diff --git a/kittens/choose_fonts/face.go b/kittens/choose_fonts/face.go
index be878528f..0ff0951a4 100644
--- a/kittens/choose_fonts/face.go
+++ b/kittens/choose_fonts/face.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package choose_fonts
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"maps"
 	"math"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -22,6 +23,23 @@ type face_panel struct {
 	preview_cache_mutex sync.Mutex
 }
 
+func (self *face_panel) variable_spec(named_style string, axis_overrides map[string]float64) string {
+	ans := fmt.Sprintf(`family="%s" variable_name="%s"`, self.family, self.current_preview.Variable_data.Variations_postscript_name_prefix)
+	if axis_overrides != nil {
+		axis_values := self.current_preview.current_axis_values()
+		maps.Copy(axis_values, axis_overrides)
+		default_axis_values := self.current_preview.default_axis_values()
+		for tag, val := range axis_values {
+			if default_axis_values[tag] != val {
+				ans += fmt.Sprintf(" %s=%g", tag, val)
+			}
+		}
+	} else if named_style != "" {
+		ans += fmt.Sprintf(" style=\"%s\"", named_style)
+	}
+	return ans
+}
+
 func (self *face_panel) draw_variable_fine_tune(sz loop.ScreenSize, start_y int, preview RenderedSampleTransmit) (y int, err error) {
 	s := styles_for_variable_data(preview.Variable_data)
 	lines := []string{}
@@ -175,8 +193,7 @@ func (self *face_panel) on_click(id string) (err error) {
 	case "style":
 		self.set(fmt.Sprintf(`family="%s" style="%s"`, self.family, val))
 	case "variable_style":
-		self.set(fmt.Sprintf(`family="%s" variable_name="%s" style="%s"`, self.family,
-			self.current_preview.Variable_data.Variations_postscript_name_prefix, val))
+		self.set(self.variable_spec(val, nil))
 	}
 	return self.handler.draw_screen()
 }
diff --git a/kittens/choose_fonts/types.go b/kittens/choose_fonts/types.go
index 3a92e6329..9307898a4 100644
--- a/kittens/choose_fonts/types.go
+++ b/kittens/choose_fonts/types.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package choose_fonts
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"maps"
 	"sync"
 )
 
@@ -95,6 +96,28 @@ type RenderedSampleTransmit struct {
 	Variable_axis_map    map[string]float64 `json:"variable_axis_map"`
 }
 
+func (self RenderedSampleTransmit) default_axis_values() (ans map[string]float64) {
+	ans = make(map[string]float64)
+	for _, ax := range self.Variable_data.Axes {
+		ans[ax.Tag] = ax.Default
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+func (self RenderedSampleTransmit) current_axis_values() (ans map[string]float64) {
+	ans = make(map[string]float64)
+	if self.Variable_named_style.Name != "" {
+		maps.Copy(ans, self.Variable_named_style.Axis_values)
+	} else {
+		ans := make(map[string]float64)
+		for _, ax := range self.Variable_data.Axes {
+			ans[ax.Tag] = ax.Default
+		}
+		maps.Copy(ans, self.Variable_axis_map)
+	}
+	return
+}
+
 var variable_data_cache map[string]VariableData
 var variable_data_cache_mutex sync.Mutex