diff --git a/frontend/public/locales/en-GB/translation.json b/frontend/public/locales/en-GB/translation.json
index b1646e76f..0f7dcfb6e 100644
--- a/frontend/public/locales/en-GB/translation.json
+++ b/frontend/public/locales/en-GB/translation.json
@@ -256,6 +256,13 @@
       "name": "Save form inputs",
       "help": "Enable to store previously used inputs for future runs"
     },
+    "general": {
+      "title": "General",
+      "description": "Configure general application preferences.",
+      "autoUnzip": "Auto-unzip API responses",
+      "autoUnzipDescription": "Automatically extract files from ZIP responses",
+      "autoUnzipTooltip": "Automatically extract ZIP files returned from API operations. Disable to keep ZIP files intact. This does not affect automation workflows."
+    },
     "hotkeys": {
       "title": "Keyboard Shortcuts",
       "description": "Hover a tool to see its shortcut or customise it below. Click \"Change shortcut\" and press a new key combination. Press Esc to cancel.",
@@ -3184,6 +3191,7 @@
     "lastModified": "Last Modified",
     "toolChain": "Tools Applied",
     "restore": "Restore",
+    "unzip": "Unzip",
     "searchFiles": "Search files...",
     "recent": "Recent",
     "localFiles": "Local Files",
diff --git a/frontend/src/App.tsx b/frontend/src/App.tsx
index d926b9f0d..88c19649f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/App.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { FilesModalProvider } from "./contexts/FilesModalContext";
 import { ToolWorkflowProvider } from "./contexts/ToolWorkflowContext";
 import { HotkeyProvider } from "./contexts/HotkeyContext";
 import { SidebarProvider } from "./contexts/SidebarContext";
+import { PreferencesProvider } from "./contexts/PreferencesContext";
 import ErrorBoundary from "./components/shared/ErrorBoundary";
 import HomePage from "./pages/HomePage";
 
@@ -41,25 +42,27 @@ export default function App() {
     <Suspense fallback={<LoadingFallback />}>
       <RainbowThemeProvider>
         <ErrorBoundary>
-          <FileContextProvider enableUrlSync={true} enablePersistence={true}>
-            <NavigationProvider>
-              <FilesModalProvider>
-                <ToolWorkflowProvider>
-                  <HotkeyProvider>
-                    <SidebarProvider>
-                      <ViewerProvider>
-                        <SignatureProvider>
-                          <RightRailProvider>
-                            <HomePage />
-                          </RightRailProvider>
-                        </SignatureProvider>
-                      </ViewerProvider>
-                    </SidebarProvider>
-                  </HotkeyProvider>
-                </ToolWorkflowProvider>
-              </FilesModalProvider>
-            </NavigationProvider>
-          </FileContextProvider>
+          <PreferencesProvider>
+            <FileContextProvider enableUrlSync={true} enablePersistence={true}>
+              <NavigationProvider>
+                <FilesModalProvider>
+                  <ToolWorkflowProvider>
+                    <HotkeyProvider>
+                      <SidebarProvider>
+                        <ViewerProvider>
+                          <SignatureProvider>
+                            <RightRailProvider>
+                              <HomePage />
+                            </RightRailProvider>
+                          </SignatureProvider>
+                        </ViewerProvider>
+                      </SidebarProvider>
+                    </HotkeyProvider>
+                  </ToolWorkflowProvider>
+                </FilesModalProvider>
+              </NavigationProvider>
+            </FileContextProvider>
+          </PreferencesProvider>
         </ErrorBoundary>
       </RainbowThemeProvider>
     </Suspense>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/fileEditor/FileEditor.tsx b/frontend/src/components/fileEditor/FileEditor.tsx
index 00bf22480..f7a1aa9f7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/fileEditor/FileEditor.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/fileEditor/FileEditor.tsx
@@ -309,6 +309,47 @@ const FileEditor = ({
     }
   }, [activeStirlingFileStubs, selectors, _setStatus]);
 
