diff --git a/app/new/stack/stack-summary-page.tsx b/app/new/stack/stack-summary-page.tsx
index 64f340d..ceef512 100644
--- a/app/new/stack/stack-summary-page.tsx
+++ b/app/new/stack/stack-summary-page.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,14 @@ import {
 } from "@/lib/wizard-config"
 import { loadWizardState, persistWizardState } from "@/lib/wizard-storage"
 import { buildDefaultSummaryData, buildStepsForStack } from "@/lib/wizard-summary-data"
-import type { FileOutputConfig, Responses, WizardQuestion, WizardAnswer, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
+import type {
+  FileOutputConfig,
+  FreeTextResponses,
+  Responses,
+  WizardQuestion,
+  WizardAnswer,
+  WizardStep,
+} from "@/types/wizard"
 import type { GeneratedFileResult } from "@/types/output"
 import { WizardEditAnswerDialog } from "@/components/wizard-edit-answer-dialog"
 
@@ -30,6 +37,7 @@ type StackSummaryPageProps = {
 export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
   const [wizardSteps, setWizardSteps] = useState<WizardStep[] | null>(null)
   const [responses, setResponses] = useState<Responses | null>(null)
+  const [freeTextResponses, setFreeTextResponses] = useState<FreeTextResponses>({})
   const [autoFilledMap, setAutoFilledMap] = useState<Record<string, boolean>>({})
   const [stackLabel, setStackLabel] = useState<string | null>(null)
   const [autoFillNotice, setAutoFillNotice] = useState<string | null>(null)
@@ -53,7 +61,13 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
       setErrorMessage(null)
       try {
         if (mode === "default") {
-          const { steps, responses: defaultResponses, autoFilledMap: defaultsMap, stackLabel: label } =
+          const {
+            steps,
+            responses: defaultResponses,
+            freeTextResponses: defaultFreeTextResponses,
+            autoFilledMap: defaultsMap,
+            stackLabel: label,
+          } =
             await buildDefaultSummaryData(stackId)
 
           if (!isActive) {
@@ -62,6 +76,7 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
 
           setWizardSteps(steps)
           setResponses(defaultResponses)
+          setFreeTextResponses(defaultFreeTextResponses)
           setAutoFilledMap(defaultsMap)
           setStackLabel(label)
           setAutoFillNotice("We applied the recommended defaults for you. Tweak any section before generating.")
@@ -70,6 +85,7 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
             stackId,
             stackLabel: label,
             responses: defaultResponses,
+            freeTextResponses: defaultFreeTextResponses,
             autoFilledMap: defaultsMap,
             updatedAt: Date.now(),
           })
@@ -85,6 +101,7 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
           if (!storedState) {
             setWizardSteps(steps)
             setResponses(null)
+            setFreeTextResponses({})
             setAutoFilledMap({})
             setStackLabel(computedLabel)
             setAutoFillNotice(null)
@@ -99,6 +116,7 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
 
           setWizardSteps(steps)
           setResponses(normalizedResponses)
+          setFreeTextResponses(storedState.freeTextResponses ?? {})
           setAutoFilledMap(storedState.autoFilledMap ?? {})
           setStackLabel(storedState.stackLabel ?? computedLabel)
           setAutoFillNotice(null)
@@ -133,10 +151,11 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
       null,
       wizardSteps,
       responses,
+      freeTextResponses,
       autoFilledMap,
       false
     )
-  }, [wizardSteps, responses, autoFilledMap])
+  }, [wizardSteps, responses, freeTextResponses, autoFilledMap])
 
   const handleGenerate = useCallback(
     async (fileOption: FileOutputConfig) => {
@@ -148,7 +167,7 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
       setGeneratedFile(null)
 
       try {
-        const payload = serializeWizardResponses(wizardSteps, responses, fileOption.id)
+        const payload = serializeWizardResponses(wizardSteps, responses, freeTextResponses, fileOption.id)
 
         const result = await generateInstructions({
           stackSegment: stackId,
@@ -167,7 +186,7 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
         setIsGeneratingMap((prev) => ({ ...prev, [fileOption.id]: false }))
       }
     },
-    [wizardSteps, responses, stackId]
+    [wizardSteps, responses, freeTextResponses, stackId]
   )
 
   const summaryHeader = stackLabel ??
@@ -187,9 +206,56 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
     setEditingQuestionId(questionId)
   }
 
-  const handleCloseEdit = () => {
+  const handleCloseEdit = useCallback(() => {
     setEditingQuestionId(null)
-  }
+  }, [])
+
+  const applyFreeTextUpdate = useCallback(
+    (question: WizardQuestion, submittedValue: string) => {
+      if (!responses) {
+        return
+      }
+
+      const trimmed = submittedValue.trim()
+      const nextFreeText: FreeTextResponses = (() => {
+        if (trimmed.length === 0) {
+          if (!(question.id in freeTextResponses)) {
+            return { ...freeTextResponses }
+          }
+
+          const next = { ...freeTextResponses }
+          delete next[question.id]
+          return next
+        }
+
+        return {
+          ...freeTextResponses,
+          [question.id]: trimmed,
+        }
+      })()
+
+      const nextAutoFilledMap = { ...autoFilledMap }
+      delete nextAutoFilledMap[question.id]
+
+      setFreeTextResponses(nextFreeText)
+      setAutoFilledMap(nextAutoFilledMap)
+      setAutoFillNotice(null)
+
+      if (stackId) {
+        persistWizardState({
+          stackId,
+          stackLabel: stackLabel ?? summaryHeader,
+          responses,
+          freeTextResponses: nextFreeText,
+          autoFilledMap: nextAutoFilledMap,
+          updatedAt: Date.now(),
+        })
+      }
+
+      handleCloseEdit()
+    },
+    [responses, freeTextResponses, autoFilledMap, stackId, stackLabel, summaryHeader, handleCloseEdit]
+  )
 
   const applyAnswerUpdate = useCallback(
     (question: WizardQuestion, answer: WizardAnswer) => {
@@ -226,6 +292,7 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
           stackId,
           stackLabel: stackLabel ?? summaryHeader,
           responses: currentResponses,
+          freeTextResponses,
           autoFilledMap: currentAutoMap,
           updatedAt: Date.now(),
         })
@@ -235,7 +302,7 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
         handleCloseEdit()
       }
     },
-    [responses, autoFilledMap, stackId, stackLabel, summaryHeader]
+    [responses, freeTextResponses, autoFilledMap, stackId, stackLabel, summaryHeader, handleCloseEdit]
   )
 
   if (isLoading) {
@@ -386,11 +453,16 @@ export function StackSummaryPage({ stackId, mode }: StackSummaryPageProps) {
             return null
           }
           const currentValue = responses ? responses[editingQuestion.id] : undefined
+          const currentFreeText = typeof freeTextResponses[editingQuestion.id] === "string"
+            ? freeTextResponses[editingQuestion.id]
+            : ""
           return (
             <WizardEditAnswerDialog
               question={editingQuestion}
               value={currentValue}
               onAnswerSelect={(answer) => applyAnswerUpdate(editingQuestion, answer)}
+              freeTextValue={currentFreeText}
+              onFreeTextSave={(nextValue) => applyFreeTextUpdate(editingQuestion, nextValue)}
               onClose={handleCloseEdit}
             />
           )
diff --git a/components/instructions-wizard.tsx b/components/instructions-wizard.tsx
index f13fa4f..f619297 100644
--- a/components/instructions-wizard.tsx
+++ b/components/instructions-wizard.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,21 @@
 "use client"
 
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react"
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState, type ChangeEvent, type FormEvent } from "react"
 import Link from "next/link"
 
 import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
-import { Undo2 } from "lucide-react"
-
-import type { InstructionsWizardProps, Responses, WizardAnswer, WizardQuestion, WizardStep, WizardConfirmationIntent } from "@/types/wizard"
+import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input"
+import { CheckCircle2, Undo2 } from "lucide-react"
+
+import type {
+  InstructionsWizardProps,
+  Responses,
+  WizardAnswer,
+  WizardQuestion,
+  WizardStep,
+  WizardConfirmationIntent,
+  FreeTextResponses,
+} from "@/types/wizard"
 import { buildFilterPlaceholder, useAnswerFilter } from "@/hooks/use-answer-filter"
 import {
   STACK_QUESTION_ID,
@@ -36,6 +45,7 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
   const [responses, setResponses] = useState<Responses>(() =>
     initialStackId ? { [STACK_QUESTION_ID]: initialStackId } : {}
   )
+  const [freeTextResponses, setFreeTextResponses] = useState<FreeTextResponses>({})
   const [dynamicSteps, setDynamicSteps] = useState<WizardStep[]>(() =>
     initialStackStep ? [initialStackStep] : []
   )
@@ -77,6 +87,20 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
   const filterInputId = currentQuestion ? `answer-filter-${currentQuestion.id}` : "answer-filter"
 
