diff --git a/packages/lib/server-only/recipient/set-template-recipients.ts b/packages/lib/server-only/recipient/set-template-recipients.ts
index d4bb8cb8e..4a6bd45c8 100644
--- a/packages/lib/server-only/recipient/set-template-recipients.ts
+++ b/packages/lib/server-only/recipient/set-template-recipients.ts
@@ -101,13 +101,15 @@ export const setTemplateRecipients = async ({
     },
   });
 
-  const removedRecipients = existingRecipients.filter(
-    (existingRecipient) =>
-      !normalizedRecipients.find(
-        (recipient) =>
-          recipient.id === existingRecipient.id || recipient.email === existingRecipient.email,
-      ),
-  );
+  const removedRecipients = existingRecipients.filter((existingRecipient) => {
+    // Keep direct template recipients from being removed
+    if (template.directLink?.directTemplateRecipientId === existingRecipient.id) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    // Check if this recipient still exists in the normalized recipients
+    return !normalizedRecipients.some((recipient) => recipient.id === existingRecipient.id);
+  });
 
   if (template.directLink !== null) {
     const updatedDirectRecipient = recipients.find(
@@ -132,15 +134,24 @@ export const setTemplateRecipients = async ({
   }
 
   const linkedRecipients = normalizedRecipients.map((recipient) => {
-    const existing = existingRecipients.find(
-      (existingRecipient) =>
-        existingRecipient.id === recipient.id || existingRecipient.email === recipient.email,
-    );
+    // For direct template recipients, match by ID only
+    if (template.directLink?.directTemplateRecipientId === recipient.id) {
+      const existing = existingRecipients.find(
+        (existingRecipient) => existingRecipient.id === recipient.id,
+      );
+      return { ...recipient, _persisted: existing };
+    }
 
-    return {
-      ...recipient,
-      _persisted: existing,
-    };
+    // For other recipients, match by ID if it exists
+    if (recipient.id) {
+      const existing = existingRecipients.find(
+        (existingRecipient) => existingRecipient.id === recipient.id,
+      );
+      return { ...recipient, _persisted: existing };
+    }
+
+    // For new recipients, create a new entry
+    return { ...recipient, _persisted: undefined };
   });
 
   const persistedRecipients = await prisma.$transaction(async (tx) => {
diff --git a/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-fields.tsx b/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-fields.tsx
index a01570eaf..71d868d0b 100644
--- a/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-fields.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-fields.tsx
@@ -204,6 +204,7 @@ export const AddTemplateFieldsFormPartial = ({
         event.preventDefault();
 
         const copiedField = structuredClone(fieldClipboard);
+        const signerIndex = recipients.findIndex((r) => r.id === selectedSigner?.id);
 
         append({
           ...copiedField,
@@ -212,12 +213,20 @@ export const AddTemplateFieldsFormPartial = ({
           signerId: selectedSigner?.id ?? copiedField.signerId,
           recipientId: selectedSigner?.id || copiedField.recipientId || copiedField.signerId || 0,
           signerToken: selectedSigner?.token ?? copiedField.signerToken,
+          signerIndex: signerIndex >= 0 ? signerIndex : 0,
           pageX: copiedField.pageX + 3,
           pageY: copiedField.pageY + 3,
         });
       }
     },
-    [append, fieldClipboard, selectedSigner?.email, selectedSigner?.id, selectedSigner?.token],
+    [
+      append,
+      fieldClipboard,
+      selectedSigner?.email,
+      selectedSigner?.id,
+      selectedSigner?.token,
+      recipients,
+    ],
   );
 
   useHotkeys(['ctrl+c', 'meta+c'], (evt) => onFieldCopy(evt));
@@ -323,6 +332,8 @@ export const AddTemplateFieldsFormPartial = ({
       pageX -= fieldPageWidth / 2;
       pageY -= fieldPageHeight / 2;
 
+      const signerIndex = recipients.findIndex((r) => r.id === selectedSigner.id);
+
       append({
         formId: nanoid(12),
         type: selectedField,
@@ -336,13 +347,14 @@ export const AddTemplateFieldsFormPartial = ({
         recipientId:
           selectedSigner.id || lastActiveField?.recipientId || lastActiveField?.signerId || 0,
         signerToken: selectedSigner.token ?? '',
+        signerIndex: signerIndex >= 0 ? signerIndex : 0,
         fieldMeta: undefined,
       });
 
       setIsFieldWithinBounds(false);
       setSelectedField(null);
     },
-    [append, isWithinPageBounds, selectedField, selectedSigner, getPage],
+    [append, isWithinPageBounds, selectedField, selectedSigner, getPage, recipients],
   );
 
   const onFieldResize = useCallback(
@@ -552,14 +564,15 @@ export const AddTemplateFieldsFormPartial = ({
               )}
 
