diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/EditorSettingsDialog.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/EditorSettingsDialog.test.tsx
index 18b47def7b..7646ac4817 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/EditorSettingsDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/EditorSettingsDialog.test.tsx
@@ -175,4 +175,45 @@ describe('EditorSettingsDialog', () => {
     }
     expect(frame).toContain('(Also modified');
   });
+
+  it('emits error feedback only once when preferredEditor is invalid', async () => {
+    const mockEmitFeedback = vi.fn();
+    vi.spyOn(
+      await import('@google/gemini-cli-core').then((m) => m.coreEvents),
+      'emitFeedback',
+    ).mockImplementation(mockEmitFeedback);
+
+    const invalidSettings = {
+      forScope: (_scope: string) => ({
+        settings: {
+          general: {
+            preferredEditor: 'invalideditor',
+          },
+        },
+      }),
+      merged: {
+        general: {
+          preferredEditor: 'invalideditor',
+        },
+      },
+    } as unknown as LoadedSettings;
+
+    const { unmount } = await renderWithProvider(
+      <EditorSettingsDialog
+        onSelect={vi.fn()}
+        settings={invalidSettings}
+        onExit={vi.fn()}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(mockEmitFeedback).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        'error',
+        'Editor is not supported: invalideditor',
+      );
+    });
+
+    expect(mockEmitFeedback).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    unmount();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/EditorSettingsDialog.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/EditorSettingsDialog.tsx
index 7fa0d2a2cf..41d27c4bfb 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/EditorSettingsDialog.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/EditorSettingsDialog.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 import type React from 'react';
-import { useState } from 'react';
+import { useState, useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 import { Box, Text } from 'ink';
 import { theme } from '../semantic-colors.js';
 import {
@@ -71,14 +71,26 @@ export function EditorSettingsDialog({
         (item: EditorDisplay) => item.type === currentPreference,
       )
     : 0;
-  if (editorIndex === -1) {
-    coreEvents.emitFeedback(
-      'error',
-      `Editor is not supported: ${currentPreference}`,
-    );
+  const isUnsupportedEditor = editorIndex === -1;
+  if (isUnsupportedEditor) {
     editorIndex = 0;
   }
 
+  const reportedInvalidEditors = useRef(new Set<string>());
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (
+      isUnsupportedEditor &&
+      currentPreference &&
+      !reportedInvalidEditors.current.has(currentPreference)
+    ) {
+      coreEvents.emitFeedback(
+        'error',
+        `Editor is not supported: ${currentPreference}`,
+      );
+      reportedInvalidEditors.current.add(currentPreference);
+    }
+  }, [isUnsupportedEditor, currentPreference]);
+
   const scopeItems: Array<{
     label: string;
     value: LoadableSettingScope;