   const currentAnswerValue = currentQuestion ? responses[currentQuestion.id] : undefined
+  const currentFreeTextValue = useMemo(() => {
+    if (!currentQuestion) {
+      return ""
+    }
+
+    const value = freeTextResponses[currentQuestion.id]
+    return typeof value === "string" ? value : ""
+  }, [currentQuestion, freeTextResponses])
+  const freeTextConfig = currentQuestion?.freeText ?? null
+  const freeTextInputId = currentQuestion ? `free-text-${currentQuestion.id}` : "free-text"
+  const canSubmitFreeText = Boolean(freeTextConfig?.enabled && currentFreeTextValue.trim().length > 0)
+  const hasSavedCustomFreeText = Boolean(freeTextConfig?.enabled && currentFreeTextValue.trim().length > 0)
+
+  const savedCustomFreeTextValue = currentFreeTextValue.trim()
 
   const defaultAnswer = useMemo(
     () => currentQuestion?.answers.find((answer) => answer.isDefault) ?? null,
@@ -140,7 +164,13 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
   }, [])
 
   const persistStateIfPossible = useCallback(
-    (nextResponses: Responses, nextAutoFilled: Record<string, boolean>, stackId: string | null, stackLabel?: string | null) => {
+    (
+      nextResponses: Responses,
+      nextFreeText: FreeTextResponses,
+      nextAutoFilled: Record<string, boolean>,
+      stackId: string | null,
+      stackLabel?: string | null
+    ) => {
       if (!stackId) {
         return
       }
@@ -149,6 +179,7 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
         stackId,
         stackLabel: stackLabel ?? undefined,
         responses: nextResponses,
+        freeTextResponses: nextFreeText,
         autoFilledMap: nextAutoFilled,
         updatedAt: Date.now(),
       })
@@ -183,6 +214,28 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
         return next
       })
 
+      setFreeTextResponses((prev) => {
+        if (Object.keys(prev).length === 0) {
+          return prev
+        }
+
+        let didMutate = false
+        const next = { ...prev }
+
+        step.questions.forEach((question) => {
+          if (question.id === STACK_QUESTION_ID) {
+            return
+          }
+
+          if (next[question.id] !== undefined) {
+            delete next[question.id]
+            didMutate = true
+          }
+        })
+
+        return didMutate ? next : prev
+      })
+
       setCurrentStepIndex(1)
       setCurrentQuestionIndex(0)
       setAutoFilledQuestionMap({})
@@ -261,8 +314,15 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
       return
     }
 
-    persistStateIfPossible(responses, autoFilledQuestionMap, selectedStackId, activeStackLabel)
-  }, [responses, autoFilledQuestionMap, selectedStackId, activeStackLabel, persistStateIfPossible])
+    persistStateIfPossible(responses, freeTextResponses, autoFilledQuestionMap, selectedStackId, activeStackLabel)
+  }, [
+    responses,
+    freeTextResponses,
+    autoFilledQuestionMap,
+    selectedStackId,
+    activeStackLabel,
+    persistStateIfPossible,
+  ])
 
   const handleWizardCompletion = useCallback(() => {
     if (!selectedStackId) {
@@ -354,6 +414,8 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
       return next
     })
 
+    setFreeTextResponses((prev) => (Object.keys(prev).length > 0 ? {} : prev))
+
     markQuestionsAutoFilled(autoFilledIds)
     setIsStackFastTrackPromptVisible(false)
     handleWizardCompletion()
@@ -444,6 +506,125 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
     void handleQuestionAnswerSelection(currentQuestion, answer)
   }
 
+  const handleFreeTextChange = useCallback(
+    (event: ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
+      const question = currentQuestion
+
+      if (!question) {
+        return
+      }
+
+      const { value } = event.target
+      let didChange = false
+
+      setFreeTextResponses((prev) => {
+        const existing = prev[question.id]
+
+        if (value.length === 0) {
+          if (existing === undefined) {
+            return prev
+          }
+
+          const next = { ...prev }
+          delete next[question.id]
+          didChange = true
+          return next
+        }
+
+        if (existing === value) {
+          return prev
+        }
+
+        didChange = true
+        return {
+          ...prev,
+          [question.id]: value,
+        }
+      })
+
+      if (didChange) {
+        clearAutoFilledFlag(question.id)
+      }
+    },
+    [clearAutoFilledFlag, currentQuestion]
+  )
+
+  const hasSelectionForQuestion = useCallback(
+    (question: WizardQuestion) => {
+      const value = responses[question.id]
+
+      if (question.allowMultiple) {
+        return Array.isArray(value) && value.length > 0
+      }
+
+      return typeof value === "string" && value.length > 0
+    },
+    [responses]
+  )
+
+  const commitFreeTextValue = (
+    question: WizardQuestion,
+    rawValue: string,
+    options?: { allowAutoAdvance?: boolean }
+  ) => {
+    const allowAutoAdvance = options?.allowAutoAdvance ?? true
+    const trimmedValue = rawValue.trim()
+    const existingValue = typeof freeTextResponses[question.id] === "string" ? freeTextResponses[question.id] : ""
+
+    if (trimmedValue === existingValue) {
+      if (allowAutoAdvance && trimmedValue.length > 0 && !hasSelectionForQuestion(question)) {
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          advanceToNextQuestion()
+        }, 0)
+      }
+
+      return
+    }
+
+    setFreeTextResponses((prev) => {
+      if (trimmedValue.length === 0) {
+        if (!(question.id in prev)) {
+          return prev
+        }
+
+        const next = { ...prev }
+        delete next[question.id]
+        return next
+      }
+
+      return {
+        ...prev,
+        [question.id]: trimmedValue,
+      }
+    })
+
+    clearAutoFilledFlag(question.id)
+
+    if (allowAutoAdvance && trimmedValue.length > 0 && !hasSelectionForQuestion(question)) {
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        advanceToNextQuestion()
+      }, 0)
+    }
+  }
+
+  const handleFreeTextSubmit = (event: FormEvent<HTMLFormElement>) => {
+    event.preventDefault()
+
+    if (!currentQuestion) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    commitFreeTextValue(currentQuestion, currentFreeTextValue)
+  }
+
+  const handleFreeTextClear = () => {
+    if (!currentQuestion) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    commitFreeTextValue(currentQuestion, "", { allowAutoAdvance: false })
+  }
+
   const applyDefaultAnswer = async () => {
     if (!defaultAnswer || defaultAnswer.disabled || !currentQuestion) {
       return
@@ -478,6 +659,7 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
   const resetWizardState = () => {
     const stackIdToClear = selectedStackId
     setResponses({})
+    setFreeTextResponses({})
     setDynamicSteps([])
     setCurrentStepIndex(0)
     setCurrentQuestionIndex(0)
@@ -661,6 +843,59 @@ export function InstructionsWizard({
             />
           )}
 
+          {freeTextConfig?.enabled ? (
+            <div className="mt-6 space-y-3 rounded-2xl border border-border/60 bg-background/80 p-4">
+              <div className="space-y-1">
+                <p className="text-sm font-semibold text-foreground">Need something else?</p>
+                <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                  {hasSavedCustomFreeText
+                    ? "Your custom answer below is what we'll keep when generating the AI context file."
+                    : "Whatever you type here replaces the presets and goes straight into the AI context file."}
+                </p>
+              </div>
+              <form
+                className="flex flex-col gap-2 sm:flex-row sm:items-center"
+                onSubmit={handleFreeTextSubmit}
+              >
+                <Input
+                  id={freeTextInputId}
+                  value={currentFreeTextValue}
+                  onChange={handleFreeTextChange}
+                  placeholder="Type your custom preference"
+                  className="sm:flex-1"
+                  autoComplete="off"
+                />
+                <div className="flex gap-2">
+                  <Button type="submit" size="sm" disabled={!canSubmitFreeText}>
+                    Save custom answer
+                  </Button>
+                  {currentFreeTextValue.length > 0 ? (
+                    <Button type="button" size="sm" variant="ghost" onClick={handleFreeTextClear}>
+                      Clear
+                    </Button>
+                  ) : null}
+                </div>
+              </form>
+              {hasSavedCustomFreeText ? (
+                <p
+                  className="flex items-center gap-2 text-xs font-semibold text-emerald-600 dark:text-emerald-400"
+                  data-testid="custom-answer-confirmation"
+                >
+                  <CheckCircle2 className="h-3.5 w-3.5" />
+                  <span>
+                    We'll use
+                    {" "}
+                    <code className="rounded bg-muted px-1.5 py-0.5 text-[0.7rem] font-medium">
+                      {savedCustomFreeTextValue}
+                    </code>
+                    {" "}
+                    for this question when we generate your context file.
+                  </span>
+                </p>
+              ) : null}
+            </div>
+          ) : null}
+
           <div className="mt-6 flex flex-wrap items-center justify-between gap-3">
             <div className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
               Question {questionNumber} of {totalQuestions}
diff --git a/components/wizard-edit-answer-dialog.tsx b/components/wizard-edit-answer-dialog.tsx
index 1ce202a..87c96c6 100644
--- a/components/wizard-edit-answer-dialog.tsx
+++ b/components/wizard-edit-answer-dialog.tsx
@@ -1,20 +1,41 @@
+import { useEffect, useState, type FormEvent } from "react"
+
 import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
+import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input"
 import { WizardAnswerGrid } from "./wizard-answer-grid"
 import type { Responses, WizardAnswer, WizardQuestion } from "@/types/wizard"
 import { buildFilterPlaceholder, useAnswerFilter } from "@/hooks/use-answer-filter"
+import { CheckCircle2 } from "lucide-react"
 
 type WizardEditAnswerDialogProps = {
   question: WizardQuestion
   value: Responses[keyof Responses] | undefined
   onAnswerSelect: (answer: WizardAnswer) => void | Promise<void>
+  freeTextValue?: string
+  onFreeTextSave?: (value: string) => void
   onClose: () => void
 }
 
