diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
index 79d393fc8d1f..667eb0e11f6c 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ import {
 } from "./chat/timelineScrollAnchoring";
 import {
   buildPendingUserInputAnswers,
+  carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt,
   derivePendingUserInputProgress,
   setPendingUserInputCustomAnswer,
   togglePendingUserInputOptionSelection,
@@ -8810,6 +8811,16 @@ export default function ChatView(props: ChatViewProps) {
       if (!activePendingUserInput) {
         return;
       }
+      // The option replaces the custom answer. Anything typed there is the
+      // user's text, so it goes back to the thread draft instead of vanishing.
+      const displacedAnswer =
+        pendingUserInputAnswersByRequestId[activePendingRequestKey]?.[questionId]?.customAnswer;
+      const currentPrompt =
+        useComposerDraftStore.getState().getComposerDraft(composerDraftTarget)?.prompt ?? "";
+      const nextPrompt = carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt(currentPrompt, displacedAnswer);
+      if (nextPrompt !== currentPrompt) {
+        setComposerDraftPrompt(composerDraftTarget, nextPrompt);
+      }
       setPendingUserInputAnswersByRequestId((existing) => {
         const question =
           (activePendingProgress?.activeQuestion?.id === questionId
@@ -8839,7 +8850,10 @@ export default function ChatView(props: ChatViewProps) {
       activePendingProgress?.activeQuestion,
       activePendingUserInput,
       activePendingRequestKey,
+      composerDraftTarget,
       composerRef,
+      pendingUserInputAnswersByRequestId,
+      setComposerDraftPrompt,
     ],
   );
 
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx
index 8f91f08c7093..c4a54232bbb0 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx
@@ -3080,6 +3080,11 @@ export const ChatComposer = memo(function ChatComposer(props: ChatComposerProps)
   useEffect(() => {
     const nextCustomAnswer = activePendingProgress?.customAnswer;
     if (typeof nextCustomAnswer !== "string") {
+      // The question is gone and the editor shows the thread draft again. The
+      // ref still holds the last answer text, and Send reads the ref.
+      if (lastSyncedPendingInputRef.current !== null) {
+        promptRef.current = prompt;
+      }
       lastSyncedPendingInputRef.current = null;
       return;
     }
@@ -3114,6 +3119,7 @@ export const ChatComposer = memo(function ChatComposer(props: ChatComposerProps)
     activePendingProgress?.customAnswer,
     activePendingProgress?.activeQuestion?.id,
     activePendingUserInput?.requestId,
+    prompt,
     promptRef,
   ]);
 
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pendingUserInput.test.ts b/apps/web/src/pendingUserInput.test.ts
index f2f093a5c826..350087c3aaff 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/pendingUserInput.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/pendingUserInput.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
 
 import {
   buildPendingUserInputAnswers,
+  carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt,
   countAnsweredPendingUserInputQuestions,
   derivePendingUserInputProgress,
   resolvePendingUserInputAnswer,
@@ -321,3 +322,22 @@ it("accepts attachment-only answers after every upload finishes", () => {
     }),
   ).toBeNull();
 });
+
+describe("carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt", () => {
+  it("keeps the thread draft when nothing was typed into the answer", () => {
+    expect(carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt("draft", undefined)).toBe("draft");
+    expect(carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt("draft", "   ")).toBe("draft");
+  });
+
+  it("moves the typed answer into an empty thread draft", () => {
+    expect(carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt("", "also rename the flag ")).toBe(
+      "also rename the flag",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("appends the typed answer after an existing thread draft", () => {
+    expect(carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt("first half\n", "second half")).toBe(
+      "first half\n\nsecond half",
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pendingUserInput.ts b/apps/web/src/pendingUserInput.ts
index 5ac004649a27..5d22e56105aa 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/pendingUserInput.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/pendingUserInput.ts
@@ -82,6 +82,28 @@ export function setPendingUserInputCustomAnswer(
   };
 }
 
+const DISPLACED_ANSWER_SEPARATOR = "\n\n";
+
+/**
+ * Selecting an option replaces the custom answer, because a non-empty custom
+ * answer outranks selected options in `resolvePendingUserInputAnswer`. Text the
+ * user typed into the answer field must not vanish on that click: it moves back
+ * into the thread draft, after whatever was already waiting there.
+ */
+export function carryDisplacedCustomAnswerIntoPrompt(
+  prompt: string,
+  customAnswer: string | undefined,
+): string {
+  const displaced = customAnswer?.trim() ?? "";
+  if (displaced.length === 0) {
+    return prompt;
+  }
+  if (prompt.trim().length === 0) {
+    return displaced;
+  }
+  return `${prompt.trimEnd()}${DISPLACED_ANSWER_SEPARATOR}${displaced}`;
+}
+
 export function togglePendingUserInputOptionSelection(
   question: UserInputQuestion,
   draft: PendingUserInputDraftAnswer | undefined,