OpenNoodl/dev-docs/tasks/phase-3-editor-ux-overhaul/TASK-013-integration-bugfixes/BUG-2-blockly-node-deletion.md

BUG-2: Blockly Node Randomly Deleted on Tab Close

Priority: P0 - Data loss risk
Status: 🔴 Research
Introduced in: Phase 3 Task 12 (Blockly integration)

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Symptoms

1. Add a Logic Builder (Blockly) node to canvas ✅
2. Open the Blockly editor tab (click "Edit Logic Blocks") ✅
3. Add some blocks in the Blockly editor ✅
4. Close the Blockly editor tab ✅
5. SOMETIMES the Logic Builder node disappears from canvas ❌

Frequency: Intermittent - doesn't happen every time (need to determine success rate)

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User Impact

• Severity: Critical - Data loss
• Frequency: Intermittent (need testing to determine %)
• Frustration: Extremely high - losing work is unacceptable
• Workaround: None - just have to be careful and check after closing

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Initial Hypotheses

Hypothesis 1: Race Condition in Save/Close

When closing tab, workspace might not be saved before close event completes:

1. User clicks close button
2. Tab starts closing
3. Workspace save triggered but async
4. Tab closes before save completes
5. Some cleanup logic runs
6. Node gets deleted?

Hypothesis 2: Event Bubbling to Canvas

Close button click might bubble through to canvas:

1. Click close button on tab
2. Event bubbles to canvas layer
3. Canvas interprets as "click empty space"
4. Triggers deselect
5. Some condition causes node deletion instead of just deselection

Hypothesis 3: Keyboard Shortcut Conflict

Accidental Delete key press during close:

1. Tab is closing
2. User presses Delete (or Esc triggers something)
3. Node is selected in background
4. Delete key removes node

Hypothesis 4: Node Lifecycle Cleanup Bug

Tab close triggers node cleanup by mistake:

1. Tab close event fires
2. Cleanup logic runs to remove tab from state
3. Logic accidentally also removes associated node
4. Node deleted from graph

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Investigation Tasks

Step 1: Reproduce Consistently

• Test closing tab 20 times, track success vs failure
• Try different timing (close immediately vs wait a few seconds)
• Try with empty workspace vs with blocks
• Try with multiple Blockly nodes
• Check if it happens on first close vs subsequent closes

Step 2: Add Logging

Add comprehensive logging to trace node lifecycle:

// In CanvasTabs.tsx - tab close handler
console.log('[CanvasTabs] Closing Blockly tab for node:', nodeId);

// In nodegrapheditor.ts - node deletion
console.log('[NodeGraphEditor] Node being deleted:', nodeId, 'Reason:', reason);

// In logic-builder.js runtime node
console.log('[LogicBuilder] Node lifecycle event:', event, nodeId);

Step 3: Check Workspace Save Timing

• Verify handleBlocklyWorkspaceChange is called before close
• Add timing logs to see save vs close race
• Check if workspace parameter is actually saved to node model

Step 4: Event Flow Analysis

• Trace all events fired during tab close
• Check if any events reach canvas
• Look for stopPropagation calls

Step 5: Review Cleanup Logic

• Check CanvasTabsContext cleanup on unmount
• Review node selection state during close
• Look for any "remove node if X condition" logic

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Files to Investigate

1. packages/noodl-editor/src/editor/src/views/CanvasTabs/CanvasTabs.tsx

   • Tab close handler
   • Workspace change handler
   • Event propagation

2. packages/noodl-editor/src/editor/src/contexts/CanvasTabsContext.tsx

   • Tab state management
   • Cleanup logic
   • Node ID mapping

3. packages/noodl-editor/src/editor/src/views/nodegrapheditor.ts

   • Node deletion logic
   • Selection state during tab operations
   • Event handlers that might trigger deletion

4. packages/noodl-runtime/src/nodes/std-library/logic-builder.js

   • Runtime node lifecycle
   • Parameter update handlers
   • Any cleanup logic

5. packages/noodl-editor/src/editor/src/views/BlocklyEditor/BlocklyWorkspace.tsx

   • Workspace save logic
   • Component unmount/cleanup

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Proposed Solutions (Pending Investigation)