-export function WizardEditAnswerDialog({ question, value, onAnswerSelect, onClose }: WizardEditAnswerDialogProps) {
+export function WizardEditAnswerDialog({
+  question,
+  value,
+  onAnswerSelect,
+  freeTextValue = "",
+  onFreeTextSave,
+  onClose,
+}: WizardEditAnswerDialogProps) {
   const { answers, query, setQuery, isFiltering } = useAnswerFilter(question)
   const filterPlaceholder = buildFilterPlaceholder(question)
   const showNoMatches = Boolean(question.enableFilter && answers.length === 0 && query.trim().length > 0)
   const filterInputId = `edit-answer-filter-${question.id}`
+  const freeTextEnabled = Boolean(question.freeText?.enabled)
+  const [freeTextDraft, setFreeTextDraft] = useState(freeTextValue)
+  const hasPersistedCustomAnswer = freeTextValue.trim().length > 0
+  const persistedCustomAnswer = freeTextValue.trim()
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setFreeTextDraft(freeTextValue)
+  }, [freeTextValue])
 
   const isSelected = (candidate: string) => {
     if (question.allowMultiple) {
@@ -24,6 +45,27 @@ export function WizardEditAnswerDialog({ question, value, onAnswerSelect, onClos
     return value === candidate
   }
 
