diff --git a/pyrit/message_normalizer/json_schema_normalizer.py b/pyrit/message_normalizer/json_schema_normalizer.py
index f7acc1cfe2..4937696041 100644
--- a/pyrit/message_normalizer/json_schema_normalizer.py
+++ b/pyrit/message_normalizer/json_schema_normalizer.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import json
 
 from pyrit.message_normalizer.message_normalizer import MessageListNormalizer
-from pyrit.models import JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY, JsonSchemaDefinition, Message, MessagePiece
+from pyrit.models import JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY, JsonResponseConfig, JsonSchemaDefinition, Message, MessagePiece
 
 # Default text appended to a message piece when the target cannot natively
 # enforce a JSON schema. The exact phrasing mirrors the legacy in-prompt
@@ -35,9 +35,10 @@ class JsonSchemaNormalizer(MessageListNormalizer[Message]):
     For every message piece carrying a schema in
     ``JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY``:
 
-    * If the piece is text, the schema is rendered into prompt text appended
-      to the existing value so the model is still instructed to produce a
-      conforming JSON object via prompt engineering.
+    * If the piece is text, the schema (a dict or a JSON string) is rendered
+      into prompt text appended to the existing value so the model is still
+      instructed to produce a conforming JSON object via prompt engineering.
+      An empty string means no schema, so nothing is appended.
     * Otherwise (non-text pieces — image, audio, video, etc.) the schema
       metadata is simply removed; non-text modalities have no natural place
       to embed a textual schema instruction.
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ def _adapt_piece(self, *, piece: MessagePiece) -> MessagePiece:
         """
         Return a new piece with the schema metadata key removed.
 
-        For text pieces, the schema is additionally rendered into the piece's
+        For text pieces, a non-empty schema is additionally rendered into the piece's
         ``converted_value`` so the model is still instructed (via prompt text)
         to produce JSON conforming to the schema. For non-text pieces the
         schema is simply dropped from metadata.
@@ -145,12 +146,13 @@ def _adapt_piece(self, *, piece: MessagePiece) -> MessagePiece:
             schema rendered into the text value when ``converted_value_data_type``
             is ``"text"``.
         """
-        schema = piece.prompt_metadata[JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY]
         new_metadata = {key: value for key, value in piece.prompt_metadata.items() if key != JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY}
 
         updates: dict[str, object] = {"prompt_metadata": new_metadata}
         if piece.converted_value_data_type == "text":
-            updates["converted_value"] = self._append_schema_instructions(text=piece.converted_value, schema=schema)
+            schema = JsonResponseConfig.parse_schema(piece.prompt_metadata[JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY])
+            if schema is not None:
+                updates["converted_value"] = self._append_schema_instructions(text=piece.converted_value, schema=schema)
 
         return piece.model_copy(update=updates)
 
diff --git a/pyrit/models/target/json_response_config.py b/pyrit/models/target/json_response_config.py
index 763fce93d4..9a78700e23 100644
--- a/pyrit/models/target/json_response_config.py
+++ b/pyrit/models/target/json_response_config.py
@@ -85,23 +85,36 @@ def from_metadata(cls, *, metadata: dict[str, Any] | None) -> JsonResponseConfig
 
         schema_val = metadata.get(cls._METADATAKEYS["JSON_SCHEMA"])
         if schema_val is not None:
-            if isinstance(schema_val, str):
-                try:
-                    schema = json.loads(schema_val) if schema_val else None
-                except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
-                    raise ValueError(f"Invalid JSON schema provided: {schema_val}") from e
-            else:
-                schema = schema_val
-
             return cls(
                 enabled=True,
-                json_schema=schema,
+                json_schema=cls.parse_schema(schema_val),
                 schema_name=metadata.get(cls._METADATAKEYS["JSON_SCHEMA_NAME"], "CustomSchema"),
                 strict=metadata.get(cls._METADATAKEYS["JSON_SCHEMA_STRICT"], True),
             )
 
         return cls(enabled=True)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def parse_schema(schema_val: dict[str, Any] | str) -> dict[str, Any] | None:
+        """
+        Read a schema stored under ``JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY``, which may be a dict or a JSON string.
+
+        Args:
+            schema_val (dict[str, Any] | str): The stored schema. An empty string means no schema.
+
+        Returns:
+            dict[str, Any] | None: The parsed schema, or ``None`` for an empty string.
+
+        Raises:
+            ValueError: If a schema string is not valid JSON.
+        """
+        if not isinstance(schema_val, str):
+            return schema_val
+        try:
+            return json.loads(schema_val) if schema_val else None
+        except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
+            raise ValueError(f"Invalid JSON schema provided: {schema_val}") from e
+
     def to_metadata(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
         """
         Serialize to the canonical ``response_format`` / ``json_schema`` metadata keys.
diff --git a/tests/unit/message_normalizer/test_json_schema_normalizer.py b/tests/unit/message_normalizer/test_json_schema_normalizer.py
index eed3ef7679..9f9a83994a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/message_normalizer/test_json_schema_normalizer.py
+++ b/tests/unit/message_normalizer/test_json_schema_normalizer.py
@@ -58,6 +58,32 @@ async def test_text_piece_gets_schema_appended_to_converted_value(self, normaliz
         # reason about its structure.
         assert json.dumps(schema, indent=2) in out_piece.converted_value
 
+    async def test_schema_stored_as_json_string_renders_like_dict(self, normalizer: JsonSchemaNormalizer) -> None:
+        schema = {"type": "object", "properties": {"answer": {"type": "string"}}, "required": ["answer"]}
+        as_dict = _text_piece(value="Answer.", metadata={JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY: schema})
+        as_string = _text_piece(value="Answer.", metadata={JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY: json.dumps(schema)})
+
+        result = await normalizer.normalize_async(
+            [Message(message_pieces=[as_dict]), Message(message_pieces=[as_string])]
+        )
+
+        assert result[1].message_pieces[0].converted_value == result[0].message_pieces[0].converted_value
+
+    async def test_invalid_json_string_schema_raises(self, normalizer: JsonSchemaNormalizer) -> None:
+        piece = _text_piece(value="Answer.", metadata={JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY: "{not json"})
+
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Invalid JSON schema provided"):
+            await normalizer.normalize_async([Message(message_pieces=[piece])])
+
+    async def test_empty_string_schema_is_stripped_without_instructions(self, normalizer: JsonSchemaNormalizer) -> None:
+        piece = _text_piece(value="Answer.", metadata={JSON_SCHEMA_METADATA_KEY: "", "response_format": "json"})
+
+        result = await normalizer.normalize_async([Message(message_pieces=[piece])])
+        out_piece = result[0].message_pieces[0]
+
+        assert out_piece.converted_value == "Answer."
+        assert out_piece.prompt_metadata == {"response_format": "json"}
+
     async def test_text_piece_preserves_other_metadata(self, normalizer: JsonSchemaNormalizer) -> None:
         piece = _text_piece(
             metadata={