Solution A: Ensure Save Before Close

const handleCloseTab = async (nodeId: string) => {
  console.log('[CanvasTabs] Closing tab for node:', nodeId);

  // Save workspace first
  await saveWorkspace(nodeId);

  // Then close tab
  removeTab(nodeId);
};

Solution B: Add Confirmation for Unsaved Changes

const handleCloseTab = (nodeId: string) => {
  if (hasUnsavedChanges(nodeId)) {
    // Show confirmation dialog
    showConfirmDialog({
      message: 'Close without saving changes?',
      onConfirm: () => removeTab(nodeId)
    });
  } else {
    removeTab(nodeId);
  }
};

Solution C: Prevent Event Bubbling

const handleCloseClick = (e: React.MouseEvent, nodeId: string) => {
  e.stopPropagation(); // Prevent bubbling to canvas
  e.preventDefault();

  closeTab(nodeId);
};

Solution D: Guard Against Accidental Deletion

// In node deletion logic
const deleteNode = (nodeId: string, source: string) => {
  // Don't delete if associated Blockly tab is open
  if (blocklyTabOpenForNode(nodeId)) {
    console.warn('[NodeGraphEditor] Prevented deletion of node with open Blockly tab');
    return;
  }

  // Proceed with deletion
  actuallyDeleteNode(nodeId);
};

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Testing Plan

Reproduction Testing

1. Create Logic Builder node
2. Open editor, add blocks, close tab
3. Repeat 20 times, track failures
4. Try different scenarios (empty, with blocks, multiple nodes)
5. Document exact conditions when it fails

With Logging

1. Add comprehensive logging
2. Reproduce the bug with logs active
3. Analyze log sequence to find root cause
4. Identify exact point where deletion occurs

After Fix

1. Test tab close 50 times - should NEVER delete node
2. Test with multiple Blockly nodes open
3. Test rapid open/close cycles
4. Test with unsaved changes
5. Test with saved changes
6. Verify workspace is properly saved on close

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Success Criteria

• Can close Blockly tab 100 times without a single node deletion
• Workspace is always saved before tab closes
• No event bubbling causes unintended canvas clicks
• No race conditions between save and close
• Logging shows clean lifecycle with no errors

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Related Issues

This might be related to:

• Tab state management from Phase 3 Task 12
• Node selection state management
• Canvas event handling

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Investigation Findings (January 16, 2026)

What I Checked

1. LogicBuilder.AllTabsClosed handler - Just shows the canvas, NOT deleting nodes ✅
2. CanvasTabsContext.closeTab() - Only removes tab from state, doesn't touch nodes ✅
3. Event propagation - Tab close button uses e.stopPropagation() ✅

Most Likely Culprits

Based on the code review, the most likely causes are:

1. Keyboard Focus + Delete Key

When the Blockly tab closes, focus may return to the canvas with the node still selected. If Delete/Backspace is pressed (or held down from Blockly editing), it could trigger node deletion.

Test: After closing Blockly tab, check if the node is still selected. Try pressing Delete immediately after closing.

2. clearDeleteModeTimer in nodegrapheditor.ts (line 185)

There's a timer for "delete mode" in the node graph editor. This could be related to delayed deletion behavior.

3. Race Condition with Canvas Visibility

When LogicBuilder.AllTabsClosed triggers setCanvasVisibility(true), the canvas re-renders. If the node was selected before opening Blockly, and some keyboard event fires during the transition, it could trigger deletion.

Recommended Debug Steps

1. Add console logging to the Delete key handler to see when it fires
2. Log node selection state when closing Blockly tab
3. Log any pending timers (clearDeleteModeTimer)
4. Check if node exists BEFORE and AFTER LogicBuilder.AllTabsClosed event

Potential Quick Fix

Add a guard in the delete handler to ignore deletion when a Blockly tab was just closed:

// In delete handler
if (Date.now() - lastBlocklyTabCloseTime < 100) {
  console.warn('[NodeGraphEditor] Ignoring delete during Blockly tab close transition');
  return;
}

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Last Updated: January 16, 2026