+  const handleFreeTextSubmit = (event: FormEvent<HTMLFormElement>) => {
+    event.preventDefault()
+    const trimmed = freeTextDraft.trim()
+
+    if (!onFreeTextSave) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    onFreeTextSave(trimmed)
+    setFreeTextDraft(trimmed)
+  }
+
+  const handleFreeTextClear = () => {
+    if (!onFreeTextSave) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    onFreeTextSave("")
+    setFreeTextDraft("")
+  }
+
   return (
     <div
       className="fixed inset-0 z-50 flex items-start justify-center overflow-y-auto bg-background/80 p-6 pt-24 backdrop-blur-sm"
@@ -78,6 +120,55 @@ export function WizardEditAnswerDialog({ question, value, onAnswerSelect, onClos
             questionId={question.id}
           />
         )}
+
+        {freeTextEnabled ? (
+          <div className="space-y-3 rounded-2xl border border-border/60 bg-background/85 p-4">
+            <div className="space-y-1">
+              <p className="text-sm font-semibold text-foreground">Custom answer</p>
+              <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                {hasPersistedCustomAnswer
+                  ? "Your saved custom answer below is what we'll keep when generating the AI context file."
+                  : "Whatever you add here replaces the presets and goes straight into the AI context file."}
+              </p>
+            </div>
+            <form className="flex flex-col gap-2 sm:flex-row sm:items-center" onSubmit={handleFreeTextSubmit}>
+              <Input
+                value={freeTextDraft}
+                onChange={(event) => setFreeTextDraft(event.target.value)}
+                placeholder="Type your custom answer"
+                autoComplete="off"
+                className="sm:flex-1"
+              />
+              <div className="flex gap-2">
+                <Button type="submit" size="sm" disabled={freeTextDraft.trim().length === 0}>
+                  Save custom answer
+                </Button>
+                {freeTextDraft.length > 0 ? (
+                  <Button type="button" size="sm" variant="ghost" onClick={handleFreeTextClear}>
+                    Clear
+                  </Button>
+                ) : null}
+              </div>
+            </form>
+            {hasPersistedCustomAnswer ? (
+              <p
+                className="flex items-center gap-2 text-xs font-semibold text-emerald-600 dark:text-emerald-400"
+                data-testid="custom-answer-confirmation"
+              >
+                <CheckCircle2 className="h-3.5 w-3.5" />
+                <span>
+                  We'll use
+                  {" "}
+                  <code className="rounded bg-muted px-1.5 py-0.5 text-[0.7rem] font-medium">
+                    {persistedCustomAnswer}
+                  </code>
+                  {" "}
+                  for this question when we generate your context file.
+                </span>
+              </p>
+            ) : null}
+          </div>
+        ) : null}
       </div>
     </div>
   )
diff --git a/data/architecture.json b/data/architecture.json
index 75f9fb3..959c25f 100644
--- a/data/architecture.json
+++ b/data/architecture.json
@@ -16,7 +16,16 @@
                 "example": "Use Redux Toolkit for app-wide state",
                 "docs": "https://redux-toolkit.js.org/introduction/getting-started"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Zustand",
+                "MobX",
+                "Recoil",
+                "Context + reducers"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "apiLayer",
@@ -34,7 +43,16 @@
                 "docs": "https://react.dev/learn/reusing-logic-with-custom-hooks",
                 "isDefault": true
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "GraphQL via Apollo",
+                "REST helpers in /lib/api",
+                "tRPC procedures",
+                "Direct fetch in components"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "folders",
@@ -51,6 +69,15 @@
                 "label": "Domain-driven folders",
                 "example": "src/domain/order/components/OrderCard.tsx"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Atomic design folders",
+                "Keep /pages flat",
+                "Use src/features only",
+                "Layered architecture"
+            ]
+        }
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/commits.json b/data/commits.json
index d32e93a..fee209a 100644
--- a/data/commits.json
+++ b/data/commits.json
@@ -21,7 +21,16 @@
                 "label": "Custom team rules",
                 "example": "LOGIN: implemented login endpoint"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Prefix with ticket ID",
+                "Use semantic-release format",
+                "Limit subject to 50 chars",
+                "Use imperative mood"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "prRules",
@@ -43,6 +52,15 @@
                 "label": "Update changelog",
                 "example": "Each PR should update CHANGELOG.md with notable changes."
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Include screenshots for UI",
+                "Assign PRs to QA",
+                "Pair review required",
+                "Link Jira tickets"
+            ]
+        }
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/general.json b/data/general.json
index ff7d46e..62fe3fc 100644
--- a/data/general.json
+++ b/data/general.json
@@ -25,7 +25,16 @@
                 "label": "Performance",
                 "example": "Optimize code for runtime speed and bundle size."
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Developer velocity",
+                "Long-term maintainability",
+                "Regulatory compliance",
+                "Performance-first roadmap"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "codeStyle",
@@ -49,7 +58,16 @@
                 "label": "Custom team rules",
                 "example": "See internal style guide."
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Google TypeScript style guide",
+                "Internal lint rules",
+                "Prettier defaults only",
+                "Custom JavaScript guidelines"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "variableNaming",
@@ -68,7 +86,16 @@
                 "example": "const user_name = 'john'",
                 "docs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_case"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "camelCase with descriptive names",
+                "snake_case for shared libs",
+                "Prefix booleans with is/has",
+                "No abbreviations"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "fileNaming",
@@ -99,7 +126,16 @@
                 "example": "user_profile.tsx",
                 "docs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_case"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Feature-based naming",
+                "No spaces in filenames",
+                "Match backend naming",
+                "Use index files sparingly"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "componentNaming",
@@ -118,7 +154,16 @@
                 "example": "export function loginForm() {}",
                 "docs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel_case"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "PascalCase with suffix",
+                "Domain-specific prefixes",
+                "Export anonymous components",
+                "Use Async prefix for lazy components"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "exports",
@@ -137,7 +182,16 @@
                 "example": "export default function Button() {}",
                 "docs": "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/export#default_exports"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Named exports everywhere",
+                "Default exports for pages",
+                "Prefer factory exports",
+                "Export objects with namespaces"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "comments",
@@ -160,7 +214,16 @@
                 "label": "Inline explanations",
                 "example": "// Explain why, not what"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Document intent over implementation",
+                "Use JSDoc for public APIs",
+                "Prefer ADRs for major changes",
+                "No inline comments"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "collaboration",
@@ -183,6 +246,15 @@
                 "label": "Documentation required",
                 "example": "New APIs must be documented in /docs."
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Two approvals required",
+                "Link Jira tickets in PRs",
+                "Use feature branch naming",
+                "Async standups in Slack"
+            ]
+        }
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/performance.json b/data/performance.json
index 37c123d..41dda70 100644
--- a/data/performance.json
+++ b/data/performance.json
@@ -17,7 +17,16 @@
                 "docs": "https://web.dev/infinite-scroll-without-chaos/",
                 "isDefault": false
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Cache responses for 5 minutes",
+                "Use SWR for caching",
+                "Batch API requests",
+                "Enable GraphQL persisted queries"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "reactPerf",
@@ -36,6 +45,15 @@
                 "example": "import('chart.js') only when needed",
                 "docs": "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/import#dynamic_imports"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Audit with React Profiler monthly",
+                "Avoid inline anonymous handlers",
+                "Use Suspense boundaries",
+                "Lazy load heavy widgets"
+            ]
+        }
     }
-]
\ No newline at end of file
+]
diff --git a/data/questions/angular.json b/data/questions/angular.json
index c46f218..b941883 100644
--- a/data/questions/angular.json
+++ b/data/questions/angular.json
@@ -45,7 +45,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "ng add @angular-builders/custom-webpack"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Angular Universal setup",
+                "Nx workspace generators",
+                "Custom esbuild pipeline",
+                "Monorepo with Turborepo"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-language",
@@ -93,7 +102,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "ng new my-app --no-standalone --defaults"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "TypeScript strict with template checks",
+                "JavaScript transitional",
+                "Flow experimentation",
+                "Hybrid TS/JS modules"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-fileStructure",
@@ -143,7 +161,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "libs/dashboard/ui/src/lib/widget.component.ts"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Domain-driven modules",
+                "Core/shared library split",
+                "Nx libs per feature",
+                "Standalone components only"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-styling",
@@ -191,7 +218,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "ng add @angular/material"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "CSS Modules via webpack",
+                "Styled Components",
+                "Windi CSS",
+                "Scoped styles only"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-stateManagement",
@@ -240,7 +276,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "userService.user$.pipe(map(user => !!user))"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Akita state management",
+                "ComponentStore",
+                "BehaviorSubject services",
+                "Apollo cache only"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-apiLayer",
@@ -288,7 +333,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "ng-openapi-gen --config openapi.json"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "gRPC-web clients",
+                "GraphQL codegen",
+                "REST helpers in /core/api",
+                "Supabase client"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-validation",
@@ -335,7 +389,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "const schema = z.object({ email: z.string().email() })"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Custom validators in shared lib",
+                "Use class-validator",
+                "Central schema package",
+                "Backend-only validation"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-logging",
@@ -381,7 +444,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "this.logger.info('User created', payload)"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "LogRocket sessions",
+                "Elastic APM agent",
+                "New Relic browser agent",
+                "Console logging only"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-testingUT",
@@ -430,7 +502,16 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "npm install --save-dev vitest @nx/vite"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Angular Testing Library",
+                "Spectator",
+                "No unit tests",
+                "Jest + RTL"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "angular-testingE2E",
@@ -478,6 +559,15 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "npx wdio run wdio.conf.ts"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Nightwatch",
+                "Protractor legacy",
+                "Manual smoke tests",
+                "TestCafe"
+            ]
+        }
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/questions/astro.json b/data/questions/astro.json
index 2325788..ab5c77e 100644
--- a/data/questions/astro.json
+++ b/data/questions/astro.json
@@ -33,6 +33,15 @@
                 "example": "npx astro add svelte"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Preact components",
+                "SolidJS islands",
+                "Alpine.js widgets",
+                "HTMX partials"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Primary integration influences hydration directives and linting."
     },
     {
@@ -66,6 +75,15 @@
                 "example": "export const revalidate = 60"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Client-side only",
+                "Edge SSR",
+                "On-demand rebuilds",
+                "Static marketing pages"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Rendering model informs content strategy and hosting provider."
     },
     {
@@ -99,6 +117,15 @@
                 "example": "src/pages/posts/post-1.md"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Headless CMS via GraphQL",
+                "Notion sync",
+                "Markdown in /content/blog",
+                "Sanity dataset"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Content strategy shapes file organization and build scripts."
     },
     {
@@ -135,6 +162,15 @@
                 "example": "wrangler pages deploy dist"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "GitHub Pages",
+                "Azure Static Web Apps",
+                "Render",
+                "Self-hosted Node server"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Hosting target sets adapter, environment variables, and CI strategy."
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/questions/nextjs.json b/data/questions/nextjs.json
index 4c1387d..b9e7a93 100644
--- a/data/questions/nextjs.json
+++ b/data/questions/nextjs.json
@@ -46,6 +46,15 @@
                 "example": "npm install next react react-dom"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Nx workspace",
+                "Blitz toolkit",
+                "Custom esbuild pipeline",
+                "Remix coexistence"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Choose the tooling you rely on for bootstrapping and evolving the project."
     },
     {
@@ -95,6 +104,15 @@
                 "example": "app/(marketing)/page.tsx + pages/api/health.ts"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Feature-sliced routing",
+                "Monorepo modules",
+                "Pages for marketing only",
+                "src/modules structure"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Routing choice impacts data fetching patterns, layouts, and deployment expectations."
     },
     {
@@ -131,6 +149,15 @@
                 "example": "npx create-next-app@latest my-app"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "TypeScript strict mode",
+                "JavaScript with JSDoc",
+                "Flow types",
+                "Hybrid JS/TS"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Language choice impacts type safety, linting, and Copilot suggestions."
     },
     {
@@ -181,6 +208,15 @@
                 "example": "npm install styled-components"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Vanilla Extract",
+                "Tailwind + Radix",
+                "Chakra UI theme",
+                "UnoCSS"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Styling stack influences rendering performance and component ergonomics."
     },
     {
@@ -231,6 +267,15 @@
                 "example": "const ThemeContext = createContext('light')"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Recoil",
+                "Jotai",
+                "Apollo cache only",
+                "Segment-specific contexts"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "State tooling guides component structure and cross-page coordination."
     },
     {
@@ -281,6 +326,15 @@
                 "example": "const queryClient = new QueryClient()"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Server Actions only",
+                "GraphQL clients",
+                "REST with revalidateTag",
+                "Edge runtime fetch"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Data strategy shapes caching, hydration, and API integration patterns."
     },
     {
@@ -329,6 +383,15 @@
                 "example": "async function authorize(credentials) { /* validate */ }"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "AWS Cognito",
+                "Firebase Auth",
+                "Magic links only",
+                "Edge middleware tokens"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Auth strategy drives session handling, middleware, and deployment needs."
     },
     {
@@ -377,6 +440,15 @@
                 "example": "if (!emailRegex.test(payload.email)) throw new Error('Invalid email')"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Superstruct",
+                "class-validator",
+                "Form-only validators",
+                "Backend-only validation"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Validation approach affects reliability of Server Actions and API routes."
     },
     {
@@ -426,6 +498,15 @@
                 "example": "import pino from 'pino'"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Datadog RUM",
+                "Logflare",
+                "New Relic",
+                "Console logging only"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Logging strategy determines observability and incident response workflows."
     },
     {
@@ -462,6 +543,15 @@
                 "example": "npm install --save-dev vitest @testing-library/react"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Testing Library only",
+                "RTL + Jest DOM",
+                "Integration tests in Node",
+                "No unit tests"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Unit testing ensures components and helpers behave correctly in isolation."
     },
     {
@@ -498,6 +588,15 @@
                 "example": "npm install --save-dev cypress"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Nightwatch",
+                "TestCafe",
+                "Manual smoke tests",
+                "QA automation team"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "E2E coverage validates full Next.js flows from routing to data."
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/questions/nuxt.json b/data/questions/nuxt.json
index 9c86f9f..c8594cb 100644
--- a/data/questions/nuxt.json
+++ b/data/questions/nuxt.json
@@ -30,6 +30,15 @@
                 "example": "export default defineCachedEventHandler(handler, { swr: true })"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Edge-only rendering",
+                "Client-side only",
+                "Prerender marketing pages",
+                "Nightly rebuild schedule"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Rendering mode determines deployment targets and caching patterns."
     },
     {
@@ -63,6 +72,15 @@
                 "example": "const client = new GraphQLClient(endpoint)"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "useAsyncData",
+                "Direct axios calls",
+                "Supabase client",
+                "GraphQL codegen"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Fetching strategy affects runtime config and environment variables."
     },
     {
@@ -97,6 +115,15 @@
                 "example": "<style scoped>...</style>"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Windi CSS",
+                "Design tokens via CSS vars",
+                "Sass modules",
+                "Tailwind + DaisyUI"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Styling choice influences runtime head bleed and bundle size."
     },
     {
@@ -132,6 +159,15 @@
                 "example": "node .output/server/index.mjs"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Cloudflare Pages",
+                "AWS Amplify",
+                "Azure Static Web Apps",
+                "Self-hosted Kubernetes"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Deployment target signals adapter, environment variables, and caching policies."
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/questions/python.json b/data/questions/python.json
index c68d739..9bbc50d 100644
--- a/data/questions/python.json
+++ b/data/questions/python.json
@@ -33,6 +33,15 @@
                 "example": "app = Flask(__name__)"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Django REST Framework",
+                "Flask + Blueprints",
+                "Starlette",
+                "No framework (scripts only)"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Framework choice informs project structure, CLI commands, and deployment guidance."
     },
     {
@@ -66,6 +75,15 @@
                 "example": "def create_user(payload): ..."
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "MyPy strict",
+                "Pyright enforcement",
+                "Gradual typed packages",
+                "Untyped prototypes"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Typing policy guides lint rules, CI checks, and editor setup."
     },
     {
@@ -99,6 +117,15 @@
                 "example": "uv pip install fastapi"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Pipenv",
+                "Conda environments",
+                "Poetry + uv lock",
+                "System pip only"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Package tooling defines scripts, lockfiles, and reproducibility guidance."
     },
     {
@@ -132,6 +159,15 @@
                 "example": "behave features/"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "pytest + factoryboy",
+                "Hypothesis property tests",
+                "No automated tests",
+                "Robot Framework"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Testing strategy controls fixtures, assertions, and coverage expectations."
     },
     {
@@ -165,6 +201,15 @@
                 "example": "# Document conventions in README"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "PyLint only",
+                "Two-space indentation",
+                "Pre-commit hooks",
+                "Custom formatting scripts"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Lint command shapes pre-commit hooks and CI tasks."
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/questions/react.json b/data/questions/react.json
index b621022..c05f792 100644
--- a/data/questions/react.json
+++ b/data/questions/react.json
@@ -33,8 +33,67 @@
                     "Less customizable without eject"
                 ],
                 "example": "npx create-react-app my-app"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "nx",
+                "label": "Nx",
+                "icon": "nx",
+                "docs": "https://nx.dev/getting-started/intro",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Great for monorepos with shared utilities",
+                    "Built-in generators and task caching"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Higher initial setup complexity"
+                ],
+                "example": "npx create-nx-workspace@latest my-workspace"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "turborepo",
+                "label": "Turborepo",
+                "icon": "turborepo",
+                "docs": "https://turbo.build/repo/docs",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Parallel and incremental builds",
+                    "Integrates tightly with Vercel deployments"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Requires configuring your preferred bundler"
+                ],
+                "example": "npx create-turbo@latest my-monorepo"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "webpack",
+                "label": "Custom Webpack",
+                "icon": "webpack",
+                "docs": "https://webpack.js.org/concepts/",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Full control over the build pipeline",
+                    "Massive plugin and loader ecosystem"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Manual configuration and maintenance overhead"
+                ],
+                "example": "npm install --save-dev webpack webpack-cli webpack-dev-server"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "razzle",
+                "label": "Razzle",
+                "docs": "https://razzlejs.org/docs/getting-started",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Zero-config server and client rendering",
