cb);
@@ -121,3 +122,33 @@ it("does not reset model after model-driven content change", () => {
   // Should NOT call setValue again since it was model-driven
   expect(model.setValue).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 });
+
+it("does not report external content changes through a stale callback", () => {
+  const model = createMockModel("initial");
+  const initialOnContentChange = vi.fn();
+  const updatedOnContentChange = vi.fn();
+
+  const { rerender } = renderHook(
+    ({ content, onContentChange }) =>
+      useMonacoSync({
+        typespecModel: model as any,
+        content,
+        onContentChange,
+      }),
+    {
+      initialProps: {
+        content: "initial",
+        onContentChange: initialOnContentChange,
+      },
+    },
+  );
+
+  rerender({
+    content: "sample content",
+    onContentChange: updatedOnContentChange,
+  });
+
+  expect(model.setValue).toHaveBeenCalledWith("sample content");
+  expect(initialOnContentChange).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  expect(updatedOnContentChange).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+});