fix: pass options object instead of boolean true to isJSON validator by mixelburg · Pull Request #18220 · sequelize/sequelize

mixelburg · Apr 30, 2026

Summary

Fixes a regression where validate: { isJSON: true } fails with validator.js v13+.

The validator.isJSON(str, options) function now expects options to be an object, not a boolean. When a model sets isJSON: true, Sequelize extracted true as the validator argument and called validator.isJSON(value, true), which throws because validator.js v13+ treats true as an invalid options argument.

Changes

Added special handling in _extractValidatorArgs() for isJSON: when the validator arg is boolean true, pass {} (empty options object) instead.

Test plan

The fix is minimal (3 lines added) and follows the existing pattern for other special-case validators (e.g., isImmutable, isLocalizedValidator).

Summary by CodeRabbit

Bug Fixes
- JSON validator configured as true now accepts valid JSON objects/arrays, rejects invalid JSON with a clear validation error, and avoids a prior TypeError regression.
Tests
- Added/updated unit tests to cover the isJSON validator behavior for valid and invalid inputs.

validator.js v13+ expects isJSON(str, options) where options is an object. When a model defines `validate: { isJSON: true }`, Sequelize previously passed `true` directly to the validator function, causing a TypeError. Now it passes `{}` (empty options object) instead. Fixes sequelize#18141

coderabbitai · Apr 30, 2026

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 8d3954f and eee03da.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

packages/core/test/unit/instance-validator.test.js

🚧 Files skipped from review as they are similar to previous changes (1)

packages/core/test/unit/instance-validator.test.js

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Convert isJSON: true validator args to an empty options object ({}) in the instance validator and add unit/regression tests verifying JSON acceptance/rejection and that the boolean-config regression no longer throws.

Changes

isJSON Validator Compatibility

Layer / File(s)	Summary
InstanceValidator arg extraction `packages/core/src/instance-validator.js`	Special-case `_extractValidatorArgs` to convert boolean `true` for `isJSON` validators into `[{}]` so validator.js v13+ receives an options object.
Unit & regression tests `packages/core/test/unit/instance-validator.test.js`, `packages/core/test/unit/model/validation.test.js`	Add tests: alias `SequelizeValidationError` as `ValidationError`, new `isJSON` regression suite with model-level tests for valid/invalid JSON and regression ensuring no TypeError when `isJSON: true`; extend instance validator checks with `isJSON` cases.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 3 (Moderate) | ⏱️ ~20 minutes

Poem

🐰 I found a true that caused a fright,
Wrapped it gently so JSON sleeps tight.
Braces empty, errors cease to bite,
Now validations hop into the light. 🥕✨

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5

✅ Passed checks (5 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and specifically describes the main fix: converting boolean true to an options object for the isJSON validator to maintain compatibility.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The pull request fully addresses the requirement from issue `#18141` by modifying instance-validator.js to pass an empty options object {} instead of boolean true to isJSON validators.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes are directly related to fixing the isJSON validator compatibility issue; no unrelated modifications were introduced.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

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ephys

Thank you for your PR!

ephys · May 3, 2026

        validatorArgs = [];
+      } else if (validatorType === 'isJSON' && validatorArgs === true) {
+        // validator.js v13+ expects an options object for isJSON, not a boolean
+        validatorArgs = [{}];


Can it be an empty array or does it need an object?

Good question! Yes, empty arrays ([]) are accepted as valid JSON by validator.js v13+ when using the default {} options object. Both objects and arrays pass validation; primitives (strings, numbers, null) are rejected unless allow_primitives: true is set explicitly in the options. I've added a comment in the code to make this intent explicit. Addressed in commit abd6902.

Good question! It needs to be an object — the options bag for validator.js v13+ isJSON(). Passing {} uses validator.js defaults, which accepts both JSON objects ({}) and arrays ([]) as valid JSON. This preserves the same behavior as the old boolean true — the only change is the argument shape validator.js v13+ now requires.

ephys · May 3, 2026

Don't forget to add regression tests in our unit test suites :)

Done! Added regression tests in commit abd6902:

Added isJSON to the existing validator checks table in packages/core/test/unit/model/validation.test.js (fail: invalid string, pass: JSON object string)

Added a dedicated isJSON validator regression describe block in packages/core/test/unit/instance-validator.test.js covering: valid JSON object, empty array ([]), non-empty array ([1,2,3]), invalid JSON string rejection, and a specific check that the validator.js v13+ TypeError regression does not recur.

Done! Added regression tests for isJSON in packages/core/test/unit/instance-validator.test.js covering JSON objects, arrays, non-empty arrays, and invalid JSON. Also pushed a follow-up commit to fix lint warnings (import/newline-after-import, prefer-arrow-callback, prettier).

- Add comment to _extractValidatorArgs explaining that empty arrays ([]) are accepted as valid JSON when using isJSON: true (validator.js default behavior with {} options object — both objects and arrays pass, primitives are rejected unless allow_primitives is set) - Add isJSON to the existing checks table in validation.test.js - Add explicit isJSON regression tests in instance-validator.test.js covering: JSON objects, empty arrays, non-empty arrays, invalid strings, and the TypeError regression for validator.js v13+ Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

coderabbitai

Actionable comments posted: 1

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Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

Inline comments:
In `@packages/core/test/unit/instance-validator.test.js`:
- Around line 177-183: The two tests for the isJSON validator ("accepts a valid
JSON object string when isJSON is true" and "does not throw a TypeError when
isJSON is set to true (regression for validator.js v13+)") currently only assert
absence of TypeError; change them to assert successful validation instead by
ensuring the promise resolves (e.g., await
expect(instance.validate()).to.be.fulfilled or simply await
instance.validate()). Update the assertions for instances created via
JsonUser.build({ data: ... }) so they explicitly assert resolution rather than
merely asserting non-TypeError rejections.

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Create a new PR with the fixes

ℹ️ Review info

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between b2f21bb and abd6902.

📒 Files selected for processing (3)

packages/core/src/instance-validator.js
packages/core/test/unit/instance-validator.test.js
packages/core/test/unit/model/validation.test.js

Use 'not.to.be.rejected' instead of 'not.to.be.rejectedWith(Error, /TypeError/)' to assert validation actually passes rather than only rejecting non-TypeError errors.

- Add blank line after last require (import/newline-after-import) - Convert function expressions to arrow callbacks (prefer-arrow-callback)

mixelburg requested a review from a team as a code owner April 30, 2026 22:29

mixelburg requested review from ephys and sdepold April 30, 2026 22:29

ephys requested changes May 3, 2026

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coderabbitai Bot reviewed May 22, 2026

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Comment thread packages/core/test/unit/instance-validator.test.js Outdated

mixelburg added 2 commits May 22, 2026 12:10

test: tighten isJSON validator assertions to assert full resolution

8d3954f

Use 'not.to.be.rejected' instead of 'not.to.be.rejectedWith(Error, /TypeError/)' to assert validation actually passes rather than only rejecting non-TypeError errors.

style: fix eslint and prettier warnings in instance-validator tests

eee03da

- Add blank line after last require (import/newline-after-import) - Convert function expressions to arrow callbacks (prefer-arrow-callback)

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fix: pass options object instead of boolean true to isJSON validator#18220

fix: pass options object instead of boolean true to isJSON validator#18220
mixelburg wants to merge 4 commits into
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