diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 32c2f1e..06a2d9e 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 ### Fixed
 
 - fix root-path handling when setting via env var or on app instance
+- Allow `q` parameter to be a `str` not a `list[str]` for Advanced Free-Text extension
 
 ### Changed
 
diff --git a/stac_fastapi/pgstac/core.py b/stac_fastapi/pgstac/core.py
index 7854ad0..948dca2 100644
--- a/stac_fastapi/pgstac/core.py
+++ b/stac_fastapi/pgstac/core.py
@@ -54,8 +54,7 @@ async def all_collections(  # noqa: C901
         sortby: Optional[str] = None,
         filter_expr: Optional[str] = None,
         filter_lang: Optional[str] = None,
-        q: Optional[List[str]] = None,
-        **kwargs,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ) -> Collections:
         """Cross catalog search (GET).
 
@@ -86,7 +85,7 @@ async def all_collections(  # noqa: C901
                 sortby=sortby,
                 filter_query=filter_expr,
                 filter_lang=filter_lang,
-                q=q,
+                **kwargs,
             )
 
             async with request.app.state.get_connection(request, "r") as conn:
@@ -157,7 +156,10 @@ async def all_collections(  # noqa: C901
         )
 
     async def get_collection(
-        self, collection_id: str, request: Request, **kwargs
+        self,
+        collection_id: str,
+        request: Request,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ) -> Collection:
         """Get collection by id.
 
@@ -202,7 +204,9 @@ async def get_collection(
         return Collection(**collection)
 
     async def _get_base_item(
-        self, collection_id: str, request: Request
+        self,
+        collection_id: str,
+        request: Request,
     ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Get the base item of a collection for use in rehydrating full item collection properties.
 
@@ -359,7 +363,7 @@ async def item_collection(
         filter_expr: Optional[str] = None,
         filter_lang: Optional[str] = None,
         token: Optional[str] = None,
-        **kwargs,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ) -> ItemCollection:
         """Get all items from a specific collection.
 
@@ -391,6 +395,7 @@ async def item_collection(
             filter_lang=filter_lang,
             fields=fields,
             sortby=sortby,
+            **kwargs,
         )
 
         try:
@@ -417,7 +422,11 @@ async def item_collection(
         return ItemCollection(**item_collection)
 
     async def get_item(
-        self, item_id: str, collection_id: str, request: Request, **kwargs
+        self,
+        item_id: str,
+        collection_id: str,
+        request: Request,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ) -> Item:
         """Get item by id.
 
@@ -445,7 +454,10 @@ async def get_item(
         return Item(**item_collection["features"][0])
 
     async def post_search(
-        self, search_request: PgstacSearch, request: Request, **kwargs
+        self,
+        search_request: PgstacSearch,
+        request: Request,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ) -> ItemCollection:
         """Cross catalog search (POST).
 
@@ -489,7 +501,7 @@ async def get_search(
         filter_expr: Optional[str] = None,
         filter_lang: Optional[str] = None,
         token: Optional[str] = None,
-        **kwargs,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ) -> ItemCollection:
         """Cross catalog search (GET).
 
@@ -516,6 +528,7 @@ async def get_search(
             sortby=sortby,
             filter_query=filter_expr,
             filter_lang=filter_lang,
+            **kwargs,
         )
 
         try:
@@ -550,7 +563,8 @@ def _clean_search_args(  # noqa: C901
         sortby: Optional[str] = None,
         filter_query: Optional[str] = None,
         filter_lang: Optional[str] = None,
-        q: Optional[List[str]] = None,
+        q: Optional[Union[str, List[str]]] = None,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Clean up search arguments to match format expected by pgstac"""
         if filter_query:
@@ -596,7 +610,7 @@ def _clean_search_args(  # noqa: C901
             base_args["fields"] = {"include": includes, "exclude": excludes}
 
         if q:
-            base_args["q"] = " OR ".join(q)
+            base_args["q"] = " OR ".join(q) if isinstance(q, list) else q
 