+  const handleUnzipFile = useCallback(async (fileId: FileId) => {
+    const record = activeStirlingFileStubs.find(r => r.id === fileId);
+    const file = record ? selectors.getFile(record.id) : null;
+    if (record && file) {
+      try {
+        // Extract files from the ZIP
+        const extractionResult = await zipFileService.extractPdfFiles(file);
+
+        if (extractionResult.success && extractionResult.extractedFiles.length > 0) {
+          // Add extracted files to FileContext
+          await addFiles(extractionResult.extractedFiles);
+
+          // Remove the original ZIP file
+          removeFiles([fileId], false);
+
+          alert({
+            alertType: 'success',
+            title: `Extracted ${extractionResult.extractedFiles.length} file(s) from ${file.name}`,
+            expandable: false,
+            durationMs: 3500
+          });
+        } else {
+          alert({
+            alertType: 'error',
+            title: `Failed to extract files from ${file.name}`,
+            expandable: false,
+            durationMs: 3500
+          });
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.error('Failed to unzip file:', error);
+        alert({
+          alertType: 'error',
+          title: `Error unzipping ${file.name}`,
+          expandable: false,
+          durationMs: 3500
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  }, [activeStirlingFileStubs, selectors, addFiles, removeFiles]);
+
   const handleViewFile = useCallback((fileId: FileId) => {
     const record = activeStirlingFileStubs.find(r => r.id === fileId);
     if (record) {
@@ -429,6 +470,7 @@ const FileEditor = ({
                   _onSetStatus={showStatus}
                   onReorderFiles={handleReorderFiles}
                   onDownloadFile={handleDownloadFile}
+                  onUnzipFile={handleUnzipFile}
                   toolMode={toolMode}
                   isSupported={isFileSupported(record.name)}
                 />
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/fileEditor/FileEditorThumbnail.tsx b/frontend/src/components/fileEditor/FileEditorThumbnail.tsx
index e8f102101..f09bfeeb1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/fileEditor/FileEditorThumbnail.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/fileEditor/FileEditorThumbnail.tsx
@@ -5,11 +5,13 @@ import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 import MoreVertIcon from '@mui/icons-material/MoreVert';
 import DownloadOutlinedIcon from '@mui/icons-material/DownloadOutlined';
 import DeleteOutlineIcon from '@mui/icons-material/DeleteOutline';
+import UnarchiveIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Unarchive';
 import PushPinIcon from '@mui/icons-material/PushPin';
 import PushPinOutlinedIcon from '@mui/icons-material/PushPinOutlined';
 import DragIndicatorIcon from '@mui/icons-material/DragIndicator';
 import { draggable, dropTargetForElements } from '@atlaskit/pragmatic-drag-and-drop/element/adapter';
 import { StirlingFileStub } from '../../types/fileContext';
+import { zipFileService } from '../../services/zipFileService';
 
 import styles from './FileEditor.module.css';
 import { useFileContext } from '../../contexts/FileContext';
@@ -32,6 +34,7 @@ interface FileEditorThumbnailProps {
   _onSetStatus: (status: string) => void;
   onReorderFiles?: (sourceFileId: FileId, targetFileId: FileId, selectedFileIds: FileId[]) => void;
   onDownloadFile: (fileId: FileId) => void;
+  onUnzipFile?: (fileId: FileId) => void;
   toolMode?: boolean;
   isSupported?: boolean;
 }
@@ -45,6 +48,7 @@ const FileEditorThumbnail = ({
   _onSetStatus,
   onReorderFiles,
   onDownloadFile,
+  onUnzipFile,
   isSupported = true,
 }: FileEditorThumbnailProps) => {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
@@ -64,6 +68,9 @@ const FileEditorThumbnail = ({
   }, [activeFiles, file.id]);
   const isPinned = actualFile ? isFilePinned(actualFile) : false;
 
+  // Check if this is a ZIP file
+  const isZipFile = zipFileService.isZipFileStub(file);
+
   const pageCount = file.processedFile?.totalPages || 0;
 
   const handleRef = useRef<HTMLSpanElement | null>(null);
@@ -299,6 +306,16 @@ const FileEditorThumbnail = ({
             <span>{t('download', 'Download')}</span>
           </button>
 
