diff --git a/crates/bft-json-crdt/bft-crdt-derive/src/lib.rs b/crates/bft-json-crdt/bft-crdt-derive/src/lib.rs
index 675f1533..3810be5a 100644
--- a/crates/bft-json-crdt/bft-crdt-derive/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/bft-json-crdt/bft-crdt-derive/src/lib.rs
@@ -94,14 +94,18 @@ pub fn derive_json_crdt(input: OgTokenStream) -> OgTokenStream {
                                 Ok(#ident {
                                     path: path.clone(),
                                     id,
-                                    #(#ident_literals: obj.remove(#ident_strings)
-                                        .unwrap()
-                                        .into_node(
+                                    #(#ident_literals: if let Some(val) = obj.remove(#ident_strings) {
+                                        val.into_node(
                                             id,
                                             #crate_name::op::join_path(path.clone(), #crate_name::op::PathSegment::Field(#ident_strings.to_string()))
                                         )
                                         .unwrap()
-                                    ),*
+                                    } else {
+                                        <#tys as #crate_name::json_crdt::CrdtNode>::new(
+                                            id,
+                                            #crate_name::op::join_path(path.clone(), #crate_name::op::PathSegment::Field(#ident_strings.to_string()))
+                                        )
+                                    }),*
                                 })
                             } else {
                                 Err(format!("failed to convert {:?} -> {}<T>", value, #ident_str.to_string()))