ianstormtaylor/slate · error · Error

Cannot apply an incomplete "set_selection" operation propert

Error message

Cannot apply an incomplete "set_selection" operation properties ${Scrubber.stringify(
                newProperties
              )} when there is no current selection.

What it means

Thrown by Editor.transform when applying a 'set_selection' operation with partial properties (missing anchor or focus) while editor.selection is null. Since there is no existing selection to merge the partial properties into, Slate cannot construct a valid new selection. It indicates the caller tried to update a selection that does not exist yet.

Source

Thrown at packages/slate/src/interfaces/transforms/general.ts:301

          }

          return newNode
        })

        break
      }

      case 'set_selection': {
        const { newProperties } = op

        if (newProperties == null) {
          editor.selection = null
          break
        }

        if (editor.selection == null) {
          if (!(newProperties.anchor && newProperties.focus)) {
            throw new Error(
              `Cannot apply an incomplete "set_selection" operation properties ${Scrubber.stringify(
                newProperties
              )} when there is no current selection.`
            )
          }

          editor.selection = { ...(newProperties as Range) }
          break
        }

        const selection = { ...editor.selection }

        for (const key in newProperties) {
          if (NON_SETTABLE_SELECTION_PROPERTIES.includes(key)) {
            throw new Error(
              `Cannot set the "${key}" property of the selection!`
            )
          }

View on GitHub (pinned to 72a37c701e)

Solutions

1. Check editor.selection != null before calling Transforms.setSelection with partial properties, or pass a full Range {anchor, focus}
2. If selection is null, use Transforms.select(editor, range) with a complete Range/Point/Path instead
3. When replaying remote operations, skip or re-order set_selection ops so a selection exists first

Example fix

// before
Transforms.setSelection(editor, { focus: { path: [0,0], offset: 2 } }) // selection is null

// after
if (editor.selection) {
  Transforms.setSelection(editor, { focus: { path: [0,0], offset: 2 } })
} else {
  Transforms.select(editor, { anchor: { path: [0,0], offset: 0 }, focus: { path: [0,0], offset: 2 } })
}

const canSetSelection = editor.selection != null || (props.anchor != null && props.focus != null)
if (!canSetSelection) throw new Error('Need full anchor+focus when selection is null')
if (editor.selection != null) Transforms.setSelection(editor, props)
else Transforms.select(editor, props as Range)

const isFullRange = (r: unknown): r is Range =>
  Range.isRange(r) ||
  (!!r && typeof r === 'object' && 'anchor' in r && 'focus' in r)

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Transforms.setSelection(editor, {focus: ...}) or Editor.applySelection/Transforms.transform with partial range properties when editor.selection === null; replaying an operation log where a set_selection op assumes a prior selection existed.

Common situations: After deselect() or on a fresh editor with no selection, code applies remote/collaborative ops or calls setSelection with only anchor or only focus; desynced selection state in Yjs/ot-based collaboration.

Related errors

• Cannot remove the "${key}" selection property
• When setting the selection and the current selection is \`nu
• Cannot resolve a Slate range from a DOM event: ${event}
• Cannot resolve a DOM point from Slate point: ${Scrubber.stri
• Cannot resolve a Slate point from DOM point: ${domPoint}

AI-assisted analysis of ianstormtaylor/slate@72a37c701e (2026-08-27). Data as JSON: /api/errors/12fd72db88809212. Report an issue: GitHub.