diff --git a/src/components/form/ConverterPage.tsx b/src/components/form/ConverterPage.tsx
index 6cfeb2c..3877665 100644
--- a/src/components/form/ConverterPage.tsx
+++ b/src/components/form/ConverterPage.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useStore } from '@tanstack/react-form'
 import { useConverterForm } from '@/hooks/useConverterForm'
-import type { ConverterConfig, ConverterFormBase, SelectOption } from '@/lib/converter-configs'
+import type { ConverterConfig, ConverterFormBase, ConverterMode, SelectOption } from '@/lib/converter-configs'
 import { FormTextArea } from './FormTextArea'
 
 interface ConverterPageProps<T extends ConverterFormBase> {
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export function ConverterPage<T extends ConverterFormBase>({
     } = useConverterForm(config)
 
     // Selective subscription: only re-render when mode changes
-    const mode: string = useStore(form.store, (state) => state.values.mode)
+    const mode: ConverterMode = useStore(form.store, (state) => state.values.mode)
 
     return (
         <div className="max-w-4xl mx-auto">
@@ -44,20 +44,12 @@ export function ConverterPage<T extends ConverterFormBase>({
                     )
                     if (!visible) return null
 
-                    // Resolve dynamic properties
                     const resolvedLabel = field.isInput
                         ? config.inputLabel(mode)
                         : field.label
-                    const resolvedPlaceholder =
-                        typeof field.placeholder === 'function'
-                            ? field.placeholder(mode)
-                            : field.placeholder
-                    const resolvedClassName =
-                        typeof field.className === 'function'
-                            ? field.className(mode)
-                            : field.className
 
                     if (field.type === 'select') {
+                        // TypeScript narrows to SelectFieldConfig here
                         const resolvedOptions: SelectOption[] =
                             field.options === 'encodings'
                                 ? encodingOptions
@@ -81,7 +73,16 @@ export function ConverterPage<T extends ConverterFormBase>({
                         )
                     }
 
-                    // textarea
+                    // Resolve textarea-specific dynamic properties (narrowed to TextAreaFieldConfig)
+                    const resolvedPlaceholder =
+                        typeof field.placeholder === 'function'
+                            ? field.placeholder(mode)
+                            : field.placeholder
+                    const resolvedClassName =
+                        typeof field.className === 'function'
+                            ? field.className(mode)
+                            : field.className
+
                     return (
                         <form.AppField key={field.name} name={field.name}>
                             {(fieldApi) => (
diff --git a/src/components/form/FieldErrorMessage.tsx b/src/components/form/FieldErrorMessage.tsx
index 3673a83..69e5812 100644
--- a/src/components/form/FieldErrorMessage.tsx
+++ b/src/components/form/FieldErrorMessage.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 import { formatFieldErrors } from '@/lib/errors'
+import type { StandardSchemaIssue } from '@/lib/errors'
 
 interface FieldErrorMessageProps {
-    meta: { isTouched?: boolean; isBlurred?: boolean; errors?: unknown[] }
+    meta: { isTouched?: boolean; isBlurred?: boolean; errors?: StandardSchemaIssue[] }
     showWhenSubmitted: boolean
 }
 
diff --git a/src/hooks/useConverterForm.ts b/src/hooks/useConverterForm.ts
index 18bcf12..cdb4813 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useConverterForm.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useConverterForm.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 import { useCallback, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import { POPULAR_ENCODINGS } from '@/lib/encoding'
 import { getErrorMessage } from '@/lib/errors'
+import type { StandardSchemaIssue } from '@/lib/errors'
 import { useAppForm } from '@/hooks/form'
 import type { ConverterConfig, ConverterFormBase, SelectOption } from '@/lib/converter-configs'
 
 interface FieldMetaLike {
-    errors?: unknown[]
+    errors?: StandardSchemaIssue[]
 }
 
 export function useConverterForm<T extends ConverterFormBase>(
diff --git a/src/lib/converter-configs.ts b/src/lib/converter-configs.ts
index 226a2b4..d5bb015 100644
--- a/src/lib/converter-configs.ts
+++ b/src/lib/converter-configs.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { ZodType } from 'zod'
+import type { ZodType, ZodTypeDef } from 'zod'
 import { Binary, Base64, Hex, URLEncode, isValidEncoding } from '@/lib/encoding'
 import {
     binaryConverterSchema,
@@ -15,44 +15,64 @@ import {
 // Shared types
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+export type ConverterMode = 'encode' | 'decode'
+
 export interface SelectOption {
     value: string
     label: string
 }
 
 export interface ConverterFormBase {
-    mode: string
+    mode: ConverterMode
     input: string
 }
 
