diff --git a/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/FormatNode.tsx b/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/FormatNode.tsx
index 197e428..a193d2f 100644
--- a/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/FormatNode.tsx
+++ b/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/FormatNode.tsx
@@ -3,13 +3,30 @@
 import { type NodeProps } from "@xyflow/react";
 import { AlignLeftIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import { NodeHandles } from "./NodeHandles";
+import { NODE_SOCKETS, type SocketDef } from "./types";
+
+function parseTemplateArgs(template: string): SocketDef[] {
+  const matches = template.match(/\{(\d+)\}/g);
+  if (!matches) return [];
+  const unique = [...new Set(matches)].sort();
+  return unique.map((m) => ({
+    id: `arg-${m.slice(1, -1)}`,
+    type: "any" as const,
+    label: m,
+  }));
+}
 
 export function FormatNode({ data }: NodeProps) {
   const d = data as { template?: string };
+  const template = d.template ?? "{0}";
+  const dynamicInputs: SocketDef[] = [
+    ...(NODE_SOCKETS.format?.inputs.filter((s) => s.id === "template") ?? []),
+    ...parseTemplateArgs(template),
+  ];
 
   return (
     <div className="bg-sky-950/80 border border-sky-500/50 rounded-lg shadow-md min-w-40">
-      <NodeHandles nodeType="format" />
+      <NodeHandles nodeType="format" dynamicInputs={dynamicInputs} />
       <div className="flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2 border-b border-sky-500/30">
         <AlignLeftIcon className="size-4 text-sky-400 shrink-0" />
         <span className="text-sm font-medium text-sky-200 flex-1">
@@ -17,7 +34,7 @@ export function FormatNode({ data }: NodeProps) {
         </span>
       </div>
       <div className="px-3 py-2 text-xs text-sky-300/80 font-mono truncate">
-        {d.template || "{0} {1}"}
+        {template}
       </div>
     </div>
   );
diff --git a/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/NarrativeFlowEditor.tsx b/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/NarrativeFlowEditor.tsx
index fdbcf1a..e328ed8 100644
--- a/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/NarrativeFlowEditor.tsx
+++ b/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/NarrativeFlowEditor.tsx
@@ -119,10 +119,14 @@ export function NarrativeFlowEditor() {
 
       const sourceSocket = sourceSockets.outputs.find((s) => s.id === connection.sourceHandle);
       const targetSocket = targetSockets.inputs.find((s) => s.id === connection.targetHandle);
-      if (!sourceSocket || !targetSocket) return false;
 
-      if (sourceSocket.type === "any" || targetSocket.type === "any") return true;
-      return sourceSocket.type === targetSocket.type;
+      // Dynamic handles (arg-*, option-*) are treated as "any"
+      const sourceType = sourceSocket?.type ?? (connection.sourceHandle.startsWith("arg-") || connection.sourceHandle.startsWith("option-") ? "any" : null);
+      const targetType = targetSocket?.type ?? (connection.targetHandle.startsWith("arg-") || connection.targetHandle.startsWith("option-") ? "any" : null);
+
+      if (sourceType === null || targetType === null) return false;
+      if (sourceType === "any" || targetType === "any") return true;
+      return sourceType === targetType;
     },
     [nodes],
   );
diff --git a/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/NodeHandles.tsx b/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/NodeHandles.tsx
index afbc823..5cf33c6 100644
--- a/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/NodeHandles.tsx
+++ b/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/NodeHandles.tsx
@@ -1,21 +1,20 @@
 "use client";
 
 import { TypedHandle } from "./TypedHandle";
-import { NODE_SOCKETS } from "./types";
+import { NODE_SOCKETS, type SocketDef } from "./types";
 
 interface NodeHandlesProps {
   nodeType: string;
-  dynamicOutputs?: Array<{ id: string }>;
+  dynamicInputs?: SocketDef[];
+  dynamicOutputs?: SocketDef[];
 }
 
-export function NodeHandles({ nodeType, dynamicOutputs }: NodeHandlesProps) {
+export function NodeHandles({ nodeType, dynamicInputs, dynamicOutputs }: NodeHandlesProps) {
   const config = NODE_SOCKETS[nodeType];
   if (!config) return null;
 
-  const inputs = config.inputs;
-  const outputs = dynamicOutputs
-    ? dynamicOutputs.map((o) => ({ ...o, type: "flow" as const }))
-    : config.outputs;
+  const inputs = dynamicInputs ?? config.inputs;
+  const outputs = dynamicOutputs ?? config.outputs;
 
   const maxSlots = Math.max(inputs.length, outputs.length, 1);
 
@@ -28,6 +27,7 @@ export function NodeHandles({ nodeType, dynamicOutputs }: NodeHandlesProps) {
             key={socket.id}
             id={socket.id}
             socketType={socket.type}
+            label={socket.label}
             isInput={true}
             style={{ top: `${topPercent}%` }}
           />
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export function NodeHandles({ nodeType, dynamicOutputs }: NodeHandlesProps) {
             key={socket.id}
             id={socket.id}
             socketType={socket.type}
+            label={socket.label}
             isInput={false}
             style={{ top: `${topPercent}%` }}
           />
diff --git a/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/TypedHandle.tsx b/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/TypedHandle.tsx
index 1741081..0593e23 100644
--- a/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/TypedHandle.tsx
+++ b/src/components/admin/narrative-flow/TypedHandle.tsx
@@ -7,26 +7,48 @@ interface TypedHandleProps {
   id: string;
   socketType: SocketType;
   isInput: boolean;
+  label?: string;
   style?: React.CSSProperties;
 }
 
-export function TypedHandle({ id, socketType, isInput, style }: TypedHandleProps) {
+export function TypedHandle({ id, socketType, isInput, label, style }: TypedHandleProps) {
   const color = SOCKET_COLORS[socketType];
   const isFlow = socketType === "flow";
 
   return (
-    <Handle
-      type={isInput ? "target" : "source"}
-      position={isInput ? Position.Left : Position.Right}
-      id={id}
+    <div
+      className="absolute flex items-center gap-1"
       style={{
-        background: color,
-        width: isFlow ? 8 : 6,
-        height: isFlow ? 8 : 6,
-        borderRadius: isFlow ? 2 : "50%",
-        border: `1.5px solid ${color}60`,
-        ...style,
+        [isInput ? "left" : "right"]: -4,
+        top: style?.top ?? "50%",
+        transform: "translateY(-50%)",
+        flexDirection: isInput ? "row" : "row-reverse",
       }}
-    />
+    >
+      <Handle
+        type={isInput ? "target" : "source"}
+        position={isInput ? Position.Left : Position.Right}
+        id={id}
+        style={{
+          background: color,
+          width: isFlow ? 8 : 6,
+          height: isFlow ? 8 : 6,
+          borderRadius: isFlow ? 2 : "50%",
+          border: `1.5px solid ${color}60`,
+          position: "relative",
+          left: "auto",
+          right: "auto",
+          top: "auto",
+        }}
+      />
+      {label && (
+        <span
+          className="text-[8px] font-mono leading-none whitespace-nowrap pointer-events-none opacity-70"
+          style={{ color }}
+        >
+          {label}
+        </span>
+      )}
+    </div>
   );
 }