diff --git a/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/components/Merging/autoMerge.ts b/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/components/Merging/autoMerge.ts
index 0c405b0cb38..c60f8707562 100644
--- a/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/components/Merging/autoMerge.ts
+++ b/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/components/Merging/autoMerge.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,78 @@ export function autoMerge(
   );
 }
 
+export async function buildInitialMergedResource(
+  table: SpecifyTable,
+  resources: RA<SerializedResource<AnySchema>>,
+  shouldAutoPopulate: boolean,
+  targetId?: number
+): Promise<SerializedResource<AnySchema>> {
+  return (
+    shouldAutoPopulate
+      ? await postMergeResource(
+          resources,
+          autoMerge(table, resources, false, targetId)
+        )
+      : addMissingFields(
+          table.name,
+          getPreservedFieldsWithoutAutoPopulate(table, resources, targetId)
+        )
+  ) as SerializedResource<AnySchema>;
+}
+
+const preservedFieldsWithoutAutoPopulate: Partial<
+  RR<
+    keyof Tables,
+    (
+      resources: RA<SerializedResource<AnySchema>>,
+      targetId?: number
+    ) => Partial<SerializedResource<AnySchema>>
+  >
+> = {
+  Agent: (resources, targetId) => ({
+    agentType: parseNumber(
+      getSharedNumberFieldValue(resources, 'agentType') ??
+        getTargetResource(resources, targetId)?.agentType
+    ),
+  }),
+};
+
+const getPreservedFieldsWithoutAutoPopulate = (
+  table: SpecifyTable,
+  resources: RA<SerializedResource<AnySchema>>,
+  targetId?: number
+): Partial<SerializedResource<AnySchema>> =>
+  preservedFieldsWithoutAutoPopulate[table.name]?.(resources, targetId) ?? {};
+
+const getTargetResource = (
+  resources: RA<SerializedResource<AnySchema>>,
+  targetId?: number
+): SerializedResource<AnySchema> | undefined =>
+  targetId === undefined
+    ? resources[0]
+    : (resources.find(({ id }) => id === targetId) ?? resources[0]);
+
+const getSharedNumberFieldValue = (
+  resources: RA<SerializedResource<AnySchema>>,
+  fieldName: string
+): number | undefined => {
+  const values = f.unique(
+    resources
+      .map((resource) => parseNumber(resource[fieldName]))
+      .filter((value) => value !== undefined)
+  );
+  return values.length === 1 ? values[0] : undefined;
+};
+
+const parseNumber = (
+  value: boolean | number | string | null | undefined
+): number | undefined =>
+  typeof value === 'number'
+    ? value
+    : typeof value === 'string'
+      ? f.parseInt(value)
+      : undefined;
+
 /**
  * Sort from newest to oldest
  */
diff --git a/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/components/Merging/index.tsx b/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/components/Merging/index.tsx
index 2c3f280a947..130d9d530fb 100644
--- a/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/components/Merging/index.tsx
+++ b/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/components/Merging/index.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import { icons } from '../Atoms/Icons';
 import { Link } from '../Atoms/Link';
 import { Submit } from '../Atoms/Submit';
 import { LoadingContext } from '../Core/Contexts';
-import { addMissingFields } from '../DataModel/addMissingFields';
 import { runAllFieldChecks } from '../DataModel/businessRules';
 import type { AnySchema, SerializedResource } from '../DataModel/helperTypes';
 import type { SpecifyResource } from '../DataModel/legacyTypes';
@@ -35,7 +34,11 @@ import { Dialog, dialogClassNames } from '../Molecules/Dialog';
 import { userPreferences } from '../Preferences/userPreferences';
 import { formatUrl } from '../Router/queryString';
 import { OverlayContext, OverlayLocation } from '../Router/Router';
-import { autoMerge, postMergeResource } from './autoMerge';
+import {
+  autoMerge,
+  buildInitialMergedResource,
+  postMergeResource,
+} from './autoMerge';
 import { CompareRecords } from './Compare';
 import { recordMergingTableSpec } from './definitions';
 import { InvalidMergeRecordsDialog } from './InvalidMergeRecords';
@@ -225,15 +228,12 @@ function Merging({
         'autoPopulate'
       );
 
-      const mergedPayload = shouldAutoPopulate
-        ? await postMergeResource(
-            initialRecords.current,
-            autoMerge(table, initialRecords.current, false, target.id)
-          )
-        : addMissingFields(
-            table.name,
-            {} as Partial<SerializedResource<AnySchema>>
-          );
+      const mergedPayload = await buildInitialMergedResource(
+        table,
+        initialRecords.current,
+        shouldAutoPopulate,
+        target.id
+      );
 
       const mergedResource = deserializeResource(
         mergedPayload as SerializedResource<AnySchema>
diff --git a/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/hooks/useParserDefaultValue.tsx b/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/hooks/useParserDefaultValue.tsx
index 353d957e442..c5f71128221 100644
--- a/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/hooks/useParserDefaultValue.tsx
+++ b/specifyweb/frontend/js_src/lib/hooks/useParserDefaultValue.tsx
@@ -35,9 +35,12 @@ export function useParserDefaultValue(
      * Don't auto set numeric to "0", unless it is the default value
      * in the form definition
      */
+    const parserUsesNumberValue =
+      parser.type === 'number' || typeof parser.value === 'number';
+
     const hasDefault =
       parser.value !== undefined &&
-      (parser.type !== 'number' || parser.value !== 0);
+      (!parserUsesNumberValue || parser.value !== 0);
 
     const fieldValue = resource.get(field.name) as
       | boolean
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@ export function useParserDefaultValue(
        * should overwrite that of the resource
        */
       resource.isNew() &&
-      (parser.type !== 'number' ||
+      (!parserUsesNumberValue ||
         typeof fieldValue !== 'number' ||
         fieldValue === 0) &&
       ((parser.type !== 'text' && parser.type !== 'date') ||