diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/elements/JsonObjectInput/JsonObjectInput.test.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/elements/JsonObjectInput/JsonObjectInput.test.tsx
index 37d02dfb..b1da0ffb 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/elements/JsonObjectInput/JsonObjectInput.test.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/elements/JsonObjectInput/JsonObjectInput.test.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { screen } from "@testing-library/react";
 import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
 import type { JsonObject } from "@inspector/core/json/jsonUtils.js";
 import { renderWithMantine } from "../../../test/renderWithMantine";
-import { JsonObjectInput, parseObjectDraft } from "./JsonObjectInput";
+import { JsonObjectInput } from "./JsonObjectInput";
 
 const LABEL = "Payload JSON";
 
@@ -36,50 +36,6 @@ function box() {
   return screen.getByLabelText(LABEL) as HTMLTextAreaElement;
 }
 
-describe("parseObjectDraft", () => {
-  it("reads empty text as the empty object rather than an error", () => {
-    expect(parseObjectDraft("")).toEqual({ ok: true, value: {} });
-    expect(parseObjectDraft("   \n ")).toEqual({ ok: true, value: {} });
-  });
-
-  it("accepts a JSON object with values of any JSON type", () => {
-    const result = parseObjectDraft(
-      '{"s":"a","n":1,"b":true,"z":null,"arr":[1,{"k":2}],"o":{"deep":{"er":1}}}',
-    );
-    expect(result).toEqual({
-      ok: true,
-      value: {
-        s: "a",
-        n: 1,
-        b: true,
-        z: null,
-        arr: [1, { k: 2 }],
-        o: { deep: { er: 1 } },
-      },
-    });
-  });
-
-  it("rejects text that is not JSON", () => {
-    expect(parseObjectDraft('{"a":')).toEqual({
-      ok: false,
-      error: "Not valid JSON — changes are not applied",
-    });
-  });
-
-  it.each([
-    ["an array", "[1,2]"],
-    ["a string", '"hello"'],
-    ["a number", "42"],
-    ["null", "null"],
-  ])("rejects valid JSON that is not an object: %s", (_label, text) => {
-    const result = parseObjectDraft(text);
-    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
-    expect(result.ok === false && result.error).toMatch(
-      /Must be a JSON object/,
-    );
-  });
-});
-
 describe("JsonObjectInput", () => {
   it("opens with the value serialized two-space, nesting intact", () => {
     renderWithMantine(<Harness initial={{ a: { b: [1, 2] } }} />);
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/elements/JsonObjectInput/JsonObjectInput.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/elements/JsonObjectInput/JsonObjectInput.tsx
index 93df2516..fbec5ee4 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/elements/JsonObjectInput/JsonObjectInput.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/elements/JsonObjectInput/JsonObjectInput.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { useState } from "react";
 import { JsonInput } from "@mantine/core";
 import type { JsonObject } from "@inspector/core/json/jsonUtils.js";
 import { useValueChange } from "../../../hooks/useValueChange";
+import { parseJsonObjectDraft } from "../../../utils/jsonObjectDraft";
 
 const ObjectJsonInput = JsonInput.withProps({
   formatOnBlur: true,
@@ -15,39 +16,6 @@ function serialize(value: JsonObject): string {
   return JSON.stringify(value, null, 2);
 }
 
