diff --git a/frontend/src/components/WidgetConfigDialog.tsx b/frontend/src/components/WidgetConfigDialog.tsx
index ef341a4..f4bfaa8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/WidgetConfigDialog.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/WidgetConfigDialog.tsx
@@ -155,12 +155,14 @@ function WidgetConfigEditor({
 				const isNumber =
 					(schema as { type?: string }).type === "integer" ||
 					(schema as { type?: string }).type === "number";
-				// Use a multi-line textarea for fields that tend to hold complex
-				// multi-line values (PromQL, text blocks, etc.). The widget kind's
-				// config schema can opt in via `format: "textarea"`; the well-known
-				// `query` field is treated as textarea by default.
+				// Use a multi-line resizable textarea for fields that tend to hold
+				// complex multi-line values (PromQL expressions, Grafana query strings,
+				// markdown/text blocks, etc.). The widget kind's config schema can opt
+				// in via `format: "textarea"`; the well-known field names below are
+				// treated as textarea by default.
 				const schemaFormat = (schema as { format?: string }).format;
-				const isTextarea = schemaFormat === "textarea" || key === "query";
+				const TEXTAREA_KEYS = new Set(["promql", "query", "text", "command", "notes"]);
+				const isTextarea = schemaFormat === "textarea" || TEXTAREA_KEYS.has(key);
 				return (
 					<Field
 						key={key}
@@ -171,8 +173,8 @@ function WidgetConfigEditor({
 						{isTextarea ? (
 							<Textarea
 								id={`widget-cfg-${key}`}
-								rows={4}
-								className="resize-y font-mono text-xs"
+								rows={6}
+								className="resize font-mono text-xs min-h-[120px]"
 								value={String(config[key] ?? "")}
 								onChange={(e) => onChange({ ...config, [key]: e.target.value })}
 							/>
@@ -209,15 +211,25 @@ export function WidgetConfigDialog({
 }: Props) {
 	// When editing a dashboard (no serviceId), scope to dashboard-only widgets
 	// (service_id IS NULL) so service-scoped widgets don't leak into the list.
-	const { data: instances = [] } = useWidgetInstances(
+	// NOTE: stabilize the `data ?? []` defaults via useMemo. Using the inline
+	// `= []` fallback would create a NEW array reference on every render, which
+	// feeds the auto-edit useEffect below (deps include `instances`/`references`)
+	// and causes React error #185 (Maximum update depth exceeded) when the
+	// underlying query returns undefined — e.g. editing a service-scoped widget
+	// where `dashboardScope` is undefined and `useWidgetReferences` yields no data.
+	const { data: instancesData } = useWidgetInstances(
 		serviceId,
 		!serviceId && dashboardScope ? "dashboard" : undefined,
 	);
-	const { data: services = [] } = useServiceInstances();
-	const { data: tasks = [] } = useTasks();
+	const instances = useMemo(() => instancesData ?? [], [instancesData]);
+	const { data: servicesData } = useServiceInstances();
+	const services = useMemo(() => servicesData ?? [], [servicesData]);
+	const { data: tasksData } = useTasks();
+	const tasks = useMemo(() => tasksData ?? [], [tasksData]);
 	const saveWidget = useSaveWidgetInstance();
 	const deleteWidget = useDeleteWidgetInstance();
-	const { data: references = [] } = useWidgetReferences(dashboardScope);
+	const { data: referencesData } = useWidgetReferences(dashboardScope);
+	const references = useMemo(() => referencesData ?? [], [referencesData]);
 	const createRef = useCreateWidgetReference();
 	const deleteRef = useDeleteWidgetReference();
 	const detachRef = useDetachWidgetReference();
@@ -367,14 +379,15 @@ export function WidgetConfigDialog({
 		(a, b) => a.sort_order - b.sort_order || a.created_at - b.created_at,
 	);
 
-	const referencedWidgetIds = new Set(references.map((r) => r.widget_id));
-
 	// Available widgets for the "Add existing" picker: all widgets not already
-	// on this dashboard (owned or referenced).
+	// on this dashboard (owned or referenced). The referenced-id Set is built
+	// INSIDE the memo so its identity is stable across renders (building it in
+	// the render body would change the memo's deps every render and recompute
+	// it every frame — the lint-flagged footgun).
 	const availableWidgets = useMemo(() => {
 		const onDashboard = new Set([
 			...instances.map((w) => w.id),
-			...referencedWidgetIds,
+			...references.map((r) => r.widget_id),
 		]);
 		const search = existingSearch.toLowerCase().trim();
 		return allWidgets
@@ -384,8 +397,8 @@ export function WidgetConfigDialog({
 					!search ||
 					w.title.toLowerCase().includes(search) ||
 					w.widget_kind.toLowerCase().includes(search),
-			);
-	}, [allWidgets, instances, referencedWidgetIds, existingSearch]);
+		);
+	}, [allWidgets, instances, references, existingSearch]);
 
 	async function handleAddReference(widgetId: string) {
 		await createRef.mutateAsync({
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/ServicesPage.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/ServicesPage.tsx
index 39085d6..c55d410 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/ServicesPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/ServicesPage.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { Badge } from "@/components/ui/badge";
 import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
 import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input";
 import { Label } from "@/components/ui/label";
+import { Textarea } from "@/components/ui/textarea";
 import { Switch } from "@/components/ui/switch";
 import {
 	Dialog,
@@ -99,20 +100,33 @@ function ServiceConfigFields({
 	const properties =
 		(
 			type.config_schema as {
-				properties?: Record<string, { type?: string; description?: string }>;
+				properties?: Record<string, { type?: string; description?: string; format?: string }>;
 			}
 		).properties ?? {};
+	// Multi-line resizable textarea for fields that hold complex values (opt-in
+	// via `format: "textarea"`, or well-known multi-line keys).
+	const TEXTAREA_KEYS = new Set(["notes", "command"]);
 	return (
 		<div className="flex flex-col gap-3">
 			{Object.entries(properties).map(([key, schema]) => {
 				const isNumber = schema.type === "integer" || schema.type === "number";
+				const isTextarea = schema.format === "textarea" || TEXTAREA_KEYS.has(key);
 				return (
-					<Field
-						key={key}
-						label={key}
-						htmlFor={`cfg-${key}`}
-						helper={schema.description}
-					>
+				<Field
+					key={key}
+					label={key}
+					htmlFor={`cfg-${key}`}
+					helper={schema.description}
+				>
+					{isTextarea ? (
+						<Textarea
+							id={`cfg-${key}`}
+							rows={6}
+							className="resize font-mono text-xs min-h-[120px]"
+							value={String(config[key] ?? "")}
+							onChange={(e) => onChange({ ...config, [key]: e.target.value })}
+						/>
+					) : (
 						<Input
 							id={`cfg-${key}`}
 							type={isNumber ? "number" : "text"}
@@ -128,7 +142,8 @@ function ServiceConfigFields({
 								})
 							}
 						/>
-					</Field>
+					)}
+				</Field>
 				);
 			})}
 		</div>