+          {isZipFile && onUnzipFile && (
+            <button
+              className={styles.actionRow}
+              onClick={() => { onUnzipFile(file.id); alert({ alertType: 'success', title: `Unzipping ${file.name}`, expandable: false, durationMs: 2500 }); setShowActions(false); }}
+            >
+              <UnarchiveIcon fontSize="small" />
+              <span>{t('fileManager.unzip', 'Unzip')}</span>
+            </button>
+          )}
+
           <div className={styles.actionsDivider} />
 
           <button
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/fileManager/FileListItem.tsx b/frontend/src/components/fileManager/FileListItem.tsx
index 11fbc20af..a3353df19 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/fileManager/FileListItem.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/fileManager/FileListItem.tsx
@@ -5,10 +5,12 @@ import DeleteIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Delete';
 import DownloadIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Download';
 import HistoryIcon from '@mui/icons-material/History';
 import RestoreIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Restore';
+import UnarchiveIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Unarchive';
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 import { getFileSize, getFileDate } from '../../utils/fileUtils';
 import { FileId, StirlingFileStub } from '../../types/fileContext';
 import { useFileManagerContext } from '../../contexts/FileManagerContext';
+import { zipFileService } from '../../services/zipFileService';
 import ToolChain from '../shared/ToolChain';
 
 interface FileListItemProps {
@@ -38,7 +40,10 @@ const FileListItem: React.FC<FileListItemProps> = ({
   const [isHovered, setIsHovered] = useState(false);
   const [isMenuOpen, setIsMenuOpen] = useState(false);
   const { t } = useTranslation();
-  const {expandedFileIds, onToggleExpansion, onAddToRecents } = useFileManagerContext();
+  const {expandedFileIds, onToggleExpansion, onAddToRecents, onUnzipFile } = useFileManagerContext();
+
+  // Check if this is a ZIP file
+  const isZipFile = zipFileService.isZipFileStub(file);
 
   // Keep item in hovered state if menu is open
   const shouldShowHovered = isHovered || isMenuOpen;
@@ -192,6 +197,22 @@ const FileListItem: React.FC<FileListItemProps> = ({
                 </>
               )}
 
+              {/* Unzip option for ZIP files */}
+              {isZipFile && !isHistoryFile && (
+                <>
+                  <Menu.Item
+                    leftSection={<UnarchiveIcon style={{ fontSize: 16 }} />}
+                    onClick={(e) => {
+                      e.stopPropagation();
+                      onUnzipFile(file);
+                    }}
+                  >
+                    {t('fileManager.unzip', 'Unzip')}
+                  </Menu.Item>
+                  <Menu.Divider />
+                </>
+              )}
+
               <Menu.Item
                 leftSection={<DeleteIcon style={{ fontSize: 16 }} />}
                 onClick={(e) => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/shared/config/configNavSections.tsx b/frontend/src/components/shared/config/configNavSections.tsx
index 912ad8647..ac5b670ee 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/shared/config/configNavSections.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/shared/config/configNavSections.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { NavKey } from './types';
 import HotkeysSection from './configSections/HotkeysSection';
+import GeneralSection from './configSections/GeneralSection';
 
