diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/edit-category-settings.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/edit-category-settings.js
index c811ce2db6e..5dc44ee02b9 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/edit-category-settings.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/edit-category-settings.js
@@ -108,11 +108,18 @@ export default buildCategoryPanel("settings", {
       .sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));
   },
 
+  @discourseComputed("category.sort_ascending")
+  sortAscendingOption(sortAscending) {
+    if (sortAscending === "false") return false;
+    if (sortAscending === "true") return true;
+    return sortAscending;
+  },
+
   @discourseComputed
   sortAscendingOptions() {
     return [
-      { name: I18n.t("category.sort_ascending"), value: "true" },
-      { name: I18n.t("category.sort_descending"), value: "false" }
+      { name: I18n.t("category.sort_ascending"), value: true },
+      { name: I18n.t("category.sort_descending"), value: false }
     ];
   }
 });
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/edit-category-settings.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/edit-category-settings.hbs
index a569876fd8c..5520c045a70 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/edit-category-settings.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/edit-category-settings.hbs
@@ -181,17 +181,25 @@
       {{i18n "category.sort_order"}}
     </label>
     <div class="controls">
-      {{combo-box valueProperty="value" content=availableSorts value=category.sort_order none="category.sort_options.default"}}
+      {{combo-box
+        valueProperty="value"
+        content=availableSorts
+        value=category.sort_order
+        options=(hash
+          none="category.sort_options.default"
+        )
+        onChange=(action (mut category.sort_order))
+      }}
       {{#unless isDefaultSortOrder}}
         {{combo-box
-          castBoolean=true
           valueProperty="value"
           content=sortAscendingOptions
-          value=category.sort_ascending
-          none="category.sort_options.default"
+          value=sortAscendingOption
           options=(hash
+            none="category.sort_options.default"
             placementStrategy="absolute"
           )
+          onChange=(action (mut category.sort_ascending))
         }}
       {{/unless}}
     </div>