diff --git a/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/latin/utils/CustomLayoutUtils.kt b/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/latin/utils/CustomLayoutUtils.kt
index 1b2d5d780..a3cbbcb6f 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/latin/utils/CustomLayoutUtils.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/latin/utils/CustomLayoutUtils.kt
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ fun checkLayout(layoutContent: String, context: Context): Boolean {
         return checkKeys(keys)
     } catch (e: SerializationException) {
         Log.w(TAG, "json parsing error", e)
+        if (layoutContent.trimStart().startsWith("[") && layoutContent.trimEnd().endsWith("]") && layoutContent.contains("},"))
+            return false // we're sure enough it's a json
     } catch (e: Exception) {
         Log.w(TAG, "json layout parsed, but considered invalid", e)
         return false
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/settings/dialogs/LayoutEditDialog.kt b/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/settings/dialogs/LayoutEditDialog.kt
index ca46082b9..76cb21be7 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/settings/dialogs/LayoutEditDialog.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/settings/dialogs/LayoutEditDialog.kt
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
 import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
-import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
 import androidx.compose.runtime.rememberCoroutineScope
 import androidx.compose.runtime.saveable.rememberSaveable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.setValue
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/settings/preferences/LayoutEditPreference.kt b/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/settings/preferences/LayoutEditPreference.kt
index f4bcc92ed..6d71e54a0 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/settings/preferences/LayoutEditPreference.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/helium314/keyboard/settings/preferences/LayoutEditPreference.kt
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import androidx.compose.material3.Text
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
 import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
-import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
 import androidx.compose.runtime.saveable.rememberSaveable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.setValue
 import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalContext
@@ -47,6 +46,7 @@ fun LayoutEditPreference(
                 it.name.startsWith("$layout.")
             else it.name.startsWith("$CUSTOM_LAYOUT_PREFIX$layout.")
         }?.name
+        // todo: never set originalLayout null if custom layout file does not exist!
         val originalLayout = if (customLayoutName != null) null
         else getDefaultLayout(layout)?.let { ctx.assets.open("layouts" + File.separator + it).reader().readText() }
         LayoutEditDialog(