Preserve unknown top-level YAML keys and fix metadata loss through import/export cycle by Copilot · Pull Request #8 · GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor

Copilot · 2026-04-08T13:21:05Z

Opening a workflow YAML file caused silent destructive changes: unknown top-level keys (e.g. engine:) were deleted, triggers: {} was injected, top-level key ordering was scrambled, and parseYamlSafe silently dropped imports/requires/platform/infrastructure/sidecars.

Root causes

parseYaml/parseYamlSafe only handled known fields — anything else was discarded
exportToConfig() called nodesToConfig() without originalConfig, bypassing the "omit if not originally present" guard for triggers/workflows/modules
configToYaml used a hardcoded key order, ignoring the original file ordering
parseYamlSafe was inconsistent with parseYaml (missing 5 passthrough fields)
importFromConfig stored only importedWorkflows/Triggers/Pipelines, losing all other original metadata
buildMainFileContent (multi-file export path) built output manually, bypassing _extraTopLevelKeys emission and _originalKeys ordering
clearCanvas() did not reset importedPassthrough, allowing stale metadata to leak into subsequent exports

Changes

`src/types/workflow.ts`

Added _extraTopLevelKeys?: Record<string, unknown> to WorkflowConfig to carry unrecognised top-level keys through the full parse → store → serialize cycle

`src/utils/serialization.ts`

Added KNOWN_TOP_LEVEL_KEYS set (including application for the legacy multi-file format) and extractExtraTopLevelKeys() helper
parseYaml + parseYamlSafe: capture unknown top-level keys into _extraTopLevelKeys
parseYamlSafe: fixed to match parseYaml for imports, requires, platform, infrastructure, sidecars
nodesToConfig: pass through _extraTopLevelKeys from originalConfig
configToYaml: emit _extraTopLevelKeys; honour _originalKeys ordering when serialising (falls back to documented fixed order when _originalKeys absent)
resolveImports: propagate _originalKeys and _extraTopLevelKeys from the main file
buildMainFileContent: now delegates to configToYaml so multi-file main-file exports also honour _originalKeys ordering and emit _extraTopLevelKeys; ensures modules is always present in the output for multi-file main files (even when all modules live in sub-files)

`src/stores/workflowStore.ts`

Added importedPassthrough field (type excludes pipelines, which is tracked separately via importedPipelines) storing all non-visual config metadata (name, version, _originalKeys, _extraTopLevelKeys, imports, requires, platform, infrastructure, sidecars)
importFromConfig: populates importedPassthrough via destructuring
exportToConfig: passes importedPassthrough as originalConfig to nodesToConfig, restoring correct _originalKeys so the empty-section omission logic fires correctly and unknown keys are re-emitted
clearCanvas: now resets importedPassthrough to null to prevent stale metadata from a previous import leaking into subsequent exports

Example — before/after

Input YAML:

name: my-service
version: "1.0"
engine:
  validation:
    templateRefs: warn   # ← was silently deleted
modules:
  - name: server
    type: http.server
pipelines:
  health: { ... }
  # No `triggers:` key in source

Before: engine: block deleted, triggers: {} injected, key order changed.
After: engine: preserved, triggers absent, name → engine → modules → pipelines order maintained. This fidelity now also applies to multi-file configs exported via buildMainFileContent.

…injection, fix parseYamlSafe consistency Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/fdecd5e6-5e99-4497-be49-ba1ed4033a96 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

…default key ordering, simplified passthrough extraction Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/fdecd5e6-5e99-4497-be49-ba1ed4033a96 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

…se clearer destructuring names Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/fdecd5e6-5e99-4497-be49-ba1ed4033a96 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR improves YAML round-tripping fidelity for workflow configs by preserving unknown top-level keys and restoring original top-level key ordering across parse → edit → export, while also fixing parseYamlSafe field loss and preventing unintended empty-section injection.

Changes:

Add _extraTopLevelKeys to WorkflowConfig and propagate it through parsing, node export, and YAML serialization.
Update configToYaml to honor _originalKeys ordering (with a default fallback order) and to emit preserved unknown keys.
Extend store import/export to persist non-visual metadata (importedPassthrough) so export can reconstruct a complete config consistently.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

File	Description
src/utils/serialization.ts	Preserve unknown top-level YAML keys, keep original top-level key order in `configToYaml`, and align `parseYamlSafe` field passthrough with `parseYaml`.
src/utils/serialization-bugs.test.ts	Add regression tests for unknown-key preservation, triggers injection avoidance, and `parseYamlSafe` field consistency.
src/types/workflow.ts	Extend `WorkflowConfig` with `_extraTopLevelKeys` for unknown top-level YAML preservation.
src/stores/workflowStore.ts	Persist imported non-visual metadata and pass it back into `nodesToConfig` to prevent metadata loss during export.

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Copilot · 2026-04-08T13:48:13Z

src/utils/serialization.ts

+  // Preserve top-level key ordering and unknown keys from the main file
+  config._originalKeys = Object.keys(parsed);
+  const extraTopLevelKeys = extractExtraTopLevelKeys(parsed);
+  if (extraTopLevelKeys) {
+    config._extraTopLevelKeys = extraTopLevelKeys;
+  }


resolveImports() now captures _originalKeys and _extraTopLevelKeys from the main file, but the multi-file export path (exportToFiles/exportMainFileYaml via buildMainFileContent) does not use configToYaml and currently does not emit unknown top-level keys or preserve the original top-level key ordering. As a result, multi-file round-trips will still drop custom blocks (e.g. engine:) and reorder keys in the main file. Consider updating buildMainFileContent to incorporate _extraTopLevelKeys and honor _originalKeys (or delegate to configToYaml for the main-file content).