-/** A plain JSON object, i.e. not an array and not a scalar. */
-function isJsonObject(value: unknown): value is JsonObject {
-  return value !== null && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value);
-}
-
-/**
- * What a draft's text currently means: the object to emit, or why it can't be.
- *
- * Empty text is the object `{}` rather than an error — clearing the box is how
- * "send no metadata" is spelled, and an empty editor showing a red error would
- * read as broken.
- */
-type DraftState =
-  | { ok: true; value: JsonObject }
-  | { ok: false; error: string };
-
-export function parseObjectDraft(text: string): DraftState {
-  if (text.trim() === "") return { ok: true, value: {} };
-  let parsed: unknown;
-  try {
-    parsed = JSON.parse(text);
-  } catch {
-    return { ok: false, error: "Not valid JSON — changes are not applied" };
-  }
-  if (!isJsonObject(parsed)) {
-    return {
-      ok: false,
-      error: "Must be a JSON object (`{ … }`) — changes are not applied",
-    };
-  }
-  return { ok: true, value: parsed };
-}
-
 export interface JsonObjectInputProps {
   value: JsonObject;
   onChange: (value: JsonObject) => void;
@@ -92,7 +60,7 @@ export function JsonObjectInput({
   // parses to, so an external reset (switching servers, a reloaded catalog)
   // reaches the box while an in-progress edit is left alone. Compared through
   // canonical JSON because the parent hands back a fresh object each time.
-  const parsed = parseObjectDraft(draft);
+  const parsed = parseJsonObjectDraft(draft);
   const draftJson = parsed.ok ? serialize(parsed.value) : null;
   useValueChange(serialize(value), (next) => {
     if (next !== draftJson) setDraft(next);
@@ -105,7 +73,7 @@ export function JsonObjectInput({
       error={parsed.ok ? undefined : parsed.error}
       onChange={(text) => {
         setDraft(text);
-        const result = parseObjectDraft(text);
+        const result = parseJsonObjectDraft(text);
         if (result.ok) onChange(result.value);
       }}
     />
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/groups/ServerSettingsForm/ServerSettingsForm.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/groups/ServerSettingsForm/ServerSettingsForm.tsx
index 36179c9b..0a61a8db 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/groups/ServerSettingsForm/ServerSettingsForm.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/groups/ServerSettingsForm/ServerSettingsForm.tsx
@@ -729,10 +729,10 @@ export function ServerSettingsForm({
         <Accordion.Panel>
           <Stack gap="md">
             <HintText>
-              Metadata merged into the `_meta` field of every MCP request to
-              this server, as a JSON object. Values may be any JSON — objects,
-              arrays, numbers, booleans, `null` — not just strings. Leave it as{" "}
-              <Code>{"{}"}</Code> to send none.
+              Metadata merged into the <Code>_meta</Code> field of every MCP
+              request to this server, as a JSON object. Values may be any JSON —
+              objects, arrays, numbers, booleans, <Code>null</Code> — not just
+              strings. Leave it as <Code>{"{}"}</Code> to send none.
             </HintText>
             <JsonObjectInput
               aria-label="Request metadata JSON"
diff --git a/clients/web/src/utils/jsonObjectDraft.test.ts b/clients/web/src/utils/jsonObjectDraft.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..83298caf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/clients/web/src/utils/jsonObjectDraft.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import { parseJsonObjectDraft } from "./jsonObjectDraft";
+
+describe("parseJsonObjectDraft", () => {
+  it("reads empty text as the empty object rather than an error", () => {
+    expect(parseJsonObjectDraft("")).toEqual({ ok: true, value: {} });
+    expect(parseJsonObjectDraft("   \n ")).toEqual({ ok: true, value: {} });
+  });
+
+  it("accepts a JSON object with values of any JSON type", () => {
+    const result = parseJsonObjectDraft(
+      '{"s":"a","n":1,"b":true,"z":null,"arr":[1,{"k":2}],"o":{"deep":{"er":1}}}',
+    );
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      ok: true,
+      value: {
+        s: "a",
+        n: 1,
+        b: true,
+        z: null,
+        arr: [1, { k: 2 }],
+        o: { deep: { er: 1 } },
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects text that is not JSON", () => {
+    expect(parseJsonObjectDraft('{"a":')).toEqual({
+      ok: false,
+      error: "Not valid JSON — changes are not applied",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    ["an array", "[1,2]"],
+    ["a string", '"hello"'],
+    ["a number", "42"],
+    ["null", "null"],
+  ])("rejects valid JSON that is not an object: %s", (_label, text) => {
+    const result = parseJsonObjectDraft(text);
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.ok === false && result.error).toMatch(
+      /Must be a JSON object/,
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/clients/web/src/utils/jsonObjectDraft.ts b/clients/web/src/utils/jsonObjectDraft.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b5397079
--- /dev/null
+++ b/clients/web/src/utils/jsonObjectDraft.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import type { JsonObject } from "@inspector/core/json/jsonUtils.js";
+
+/**
+ * What a JSON-object editor's draft text currently means: the object to emit,
+ * or why it cannot be emitted.
+ */
+export type JsonObjectDraft =
+  | { ok: true; value: JsonObject }
+  | { ok: false; error: string };
+
+/** A plain JSON object, i.e. not an array and not a scalar. */
+export function isJsonObject(value: unknown): value is JsonObject {
+  return value !== null && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Read a JSON-object editor's draft text.
+ *
+ * Empty text is the object `{}` rather than an error — clearing the box is how
+ * "send nothing" is spelled, and an empty editor wearing a red error would read
+ * as broken.
+ *
+ * The two failure modes are reported separately because they are different
+ * mistakes: text that is not JSON at all is usually mid-edit, while text that
+ * is valid JSON but not an object (`[1,2]`, `"a"`, `42`) is a shape the caller
+ * cannot use no matter how finished it is.
+ *
+ * Lives in `utils` rather than beside its component because it is a pure
+ * transform — and because exporting it from the component's module trips
+ * `react-refresh/only-export-components`.
+ */
+export function parseJsonObjectDraft(text: string): JsonObjectDraft {
+  if (text.trim() === "") return { ok: true, value: {} };
+  let parsed: unknown;
+  try {
+    parsed = JSON.parse(text);
+  } catch {
+    return { ok: false, error: "Not valid JSON — changes are not applied" };
+  }
+  if (!isJsonObject(parsed)) {
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      error: "Must be a JSON object (`{ … }`) — changes are not applied",
+    };
+  }
+  return { ok: true, value: parsed };
+}