diff --git a/src/main/java/net/minecraftforge/client/gui/ModListScreen.java b/src/main/java/net/minecraftforge/client/gui/ModListScreen.java
index 303aeaaa50..098a95a2e1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/minecraftforge/client/gui/ModListScreen.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/minecraftforge/client/gui/ModListScreen.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import net.minecraftforge.client.gui.widget.ModListWidget;
 import net.minecraftforge.client.gui.widget.ScrollPanel;
 import net.minecraftforge.fml.loading.moddiscovery.ModFileInfo;
 import org.apache.maven.artifact.versioning.ComparableVersion;
+import org.jspecify.annotations.Nullable;
 
 import net.minecraft.client.Minecraft;
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.ActiveTextCollector;
@@ -299,8 +300,6 @@ public class ModListScreen extends Screen {
 
     @Override
     public void tick() {
-        modList.setSelected(selected);
-
         if (!search.getValue().equals(lastFilterText)) {
             reloadMods();
             sorted = false;
@@ -311,11 +310,11 @@ public class ModListScreen extends Screen {
             mods.sort(sortType);
             modList.refreshList();
             if (selected != null) {
-                selected = modList.children().stream()
+                final var newSelected = modList.children().stream()
                         .filter(e -> e.getInfo() == selected.getInfo())
                         .findFirst()
                         .orElse(null);
-                updateCache();
+                this.modList.setSelected(newSelected);
             }
             sorted = true;
         }
@@ -365,8 +364,14 @@ public class ModListScreen extends Screen {
     }
 
     public void setSelected(ModListWidget.ModEntry entry) {
-        this.selected = entry == this.selected ? null : entry;
-        updateCache();
+        if (this.selected != entry) {
+            this.selected = entry;
+            updateCache();
+        }
+    }
+
+    public ModListWidget.@Nullable ModEntry getSelected() {
+        return this.selected;
     }
 
     record Logo(Identifier texture, Size2i size) {}
@@ -473,7 +478,6 @@ public class ModListScreen extends Screen {
         ModListWidget.ModEntry selected = this.selected;
         this.init(width, height);
         this.search.setValue(s);
-        this.selected = selected;
 
         if (!this.search.getValue().isEmpty())
             reloadMods();
@@ -481,7 +485,7 @@ public class ModListScreen extends Screen {
         if (sort != SortType.NORMAL)
             resortMods(sort);
 
-        updateCache();
+        this.modList.setSelected(selected);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/minecraftforge/client/gui/widget/ModListWidget.java b/src/main/java/net/minecraftforge/client/gui/widget/ModListWidget.java
index 062af04bbe..a55edd14cf 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/minecraftforge/client/gui/widget/ModListWidget.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/minecraftforge/client/gui/widget/ModListWidget.java
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 
 package net.minecraftforge.client.gui.widget;
 
+import org.jspecify.annotations.Nullable;
+
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.Font;
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.GuiGraphicsExtractor;
 import net.minecraft.client.gui.components.ObjectSelectionList;
@@ -60,6 +62,12 @@ public class ModListWidget extends ObjectSelectionList<ModListWidget.ModEntry> {
         parent.buildModList(this::addEntry, mod->new ModEntry(mod, this.parent));
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public void setSelected(final @Nullable ModEntry selected) {
+        parent.setSelected(selected);
+        super.setSelected(selected);
+    }
+
     public class ModEntry extends ObjectSelectionList.Entry<ModEntry> {
         private final IModInfo modInfo;
         private final ModListScreen parent;
@@ -92,14 +100,15 @@ public class ModListWidget extends ObjectSelectionList<ModListWidget.ModEntry> {
                 guiGraphics.pose().pushMatrix();
                 guiGraphics.blit(RenderPipelines.GUI_TEXTURED, VERSION_CHECK_ICONS, getX() + width - 12 - barOffset, top + entryHeight / 4, vercheck.status().getSheetOffset() * 8, (vercheck.status().isAnimated() && ((System.currentTimeMillis() / 800 & 1)) == 1) ? 8 : 0, 8, 8, 64, 16);
                 guiGraphics.pose().popMatrix();
-
             }
         }
 
         @Override
         public boolean mouseClicked(MouseButtonEvent info, boolean recent) {
-            parent.setSelected(this);
-            ModListWidget.this.setSelected(this);
+            if (this.parent.getSelected() == this)
+                ModListWidget.this.setSelected(null);
+            else
+                ModListWidget.this.setSelected(this);
             return false;
         }