 export interface ConfigNavItem {
   key: NavKey;
@@ -43,6 +44,12 @@ export const createConfigNavSections = (
     {
       title: 'Preferences',
       items: [
+        {
+          key: 'general',
+          label: 'General',
+          icon: 'settings-rounded',
+          component: <GeneralSection />
+        },
         {
           key: 'hotkeys',
           label: 'Keyboard Shortcuts',
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/shared/config/configSections/GeneralSection.tsx b/frontend/src/components/shared/config/configSections/GeneralSection.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..059e7674f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/shared/config/configSections/GeneralSection.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { Paper, Stack, Switch, Text, Tooltip } from '@mantine/core';
+import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
+import { usePreferences } from '../../../../contexts/PreferencesContext';
+
+const GeneralSection: React.FC = () => {
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const { preferences, updatePreference } = usePreferences();
+
+  return (
+    <Stack gap="lg">
+      <div>
+        <Text fw={600} size="lg">{t('settings.general.title', 'General')}</Text>
+        <Text size="sm" c="dimmed">
+          {t('settings.general.description', 'Configure general application preferences.')}
+        </Text>
+      </div>
+
+      <Paper withBorder p="md" radius="md">
+        <Stack gap="md">
+          <Tooltip
+            label={t('settings.general.autoUnzipTooltip', 'Automatically extract ZIP files returned from API operations. Disable to keep ZIP files intact. This does not affect automation workflows.')}
+            multiline
+            w={300}
+            withArrow
+          >
+            <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between', cursor: 'help' }}>
+              <div>
+                <Text fw={500} size="sm">
+                  {t('settings.general.autoUnzip', 'Auto-unzip API responses')}
+                </Text>
+                <Text size="xs" c="dimmed" mt={4}>
+                  {t('settings.general.autoUnzipDescription', 'Automatically extract files from ZIP responses')}
+                </Text>
+              </div>
+              <Switch
+                checked={preferences.autoUnzip}
+                onChange={(event) => updatePreference('autoUnzip', event.currentTarget.checked)}
+              />
+            </div>
+          </Tooltip>
+        </Stack>
+      </Paper>
+    </Stack>
+  );
+};
+
+export default GeneralSection;
diff --git a/frontend/src/contexts/FileManagerContext.tsx b/frontend/src/contexts/FileManagerContext.tsx
index fb82e9071..6eabb4144 100644
--- a/frontend/src/contexts/FileManagerContext.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/contexts/FileManagerContext.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import React, { createContext, useContext, useState, useRef, useCallback, useEffect, useMemo } from 'react';
 import { fileStorage } from '../services/fileStorage';
+import { zipFileService } from '../services/zipFileService';
 import { StirlingFileStub } from '../types/fileContext';
 import { downloadFiles } from '../utils/downloadUtils';
 import { FileId } from '../types/file';
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ interface FileManagerContextValue {
   onDownloadSingle: (file: StirlingFileStub) => void;
   onToggleExpansion: (fileId: FileId) => void;
   onAddToRecents: (file: StirlingFileStub) => void;
+  onUnzipFile: (file: StirlingFileStub) => Promise<void>;
   onNewFilesSelect: (files: File[]) => void;
 
   // External props
@@ -544,6 +546,32 @@ export const FileManagerProvider: React.FC<FileManagerProviderProps> = ({
     }
   }, [refreshRecentFiles]);
 
+  const handleUnzipFile = useCallback(async (file: StirlingFileStub) => {
+    try {
+      // Load the full file from storage
+      const stirlingFile = await fileStorage.getStirlingFile(file.id);
+      if (!stirlingFile) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // Extract files from the ZIP
+      const extractionResult = await zipFileService.extractPdfFiles(stirlingFile);
+
+      if (extractionResult.success && extractionResult.extractedFiles.length > 0) {
+        // Add extracted files to the file manager
+        onNewFilesSelect(extractionResult.extractedFiles);
+
+        // Optionally remove the original ZIP file
+        const fileIndex = filteredFiles.findIndex(f => f.id === file.id);
+        if (fileIndex !== -1) {
+          await handleFileRemove(fileIndex);
+        }
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error('Failed to unzip file:', error);
+    }
+  }, [onNewFilesSelect, filteredFiles, handleFileRemove]);
+
   // Cleanup blob URLs when component unmounts
   useEffect(() => {
     return () => {
@@ -595,6 +623,7 @@ export const FileManagerProvider: React.FC<FileManagerProviderProps> = ({
     onDownloadSingle: handleDownloadSingle,
     onToggleExpansion: handleToggleExpansion,
     onAddToRecents: handleAddToRecents,
+    onUnzipFile: handleUnzipFile,
     onNewFilesSelect,
 
