diff --git a/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/index.spec.tsx b/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/index.spec.tsx
index 2e392ba9ffb5ac..824ce00844f07c 100644
--- a/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/index.spec.tsx
+++ b/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/index.spec.tsx
@@ -980,31 +980,43 @@ describe('SearchQueryBuilder', () => {
     it('can add a new token by clicking a key suggestion', async () => {
       const mockOnChange = jest.fn();
       render(<SearchQueryBuilder {...defaultProps} onChange={mockOnChange} />, {
-        organization: {features: ['search-query-builder-input-flow-changes']},
+        organization: {
+          features: [
+            'search-query-builder-input-flow-changes',
+            'search-query-builder-wildcard-operators',
+            'search-query-builder-default-to-contains',
+          ],
+        },
       });
 
       await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole('combobox', {name: 'Add a search term'}));
       await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole('option', {name: 'browser.name'}));
 
       // New token should be added with the correct key and default value
-      expect(screen.getByRole('row', {name: 'browser.name:""'})).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(
+        screen.getByRole('row', {name: `browser.name:${WildcardOperators.CONTAINS}""`})
+      ).toBeInTheDocument();
       // onChange should not be called until exiting edit mode
       expect(mockOnChange).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 
       // Should have focus on the operator option
-      const operatorOption = await screen.findByRole('option', {name: 'is'});
+      const operatorOption = await screen.findByRole('option', {name: 'contains'});
       expect(operatorOption).toHaveFocus();
       await userEvent.click(operatorOption);
 
       await userEvent.click(await screen.findByRole('option', {name: 'Firefox'}));
 
       // New token should have a value
-      expect(screen.getByRole('row', {name: 'browser.name:Firefox'})).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(
+        screen.getByRole('row', {
+          name: `browser.name:${WildcardOperators.CONTAINS}Firefox`,
+        })
+      ).toBeInTheDocument();
 
       // Now we call onChange
       expect(mockOnChange).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
       expect(mockOnChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-        'browser.name:Firefox',
+        `browser.name:${WildcardOperators.CONTAINS}Firefox`,
         expect.anything()
       );
     });
@@ -1127,7 +1139,15 @@ describe('SearchQueryBuilder', () => {
     });
 
     it('converts text to filter when typing <filter>:', async () => {
-      render(<SearchQueryBuilder {...defaultProps} />);
+      render(<SearchQueryBuilder {...defaultProps} />, {
+        organization: {
+          features: [
+            'search-query-builder-input-flow-changes',
+            'search-query-builder-wildcard-operators',
+            'search-query-builder-default-to-contains',
+          ],
+        },
+      });
       await userEvent.click(getLastInput());
 
       await userEvent.type(
@@ -1135,7 +1155,9 @@ describe('SearchQueryBuilder', () => {
         'browser.name:'
       );
 
-      const browserNameFilter = await screen.findByRole('row', {name: 'browser.name:""'});
+      const browserNameFilter = await screen.findByRole('row', {
+        name: `browser.name:${WildcardOperators.CONTAINS}""`,
+      });
       expect(browserNameFilter).toBeInTheDocument();
     });
 
@@ -1155,16 +1177,28 @@ describe('SearchQueryBuilder', () => {
     });
 
     it('selects [Filtered] from dropdown', async () => {
-      render(<SearchQueryBuilder {...defaultProps} />);
+      render(<SearchQueryBuilder {...defaultProps} />, {
+        organization: {
+          features: [
+            'search-query-builder-input-flow-changes',
+            'search-query-builder-wildcard-operators',
+            'search-query-builder-default-to-contains',
+          ],
+        },
+      });
       await userEvent.click(getLastInput());
 
       await userEvent.type(
         screen.getByRole('combobox', {name: 'Add a search term'}),
         'message:'
       );
+      await userEvent.keyboard('{enter}');
       await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole('option', {name: '[Filtered]'}));
+
       expect(
-        await screen.findByRole('row', {name: 'message:"[Filtered]"'})
+        await screen.findByRole('row', {
+          name: `message:${WildcardOperators.CONTAINS}"[Filtered]"`,
+        })
       ).toBeInTheDocument();
     });
   });
diff --git a/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/filter/filterKeyCombobox.tsx b/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/filter/filterKeyCombobox.tsx
index 503335c8eb848a..fb6564fb1e4b2f 100644
--- a/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/filter/filterKeyCombobox.tsx
+++ b/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/filter/filterKeyCombobox.tsx
@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ export function FilterKeyCombobox({token, onCommit, item}: KeyComboboxProps) {
     getFieldDefinition(getKeyName(token.key))
   );
 