         # Remove None values from dict
         clean = {}
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 05846be..f9afd2b 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import json
 import logging
 import os
-import time
 from typing import Callable, Dict
 from urllib.parse import quote_plus as quote
 from urllib.parse import urljoin
@@ -26,6 +25,7 @@
     CollectionSearchExtension,
     CollectionSearchFilterExtension,
     FieldsExtension,
+    FreeTextAdvancedExtension,
     FreeTextExtension,
     ItemCollectionFilterExtension,
     OffsetPaginationExtension,
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ def api_client(request):
         FieldsExtension(),
         SearchFilterExtension(client=FiltersClient()),
         TokenPaginationExtension(),
+        FreeTextExtension(),  # not recommended by PgSTAC
     ]
     application_extensions.extend(search_extensions)
 
@@ -167,6 +168,7 @@ def api_client(request):
         FieldsExtension(conformance_classes=[FieldsConformanceClasses.ITEMS]),
         ItemCollectionFilterExtension(client=FiltersClient()),
         TokenPaginationExtension(),
+        FreeTextExtension(),  # not recommended by PgSTAC
     ]
     application_extensions.extend(item_collection_extensions)
 
@@ -207,7 +209,6 @@ async def app(api_client, database):
         pgdatabase=database.dbname,
     )
     logger.info("Creating app Fixture")
-    time.time()
     app = api_client.app
     await connect_to_db(
         app,
@@ -314,7 +315,6 @@ async def app_no_ext(database):
         pgdatabase=database.dbname,
     )
     logger.info("Creating app Fixture")
-    time.time()
     await connect_to_db(
         api_client_no_ext.app,
         postgres_settings=postgres_settings,
@@ -354,7 +354,6 @@ async def app_no_transaction(database):
         pgdatabase=database.dbname,
     )
     logger.info("Creating app Fixture")
-    time.time()
     await connect_to_db(
         api.app,
         postgres_settings=postgres_settings,
@@ -402,3 +401,57 @@ async def default_client(default_app):
         transport=ASGITransport(app=default_app), base_url="http://test"
     ) as c:
         yield c
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="function")
+async def app_advanced_freetext(database):
+    """Default stac-fastapi-pgstac application without only the transaction extensions."""
+    api_settings = Settings(testing=True)
+
+    application_extensions = [
+        TransactionExtension(client=TransactionsClient(), settings=api_settings)
+    ]
+
+    collection_extensions = [
+        FreeTextAdvancedExtension(),
+        OffsetPaginationExtension(),
+    ]
+    collection_search_extension = CollectionSearchExtension.from_extensions(
+        collection_extensions
+    )
+    application_extensions.append(collection_search_extension)
+
+    app = StacApi(
+        settings=api_settings,
+        extensions=application_extensions,
+        client=CoreCrudClient(),
+        health_check=health_check,
+        collections_get_request_model=collection_search_extension.GET,
+    )
+
+    postgres_settings = PostgresSettings(
+        pguser=database.user,
+        pgpassword=database.password,
+        pghost=database.host,
+        pgport=database.port,
+        pgdatabase=database.dbname,
+    )
+    logger.info("Creating app Fixture")
+    await connect_to_db(
+        app.app,
+        postgres_settings=postgres_settings,
+        add_write_connection_pool=True,
+    )
+    yield app.app
+    await close_db_connection(app.app)
+
+    logger.info("Closed Pools.")
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="function")
+async def app_client_advanced_freetext(app_advanced_freetext):
+    logger.info("creating app_client")
+    async with AsyncClient(
+        transport=ASGITransport(app=app_advanced_freetext), base_url="http://test"
+    ) as c:
+        yield c
diff --git a/tests/resources/test_collection.py b/tests/resources/test_collection.py
index 745d423..013f9ba 100644
--- a/tests/resources/test_collection.py
+++ b/tests/resources/test_collection.py
@@ -365,6 +365,71 @@ async def test_collection_search_freetext(
     assert resp.json()["collections"][0]["id"] == load_test2_collection.id
 