     // External props
@@ -627,6 +656,7 @@ export const FileManagerProvider: React.FC<FileManagerProviderProps> = ({
     handleDownloadSelected,
     handleToggleExpansion,
     handleAddToRecents,
+    handleUnzipFile,
     onNewFilesSelect,
     recentFiles,
     isFileSupported,
diff --git a/frontend/src/contexts/PreferencesContext.tsx b/frontend/src/contexts/PreferencesContext.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ebfe0aab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/contexts/PreferencesContext.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import React, { createContext, useContext, useState, useEffect, useCallback } from 'react';
+import { preferencesService, UserPreferences, DEFAULT_PREFERENCES } from '../services/preferencesService';
+
+interface PreferencesContextValue {
+  preferences: UserPreferences;
+  updatePreference: <K extends keyof UserPreferences>(
+    key: K,
+    value: UserPreferences[K]
+  ) => Promise<void>;
+  resetPreferences: () => Promise<void>;
+  isLoading: boolean;
+}
+
+const PreferencesContext = createContext<PreferencesContextValue | undefined>(undefined);
+
+export const PreferencesProvider: React.FC<{ children: React.ReactNode }> = ({ children }) => {
+  const [preferences, setPreferences] = useState<UserPreferences>(DEFAULT_PREFERENCES);
+  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(true);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const loadPreferences = async () => {
+      try {
+        await preferencesService.initialize();
+        const loadedPreferences = await preferencesService.getAllPreferences();
+        setPreferences(loadedPreferences);
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.error('Failed to load preferences:', error);
+        // Keep default preferences on error
+      } finally {
+        setIsLoading(false);
+      }
+    };
+
+    loadPreferences();
+  }, []);
+
+  const updatePreference = useCallback(
+    async <K extends keyof UserPreferences>(key: K, value: UserPreferences[K]) => {
+      try {
+        await preferencesService.setPreference(key, value);
+        setPreferences((prev) => ({
+          ...prev,
+          [key]: value,
+        }));
+      } catch (error) {
+        throw error;
+      }
+    },
+    []
+  );
+
+  const resetPreferences = useCallback(async () => {
+    try {
+      await preferencesService.clearAllPreferences();
+      setPreferences(DEFAULT_PREFERENCES);
+    } catch (error) {
+      throw error;
+    }
+  }, []);
+
+  return (
+    <PreferencesContext.Provider
+      value={{
+        preferences,
+        updatePreference,
+        resetPreferences,
+        isLoading,
+      }}
+    >
+      {children}
+    </PreferencesContext.Provider>
+  );
+};
+
+export const usePreferences = (): PreferencesContextValue => {
+  const context = useContext(PreferencesContext);
+  if (!context) {
+    throw new Error('usePreferences must be used within a PreferencesProvider');
+  }
+  return context;
+};
diff --git a/frontend/src/hooks/tools/shared/useToolOperation.ts b/frontend/src/hooks/tools/shared/useToolOperation.ts
index 91b3c8d0c..d28e5ce77 100644
--- a/frontend/src/hooks/tools/shared/useToolOperation.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/hooks/tools/shared/useToolOperation.ts
@@ -257,6 +257,7 @@ export const useToolOperation = <TParams>(
             processedFiles = [singleFile];
           } else {
             // Default: assume ZIP response for multi-file endpoints
+            // Note: extractZipFiles will check preferences.autoUnzip setting
             processedFiles = await extractZipFiles(response.data);
 
             if (processedFiles.length === 0) {
diff --git a/frontend/src/hooks/tools/shared/useToolResources.ts b/frontend/src/hooks/tools/shared/useToolResources.ts
index 68e142128..852582e54 100644
--- a/frontend/src/hooks/tools/shared/useToolResources.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/hooks/tools/shared/useToolResources.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 import { useState, useCallback, useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 import { generateThumbnailForFile, generateThumbnailWithMetadata, ThumbnailWithMetadata } from '../../../utils/thumbnailUtils';
 import { zipFileService } from '../../../services/zipFileService';
+import { usePreferences } from '../../../contexts/PreferencesContext';
 
 
 export const useToolResources = () => {
+  const { preferences } = usePreferences();
   const [blobUrls, setBlobUrls] = useState<string[]>([]);
 
   const addBlobUrl = useCallback((url: string) => {
@@ -81,8 +83,13 @@ export const useToolResources = () => {
     return results;
   }, []);
 
