diff --git a/docs/language.js b/docs/language.js
index 4492524d..b36b6778 100644
--- a/docs/language.js
+++ b/docs/language.js
@@ -1074,7 +1074,7 @@ var data = [
 		"parameter" : "mutate * node [number mutation_rate] [assoc mutation_weights] [assoc operation_type]",
 		"output" : "*",
 		"new value" : "new",
-		"description" : "Evaluates to a mutated version of the input node.  The value specified in mutation_rate, from 0.0 to 1.0 and defaulting to 0.00001, indicates the probability that any node will experience a mutation. The parameter mutation_weights is an assoc where the keys are the allowed opcode names and the values are the probabilities that each opcode would be chosen; if null or unspecified, it defaults to all opcodes each with their own default probability.  The operation_type is an assoc where the keys are mutation operations and the values are the probabilities that the operations will be performed.  The operations can consist of the strings change_type, delete, insert, swap_elements, deep_copy_elements, delete, and change_label.",
+		"description" : "Evaluates to a mutated version of the input node.  The value specified in mutation_rate, from 0.0 to 1.0 and defaulting to 0.00001, indicates the probability that any node will experience a mutation. The parameter mutation_weights is an assoc where the keys are the allowed opcode names and the values are the probabilities that each opcode would be chosen; if null or unspecified, it defaults to all opcodes each with their own default probability.  The operation_type is an assoc where the keys are mutation operations and the values are the probabilities that the operations will be performed.  The operations can consist of the strings change_type, delete, insert, swap_elements, deep_copy_elements, delete_elements, and change_label.",
 		"example" : "(print (mutate\n  (lambda (list 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 (assoc \"a\" 1 \"b\" 2)))\n0.4))\n"
 	},
 
@@ -1156,7 +1156,7 @@ var data = [
 		"output" : "id",
 		"permissions" : "e",
 		"new value" : "new",
-		"description" : "Creates a mutated version of the entity specified by entity1 like mutate. Returns the id of a new entity created contained by the entity that ran it.  The value specified in mutation_rate, from 0.0 to 1.0 and defaulting to 0.00001, indicates the probability that any node will experience a mutation.  Uses entity2 as the optional destination via an internal call to create_contained_entity. The parameter mutation_weights is an assoc where the keys are the allowed opcode names and the values are the probabilities that each opcode would be chosen; if null or unspecified, it defaults to all opcodes each with their own default probability.  The operation_type is an assoc where the keys are mutation operations and the values are the probabilities that the operations will be performed.  The operations can consist of the strings change_type, delete, insert, swap_elements, deep_copy_elements, delete, and change_label.",
+		"description" : "Creates a mutated version of the entity specified by entity1 like mutate. Returns the id of a new entity created contained by the entity that ran it.  The value specified in mutation_rate, from 0.0 to 1.0 and defaulting to 0.00001, indicates the probability that any node will experience a mutation.  Uses entity2 as the optional destination via an internal call to create_contained_entity. The parameter mutation_weights is an assoc where the keys are the allowed opcode names and the values are the probabilities that each opcode would be chosen; if null or unspecified, it defaults to all opcodes each with their own default probability.  The operation_type is an assoc where the keys are mutation operations and the values are the probabilities that the operations will be performed.  The operations can consist of the strings change_type, delete, insert, swap_elements, deep_copy_elements, delete_elements, and change_label.",
 		"example" : "(create_entities\n    \"MutateEntity\"\n  (lambda (list 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 (assoc \"a\" 1 \"b\" 2)))\n)\n(mutate_entity \"MutateEntity\" 0.4 \"MutatedEntity\")\n(print (retrieve_entity_root \"MutatedEntity\"))"
 	},
 
diff --git a/src/Amalgam/importexport/FileSupportJSON.cpp b/src/Amalgam/importexport/FileSupportJSON.cpp
index 65e81ed9..f894e63b 100644
--- a/src/Amalgam/importexport/FileSupportJSON.cpp
+++ b/src/Amalgam/importexport/FileSupportJSON.cpp
@@ -58,10 +58,12 @@ EvaluableNode *JsonToEvaluableNodeRecurse(EvaluableNodeManager *enm, simdjson::o
 	}
 
 	case simdjson::ondemand::json_type::boolean:
+	{
 		if(element.get_bool())
 			return enm->AllocNode(ENT_TRUE);
 		else
 			return enm->AllocNode(ENT_FALSE);
+	}
 
 	case simdjson::ondemand::json_type::null:
 		return nullptr;
@@ -277,6 +279,34 @@ EvaluableNode *EvaluableNodeJSONTranslation::JsonToEvaluableNode(EvaluableNodeMa
 	auto json_padded = simdjson::padded_string(json_str);
 	auto json_top_element = json_parser.iterate(json_padded);
 
+	//simdjson needs special handling if the top element is a scalar
+	if(json_top_element.is_scalar())
+	{
+		switch(json_top_element.type())
+		{
+		case simdjson::ondemand::json_type::number:
+			return enm->AllocNode(json_top_element.get_double());
+
+		case simdjson::ondemand::json_type::string:
+		{
+			std::string_view str_view = json_top_element.get_string();
+			std::string str(str_view);
+			return enm->AllocNode(ENT_STRING, str);
+		}
+
+		case simdjson::ondemand::json_type::boolean:
+		{
+			if(json_top_element.get_bool())
+				return enm->AllocNode(ENT_TRUE);
+			else
+				return enm->AllocNode(ENT_FALSE);
+		}
+
+		default:
+			return nullptr;
+		}
+	}
+
 	try
 	{
 		return JsonToEvaluableNodeRecurse(enm, json_top_element);