diff --git a/src/core/Ingredient.mjs b/src/core/Ingredient.mjs
index 4f81f83b..d01c6d34 100644
--- a/src/core/Ingredient.mjs
+++ b/src/core/Ingredient.mjs
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@ class Ingredient {
         if (this.type === "toggleString" && val && typeof val === "object" && "string" in val) {
             checkVal = val.string;
         }
+        if (this.type === "option" && Array.isArray(checkVal)) {
+            checkVal = checkVal[this.defaultIndex ?? 0];
+        }
 
         // 1. check if empty
         let isEmpty = false;
@@ -124,6 +127,21 @@ class Ingredient {
             }
         }
 
+        // 4. option checks
+        if (this.type === "option") {
+            if (Array.isArray(this.defaultValue)) {
+                const permittedOptions = this.defaultValue.filter(opt => {
+                    if (typeof opt !== "string") return false;
+                    return !opt.match(/^\[\/?[a-z0-9 -()^]+\]$/i);
+                });
+                const valStr = (checkVal !== null && checkVal !== undefined) ? String(checkVal).toLowerCase() : "";
+                const matchedOption = permittedOptions.find(opt => opt.toLowerCase() === valStr);
+                if (!matchedOption) {
+                    throw new OperationError(`${this.name} must be one of the following: ${permittedOptions.join(", ")}`);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
         return true;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/core/operations/AutomatedValidationTestOp.mjs b/src/core/operations/AutomatedValidationTestOp.mjs
index 315eb417..92f803ae 100644
--- a/src/core/operations/AutomatedValidationTestOp.mjs
+++ b/src/core/operations/AutomatedValidationTestOp.mjs
@@ -60,6 +60,12 @@ class AutomatedValidationTestOp extends Operation {
                 },
                 "toggleValues": ["Option A", "Option B"],
                 "allowEmpty": false
+            },
+            {
+                "name": "Option Ingredient",
+                "type": "option",
+                "value": ["[Group 1]", "Option 1", "Option 2", "[/Group 1]", "[Group 2]", "Option 3", "[/Group 2]"],
+                "allowEmpty": false
             }
         ];
     }
diff --git a/src/core/operations/SM4Encrypt.mjs b/src/core/operations/SM4Encrypt.mjs
index 0a58dfb9..69c414eb 100644
--- a/src/core/operations/SM4Encrypt.mjs
+++ b/src/core/operations/SM4Encrypt.mjs
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class SM4Encrypt extends Operation {
             {
                 "name": "Mode",
                 "type": "option",
-                "value": ["CBC", "CFB", "OFB", "CTR", "ECB"]
+                "value": ["CBC", "CFB", "OFB", "CTR", "ECB", "CBC/NoPadding", "ECB/NoPadding"]
             },
             {
                 "name": "Input",
diff --git a/src/node/api.mjs b/src/node/api.mjs
index f41feb23..83163d37 100644
--- a/src/node/api.mjs
+++ b/src/node/api.mjs
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ function transformArgs(opArgsList, newArgs) {
     return opArgs.map((arg) => {
         if (arg.type === "option") {
             // pick default option if not already chosen
-            return typeof arg.value === "string" ? arg.value : arg.value[arg.defaultIndex ?? 0];
+            return !Array.isArray(arg.value) ? arg.value : arg.value[arg.defaultIndex ?? 0];
         }
 
         if (arg.type === "editableOption") {
diff --git a/tests/operations/tests/AutomatedValidation.mjs b/tests/operations/tests/AutomatedValidation.mjs
index da84de11..e9d16029 100644
--- a/tests/operations/tests/AutomatedValidation.mjs
+++ b/tests/operations/tests/AutomatedValidation.mjs
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [4, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [4, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [11, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [11, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [5.5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [5.5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [5, 1.4, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [5, 1.4, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [5, 5.6, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [5, 5.6, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [5, 1.5, "helloooo", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [5, 1.5, "helloooo", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [5, 1.5, "", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [5, 1.5, "", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }]
+                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 1"]
             }
         ]
     },
@@ -114,7 +114,40 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
-                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "" }]
+                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "" }, "Option 1"]
+            }
+        ]
+    },
+    {
+        name: "Automated Validation: Invalid Option value",
+        input: "test",
+        expectedOutput: "Option Ingredient must be one of the following: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3",
+        recipeConfig: [
+            {
+                op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
+                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "Option 4"]
+            }
+        ]
+    },
+    {
+        name: "Automated Validation: Option value as optgroup heading (invalid)",
+        input: "test",
+        expectedOutput: "Option Ingredient must be one of the following: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3",
+        recipeConfig: [
+            {
+                op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
+                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, "[Group 1]"]
+            }
+        ]
+    },
+    {
+        name: "Automated Validation: Option value empty (invalid)",
+        input: "test",
+        expectedOutput: "Option Ingredient cannot be empty.",
+        recipeConfig: [
+            {
+                op: "Automated Validation Test Op",
+                args: [5, 1.5, "hello", "", { "option": "Option A", "string": "test" }, ""]
             }
         ]
     }
diff --git a/tests/operations/tests/GenerateLoremIpsum.mjs b/tests/operations/tests/GenerateLoremIpsum.mjs
index c42bf8da..145f2884 100644
--- a/tests/operations/tests/GenerateLoremIpsum.mjs
+++ b/tests/operations/tests/GenerateLoremIpsum.mjs
@@ -67,12 +67,12 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
     {
         name: "Generate Lorem Ipsum: Incorrect lengthType",
         input: "",
-        expectedOutput: "Invalid length type",
+        expectedOutput: "Length in must be one of the following: Paragraphs, Sentences, Words, Bytes",
         recipeConfig: [
             {
                 "op": "Generate Lorem Ipsum",
                 "args": [999_999, "Novels"]
-            },
+            }
         ],
     },
 
diff --git a/tests/operations/tests/SM2.mjs b/tests/operations/tests/SM2.mjs
index a3d6fd2c..53ee22ca 100644
--- a/tests/operations/tests/SM2.mjs
+++ b/tests/operations/tests/SM2.mjs
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ TestRegister.addTests([
             },
             {
                 "op": "SM2 Decrypt",
-                "args": [PRIVATE_K, "C1C2C2", CURVE]
+                "args": [PRIVATE_K, "C1C2C3", CURVE]
             }
         ]
     },