-  const extractZipFiles = useCallback(async (zipBlob: Blob): Promise<File[]> => {
+  const extractZipFiles = useCallback(async (zipBlob: Blob, skipAutoUnzip = false): Promise<File[]> => {
     try {
+      // Check if auto-unzip is disabled (unless explicitly skipped like in automation)
+      if (!skipAutoUnzip && !preferences.autoUnzip) {
+        return [new File([zipBlob], 'result.zip', { type: 'application/zip' })];
+      }
+
       const zipFile = new File([zipBlob], 'temp.zip', { type: 'application/zip' });
       const extractionResult = await zipFileService.extractPdfFiles(zipFile);
       return extractionResult.success ? extractionResult.extractedFiles : [];
@@ -90,7 +97,7 @@ export const useToolResources = () => {
       console.error('useToolResources.extractZipFiles - Error:', error);
       return [];
     }
-  }, []);
+  }, [preferences.autoUnzip]);
 
   const extractAllZipFiles = useCallback(async (zipBlob: Blob): Promise<File[]> => {
     try {
diff --git a/frontend/src/services/indexedDBManager.ts b/frontend/src/services/indexedDBManager.ts
index 0c63aec19..d88924518 100644
--- a/frontend/src/services/indexedDBManager.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/services/indexedDBManager.ts
@@ -314,6 +314,15 @@ export const DATABASE_CONFIGS = {
     }]
   } as DatabaseConfig,
 
+  PREFERENCES: {
+    name: 'stirling-pdf-preferences',
+    version: 1,
+    stores: [{
+      name: 'preferences',
+      keyPath: 'key'
+    }]
+  } as DatabaseConfig,
+
 } as const;
 
 export const indexedDBManager = IndexedDBManager.getInstance();
diff --git a/frontend/src/services/preferencesService.ts b/frontend/src/services/preferencesService.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ae75e890a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/services/preferencesService.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+import { indexedDBManager, DATABASE_CONFIGS } from './indexedDBManager';
+
+export interface UserPreferences {
+  autoUnzip: boolean;
+}
+
+export const DEFAULT_PREFERENCES: UserPreferences = {
+  autoUnzip: true,
+};
+
+class PreferencesService {
+  private db: IDBDatabase | null = null;
+
+  async initialize(): Promise<void> {
+    this.db = await indexedDBManager.openDatabase(DATABASE_CONFIGS.PREFERENCES);
+  }
+
+  private ensureDatabase(): IDBDatabase {
+    if (!this.db) {
+      throw new Error('PreferencesService not initialized. Call initialize() first.');
+    }
+    return this.db;
+  }
+
+  async getPreference<K extends keyof UserPreferences>(
+    key: K
+  ): Promise<UserPreferences[K]> {
+    const db = this.ensureDatabase();
+
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      const transaction = db.transaction(['preferences'], 'readonly');
+      const store = transaction.objectStore('preferences');
+      const request = store.get(key);
+
+      request.onsuccess = () => {
+        const result = request.result;
+        if (result && result.value !== undefined) {
+          resolve(result.value);
+        } else {
+          // Return default value if preference not found
+          resolve(DEFAULT_PREFERENCES[key]);
+        }
+      };
+
+      request.onerror = () => {
+        console.error('Error reading preference:', key, request.error);
+        // Return default value on error
+        resolve(DEFAULT_PREFERENCES[key]);
+      };
+    });
+  }
+
+  async setPreference<K extends keyof UserPreferences>(
+    key: K,
+    value: UserPreferences[K]
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const db = this.ensureDatabase();
+
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      const transaction = db.transaction(['preferences'], 'readwrite');
+      const store = transaction.objectStore('preferences');
+      const request = store.put({ key, value });
+
+      request.onsuccess = () => {
+        resolve();
+      };
+
+      request.onerror = () => {
+        console.error('Error writing preference:', key, request.error);
+        reject(request.error);
+      };
+    });
+  }
+
+  async getAllPreferences(): Promise<UserPreferences> {
+    const db = this.ensureDatabase();
+
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      const transaction = db.transaction(['preferences'], 'readonly');
+      const store = transaction.objectStore('preferences');
+      const request = store.getAll();
+
+      request.onsuccess = () => {
+        const storedPrefs: Partial<UserPreferences> = {};
+        const results = request.result;
+
+        for (const item of results) {
+          if (item.key && item.value !== undefined) {
+            storedPrefs[item.key as keyof UserPreferences] = item.value;
+          }
+        }
+
+        // Merge with defaults to ensure all preferences exist
+        resolve({
+          ...DEFAULT_PREFERENCES,
+          ...storedPrefs,
+        });
+      };
+
+      request.onerror = () => {
+        console.error('Error reading all preferences:', request.error);
+        // Return defaults on error
+        resolve({ ...DEFAULT_PREFERENCES });
+      };
+    });
+  }
+
+  async clearAllPreferences(): Promise<void> {
+    const db = this.ensureDatabase();
+
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      const transaction = db.transaction(['preferences'], 'readwrite');
+      const store = transaction.objectStore('preferences');
+      const request = store.clear();
+
+      request.onsuccess = () => {
+        resolve();
+      };
+
+      request.onerror = () => {
+        reject(request.error);
+      };
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+export const preferencesService = new PreferencesService();
diff --git a/frontend/src/services/zipFileService.ts b/frontend/src/services/zipFileService.ts
index 36321ffa0..6ce56e729 100644
--- a/frontend/src/services/zipFileService.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/services/zipFileService.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import JSZip, { JSZipObject } from 'jszip';
+import { StirlingFileStub } from '../types/fileContext';
 