-export interface FieldConfig<T = Record<string, unknown>> {
+interface FieldConfigBase<T> {
     /** Field name — must match a key in the form's default values */
-    name: string
-    /** Render type */
-    type: 'select' | 'textarea'
+    name: string & keyof T
     /** Label text (static) */
     label: string
+    /** Show this field only when the predicate returns true */
+    visibleWhen?: (values: T) => boolean
+    /** Marks this field as the primary input (receives registerInputRef and dynamic label) */
+    isInput?: boolean
+}
+
+export interface SelectFieldConfig<T = Record<string, unknown>> extends FieldConfigBase<T> {
+    /** Discriminant — render as a dropdown */
+    type: 'select'
     /** Options for select fields; 'encodings' resolves to the encoding list at render time */
     options?: SelectOption[] | 'encodings'
+    /** @internal Discriminated-union guard — prevents cross-variant property assignment */
+    rows?: never
+    /** @internal Discriminated-union guard — prevents cross-variant property assignment */
+    placeholder?: never
+    /** @internal Discriminated-union guard — prevents cross-variant property assignment */
+    className?: never
+}
+
+export interface TextAreaFieldConfig<T = Record<string, unknown>> extends FieldConfigBase<T> {
+    /** Discriminant — render as a multi-line text area */
+    type: 'textarea'
     /** Textarea row count */
     rows?: number
     /** Static or mode-dependent placeholder */
-    placeholder?: string | ((mode: string) => string)
-    /** Show this field only when the predicate returns true */
-    visibleWhen?: (values: T) => boolean
-    /** Marks this field as the primary input (receives registerInputRef and dynamic label) */
-    isInput?: boolean
+    placeholder?: string | ((mode: ConverterMode) => string)
     /** Static or mode-dependent className */
-    className?: string | ((mode: string) => string | undefined)
+    className?: string | ((mode: ConverterMode) => string | undefined)
+    /** @internal Discriminated-union guard — prevents cross-variant property assignment */
+    options?: never
 }
 
+export type FieldConfig<T = Record<string, unknown>> = SelectFieldConfig<T> | TextAreaFieldConfig<T>
+
 export interface ConverterConfig<T extends ConverterFormBase> {
     /** Page heading */
     title: string
     /** Page sub-heading */
     description: string
     /** Zod schema for form-level validation */
-    schema: ZodType
+    schema: ZodType<T, ZodTypeDef, T>
     /** TanStack Form default values */
     defaultValues: T
     /** Ordered list of form fields */
@@ -60,9 +80,9 @@ export interface ConverterConfig<T extends ConverterFormBase> {
     /** Conversion logic — returns the result string */
     onSubmit: (values: T) => Promise<string>
     /** Dynamic label for the primary input field */
-    inputLabel: (mode: string) => string
+    inputLabel: (mode: ConverterMode) => string
     /** Dynamic label for the output area */
-    outputLabel: (mode: string) => string
+    outputLabel: (mode: ConverterMode) => string
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/lib/errors.ts b/src/lib/errors.ts
index 8ee174c..a7aaa0c 100644
--- a/src/lib/errors.ts
+++ b/src/lib/errors.ts
@@ -7,21 +7,21 @@
  */
 export interface StandardSchemaIssue {
     message: string
-    path?: (string | number)[]
+    path?: ReadonlyArray<PropertyKey | { readonly key: PropertyKey }>
     [key: string]: unknown
 }
 
 /**
  * Extract error messages from form field errors
  */
-export function formatFieldErrors(errors: unknown[]): string {
-    return errors.map((err) => (err as StandardSchemaIssue).message).join(', ')
+export function formatFieldErrors(errors: StandardSchemaIssue[]): string {
+    return errors.map((err) => err.message).join(', ')
 }
 
 export class EncodingError extends Error {
-    public readonly code: string
+    public readonly code: ErrorCode
 
-    constructor(message: string, code: string) {
+    constructor(message: string, code: ErrorCode) {
         super(message)
         this.name = 'EncodingError'
         this.code = code
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ export const ERROR_CODES = {
     DECODE_FAILED: 'DECODE_FAILED',
 } as const
 
+export type ErrorCode = (typeof ERROR_CODES)[keyof typeof ERROR_CODES]
+
 /**
  * Get user-friendly error message from error object
  */
@@ -72,8 +74,16 @@ export function getErrorMessage(error: unknown): string {
                 return `Invalid hexadecimal format. Expected hex digits (0-9, a-f). ${error.message}`
             case ERROR_CODES.DECODE_FAILED:
                 return `Failed to decode data. ${error.message}`
-            default:
+            case ERROR_CODES.ENCODE_FAILED:
+                return `Failed to encode data. ${error.message}`
+            case ERROR_CODES.EMPTY_INPUT:
+            case ERROR_CODES.INPUT_TOO_LARGE:
+                return error.message
+            default: {
+                const _exhaustive: never = error.code
+                void _exhaustive
                 return error.message
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/validation-schemas.ts b/src/lib/validation-schemas.ts
index d858d63..6c683f8 100644
--- a/src/lib/validation-schemas.ts
+++ b/src/lib/validation-schemas.ts
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ const modeSchema = z.enum(['encode', 'decode'])
 function conditionalInputValidation(
     decodeSchema: z.ZodType<string>,
 ) {
-    return (data: { mode: string; input: string }, ctx: RefinementCtx) => {
+    return (data: { mode: 'encode' | 'decode'; input: string }, ctx: RefinementCtx) => {
         const schema = data.mode === 'encode' ? baseInputValidation : decodeSchema
         const result = schema.safeParse(data.input)
         if (!result.success) {
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ export const hexConverterSchema = z.object({
  * URL Encoder form schema
  */
 export const urlEncoderSchema = z.object({
-    mode: z.enum(['encode', 'decode']),
+    mode: modeSchema,
     encoding: encodingSchema,
     encodingMode: z.enum(['component', 'full']),
     input: z.string(),