diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/components/ResourceLocator/ResourceLocator.test.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/components/ResourceLocator/ResourceLocator.test.ts
index 966093e2b7..77b97db597 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/components/ResourceLocator/ResourceLocator.test.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/components/ResourceLocator/ResourceLocator.test.ts
@@ -229,4 +229,44 @@ describe('ResourceLocator', () => {
 			expect(queryByTestId('permission-error-link')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
 		});
 	});
+
+	it('switches to expression when user enters "{{ "', async () => {
+		const { getByTestId, emitted } = renderComponent({
+			props: { modelValue: { ...TEST_MODEL_VALUE, value: '', mode: 'id' } },
+		});
+
+		const input = getByTestId('rlc-input');
+		await userEvent.click(input);
+		const expression = new DataTransfer();
+		// '{' is an escape character: '{{{{' === '{{'
+		expression.setData('text', '{{ ');
+		await userEvent.clear(input);
+		await userEvent.paste(expression);
+
+		expect(emitted('update:modelValue')).toEqual([
+			[
+				{
+					__rl: true,
+					mode: 'id',
+					value: '={{  }}',
+				},
+			],
+		]);
+	});
+
+	it('can switch between modes', async () => {
+		const { getByTestId, emitted } = renderComponent();
+
+		await userEvent.click(getByTestId('rlc-mode-selector'));
+		await userEvent.click(screen.getByTestId('mode-id'));
+		expect(emitted('update:modelValue')).toEqual([
+			[
+				{
+					__rl: true,
+					mode: 'id',
+					value: 'test',
+				},
+			],
+		]);
+	});
 });
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/components/ResourceLocator/ResourceLocator.vue b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/components/ResourceLocator/ResourceLocator.vue
index 49a228b5e5..1af00c010a 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/components/ResourceLocator/ResourceLocator.vue
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/components/ResourceLocator/ResourceLocator.vue
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import {
 	type FromAIOverride,
 } from '../../utils/fromAIOverrideUtils';
 import { N8nNotice } from '@n8n/design-system';
+import { completeExpressionSyntax } from '@/utils/expressions';
 
 /**
  * Regular expression to check if the error message contains credential-related phrases.
@@ -355,10 +356,12 @@ watch(currentQueryError, (curr, prev) => {
 
 watch(
 	() => props.isValueExpression,
-	(newValue) => {
+	async (newValue) => {
 		if (newValue) {
 			switchFromListMode();
 		}
+		await nextTick();
+		inputRef.value?.focus();
 	},
 );
 
@@ -516,6 +519,8 @@ function onInputChange(value: NodeParameterValue): void {
 		if (resource?.url) {
 			params.cachedResultUrl = resource.url;
 		}
+	} else {
+		params.value = completeExpressionSyntax(value);
 	}
 	emit('update:modelValue', params);
 }