 // Undocumented interface in JSZip for JSZipObject._data
 interface CompressedObject {
@@ -41,6 +42,15 @@ export class ZipFileService {
   private readonly maxTotalSize = 500 * 1024 * 1024; // 500MB total extraction limit
   private readonly supportedExtensions = ['.pdf'];
 
+  // ZIP file validation constants
+  private static readonly VALID_ZIP_TYPES = [
+    'application/zip',
+    'application/x-zip-compressed',
+    'application/x-zip',
+    'application/octet-stream' // Some browsers use this for ZIP files
+  ];
+  private static readonly VALID_ZIP_EXTENSIONS = ['.zip'];
+
   /**
    * Validate a ZIP file without extracting it
    */
@@ -238,23 +248,27 @@ export class ZipFileService {
   /**
    * Check if a file is a ZIP file based on type and extension
    */
-  private isZipFile(file: File): boolean {
-    const validTypes = [
-      'application/zip',
-      'application/x-zip-compressed',
-      'application/x-zip',
-      'application/octet-stream' // Some browsers use this for ZIP files
-    ];
-
-    const validExtensions = ['.zip'];
-    const hasValidType = validTypes.includes(file.type);
-    const hasValidExtension = validExtensions.some(ext =>
+  public isZipFile(file: File): boolean {
+    const hasValidType = ZipFileService.VALID_ZIP_TYPES.includes(file.type);
+    const hasValidExtension = ZipFileService.VALID_ZIP_EXTENSIONS.some(ext =>
       file.name.toLowerCase().endsWith(ext)
     );
 
     return hasValidType || hasValidExtension;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Check if a StirlingFileStub represents a ZIP file (for UI checks without loading full file)
+   */
+  public isZipFileStub(stub: StirlingFileStub): boolean {
+    const hasValidType = stub.type && ZipFileService.VALID_ZIP_TYPES.includes(stub.type);
+    const hasValidExtension = ZipFileService.VALID_ZIP_EXTENSIONS.some(ext =>
+      stub.name.toLowerCase().endsWith(ext)
+    );
+
+    return hasValidType || hasValidExtension;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Check if a filename indicates a PDF file
    */
@@ -308,37 +322,6 @@ export class ZipFileService {
     return parseFloat((bytes / Math.pow(k, i)).toFixed(2)) + ' ' + sizes[i];
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Get file extension from filename
-   */
-  private getFileExtension(filename: string): string {
-    return filename.substring(filename.lastIndexOf('.')).toLowerCase();
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Check if ZIP file contains password protection
-   */
-  private async isPasswordProtected(file: File): Promise<boolean> {
-    try {
-      const zip = new JSZip();
-      await zip.loadAsync(file);
-
-      // Check if any files are encrypted
-      for (const [_filename, zipEntry] of Object.entries(zip.files)) {
-        if (zipEntry.options?.compression === 'STORE' && getData(zipEntry)?.compressedSize === 0) {
-          // This might indicate encryption, but JSZip doesn't provide direct encryption detection
-          // We'll handle this in the extraction phase
-        }
-      }
-
-      return false; // JSZip will throw an error if password is required
-    } catch (error) {
-      // If we can't load the ZIP, it might be password protected
-      const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : '';
-      return errorMessage.includes('password') || errorMessage.includes('encrypted');
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * Extract all files from a ZIP archive (not limited to PDFs)
    */