Copilot · 2026-04-08T13:48:14Z

src/stores/workflowStore.ts

+    const { nodes, edges, importedWorkflows, importedTriggers, importedPipelines, importedPassthrough } = get();
    const moduleTypeMap = useModuleSchemaStore.getState().moduleTypeMap;
-    const config = nodesToConfig(nodes, edges, moduleTypeMap);
+    // Pass importedPassthrough as originalConfig so that nodesToConfig can restore
+    // non-visual fields: name, version, _originalKeys, _extraTopLevelKeys, imports,
+    // requires, platform, infrastructure, sidecars.
+    const originalConfig: import('../types/workflow.ts').WorkflowConfig | undefined = importedPassthrough
+      ? { modules: [], workflows: {}, triggers: {}, ...importedPassthrough }
+      : undefined;
+    const config = nodesToConfig(nodes, edges, moduleTypeMap, originalConfig);


exportToConfig() always reuses importedPassthrough when present, but clearCanvas() does not reset importedPassthrough. This can cause stale name/version/_originalKeys/_extraTopLevelKeys/etc. from a previously imported YAML to leak into subsequent exports after clearing the canvas. Clear importedPassthrough (and potentially sourceMap) in clearCanvas(), or gate passthrough usage on whether a config was actually imported for the current session.

src/stores/workflowStore.ts

intel352 · 2026-04-08T14:08:48Z

@copilot apply changes based on the comments in this thread

…pipelines from passthrough type, fix buildMainFileContent for multi-file key ordering and unknown keys Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/cbe50c21-b5cc-4238-ab7b-36cb53bc6e40 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/cbe50c21-b5cc-4238-ab7b-36cb53bc6e40 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

… buildMainFileContent Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/cbe50c21-b5cc-4238-ab7b-36cb53bc6e40 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-04-08T14:21:29Z

@copilot apply changes based on the comments in this thread

Applied all three changes from the review thread (commit 6c5ce0e):

buildMainFileContent multi-file round-trip — now delegates to configToYaml, so _extraTopLevelKeys are emitted and _originalKeys ordering is honoured. Also added application to KNOWN_TOP_LEVEL_KEYS (so the legacy application: format key is not captured as an unknown extra) and ensures modules is always in adjustedOriginalKeys for multi-file main files so modules: [] is always emitted even when all modules live in sub-files.
clearCanvas() stale metadata — clearCanvas() now resets importedPassthrough: null alongside the other fields.
importedPassthrough type includes pipelines — type updated to Omit<WorkflowConfig, 'modules' | 'workflows' | 'triggers' | 'pipelines'> since pipelines are tracked separately via importedPipelines.

Initial plan

447f136

Copilot AI self-assigned this Apr 8, 2026

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 8, 2026 13:21

Copilot AI assigned intel352 Apr 8, 2026

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 8, 2026 13:21

Copilot started work on behalf of intel352 April 8, 2026 13:21 View session

Copilot AI linked an issue Apr 8, 2026 that may be closed by this pull request

Editor destructively reformats YAML on file open (no user action) #6

Closed

Copilot AI requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot April 8, 2026 13:33

Copilot AI requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot April 8, 2026 13:39

Address code review: move KNOWN_TOP_LEVEL_KEYS before configToYaml, u…

1f14b2b

…se clearer destructuring names Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/fdecd5e6-5e99-4497-be49-ba1ed4033a96 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot April 8, 2026 13:41

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Fix editor causing destructive changes to YAML files~~ Preserve unknown top-level YAML keys and fix metadata loss through import/export cycle Apr 8, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from intel352 April 8, 2026 13:42

Copilot finished work on behalf of intel352 April 8, 2026 13:42

intel352 marked this pull request as ready for review April 8, 2026 13:43

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 8, 2026 13:43

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of intel352 April 8, 2026 13:44 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Apr 8, 2026

View reviewed changes

Copilot started work on behalf of intel352 April 8, 2026 14:08 View session

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits April 8, 2026 14:16

Refactor nested ternary in buildMainFileContent to if-else for clarity

fc9c9c7

Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/cbe50c21-b5cc-4238-ab7b-36cb53bc6e40 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot April 8, 2026 14:19

Style: use adjustedOriginalKeys and conditional spread for imports in…

6c5ce0e

… buildMainFileContent Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow-editor/sessions/cbe50c21-b5cc-4238-ab7b-36cb53bc6e40 Co-authored-by: intel352 <77607+intel352@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot April 8, 2026 14:21

Copilot finished work on behalf of intel352 April 8, 2026 14:23

intel352 merged commit 43a53c5 into master Apr 8, 2026
4 checks passed

intel352 deleted the copilot/fix-yaml-reformatting-issue branch April 8, 2026 15:23

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Preserve unknown top-level YAML keys and fix metadata loss through import/export cycle#8

Preserve unknown top-level YAML keys and fix metadata loss through import/export cycle#8
intel352 merged 7 commits intomasterfrom
copilot/fix-yaml-reformatting-issue

Copilot AI commented Apr 8, 2026 •

edited

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Copilot AI commented Apr 8, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Root causes

Changes

src/types/workflow.ts

src/utils/serialization.ts

src/stores/workflowStore.ts

Example — before/after

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Pull request overview

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Copilot AI commented Apr 8, 2026 •

edited

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`src/types/workflow.ts`

`src/utils/serialization.ts`

`src/stores/workflowStore.ts`