               {localFields.map((field, index) => {
-                const recipientIndex = recipients.findIndex((r) => r.email === field.signerEmail);
+                const recipientIndex =
+                  field.signerIndex ?? recipients.findIndex((r) => r.id === field.signerId);
 
                 return (
                   <FieldItem
                     key={index}
-                    recipientIndex={recipientIndex === -1 ? 0 : recipientIndex}
+                    recipientIndex={recipientIndex >= 0 ? recipientIndex : 0}
                     field={field}
-                    disabled={selectedSigner?.email !== field.signerEmail}
+                    disabled={selectedSigner?.id !== field.signerId}
                     minHeight={MIN_HEIGHT_PX}
                     minWidth={MIN_WIDTH_PX}
                     defaultHeight={DEFAULT_HEIGHT_PX}
diff --git a/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-fields.types.ts b/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-fields.types.ts
index 7898fe731..f744457bc 100644
--- a/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-fields.types.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-fields.types.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export const ZAddTemplateFieldsFormSchema = z.object({
       pageY: z.number().min(0),
       pageWidth: z.number().min(0),
       pageHeight: z.number().min(0),
+      signerIndex: z.number().min(0),
       fieldMeta: ZFieldMetaSchema,
     }),
   ),
diff --git a/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-placeholder-recipients.tsx b/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-placeholder-recipients.tsx
index 7312bf6ee..a99e4564d 100644
--- a/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-placeholder-recipients.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-placeholder-recipients.tsx
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ export const AddTemplatePlaceholderRecipientsFormPartial = ({
           actionAuth: undefined,
           ...generateRecipientPlaceholder(1),
           signingOrder: 1,
+          signerIndex: 0,
         },
       ];
     }
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@ export const AddTemplatePlaceholderRecipientsFormPartial = ({
       role: recipient.role,
       actionAuth: ZRecipientAuthOptionsSchema.parse(recipient.authOptions)?.actionAuth ?? undefined,
       signingOrder: recipient.signingOrder ?? index + 1,
+      signerIndex: index,
     }));
 
     if (signingOrder === DocumentSigningOrder.SEQUENTIAL) {
@@ -174,21 +176,35 @@ export const AddTemplatePlaceholderRecipientsFormPartial = ({
   });
 
   const onAddPlaceholderSelfRecipient = () => {
+    const currentSigners = form.getValues('signers');
+    const nextSignerIndex = currentSigners.length;
+
     appendSigner({
       formId: nanoid(12),
       name: user?.name ?? '',
       email: user?.email ?? '',
       role: RecipientRole.SIGNER,
-      signingOrder: signers.length > 0 ? (signers[signers.length - 1]?.signingOrder ?? 0) + 1 : 1,
+      signingOrder:
+        currentSigners.length > 0
+          ? (currentSigners[currentSigners.length - 1]?.signingOrder ?? 0) + 1
+          : 1,
+      signerIndex: nextSignerIndex,
     });
   };
 
   const onAddPlaceholderRecipient = () => {
+    const currentSigners = form.getValues('signers');
+    const nextSignerIndex = currentSigners.length;
+
     appendSigner({
       formId: nanoid(12),
       role: RecipientRole.SIGNER,
       ...generateRecipientPlaceholder(placeholderRecipientCount),
-      signingOrder: signers.length > 0 ? (signers[signers.length - 1]?.signingOrder ?? 0) + 1 : 1,
+      signingOrder:
+        currentSigners.length > 0
+          ? (currentSigners[currentSigners.length - 1]?.signingOrder ?? 0) + 1
+          : 1,
+      signerIndex: nextSignerIndex,
     });
 
     setPlaceholderRecipientCount((count) => count + 1);
diff --git a/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-placeholder-recipients.types.ts b/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-placeholder-recipients.types.ts
index a0e665092..22692aba2 100644
--- a/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-placeholder-recipients.types.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/primitives/template-flow/add-template-placeholder-recipients.types.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export const ZAddTemplatePlacholderRecipientsFormSchema = z.object({
       name: z.string(),
       role: z.nativeEnum(RecipientRole),
       signingOrder: z.number().optional(),
+      signerIndex: z.number().min(0),
       actionAuth: ZMapNegativeOneToUndefinedSchema.pipe(ZRecipientActionAuthTypesSchema.optional()),
     }),
   ),