+  const hasWildcardOperators =
+    organization.features.includes('search-query-builder-wildcard-operators') &&
+    organization.features.includes('search-query-builder-default-to-contains');
+
   const handleSelectKey = useCallback(
     (keyName: string) => {
       const newFieldDef = getFieldDefinition(keyName);
@@ -108,7 +112,7 @@ export function FilterKeyCombobox({token, onCommit, item}: KeyComboboxProps) {
       dispatch({
         type: 'REPLACE_TOKENS_WITH_TEXT_ON_SELECT',
         tokens: [token],
-        text: getInitialFilterText(keyName, newFieldDef),
+        text: getInitialFilterText(keyName, newFieldDef, hasWildcardOperators),
         focusOverride: {
           itemKey: item.key.toString(),
           part: 'value',
@@ -122,6 +126,7 @@ export function FilterKeyCombobox({token, onCommit, item}: KeyComboboxProps) {
       currentInputValueRef,
       dispatch,
       getFieldDefinition,
+      hasWildcardOperators,
       item.key,
       onCommit,
       organization,
diff --git a/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/freeText.tsx b/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/freeText.tsx
index c04dae7e627c65..107772a36f273c 100644
--- a/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/freeText.tsx
+++ b/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/freeText.tsx
@@ -98,12 +98,13 @@ function replaceFocusedWordWithFilter(
   value: string,
   cursorPosition: number,
   key: string,
-  getFieldDefinition: FieldDefinitionGetter
+  getFieldDefinition: FieldDefinitionGetter,
+  hasWildcardOperators: boolean
 ) {
   return replaceFocusedWord(
     value,
     cursorPosition,
-    getInitialFilterText(key, getFieldDefinition(key))
+    getInitialFilterText(key, getFieldDefinition(key), hasWildcardOperators)
   );
 }
 
@@ -261,6 +262,9 @@ function SearchQueryBuilderInputInternal({
   const hasInputChangeFlows = organization.features.includes(
     'search-query-builder-input-flow-changes'
   );
+  const hasWildcardOperators =
+    organization.features.includes('search-query-builder-wildcard-operators') &&
+    organization.features.includes('search-query-builder-default-to-contains');
 
   const updateSelectionIndex = useCallback(() => {
     setSelectionIndex(inputRef.current?.selectionStart ?? 0);
@@ -471,7 +475,8 @@ function SearchQueryBuilderInputInternal({
               inputValue,
               selectionIndex,
               value,
-              getFieldDefinition
+              getFieldDefinition,
+              hasWildcardOperators
             ),
             focusOverride: calculateNextFocusForFilter(
               state,
@@ -574,7 +579,8 @@ function SearchQueryBuilderInputInternal({
                     inputValue,
                     selectionIndex,
                     filterValue,
-                    getFieldDefinition
+                    getFieldDefinition,
+                    hasWildcardOperators
                   ),
                   focusOverride: calculateNextFocusForFilter(
                     state,
@@ -617,7 +623,8 @@ function SearchQueryBuilderInputInternal({
                 inputValue,
                 selectionIndex,
                 filterKey,
-                getFieldDefinition
+                getFieldDefinition,
+                hasWildcardOperators
               ),
               focusOverride: calculateNextFocusForFilter(
                 state,
diff --git a/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/utils.tsx b/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/utils.tsx
index 394b7d1578880e..405ad4973752d1 100644
--- a/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/utils.tsx
+++ b/static/app/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/utils.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,11 @@ import type {
   SelectOptionOrSectionWithKey,
   SelectSectionWithKey,
 } from 'sentry/components/core/compactSelect/types';
-import type {ParseResultToken} from 'sentry/components/searchSyntax/parser';
+import {areWildcardOperatorsAllowed} from 'sentry/components/searchQueryBuilder/tokens/filter/utils';
+import {
+  WildcardOperators,
+  type ParseResultToken,
+} from 'sentry/components/searchSyntax/parser';
 import {defined} from 'sentry/utils';
 import {FieldKind, FieldValueType, type FieldDefinition} from 'sentry/utils/fields';
 
@@ -113,13 +117,17 @@ function getInitialValueType(fieldDefinition: FieldDefinition | null) {
 
 export function getInitialFilterText(
   key: string,
-  fieldDefinition: FieldDefinition | null
+  fieldDefinition: FieldDefinition | null,
+  hasWildcardOperators: boolean
 ) {
   const defaultValue = getDefaultFilterValue({fieldDefinition});
 
   const keyText = getInitialFilterKeyText(key, fieldDefinition);
   const valueType = getInitialValueType(fieldDefinition);
 
+  const allowContainsOperator =
+    hasWildcardOperators && areWildcardOperatorsAllowed(fieldDefinition);
+
   switch (valueType) {
     case FieldValueType.INTEGER:
     case FieldValueType.NUMBER:
@@ -127,7 +135,11 @@ export function getInitialFilterText(
     case FieldValueType.SIZE:
     case FieldValueType.PERCENTAGE:
       return `${keyText}:>${defaultValue}`;
-    case FieldValueType.STRING:
+    case FieldValueType.STRING: {
+      return allowContainsOperator
+        ? `${keyText}:${WildcardOperators.CONTAINS}${defaultValue}`
+        : `${keyText}:${defaultValue}`;
+    }
     default:
       return `${keyText}:${defaultValue}`;
   }