+                    "Built-in support for React Router"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Smaller community and fewer recent updates"
+                ],
+                "example": "npx create-razzle-app my-app"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": []
+        },
         "explanation": "Choose the build tool / project scaffolder you\u2019re using."
     },
     {
@@ -70,8 +129,71 @@
                     "No static typing"
                 ],
                 "example": "npx create-vite@latest my-app --template react"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "typescript-strict",
+                "label": "TypeScript (strict mode)",
+                "icon": "/icons/typescript.svg",
+                "docs": "https://www.typescriptlang.org/tsconfig/#strict",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Maximum type safety and early error detection",
+                    "Improves Copilot suggestions with precise types"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Requires more explicit annotations in complex areas"
+                ],
+                "example": "Add \"strict\": true to compilerOptions in tsconfig.json"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "javascript-jsdoc",
+                "label": "JavaScript with JSDoc",
+                "icon": "/icons/javascript.svg",
+                "docs": "https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/type-checking-javascript-files.html",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Gradual typing without leaving .js files",
+                    "Enhances IntelliSense while keeping build simple"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Type comments can clutter implementation code",
+                    "Limited deep type support compared to TypeScript"
+                ],
+                "example": "/** @param {number} count */ function increment(count) { return count + 1; }"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "flow",
+                "label": "Flow",
+                "icon": "flow",
+                "docs": "https://flow.org/en/docs/getting-started/",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Optional static typing for React apps",
+                    "Powerful inference with minimal annotations"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Smaller ecosystem compared to TypeScript",
+                    "Requires Babel or build tooling to strip types"
+                ],
+                "example": "// @flow\nfunction greet(name: string): string {\n  return `Hello ${name}`;\n}"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "reasonml",
+                "label": "ReasonML",
+                "icon": "reason",
+                "docs": "https://reasonml.github.io/docs/en/quickstart",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Expressive functional language with JSX interop",
+                    "Strong type system and pattern matching"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Smaller hiring pool and ecosystem",
+                    "Requires compilation via ReScript toolchain"
+                ],
+                "example": "[@react.component]\nlet make = (~name) => <div>{React.string(name)}</div>;"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": []
+        },
         "explanation": "Language choice impacts type safety and Copilot suggestions."
     },
     {
@@ -117,8 +239,70 @@
                     "Adds boilerplate files per component"
                 ],
                 "example": "components/Button/Button.tsx + components/Button/index.tsx"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "feature-sliced",
+                "label": "Feature-sliced design",
+                "icon": "/icons/folder-tree.svg",
+                "docs": "https://feature-sliced.design/docs/get-started/overview",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Domain-driven slices keep modules cohesive",
+                    "Supports scaling with shared layering conventions"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Requires team alignment on slice boundaries"
+                ],
+                "example": "src/entities/user/ui/ProfileCard/index.tsx"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "atomic-design",
+                "label": "Atomic design folders",
+                "icon": "/icons/layout.svg",
+                "docs": "https://bradfrost.com/blog/post/atomic-web-design/",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Enforces a consistent component hierarchy",
+                    "Encourages reuse of UI primitives"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Rigid layers can feel heavyweight for small apps"
+                ],
+                "example": "components/atoms/Button/Button.tsx"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "component-tests-colocated",
+                "label": "Components with co-located tests",
+                "icon": "/icons/folder-tree.svg",
+                "docs": "https://kentcdodds.com/blog/colocate-tests",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Tests live beside implementation for quick discovery",
+                    "Keeps refactors and specs in sync"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Adds nested folders to the tree",
+                    "Requires tooling to ignore *.test files in production bundles"
+                ],
+                "example": "Button/Button.tsx + Button/Button.test.tsx"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "next-app-router",
+                "label": "Next.js app router",
+                "icon": "nextdotjs",
+                "docs": "https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/routing",
+                "pros": [
+                    "File-system routing with nested layouts",
+                    "Server and client components by default"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Specific to Next.js projects",
+                    "Requires understanding React Server Components"
+                ],
+                "example": "app/dashboard/(marketing)/page.tsx"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": []
+        },
         "explanation": "Component organization affects maintainability as the project grows."
     },
     {
@@ -154,8 +338,71 @@
                     "Verbose imports"
                 ],
                 "example": "import styles from './Button.module.css'"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "styled-components",
+                "label": "Styled Components",
+                "icon": "styledcomponents",
+                "docs": "https://styled-components.com/docs",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Component-scoped styles with tagged template literals",
+                    "Dynamic styling based on props"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Adds runtime overhead",
+                    "SSR requires additional configuration"
+                ],
+                "example": "const Button = styled.button`\n  background: #1d4ed8;\n  color: white;\n`;"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "emotion",
+                "label": "Emotion",
+                "icon": "emotion",
+                "docs": "https://emotion.sh/docs/introduction",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Flexible CSS-in-JS with object or string styles",
+                    "Great TypeScript support"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Runtime styling can impact performance on low-end devices"
+                ],
+                "example": "const className = css`\n  font-weight: 600;\n`;"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "vanilla-extract",
+                "label": "Vanilla Extract",
+                "icon": "vanillaextract",
+                "docs": "https://vanilla-extract.style/documentation/getting-started",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Zero-runtime CSS-in-TypeScript",
+                    "Static extraction keeps bundles lean"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Requires build tooling configuration",
+                    "Less ergonomic for highly dynamic styles"
+                ],
+                "example": "// button.css.ts\nexport const root = style({ padding: '0.75rem' });"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "sass-modules",
+                "label": "Sass modules",
+                "icon": "sass",
+                "docs": "https://sass-lang.com/documentation",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Powerful nesting and variables",
+                    "Scoped imports avoid global leaks"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Build step required",
+                    "Mixins can hide complexity"
+                ],
+                "example": "import styles from './Button.module.scss'"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": []
+        },
         "explanation": "Styling choice impacts developer experience and bundle size."
     },
     {
@@ -191,8 +438,59 @@
                     "Less mature than Jest"
                 ],
                 "example": "npm install --save-dev vitest @testing-library/react"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "react-testing-library",
+                "label": "React Testing Library",
+                "icon": "testinglibrary",
+                "docs": "https://testing-library.com/docs/react-testing-library/intro/",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Encourages tests from the user perspective",
+                    "Works with Jest, Vitest, and other runners"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Requires pairing with an assertion library",
+                    "Focused on DOM tests rather than class instance details"
+                ],
+                "example": "render(<Button />); expect(screen.getByRole('button')).toBeEnabled();"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "react-testing-library-jest-dom",
+                "label": "React Testing Library + jest-dom",
+                "icon": "testinglibrary",
+                "docs": "https://testing-library.com/docs/ecosystem-jest-dom/",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Provides intuitive DOM matchers like toBeInTheDocument",
+                    "Seamless integration with RTL setup"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Tied to Jest-compatible environments",
+                    "Adds extra globals to manage in TypeScript"
+                ],
+                "example": "expect(screen.getByRole('alert')).toBeInTheDocument();"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "mocha-enzyme",
+                "label": "Mocha + Enzyme",
+                "icon": "mocha",
+                "docs": "https://enzymejs.github.io/enzyme/docs/installation/",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Supports legacy Enzyme shallow rendering patterns",
+                    "Flexible assertion and mocking choices"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Adapters lag behind the latest React releases",
+                    "More setup to integrate with Babel and JSX"
+                ],
+                "example": "npm install --save-dev mocha enzyme enzyme-adapter-react-17"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "No unit tests"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Unit testing ensures components work as expected in isolation."
     },
     {
@@ -228,8 +526,68 @@
                 ],
                 "example": "npm install --save-dev playwright",
                 "isDefault": true
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "nightwatch",
+                "label": "Nightwatch",
+                "icon": "nightwatch",
+                "docs": "https://nightwatchjs.org/guide/",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Built on WebDriver and Selenium ecosystem",
+                    "Simple syntax for cross-browser smoke tests"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Slower startup due to Selenium drivers"
+                ],
+                "example": "npm install --save-dev nightwatch"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "testcafe",
+                "label": "TestCafe",
+                "icon": "testcafe",
+                "docs": "https://testcafe.io/documentation",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Runs tests without browser plugins",
+                    "Automatic waits reduce flaky assertions"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Smaller plugin ecosystem compared to Cypress"
+                ],
+                "example": "npx testcafe chrome e2e/**/*.test.ts"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "webdriverio",
+                "label": "WebdriverIO",
+                "icon": "webdriverio",
+                "docs": "https://webdriver.io/docs/gettingstarted",
+                "pros": [
+                    "Supports WebDriver and DevTools protocols",
+                    "Rich plugin and service ecosystem"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Requires configuration to optimize performance"
+                ],
+                "example": "npx wdio config"
+            },
+            {
+                "value": "manual-qa",
+                "label": "Manual QA only",
+                "docs": "https://www.atlassian.com/continuous-delivery/software-testing/manual-testing",
+                "pros": [
+                    "No automation maintenance overhead",
+                    "Great for exploratory test sessions"
+                ],
+                "cons": [
+                    "Not scalable for regression coverage",
+                    "Higher risk of human error"
+                ],
+                "example": "Run smoke-test checklist on staging before releases"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": []
+        },
         "explanation": "E2E testing ensures workflows function correctly in the browser."
     }
-]
\ No newline at end of file
+]
diff --git a/data/questions/remix.json b/data/questions/remix.json
index abd5f65..51ccfde 100644
--- a/data/questions/remix.json
+++ b/data/questions/remix.json
@@ -31,6 +31,15 @@
                 "example": "import { createRequestHandler } from '@remix-run/express'"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Cloudflare Workers",
+                "AWS Lambda",
+                "Self-hosted Node",
+                "Docker on Fargate"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Runtime influences adapter config and streaming support."
     },
     {
@@ -63,6 +72,15 @@
                 "example": "useEffect(() => fetch('/api/data'))"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "GraphQL loaders",
+                "Supabase client",
+                "Loader caching",
+                "Proxy to legacy API"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Data loaders determine cache headers and request shape."
     },
     {
@@ -98,6 +116,15 @@
                 "example": "const Button = styled.button`...`"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Vanilla Extract",
+                "UnoCSS",
+                "Tailwind + DaisyUI",
+                "Design tokens via CSS vars"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Styling impacts how you emit <link> tags and manage critical CSS."
     },
     {
@@ -125,6 +152,15 @@
                 "example": "jest.mock('@remix-run/react')"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Cypress component tests",
+                "Playwright",
+                "No automated tests",
+                "Unit tests only"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Testing toolkit influences route mocks and fixture structure."
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/questions/svelte.json b/data/questions/svelte.json
index 62f4dc9..c611340 100644
--- a/data/questions/svelte.json
+++ b/data/questions/svelte.json
@@ -32,6 +32,15 @@
                 "example": "npx create-elder-app my-app"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Routify",
+                "Sapper legacy",
+                "Custom Vite + SSR",
+                "Static Svelte SPA"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Tooling choice affects routing, adapters, and default file layout."
     },
     {
@@ -59,6 +68,15 @@
                 "example": "<script>\nlet count = 0\n</script>"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "TypeScript strict",
+                "JavaScript with JSDoc",
+                "Mixed TS/JS components",
+                "TypeScript disabled in libs"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Language selection informs linting and generated types."
     },
     {
@@ -92,6 +110,15 @@
                 "example": "configureStore({ reducer })"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Svelte store modules",
+                "MobX",
+                "Apollo cache",
+                "Custom event bus"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "State pick influences helper imports and best practices."
     },
     {
@@ -126,6 +153,15 @@
                 "example": "export const button = style({ background: vars.color.primary })"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Windi CSS",
+                "Styled Components",
+                "CSS Modules",
+                "Design tokens via CSS vars"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Styling approach impacts bundler config and component ergonomics."
     },
     {
@@ -153,6 +189,15 @@
                 "example": "test('homepage loads', async ({ page }) => {...})"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Cypress component tests",
+                "No automated tests",
+                "Jest with Svelte",
+                "Playwright component mode"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Testing setup defines scripts, globals, and CI expectations."
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/questions/vue.json b/data/questions/vue.json
index e85e7de..fb3dbae 100644
--- a/data/questions/vue.json
+++ b/data/questions/vue.json
@@ -47,6 +47,15 @@
                 "example": "npm init quasar"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Nuxt CLI",
+                "VitePress",
+                "Custom webpack",
+                "Laravel Mix"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Choose the bundler or CLI that created your Vue project."
     },
     {
@@ -77,13 +86,22 @@
                 "pros": [
                     "Lower barrier",
                     "Less setup"
-                ],
+               ],
                 "cons": [
                     "No static checks"
                 ],
                 "example": "<script setup>\nimport { ref } from 'vue'\nconst count = ref(0)\n</script>"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "TypeScript strict",
+                "JS with JSDoc",
+                "Hybrid TS/JS",
+                "Script setup only"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Language choice affects linting rules and code completion hints."
     },
     {
@@ -132,6 +150,15 @@
                 "example": "src/components/Button/index.ts"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Domain-driven modules",
+                "Atomic design",
+                "Colocate tests",
+                "ui/ and features/ split"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Component structure informs import paths and refactors."
     },
     {
@@ -182,6 +209,15 @@
                 "example": "const count = useCounterStore()"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Pinia with persistedstate",
+                "Apollo cache",
+                "RxJS store",
+                "LocalStorage only"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "State strategy affects reactivity helpers and file imports."
     },
     {
@@ -219,6 +255,15 @@
                 "example": "const wrapper = shallowMount(MyComponent)"
             }
         ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Cypress component testing",
+                "Playwright component mode",
+                "No automated tests",
+                "Testing Library only"
+            ]
+        },
         "explanation": "Testing stack drives available helpers and globals."
     }
 ]
diff --git a/data/security.json b/data/security.json
index d89005e..d32e74e 100644
--- a/data/security.json
+++ b/data/security.json
@@ -16,7 +16,16 @@
                 "example": "Fetch secrets from a secure vault",
                 "docs": "https://developer.hashicorp.com/vault/docs"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Use OAuth via Auth0",
+                "Rotate secrets monthly",
+                "Short-lived access tokens",
+                "SSO with SAML"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "validation",
@@ -35,7 +44,16 @@
                 "example": "Use Yup schemas for forms and requests",
                 "docs": "https://github.com/jquense/yup"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Server-side validation only",
+                "Use class-validator",
+                "Centralize schemas in /schemas",
+                "Leverage Ajv"
+            ]
+        }
     },
     {
         "id": "logging",
@@ -54,6 +72,15 @@
                 "example": "Use JSON logs with context fields",
                 "docs": "https://12factor.net/logs"
             }
-        ]
+        ],
+        "freeText": {
+            "enabled": true,
+            "suggestions": [
+                "Scrub PII before logging",
+                "Correlate logs with trace IDs",
+                "Send logs to Datadog",
+                "Use warn/error levels only"
+            ]
+        }
     }
 ]
diff --git a/lib/__tests__/wizard-response.test.ts b/lib/__tests__/wizard-response.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e9587e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/__tests__/wizard-response.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest"
+
+import { serializeWizardResponses } from "@/lib/wizard-response"
+import type { FreeTextResponses, Responses, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
+
+const step: WizardStep = {
+  id: "react",
+  title: "React Preferences",
+  questions: [
+    {
+      id: "react-fileStructure",
+      question: "How do you prefer to organize your components?",
+      responseKey: "fileStructure",
+      answers: [
+        {
+          value: "flat",
+          label: "Flat structure",
+        },
+        {
+          value: "nested",
+          label: "Nested folders",
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  ],
+}
+
+describe("serializeWizardResponses", () => {
+  it("returns the custom free text when no other answers exist", () => {
+    const responses: Responses = {}
+    const freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses = {
+      "react-fileStructure": "Domain pods",
+    }
+
+    const result = serializeWizardResponses([step], responses, freeTextResponses, null)
+
+    expect(result.fileStructure).toBe("Domain pods")
+  })
+
+  it("prefers custom free text over preset selections", () => {
+    const responses: Responses = {
+      "react-fileStructure": ["flat", "nested"],
+    }
+    const freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses = {
+      "react-fileStructure": "Add shared ui layer",
+    }
+
+    const result = serializeWizardResponses([step], responses, freeTextResponses, null)
+
+    expect(result.fileStructure).toBe("Add shared ui layer")
+  })
+})
diff --git a/lib/__tests__/wizard-summary.test.ts b/lib/__tests__/wizard-summary.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..38030cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/__tests__/wizard-summary.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest"
+
+import { buildCompletionSummary } from "@/lib/wizard-summary"
+import type { FreeTextResponses, Responses, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
+
+const baseStep: WizardStep = {
+  id: "react",
+  title: "React Preferences",
+  questions: [
+    {
+      id: "react-fileStructure",
+      question: "How do you prefer to organize your components?",
+      responseKey: "fileStructure",
+      answers: [
+        {
+          value: "flat",
+          label: "Flat structure",
+        },
+        {
+          value: "nested",
+          label: "Nested folders",
+          isDefault: true,
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  ],
+}
+
+describe("buildCompletionSummary", () => {
+  it("uses custom free text when no preset answers are selected", () => {
+    const responses: Responses = {}
+    const freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses = {
+      "react-fileStructure": "Feature pods with co-located tests",
+    }
+
+    const summary = buildCompletionSummary(
+      null,
+      null,
+      null,
+      [baseStep],
+      responses,
+      freeTextResponses,
+      {},
+      false
+    )
+
+    expect(summary).toHaveLength(1)
+    const entry = summary[0]
+    expect(entry.hasSelection).toBe(true)
+    expect(entry.answers).toEqual([
+      "Custom: Feature pods with co-located tests",
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it("prefers custom free text over preset answers", () => {
+    const responses: Responses = {
+      "react-fileStructure": "flat",
+    }
+    const freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses = {
+      "react-fileStructure": "Group by domain",
+    }
+
+    const summary = buildCompletionSummary(
+      null,
+      null,
+      null,
+      [baseStep],
+      responses,
+      freeTextResponses,
+      {},
+      false
+    )
+
+    expect(summary).toHaveLength(1)
+    const entry = summary[0]
+    expect(entry.answers).toEqual([
+      "Custom: Group by domain",
+    ])
+  })
+})
diff --git a/lib/scan-prefill.ts b/lib/scan-prefill.ts
index 124c8a3..34f3ea5 100644
--- a/lib/scan-prefill.ts
+++ b/lib/scan-prefill.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { buildStepsForStack } from "@/lib/wizard-summary-data"
 import { STACK_QUESTION_ID } from "@/lib/wizard-config"
 import { persistWizardState } from "@/lib/wizard-storage"
 import type { RepoScanSummary } from "@/types/repo-scan"
-import type { Responses, WizardQuestion, WizardResponses } from "@/types/wizard"
+import type { FreeTextResponses, Responses, WizardQuestion, WizardResponses } from "@/types/wizard"
 
