diff --git a/src/askem_beaker/contexts/mira_config_edit/agent.py b/src/askem_beaker/contexts/mira_config_edit/agent.py
index eb18452..07c32a7 100644
--- a/src/askem_beaker/contexts/mira_config_edit/agent.py
+++ b/src/askem_beaker/contexts/mira_config_edit/agent.py
@@ -74,11 +74,25 @@ async def update_parameters(self, parameter_values: dict, agent: AgentRef, loop:
 
         Please generate the code as if you were programming inside a Jupyter Notebook and the code is to be executed inside a cell.
         You MUST wrap the code with a line containing three backticks (```) before and after the generated code.
-        No addtional text is needed in the response, just the code block.   
+        No addtional text is needed in the response, just the code block.  
 
         Args:
             parameter_values (dict): the dictionary of parameter names and the values to update them with
         """
+        # load in model config's parameters to use in comparison to the 
+        # user provided parameters to update
+        model_params = agent.context.model_config.parameters.keys()
+        user_params = parameter_values['parameter_values'].keys()
+
+        # check if any in user_params is not in model_params and return an error
+        if not all(param in model_params for param in user_params):
+            loop.set_state(loop.STOP_FATAL)
+            error_message = f"It looks like you're trying to update parameter(s) that don't exist: " \
+                            f"[{', '.join(param for param in user_params if param not in model_params)}]. " \
+                            f"Please ensure you are updating a valid parameter: " \
+                            f"[{', '.join(param for param in model_params)}]."
+            return error_message
+
         loop.set_state(loop.STOP_SUCCESS)
         code = agent.context.get_code("update_params", {"parameter_values": parameter_values})
         return json.dumps(
diff --git a/src/askem_beaker/contexts/mira_config_edit/context.py b/src/askem_beaker/contexts/mira_config_edit/context.py
index a95a13b..8b464ab 100644
--- a/src/askem_beaker/contexts/mira_config_edit/context.py
+++ b/src/askem_beaker/contexts/mira_config_edit/context.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+from mira.sources.amr import model_from_json; 
 
 class MiraConfigEditContext(BaseContext):
 
@@ -64,6 +65,7 @@ async def set_model_config(self, item_id, agent=None, parent_header={}):
         self.original_amr = copy.deepcopy(self.amr)
         if self.amr:
             await self.load_mira()
+            self.model_config = model_from_json(self.amr)            
         else:
             raise Exception(f"Model config '{item_id}' not found.")
         await self.send_mira_preview_message(parent_header=parent_header)