diff --git a/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Components/PropertyTree/ApiPropertyTreeBuilder.Variants.cs b/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Components/PropertyTree/ApiPropertyTreeBuilder.Variants.cs
index b3e24e6ca3..93b32ccb8e 100644
--- a/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Components/PropertyTree/ApiPropertyTreeBuilder.Variants.cs
+++ b/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Components/PropertyTree/ApiPropertyTreeBuilder.Variants.cs
@@ -36,6 +36,16 @@ public partial class ApiPropertyTreeBuilder
 			_shapes
 		);
 
+		var selector = discriminator?.PropertyName is { Length: > 0 } declared
+			? declared
+			: _analyzer.GetSelectingProperty(
+				// One schema per object shape, as LabelObjects counts them: X and X[] share one, a scalar has none.
+				variantsToRender
+					.Where(v => v is { IsObject: true, Props: not null })
+					.Select(v => v.Schema)
+					.Distinct(ReferenceEqualityComparer.Instance)
+					.Cast<IOpenApiSchema?>()
+			);
 		var usedIds = new HashSet<string>(StringComparer.Ordinal);
 		var optionIds = variantsToRender.Select(
 			v => UniqueId($"{scope.Prefix}-variant-{v.Name.ToLowerInvariant().Replace(" ", "-").Replace("[]", "-array")}", usedIds)
@@ -87,7 +97,8 @@ scope with
 							AncestorRefs = newAncestors,
 							RequiredProperties = null,
 							Owner = VariantDisplayName(variant)
-						}
+						},
+						selector
 					)
 						?? new ApiPropertyList([])
 					: null,
diff --git a/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Components/PropertyTree/ApiPropertyTreeBuilder.cs b/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Components/PropertyTree/ApiPropertyTreeBuilder.cs
index 6ca4afe382..9e24a15465 100644
--- a/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Components/PropertyTree/ApiPropertyTreeBuilder.cs
+++ b/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Components/PropertyTree/ApiPropertyTreeBuilder.cs
@@ -74,12 +74,16 @@ private sealed record PropertyRow(
 		string? Example = null
 	);
 
-	/// <summary>Builds the property rows for a schema; null when it has no renderable properties.</summary>
-	public ApiPropertyList? BuildPropertyList(IOpenApiSchema? schema, PropertyTreeScope scope)
+	/// <summary>Builds the property rows for a schema, <paramref name="leadingProperty"/> first; null when it has no renderable properties.</summary>
+	public ApiPropertyList? BuildPropertyList(IOpenApiSchema? schema, PropertyTreeScope scope, string? leadingProperty = null)
 	{
 		var effective = _analyzer.Flatten(schema);
 		var properties = effective.Properties;
-		var propArray = properties.Where(p => p.Value is not null && IsListed(p.Value, scope)).ToArray();
+		// A union variant lists the property that selects it first, so the choice is the first thing its fields say.
+		var propArray = properties
+			.Where(p => p.Value is not null && IsListed(p.Value, scope))
+			.OrderBy(p => p.Key != leadingProperty)
+			.ToArray();
 		if (propArray.Length == 0)
 			return null;
 
diff --git a/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Model/SchemaAnalyzer.cs b/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Model/SchemaAnalyzer.cs
index 4cfce9a108..5301dcc3bf 100644
--- a/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Model/SchemaAnalyzer.cs
+++ b/src/Elastic.ApiExplorer/Model/SchemaAnalyzer.cs
@@ -394,6 +394,10 @@ private List<UnionOption> LabelObjects(List<UnionOption> options)
 						.Count() == constants.Count
 				);
 
+	/// <summary>The property each of the object <paramref name="members"/> fixes to a value of its own, null when none does.</summary>
+	public string? GetSelectingProperty(IEnumerable<IOpenApiSchema?> members) =>
+		SelectingConstant([.. members.OfType<IOpenApiSchema>().Select(ConstantFields)]);
+
 	/// <summary>The fields an object fixes to a single value (<c>type: eql</c>), in property order.</summary>
 	private Dictionary<string, string> ConstantFields(IOpenApiSchema member)
 	{
diff --git a/tests/Elastic.ApiExplorer.Tests/ApiBodyContentTests.cs b/tests/Elastic.ApiExplorer.Tests/ApiBodyContentTests.cs
index 1d2b6ee6c2..c252e8a79e 100644
--- a/tests/Elastic.ApiExplorer.Tests/ApiBodyContentTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Elastic.ApiExplorer.Tests/ApiBodyContentTests.cs
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ public async Task BuildUnionVariants_AllOfUnionWithDiscriminatorMapping_KeepsNam
 
 		variants!.Variants.Select(v => v.DisplayName).Should().Equal("{ lives }", "{ barks }");
 		variants.Variants.Select(v => v.DiscriminatorLabel).Should().Equal("kind: feline", "kind: canine");
-		variants.Variants[0].Properties!.Items.Select(p => p.Name).Should().Equal("id", "kind", "lives");
+		variants.Variants[0].Properties!.Items.Select(p => p.Name).Should().Equal("kind", "id", "lives");
 	}
 