 const normalizeValueForQuestion = (value: string | null, question: WizardQuestion) => {
   if (!value) {
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export const prefillWizardFromScan = async (scan: RepoScanSummary) => {
   const responses: Responses = {
     [STACK_QUESTION_ID]: stack,
   }
+  const freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses = {}
   const autoFilledMap: Record<string, boolean> = {}
 
   const setIfPresent = (question: WizardQuestion, allResponses: WizardResponses) => {
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ export const prefillWizardFromScan = async (scan: RepoScanSummary) => {
     stackId: stack,
     stackLabel,
     responses,
+    freeTextResponses,
     autoFilledMap,
     updatedAt: Date.now(),
   })
@@ -65,4 +67,3 @@ export const prefillWizardFromScan = async (scan: RepoScanSummary) => {
     stackLabel,
   }
 }
-
diff --git a/lib/wizard-config.ts b/lib/wizard-config.ts
index 7fd9130..e2709de 100644
--- a/lib/wizard-config.ts
+++ b/lib/wizard-config.ts
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ export const loadStackWizardStep = async (stackId: string, stackLabel?: string):
     question: question.question,
     allowMultiple: question.allowMultiple,
     responseKey: question.responseKey,
+    freeText: question.freeText,
     answers: question.answers.map(mapAnswerSourceToWizard),
   }))
 
