diff --git a/invokeai/app/services/model_install/model_install_default.py b/invokeai/app/services/model_install/model_install_default.py
index 51c4878709..b3c6015f4d 100644
--- a/invokeai/app/services/model_install/model_install_default.py
+++ b/invokeai/app/services/model_install/model_install_default.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ from invokeai.app.services.download import DownloadJob, DownloadQueueServiceBase
 from invokeai.app.services.events.events_base import EventServiceBase
 from invokeai.app.services.invoker import Invoker
 from invokeai.app.services.model_records import DuplicateModelException, ModelRecordServiceBase
+from invokeai.app.util.misc import uuid_string
 from invokeai.backend.model_manager.config import (
     AnyModelConfig,
     BaseModelType,
@@ -149,7 +150,7 @@ class ModelInstallService(ModelInstallServiceBase):
         config = config or {}
         if not config.get("source"):
             config["source"] = model_path.resolve().as_posix()
-        config["key"] = config.get("key", self._create_key())
+        config["key"] = config.get("key", uuid_string())
 
         info: AnyModelConfig = self._probe_model(Path(model_path), config)
 
@@ -530,7 +531,7 @@ class ModelInstallService(ModelInstallServiceBase):
     ) -> str:
         # Note that we may be passed a pre-populated AnyModelConfig object,
         # in which case the key field should have been populated by the caller (e.g. in `install_path`).
-        config["key"] = config.get("key", self._create_key())
+        config["key"] = config.get("key", uuid_string())
         info = info or ModelProbe.probe(model_path, config)
         override_key: Optional[str] = config.get("key") if config else None