 	[Test]
diff --git a/tests/Elastic.ApiExplorer.Tests/UnionVariantTests.cs b/tests/Elastic.ApiExplorer.Tests/UnionVariantTests.cs
index 7fe609b61c..b3ee828bb4 100644
--- a/tests/Elastic.ApiExplorer.Tests/UnionVariantTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Elastic.ApiExplorer.Tests/UnionVariantTests.cs
@@ -53,6 +53,116 @@ public async Task BuildPropertyList_UnionWithOwnProperties_ListsTheSharedPropert
 		pet.Children.Variants!.Variants.Select(v => v.DisplayName).Should().Equal("{ lives }", "{ barks }");
 	}
 
+	[Test]
+	[Arguments(true)]
+	[Arguments(false)]
+	public async Task BuildPropertyList_VariantSelectedByProperty_ListsThatPropertyFirst(bool declared)
+	{
+		var discriminator = declared ? "\"discriminator\": { \"propertyName\": \"type\" }," : "";
+		var json =
+			$$"""
+			{
+			  "openapi": "3.0.3",
+			  "info": { "title": "t", "version": "1" },
+			  "paths": {},
+			  "components": {
+			    "schemas": {
+			      "Cat": { "type": "object", "properties": { "lives": { "type": "integer" }, "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["cat"] } } },
+			      "Dog": { "type": "object", "properties": { "barks": { "type": "boolean" }, "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["dog"] } } },
+			      "Holder": {
+			        "type": "object",
+			        "properties": {
+			          "pet": {
+			            {{discriminator}}
+			            "oneOf": [ { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Cat" }, { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Dog" } ]
+			          }
+			        }
+			      }
+			    }
+			  }
+			}
+			""";
+		var document = await LoadSpecAsync(json);
+		var builder = BuilderFor(document);
+
+		var list = builder.BuildPropertyList(document.Components!.Schemas!["Holder"], new PropertyTreeScope { Prefix = "" });
+
+		var variants = list!.Items.Single(p => p.Name == "pet").Children.Variants!.Variants;
+		variants.Select(v => v.Properties!.Items.Select(p => p.Name).First()).Should().Equal("type", "type");
+		variants[0].Properties!.Items.Select(p => p.Name).Should().Equal("type", "lives");
+	}
+
+	[Test]
+	[Arguments("""{ "type": "string" }""", "pet")]
+	[Arguments("""{ "type": "array", "items": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Cat" } }""", "pet")]
+	public async Task BuildPropertyList_UnionOfObjectsWithOtherForms_ListsTheSelectingPropertyFirst(string extra, string property)
+	{
+		var json =
+			$$"""
+			{
+			  "openapi": "3.0.3",
+			  "info": { "title": "t", "version": "1" },
+			  "paths": {},
+			  "components": {
+			    "schemas": {
+			      "Cat": { "type": "object", "properties": { "lives": { "type": "integer" }, "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["cat"] } } },
+			      "Dog": { "type": "object", "properties": { "barks": { "type": "boolean" }, "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["dog"] } } },
+			      "Holder": {
+			        "type": "object",
+			        "properties": {
+			          "pet": { "oneOf": [ { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Cat" }, { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Dog" }, {{extra}} ] }
+			        }
+			      }
+			    }
+			  }
+			}
+			""";
+		var document = await LoadSpecAsync(json);
+		var builder = BuilderFor(document);
+
+		var list = builder.BuildPropertyList(document.Components!.Schemas!["Holder"], new PropertyTreeScope { Prefix = "" });
+
+		var variants = list!.Items.Single(p => p.Name == property).Children.Variants!.Variants;
+		variants.Where(v => v.Properties is not null).Should().OnlyContain(v => v.Properties!.Items.First().Name == "type");
+	}
+
+	[Test]
+	public async Task BuildPropertyList_UnionOfObjectArrays_ListsTheSelectingPropertyFirst()
+	{
+		var json =
+			"""
+			{
+			  "openapi": "3.0.3",
+			  "info": { "title": "t", "version": "1" },
+			  "paths": {},
+			  "components": {
+			    "schemas": {
+			      "Cat": { "type": "object", "properties": { "lives": { "type": "integer" }, "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["cat"] } } },
+			      "Dog": { "type": "object", "properties": { "barks": { "type": "boolean" }, "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["dog"] } } },
+			      "Holder": {
+			        "type": "object",
+			        "properties": {
+			          "pets": {
+			            "oneOf": [
+			              { "type": "array", "items": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Cat" } },
+			              { "type": "array", "items": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Dog" } }
+			            ]
+			          }
+			        }
+			      }
+			    }
+			  }
+			}
+			""";
+		var document = await LoadSpecAsync(json);
+		var builder = BuilderFor(document);
+
+		var list = builder.BuildPropertyList(document.Components!.Schemas!["Holder"], new PropertyTreeScope { Prefix = "" });
+
+		var variants = list!.Items.Single(p => p.Name == "pets").Children.Variants!.Variants;
+		variants.Should().HaveCount(2).And.OnlyContain(v => v.Properties!.Items.First().Name == "type");
+	}
+
 	[Test]
 	public async Task BuildPropertyList_AnyOfRequiredOnlyMembers_SaysWhichFieldsAreRequired()
 	{