diff --git a/lib/wizard-response.ts b/lib/wizard-response.ts
index 7170c91..8244e39 100644
--- a/lib/wizard-response.ts
+++ b/lib/wizard-response.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { Responses, WizardResponses, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
+import type { FreeTextResponses, Responses, WizardResponses, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
 
 const createBaseResponses = (): WizardResponses => ({
   stackSelection: null,
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ export const createInitialWizardResponses = () => createBaseResponses()
 export const serializeWizardResponses = (
   steps: WizardStep[],
   responses: Responses,
+  freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses,
   outputFileId: string | null
 ): WizardResponses => {
   const questionsAndAnswers = createBaseResponses()
@@ -48,17 +49,36 @@ export const serializeWizardResponses = (
 
       const answer = responses[question.id]
       const targetKey = responseKey as keyof WizardResponses
+      const freeTextValue = typeof freeTextResponses[question.id] === "string"
+        ? freeTextResponses[question.id]?.trim()
+        : ""
+      const entries: string[] = []
 
       if (answer !== null && answer !== undefined) {
         if (question.allowMultiple && Array.isArray(answer)) {
-          questionsAndAnswers[targetKey] = answer.join(", ")
+          entries.push(
+            ...answer
+              .filter((entry): entry is string => typeof entry === "string")
+              .map((entry) => entry)
+          )
         } else if (!question.allowMultiple && typeof answer === "string") {
-          questionsAndAnswers[targetKey] = answer
+          entries.push(answer)
         } else {
-          questionsAndAnswers[targetKey] = Array.isArray(answer)
-            ? answer.join(", ")
-            : (answer as string)
+          entries.push(
+            ...(Array.isArray(answer)
+              ? answer.map((entry) => String(entry))
+              : [String(answer)])
+          )
         }
+      }
+
+      if (freeTextValue.length > 0) {
+        questionsAndAnswers[targetKey] = freeTextValue
+        return
+      }
+
+      if (entries.length > 0) {
+        questionsAndAnswers[targetKey] = entries.join(", ")
       } else {
         questionsAndAnswers[targetKey] = null
       }
diff --git a/lib/wizard-storage.ts b/lib/wizard-storage.ts
index 0f097b0..3809ef4 100644
--- a/lib/wizard-storage.ts
+++ b/lib/wizard-storage.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
-import type { Responses } from "@/types/wizard"
+import type { FreeTextResponses, Responses } from "@/types/wizard"
 
 export type StoredWizardState = {
   stackId: string
   stackLabel?: string
   responses: Responses
+  freeTextResponses?: FreeTextResponses
   autoFilledMap: Record<string, boolean>
   updatedAt: number
 }
diff --git a/lib/wizard-summary-data.ts b/lib/wizard-summary-data.ts
index 1eb0525..4787a7e 100644
--- a/lib/wizard-summary-data.ts
+++ b/lib/wizard-summary-data.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { Responses, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
+import type { FreeTextResponses, Responses, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
 import {
   STACK_QUESTION_ID,
   getSuffixSteps,
@@ -9,17 +9,20 @@ import {
 export type DefaultSummaryData = {
   steps: WizardStep[]
   responses: Responses
+  freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses
   autoFilledMap: Record<string, boolean>
   stackLabel: string
 }
 
 const buildDefaultsForSteps = (steps: WizardStep[], stackId: string): {
   responses: Responses
+  freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses
   autoFilledMap: Record<string, boolean>
 } => {
   const responses: Responses = {
     [STACK_QUESTION_ID]: stackId,
   }
+  const freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses = {}
   const autoFilledMap: Record<string, boolean> = {}
 
   steps.forEach((step) => {
@@ -43,17 +46,18 @@ const buildDefaultsForSteps = (steps: WizardStep[], stackId: string): {
     })
   })
 
