Open malformed JSON

A JSON file with a syntax error still opens in JSON Digger. You see the document up to the error, and the status bar tells you where the error is. When opening or pasting JSON fails, JSON Digger can also offer to repair it into a valid copy.

How a malformed file opens

JSON Digger reads the file up to the first syntax error and stops there:

• The tree shows everything before the error. Objects and arrays that are still open at the error end there.
• The status bar shows Malformed JSON @ byte N in red, where N is the position of the error in bytes from the start of the file. Hover over it to read the parser’s message.

In a large file, the error can show up a few seconds after the file opens, when background indexing reaches it.

To see the text around the error, open the file in a text editor that can go to a byte offset.

What works on a malformed file

Feature	On a malformed file
Tree, search, copy	Work on the part before the error
Lint	Checks the part before the error; the Anomalies panel says “Malformed input from byte N: later values were not checked”
Editing	Not available: “The file is not valid JSON.”
Save As	Copies the file byte for byte, so the copy has the same error
Save Formatted Copy	Fails at the error, and no file is written

To make the file editable, fix the error in a text editor and open it again.

Repair malformed JSON

When opening a JSON file or pasting from the clipboard fails with a syntax error, the error notice can offer Repair. Select it to open a repaired copy of the text in a new tab; the original is not changed. JSON Digger confirms with “File repaired and opened” or “Clipboard JSON repaired and opened”. If the text cannot be repaired, it shows “Repair failed:” followed by the reason.

The repair rewrites the text into valid JSON. It fixes these problems:

Problem	Repair
// and /* */ comments	Removed
Trailing commas, [1, 2,]	Removed
Missing commas between values	Added
Single-quoted strings, 'text'	Changed to double quotes
Unquoted keys, {name: 1}	Quoted
= instead of :, or a missing :	Changed to :
undefined, NaN, Infinity	Changed to null
Raw tabs or line breaks inside strings	Escaped
A string, object, or array cut off at the end of the file	Closed
Other bare words, such as True or None	Changed to strings: "True", "None"

Check the result before you rely on it:

• Only the first value is kept. Anything after it, such as the second record of NDJSON pasted as JSON, is dropped.
• True and False become strings, not booleans.
• Text cut off right after a key, and numbers such as +1, .5, or hexadecimal values, cannot be repaired.

Save the repaired document

The repaired copy opens in a new tab with the same name as the original file. It exists only in memory until you save it.

The repaired document is read-only. To keep it, press Ctrl+Shift+S or choose File → Save As…, and pick a file name; the dialog suggests output.json. JSON Digger writes the JSON minified, with the keys in their original order. Open the saved file to edit it, or use Save Formatted Copy on it for indented JSON.