diff --git a/letta/server/server.py b/letta/server/server.py
index 35b2e9b05a..a5c86d381f 100644
--- a/letta/server/server.py
+++ b/letta/server/server.py
@@ -379,6 +379,9 @@ def _load_agent(self, agent_id: str, actor: User, interface: Union[AgentInterfac
                 except NoResultFound:
                     warnings.warn(f"Tried to retrieve a tool with name {name} from the agent_state, but does not exist in tool db.")
 
+            # set agent_state tools to only the names of the available tools
+            agent_state.tools = [t.name for t in tool_objs]
+
             # Make sure the memory is a memory object
             assert isinstance(agent_state.memory, Memory)
 
@@ -807,12 +810,17 @@ def create_agent(
             llm_config = request.llm_config
             embedding_config = request.embedding_config
 
-            # get tools + make sure they exist
+            # get tools + only add if they exist
             tool_objs = []
             if request.tools:
                 for tool_name in request.tools:
-                    tool_obj = self.tool_manager.get_tool_by_name(tool_name=tool_name, actor=actor)
-                    tool_objs.append(tool_obj)
+                    try:
+                        tool_obj = self.tool_manager.get_tool_by_name(tool_name=tool_name, actor=actor)
+                        tool_objs.append(tool_obj)
+                    except NoResultFound:
+                        warnings.warn(f"Attempted to add a nonexistent tool {tool_name} to agent {request.name}, skipping.")
+            # reset the request.tools to only valid tools
+            request.tools = [t.name for t in tool_objs]
 
             assert request.memory is not None
             memory_functions = get_memory_functions(request.memory)
diff --git a/tests/test_server.py b/tests/test_server.py
index 529e439728..1144cc1893 100644
--- a/tests/test_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_server.py
@@ -541,3 +541,33 @@ def test_get_context_window_overview(server: SyncServer, user_id: str, agent_id:
         + overview.num_tokens_functions_definitions
         + overview.num_tokens_external_memory_summary
     )
+
+
+def test_load_agent_with_nonexistent_tool_names_does_not_error(server: SyncServer, user_id: str):
+    fake_tool_name = "blahblahblah"
+    tools = BASE_TOOLS + [fake_tool_name]
+    agent_state = server.create_agent(
+        request=CreateAgent(
+            name="nonexistent_tools_agent",
+            tools=tools,
+            memory=ChatMemory(
+                human="Sarah",
+                persona="I am a helpful assistant",
+            ),
+            llm_config=LLMConfig.default_config("gpt-4"),
+            embedding_config=EmbeddingConfig.default_config(provider="openai"),
+        ),
+        actor=server.get_user_or_default(user_id),
+    )
+
+    # Check that the tools in agent_state do NOT include the fake name
+    assert fake_tool_name not in agent_state.tools
+    assert set(BASE_TOOLS).issubset(set(agent_state.tools))
+
+    # Load the agent from the database and check that it doesn't error / tools are correct
+    saved_tools = server.get_tools_from_agent(agent_id=agent_state.id, user_id=user_id)
+    assert fake_tool_name not in agent_state.tools
+    assert set(BASE_TOOLS).issubset(set(agent_state.tools))
+
+    # cleanup
+    server.delete_agent(user_id, agent_state.id)