diff --git a/fastembed/common/preprocessor_utils.py b/fastembed/common/preprocessor_utils.py
index fb853924..0ab61bc3 100644
--- a/fastembed/common/preprocessor_utils.py
+++ b/fastembed/common/preprocessor_utils.py
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 import json
 import sys
-from typing import Any, Iterator
+from collections.abc import Iterator
 from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
 
 from tokenizers import AddedToken, Tokenizer
 
@@ -72,6 +73,11 @@ def _resolve_max_context(tokenizer_config: dict[str, Any], model_dir: Path) -> i
 
 
 def load_tokenizer(model_dir: Path) -> tuple[Tokenizer, dict[str, int]]:
+    """Load a local tokenizer with configured truncation and batch-longest padding.
+
+    Serialized padding supplies the token, while config may override its direction.
+    Returns the tokenizer and the optional model configuration.
+    """
     tokenizer_path = model_dir / "tokenizer.json"
     if not tokenizer_path.exists():
         raise ValueError(f"Could not find tokenizer.json in {model_dir}")
@@ -119,6 +125,8 @@ def load_tokenizer(model_dir: Path) -> tuple[Tokenizer, dict[str, int]]:
     # and set it only in the config.
     padding = tokenizer.padding or {}
     pad_token = padding.get("pad_token") or tokenizer_config.get("pad_token")
+    if isinstance(pad_token, dict):
+        pad_token = pad_token.get("content")
     if pad_token is None:
         raise ValueError(f"Could not find a pad token for {model_dir}")
 
diff --git a/tests/test_tokenizer_added_token_padding.py b/tests/test_tokenizer_added_token_padding.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..85e1a5e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_tokenizer_added_token_padding.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
+
+import pytest
+from tokenizers import Tokenizer, models, pre_tokenizers
+
+from fastembed.common.preprocessor_utils import load_tokenizer
+
+
+def write_tokenizer(model_dir: Path, pad_token: str | dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+    """Write a minimal tokenizer with padding defined only in its config."""
+    tokenizer = Tokenizer(models.WordLevel({"[UNK]": 0, "hello": 1, "world": 2, "[PAD]": 3}))
+    tokenizer.pre_tokenizer = pre_tokenizers.Whitespace()
+    tokenizer.save(str(model_dir / "tokenizer.json"))
+    (model_dir / "tokenizer_config.json").write_text(
+        json.dumps({"model_max_length": 8, "pad_token": pad_token}), encoding="utf-8"
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "pad_token",
+    ["[PAD]", {"content": "[PAD]", "special": True, "normalized": False, "__type": "AddedToken"}],
+)
+def test_config_pad_token_accepts_string_and_added_token(tmp_path: Path, pad_token: Any) -> None:
+    """Both supported token representations must pad the shorter sequence."""
+    write_tokenizer(tmp_path, pad_token)
+
+    tokenizer, _ = load_tokenizer(tmp_path)
+    encoded = tokenizer.encode_batch(["hello world", "hello"])
+
+    assert encoded[1].ids == [1, 3]
+    assert encoded[1].attention_mask == [1, 0]
+    assert tokenizer.padding is not None
+    assert tokenizer.padding["pad_token"] == "[PAD]"
+    assert tokenizer.padding["pad_id"] == 3
+
+
+def test_serialized_padding_still_takes_precedence(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    """Saved tokenizer padding must override conflicting config padding."""
+    write_tokenizer(tmp_path, {"content": "[OTHER]", "special": True})
+    tokenizer = Tokenizer.from_file(str(tmp_path / "tokenizer.json"))
+    tokenizer.enable_padding(pad_id=3, pad_token="[PAD]", direction="left")
+    tokenizer.save(str(tmp_path / "tokenizer.json"))
+
+    loaded, _ = load_tokenizer(tmp_path)
+    encoded = loaded.encode_batch(["hello world", "hello"])
+
+    assert encoded[1].ids == [3, 1]
+    assert encoded[1].attention_mask == [0, 1]
+    assert loaded.padding is not None
+    assert loaded.padding["pad_token"] == "[PAD]"
+    assert loaded.padding["pad_id"] == 3
+    assert loaded.padding["direction"] == "left"