diff --git a/chain-forge/src/TemplateHooksComponent.js b/chain-forge/src/TemplateHooksComponent.js
index 3d3458a..8589f47 100644
--- a/chain-forge/src/TemplateHooksComponent.js
+++ b/chain-forge/src/TemplateHooksComponent.js
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import { Handle } from 'react-flow-renderer';
 import useStore from './store'
 
 export default function TemplateHooks({ vars, nodeId, startY }) {
 
-    const genTemplateHooks = (temp_var_names, names_to_blink) => {
+    const genTemplateHooks = useCallback((temp_var_names, names_to_blink) => {
         return temp_var_names.map((name, idx) => {
             const className = (names_to_blink.includes(name)) ? 'text-blink' : '';
             const pos = (idx * 35) + startY + 'px';
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ export default function TemplateHooks({ vars, nodeId, startY }) {
                 <Handle type="target" position="left" id={name} style={style} />
             </div>)
         });
-    };
+    }, [startY]);
 
     const [templateHooks, setTemplateHooks] = useState(genTemplateHooks(vars || [], []));
     const setDataPropsForNode = useStore((state) => state.setDataPropsForNode);
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ export default function TemplateHooks({ vars, nodeId, startY }) {
 
     useEffect(() => {
         setTemplateHooks(genTemplateHooks(vars, []));
-        setDataPropsForNode(nodeId, {vars: vars});
-    }, [vars]);
+        // setDataPropsForNode(nodeId, {vars: vars});
+    }, [vars, startY, genTemplateHooks, nodeId, setDataPropsForNode]);
 
     return (
         <div className="template-hooks">
diff --git a/chain-forge/src/TextFieldsNode.js b/chain-forge/src/TextFieldsNode.js
index 47c4f61..474ad98 100644
--- a/chain-forge/src/TextFieldsNode.js
+++ b/chain-forge/src/TextFieldsNode.js
@@ -1,56 +1,98 @@
-import React, { useState } from 'react';
+import React, { useState, useRef, useEffect, useCallback } from 'react';
 import { Handle } from 'react-flow-renderer';
 import useStore from './store';
 import NodeLabel from './NodeLabelComponent'
+import TemplateHooks from './TemplateHooksComponent';
+
+const union = (setA, setB) => {
+  const _union = new Set(setA);
+  for (const elem of setB) {
+    _union.add(elem);
+  }
+  return _union;
+}
 
 const TextFieldsNode = ({ data, id }) => {
 
+  const [templateVars, setTemplateVars] = useState(data.vars || []);
   const setDataPropsForNode = useStore((state) => state.setDataPropsForNode);
 
-  const handleInputChange = (event) => {
-    // Update the data for this text fields' id. 
-    if (!data.fields)
-      data.fields = {}
-    data['fields'][event.target.id] = event.target.value;
-    let new_data = { fields: {...data.fields} };
+  // Handle a change in a text fields' input.
+  const handleInputChange = useCallback((event) => {
+    // Update the data for this text fields' id.
+    let new_data = { 'fields': {...data.fields} };
+    new_data.fields[event.target.id] = event.target.value;
     setDataPropsForNode(id, new_data);
-  }
 
-  const createInitFields = () => {
+    // TODO: Optimize this check.
+    let all_found_vars = new Set();
+    const braces_regex = /(?<!\\){(.*?)(?<!\\)}/g;  // gets all strs within braces {} that aren't escaped; e.g., ignores \{this\} but captures {this}
+    Object.keys(new_data['fields']).forEach((fieldId) => {
+      let found_vars = new_data['fields'][fieldId].match(braces_regex);
+      if (found_vars && found_vars.length > 0) {
+        found_vars = found_vars.map(name => name.substring(1, name.length-1));  // remove brackets {}
+        all_found_vars = union(all_found_vars, new Set(found_vars));
+      }
+    });
+
+    // Update template var fields + handles, if there's a change in sets
+    const past_vars = new Set(templateVars);
+    if (all_found_vars !== past_vars) {
+      setTemplateVars(Array.from(all_found_vars));
+    }
+  }, [data, id, setDataPropsForNode, templateVars]);
+
+  // Initialize fields (run once at init)
+  const [fields, setFields] = useState([]);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!data.fields)
+      setDataPropsForNode(id, { fields: {f0: ''}} );
+  }, []);
+
+  // Whenever 'data' changes, update the input fields to reflect the current state.
+  useEffect(() => {
     const f = data.fields ? Object.keys(data.fields) : ['f0'];
-    return f.map((i, idx) => {
+    setFields(f.map((i) => {
       const val = data.fields ? data.fields[i] : '';
       return (
         <div className="input-field" key={i}>
           <textarea id={i} name={i} className="text-field-fixed nodrag" rows="3" cols="40" defaultValue={val} onChange={handleInputChange} />
         </div>
-    )});
-  };
+    )}));
+  }, [data.fields, handleInputChange]);
 
-  const [fields, setFields] = useState(createInitFields());
+  // Add a field
+  const handleAddField = useCallback(() => {
+    // Update the data for this text fields' id.
+    const num_fields = data.fields ? Object.keys(data.fields).length : 0;
+    let new_data = { 'fields': {...data.fields} };
+    new_data.fields['f'+num_fields.toString()] = "";
+    setDataPropsForNode(id, new_data);
+  }, [data, id, setDataPropsForNode]);
 
-  const handleAddField = (event) => {
-    const i = fields.length;
-    const f = fields.concat((
-      <div className="input-field" key={i}>
-          <textarea id={"f"+i} name={"f"+i} className="text-field-fixed nodrag" rows="3" cols="40" defaultValue={''} onChange={handleInputChange} />
-      </div>
-    ));
-    setFields(f);
-  }
+  // Dynamically update the y-position of the template hook <Handle>s
+  const ref = useRef(null);
+  const [hooksY, setHooksY] = useState(120);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const node_height = ref.current.clientHeight;
+    setHooksY(node_height + 70);
+  }, [fields]);
 
   return (
     <div className="text-fields-node">
       <div className="node-header">
         <NodeLabel title={data.title || 'TextFields Node'} nodeId={id} />
       </div>
-      {fields}
+      <div ref={ref}>
+        {fields}
+      </div>
       <Handle
         type="source"
         position="right"
         id="output"
         style={{ top: "50%", background: '#555' }}
       />
+      <TemplateHooks vars={templateVars} nodeId={id} startY={hooksY} />
       <div className="add-text-field-btn">
         <button onClick={handleAddField}>+</button>
       </div>
diff --git a/chain-forge/src/store.js b/chain-forge/src/store.js
index cd20ac5..0354426 100644
--- a/chain-forge/src/store.js
+++ b/chain-forge/src/store.js
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ const useStore = create((set, get) => ({
           if (n.id === id) {
             for (const key of Object.keys(data_props))
               n.data[key] = data_props[key];
-            n.data = {...n.data};
+            n.data = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(n.data));  // deep copy json
           }
           return n;
         })