diff --git a/detection_rules/cli_utils.py b/detection_rules/cli_utils.py
index 102b03a58..0ab967bdb 100644
--- a/detection_rules/cli_utils.py
+++ b/detection_rules/cli_utils.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ from .rule_loader import (DEFAULT_PREBUILT_BBR_DIRS,
                           DEFAULT_PREBUILT_RULES_DIRS, RuleCollection,
                           dict_filter)
 from .schemas import definitions
-from .utils import clear_caches, rulename_to_filename
+from .utils import clear_caches, ensure_list_of_strings, rulename_to_filename
 from .config import parse_rules_config
 
 RULES_CONFIG = parse_rules_config()
@@ -195,7 +195,8 @@ def rule_prompt(path=None, rule_type=None, required_only=True, save=True, verbos
         if name == "new_terms":
             # patch to allow new_term imports
             result = {"field": "new_terms_fields"}
-            result["value"] = schema_prompt("new_terms_fields", value=kwargs.pop("new_terms_fields"))
+            new_terms_fields_value = schema_prompt("new_terms_fields", value=kwargs.pop("new_terms_fields", None))
+            result["value"] = ensure_list_of_strings(new_terms_fields_value)
             history_window_start_value = kwargs.pop("history_window_start", None)
             result["history_window_start"] = [
                 {
diff --git a/detection_rules/utils.py b/detection_rules/utils.py
index abffc8885..5f42883d8 100644
--- a/detection_rules/utils.py
+++ b/detection_rules/utils.py
@@ -74,6 +74,27 @@ def dict_hash(obj: dict) -> str:
     return hashlib.sha256(raw_bytes).hexdigest()
 
 
+def ensure_list_of_strings(value: str | list) -> list[str]:
+    """Ensure or convert a value is a list of strings."""
+    if isinstance(value, str):
+        # Check if the string looks like a JSON list
+        if value.startswith('[') and value.endswith(']'):
+            try:
+                # Attempt to parse the string as a JSON list
+                parsed_value = json.loads(value)
+                if isinstance(parsed_value, list):
+                    return [str(v) for v in parsed_value]
+            except json.JSONDecodeError:
+                pass
+        # If it's not a JSON list, split by commas if present
+        # Else return a list with the original string
+        return list(map(lambda x: x.strip().strip('"'), value.split(',')))
+    elif isinstance(value, list):
+        return [str(v) for v in value]
+    else:
+        return []
+
+
 def get_json_iter(f):
     """Get an iterator over a JSON file."""
     first = f.read(2)
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 6de03a142..275cb18af 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "detection_rules"
-version = "1.0.12"
+version = "1.0.13"
 description = "Detection Rules is the home for rules used by Elastic Security. This repository is used for the development, maintenance, testing, validation, and release of rules for Elastic Security’s Detection Engine."
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.12"