fix: canonicalize schema binding paths

web/apps/console/src/workspace/schema-form/SchemaFieldControl.tsx

@@ -285,8 +285,7 @@ export const SchemaFieldControl = ({
     );
   }
 
-  const legacySourceKey = field.path.length === 0 ? "root" : field.path.map(String).join(".");
-  const source = sources[pathKey(field)] ?? sources[legacySourceKey] ?? { mode: "literal", value };
+  const source = sources[pathKey(field)] ?? { mode: "literal", value };
   return (
     <div className="schema-form__field">
       <FieldLabel field={field} id={id} />

web/apps/console/src/workspace/schema-form/SchemaForm.test.tsx

@@ -287,4 +287,52 @@ describe("SchemaForm", () => {
     const hyphenated = screen.getByRole("textbox", { name: "A-b" });
     expect(dotted.id).not.toBe(hyphenated.id);
   });
+
+  it("edits a canonical literal source without aliasing a nested path", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    const submissions: SchemaSerializationResult[] = [];
+    render(
+      <SchemaForm
+        initialSources={{
+          "a.b": { mode: "literal", value: "canonical nested" },
+        }}
+        initialValue={{ "a.b": "initial dotted", a: { b: "initial nested" } }}
+        onSubmit={(result) => submissions.push(result)}
+        schema={{
+          type: "object",
+          properties: {
+            "a.b": { type: "string" },
+            a: { type: "object", properties: { b: { type: "string" } } },
+          },
+        }}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    const dotted = screen.getByRole("textbox", { name: "A.b" });
+    await user.clear(dotted);
+    await user.type(dotted, "edited dotted");
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Save form" }));
+
+    expect(submissions[0]?.value).toEqual({ "a.b": "edited dotted", a: { b: "canonical nested" } });
+  });
+
+  it("updates the canonical literal source when its field is edited", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    const submissions: SchemaSerializationResult[] = [];
+    render(
+      <SchemaForm
+        initialSources={{ '"a.b"': { mode: "literal", value: "canonical dotted" } }}
+        initialValue={{ "a.b": "initial dotted" }}
+        onSubmit={(result) => submissions.push(result)}
+        schema={{ type: "object", properties: { "a.b": { type: "string" } } }}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    const dotted = screen.getByRole("textbox", { name: "A.b" });
+    await user.clear(dotted);
+    await user.type(dotted, "edited canonical");
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Save form" }));
+
+    expect(submissions[0]?.value).toEqual({ "a.b": "edited canonical" });
+  });
 });

web/apps/console/src/workspace/schema-form/schema-paths.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ const CONTROL_CHARACTER = /[\u0000-\u001f\u007f]/;
 const isBareSegment = (value: string): boolean => BARE_TOML_KEY.test(value);
 
 const isValidSegment = (value: string): boolean =>
-  value.length > 0 && !CONTROL_CHARACTER.test(value);
+  value.trim().length > 0 && !CONTROL_CHARACTER.test(value);
 
 const parseDoubleQuoted = (raw: string, start: number): { readonly value: string; readonly next: number } | null => {
   let escaped = false;

web/apps/console/src/workspace/schema-form/schema-values.test.ts

@@ -134,6 +134,36 @@ describe("serializeSchemaValues", () => {
     expect(rootResult.bindings).toEqual([{ target: ".", path: "input.payload" }]);
   });
 
+  it("rejects whitespace-only quoted binding path segments", () => {
+    const field = normalizeSchema({ type: "string" });
+    const result = serializeSchemaValues(field, "literal", {
+      ".": { mode: "bind", sourcePath: 'input."   "' },
+    });
+
+    expect(result.bindings).toEqual([]);
+    expect(result.issues).toEqual([
+      { path: [], message: "Binding path must start with input, state, or context." },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("does not alias a nested path with a literal dotted property", () => {
+    const field = normalizeSchema({
+      type: "object",
+      properties: {
+        "a.b": { type: "string" },
+        a: { type: "object", properties: { b: { type: "string" } } },
+      },
+    });
+
+    const result = serializeSchemaValues(
+      field,
+      { "a.b": "initial dotted", a: { b: "initial nested" } },
+      { "a.b": { mode: "literal", value: "canonical nested" } },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.value).toEqual({ "a.b": "initial dotted", a: { b: "canonical nested" } });
+  });
+
   it("rebases bindings for the second nested object array item", () => {
     const field = normalizeSchema({
       type: "object",

web/apps/console/src/workspace/schema-form/schema-values.ts

@@ -38,13 +38,10 @@ const isRecord = (value: unknown): value is ValueRecord =>
 
 const pathKey = (path: ReadonlyArray<string | number>): string => formatTOMLPath(path);
 
-const legacyPathKey = (path: ReadonlyArray<string | number>): string =>
-  path.length === 0 ? "root" : path.map(String).join(".");
-
 const sourceForPath = (
   sources: FieldSources,
   path: ReadonlyArray<string | number>,
-): FieldSource | undefined => sources[pathKey(path)] ?? sources[legacyPathKey(path)];
+): FieldSource | undefined => sources[pathKey(path)];
 
 const targetPath = (path: ReadonlyArray<string | number>): string => formatTOMLPath(path);