     resp = await app_client.get(
+        "/collections",
+        params={"q": "temperature,calibrated"},
+    )
+    assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 2
+    assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 2
+    assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 2
+
+    resp = await app_client.get(
+        "/collections",
+        params={"q": "temperature,yo"},
+    )
+    assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 1
+    assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 1
+    assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 1
+    assert resp.json()["collections"][0]["id"] == load_test2_collection.id
+
+    resp = await app_client.get(
+        "/collections",
+        params={"q": "nosuchthing"},
+    )
+    assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 0
+
+
+@requires_pgstac_0_9_2
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_collection_search_freetext_advanced(
+    app_client_advanced_freetext, load_test_collection, load_test2_collection
+):
+    # free-text
+    resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
+        "/collections",
+        params={"q": "temperature"},
+    )
+    assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 1
+    assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 1
+    assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 1
+    assert resp.json()["collections"][0]["id"] == load_test2_collection.id
+
+    resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
+        "/collections",
+        params={"q": "temperature,calibrated"},
+    )
+    assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 2
+    assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 2
+    assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 2
+
+    resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
+        "/collections",
+        params={"q": "temperature,yo"},
+    )
+    assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 1
+    assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 1
+    assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 1
+    assert resp.json()["collections"][0]["id"] == load_test2_collection.id
+
+    resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
+        "/collections",
+        params={"q": "temperature OR yo"},
+    )
+    assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 1
+    assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 1
+    assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 1
+    assert resp.json()["collections"][0]["id"] == load_test2_collection.id
+
+    resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
         "/collections",
         params={"q": "nosuchthing"},
     )
diff --git a/tests/resources/test_item.py b/tests/resources/test_item.py
index 4ea7019..65112ed 100644
--- a/tests/resources/test_item.py
+++ b/tests/resources/test_item.py
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
 
 from stac_fastapi.pgstac.models.links import CollectionLinks
 
+from ..conftest import requires_pgstac_0_9_2
+
 
 async def test_create_collection(app_client, load_test_data: Callable):
     in_json = load_test_data("test_collection.json")
@@ -1689,3 +1691,56 @@ async def test_get_search_link_media(app_client):
     assert len(links) == 2
     get_self_link = next((link for link in links if link["rel"] == "self"), None)
     assert get_self_link["type"] == "application/geo+json"
+
+
+@requires_pgstac_0_9_2
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_item_search_freetext(app_client, load_test_data, load_test_collection):
+    test_item = load_test_data("test_item.json")
+    resp = await app_client.post(
+        f"/collections/{test_item['collection']}/items", json=test_item
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 201
+
+    # free-text
+    resp = await app_client.get(
+        "/search",
+        params={"q": "temperature"},
+    )
+    print(resp.json())
+    # assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 1
+    # assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 1
+    # assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 1
+    # assert resp.json()["collections"][0]["id"] == load_test2_collection.id
+
+    # resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
+    #     "/collections",
+    #     params={"q": "temperature,calibrated"},
+    # )
+    # assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 2
+    # assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 2
+    # assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 2
+
+    # resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
+    #     "/collections",
+    #     params={"q": "temperature,yo"},
+    # )
+    # assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 1
+    # assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 1
+    # assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 1
+    # assert resp.json()["collections"][0]["id"] == load_test2_collection.id
+
+    # resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
+    #     "/collections",
+    #     params={"q": "temperature OR yo"},
+    # )
+    # assert resp.json()["numberReturned"] == 1
+    # assert resp.json()["numberMatched"] == 1
+    # assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 1
+    # assert resp.json()["collections"][0]["id"] == load_test2_collection.id
+
+    # resp = await app_client_advanced_freetext.get(
+    #     "/collections",
+    #     params={"q": "nosuchthing"},
+    # )
+    # assert len(resp.json()["collections"]) == 0