-  return { responses, autoFilledMap }
+  return { responses, freeTextResponses, autoFilledMap }
 }
 
 export const buildDefaultSummaryData = async (stackId: string): Promise<DefaultSummaryData> => {
   const { step, label } = await loadStackWizardStep(stackId)
   const steps: WizardStep[] = [stacksStep, step, ...getSuffixSteps()]
-  const { responses, autoFilledMap } = buildDefaultsForSteps(steps, stackId)
+  const { responses, freeTextResponses, autoFilledMap } = buildDefaultsForSteps(steps, stackId)
 
   return {
     steps,
     responses,
+    freeTextResponses,
     autoFilledMap,
     stackLabel: label,
   }
diff --git a/lib/wizard-summary.ts b/lib/wizard-summary.ts
index 48029fb..aa7bd6f 100644
--- a/lib/wizard-summary.ts
+++ b/lib/wizard-summary.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { FileOutputConfig, Responses, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
+import type { FileOutputConfig, FreeTextResponses, Responses, WizardStep } from "@/types/wizard"
 
 type SummaryQuestionDetails = {
   id: string
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ export const buildCompletionSummary = (
   selectedFileFormatLabel: string | null,
   steps: WizardStep[],
   responses: Responses,
+  freeTextResponses: FreeTextResponses,
   autoFilledMap: Record<string, boolean> = {},
   includeFileEntry = true
 ): CompletionSummaryEntry[] => {
@@ -77,11 +78,19 @@ export const buildCompletionSummary = (
         return value === answer.value
       })
 
+      const freeTextValue = typeof freeTextResponses[question.id] === "string"
+        ? freeTextResponses[question.id]?.trim()
+        : ""
+      const customAnswer = freeTextValue.length > 0 ? `Custom: ${freeTextValue}` : null
+      const answerSummaries = customAnswer
+        ? [customAnswer]
+        : selectedAnswers.map((answer) => answer.label)
+
       summary.push({
         id: question.id,
         question: question.question,
-        hasSelection: selectedAnswers.length > 0,
-        answers: selectedAnswers.map((answer) => answer.label),
+        hasSelection: answerSummaries.length > 0,
+        answers: answerSummaries,
         isAutoFilled: Boolean(autoFilledMap[question.id]),
         isReadOnlyOnSummary: Boolean(question.isReadOnlyOnSummary),
       })
diff --git a/lib/wizard-utils.ts b/lib/wizard-utils.ts
index 2310a6c..afa0d1c 100644
--- a/lib/wizard-utils.ts
+++ b/lib/wizard-utils.ts
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ export const buildStepFromQuestionSet = (
             isReadOnlyOnSummary: question.isReadOnlyOnSummary,
             enableFilter: question.enableFilter,
             answers: question.answers.map(mapAnswerSourceToWizard),
+            freeText: question.freeText,
         })),
 })
 
diff --git a/playwright/tests/landing.spec.ts b/playwright/tests/landing.spec.ts
index 587316d..0d34b41 100644
--- a/playwright/tests/landing.spec.ts
+++ b/playwright/tests/landing.spec.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ test('hero quick stack navigates to default summary', async ({ page }) => {
 
   await expect(page.getByTestId('hero-section')).toBeVisible()
 
-  await page.getByTestId('hero-stack-react').click()
-
-  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/new\/stack\/react\/default\/summary$/)
+  await Promise.all([
+    page.waitForURL(/\/new\/stack\/react\/default\/summary$/),
+    page.getByTestId('hero-stack-react').click(),
+  ])
   await expect(page.getByTestId('stack-summary-page')).toBeVisible()
 })
 
@@ -15,8 +16,9 @@ test('hero scan form falls back to existing flow for invalid input', async ({ pa
   await page.goto('/')
 
   await page.getByTestId('hero-repo-input').fill('not-a-valid-repo')
-  await page.getByTestId('hero-scan-button').click()
-
-  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/existing$/)
+  await Promise.all([
+    page.waitForURL(/\/existing$/),
+    page.getByTestId('hero-scan-button').click(),
+  ])
   await expect(page.getByTestId('existing-repo-page')).toBeVisible()
 })
diff --git a/playwright/tests/wizard-free-text.spec.ts b/playwright/tests/wizard-free-text.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4bb03db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playwright/tests/wizard-free-text.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import { test, expect } from "@playwright/test"
+
+test("wizard accepts custom free text answers and shows them in the summary", async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.goto("/new/stack")
+  await page.evaluate(() => {
+    window.localStorage.clear()
+  })
+  await page.reload()
+
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("instructions-wizard")).toBeVisible()
+
+  await page.getByLabel("Filter options").fill("React")
+  await page.getByTestId("answer-option-stackSelection-react").click()
+
+  const fastTrackPrompt = page.getByTestId("wizard-fast-track")
+  if (await fastTrackPrompt.isVisible()) {
+    await fastTrackPrompt.getByRole("button", { name: "Fill it out step-by-step" }).click()
+  }
+
+  const questionHeading = page.getByTestId("wizard-question-heading")
+  await expect(questionHeading).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(questionHeading).toHaveText("What build tooling do you use?")
+  await expect(
+    page.getByText("Whatever you type here replaces the presets and goes straight into the AI context file.")
+  ).toBeVisible()
+
+  const customAnswer = "Feature pods with co-located tests"
+  const customInput = page.getByPlaceholder("Type your custom preference")
+
+  await expect(customInput).toBeVisible()
+  await customInput.fill(customAnswer)
+
+  await expect(questionHeading).toHaveText("What build tooling do you use?")
+
+  const confirmationMessage = page.getByTestId("custom-answer-confirmation")
+  await expect(confirmationMessage).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(confirmationMessage).toContainText(customAnswer)
+  await expect(confirmationMessage).toContainText(
+    "for this question when we generate your context file."
+  )
+
+  await expect.poll(
+    () =>
+      page.evaluate(({ questionId }) => {
+        const raw = window.localStorage.getItem("devcontext:wizard:react")
+        if (!raw) {
+          return null
+        }
+
+        try {
+          const state = JSON.parse(raw)
+          return state.freeTextResponses?.[questionId] ?? null
+        } catch (error) {
+          console.warn("Unable to parse wizard state", error)
+          return "PARSE_ERROR"
+        }
+      }, { questionId: "react-tooling" }),
+    { timeout: 15000 }
+  ).toBe(customAnswer)
+
+  const storedState = await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const raw = window.localStorage.getItem("devcontext:wizard:react")
+    return raw ? JSON.parse(raw) : null
+  })
+
+  expect(storedState).not.toBeNull()
+  expect(storedState!.freeTextResponses?.["react-tooling"]).toBe(customAnswer)
+})
diff --git a/playwright/tests/wizard.spec.ts b/playwright/tests/wizard.spec.ts
index 69d7d65..cf9cb4a 100644
--- a/playwright/tests/wizard.spec.ts
+++ b/playwright/tests/wizard.spec.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test'
 
 test('wizard supports filtering, defaults, and reset', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto('/new/stack')
+  await page.evaluate(() => {
+    window.localStorage.clear()
+  })
+  await page.reload()
 
   await expect(page.getByTestId('instructions-wizard')).toBeVisible()
   await expect(page.getByTestId('wizard-question-heading')).toHaveText('Which stack are you working with?')
@@ -13,18 +17,14 @@ test('wizard supports filtering, defaults, and reset', async ({ page }) => {
 
   await expect(page.getByTestId('wizard-question-heading')).toHaveText('What build tooling do you use?')
 
-  await page.getByRole('button', { name: /Use default/ }).click()
+  const questionHeading = page.getByTestId('wizard-question-heading')
 
-  await expect(page.getByTestId('wizard-question-heading')).toHaveText('What language do you use?')
-
-  const backButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Back' })
-  await expect(backButton).toBeEnabled()
-  await backButton.click()
-  await expect(page.getByTestId('wizard-question-heading')).toHaveText('What build tooling do you use?')
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Use default (Vite)' }).click()
+  await expect(page.getByTestId('answer-option-react-language-typescript')).toBeVisible()
 
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Start Over' }).click()
   await expect(page.getByTestId('wizard-confirmation-dialog')).toBeVisible()
-  await page.getByTestId('wizard-confirmation-confirm').click()
+  await page.getByTestId('wizard-confirmation-confirm').click({ noWaitAfter: true })
 
   await expect(page.getByTestId('wizard-question-heading')).toHaveText('Which stack are you working with?')
 })
diff --git a/types/wizard.ts b/types/wizard.ts
index ac4ef27..219f4e1 100644
--- a/types/wizard.ts
+++ b/types/wizard.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ export type DataAnswerSource = {
     format?: string
 }
 
+export type QuestionFreeTextConfig = {
+    enabled: boolean
+    suggestions?: string[]
+}
+
 export type DataQuestionSource = {
     id: string
     question: string
@@ -25,6 +30,7 @@ export type DataQuestionSource = {
     isReadOnlyOnSummary?: boolean
     enableFilter?: boolean
     answers: DataAnswerSource[]
+    freeText?: QuestionFreeTextConfig
 }
 
 export type FileOutputConfig = {
@@ -63,6 +69,7 @@ export type WizardQuestion = {
     isReadOnlyOnSummary?: boolean
     enableFilter?: boolean
     answers: WizardAnswer[]
+    freeText?: QuestionFreeTextConfig
 }
 
 export type WizardStep = {
@@ -88,6 +95,7 @@ export type InstructionsWizardProps = {
 }
 
 export type Responses = Record<string, string | string[] | null | undefined>
+export type FreeTextResponses = Record<string, string | null | undefined>
 export interface WizardResponses {
     stackSelection: string | null;
     tooling: string | null;