diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/candidate_node.go b/pkg/yqlib/candidate_node.go
index a3c3dda3..ce321f12 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/candidate_node.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/candidate_node.go
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ func (n *CandidateNode) AsList() *list.List {
 
 func (n *CandidateNode) GetValueRep() (interface{}, error) {
 	// TODO: handle booleans, ints, etc
+	log.Debugf("GetValueRep for %v value: %v", n.GetNicePath(), n.Value)
 	realTag := n.guessTagFromCustomType()
 
 	switch realTag {
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/candidate_node_yaml.go b/pkg/yqlib/candidate_node_yaml.go
index 5237ad8f..b022ac09 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/candidate_node_yaml.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/candidate_node_yaml.go
@@ -78,59 +78,76 @@ func (o *CandidateNode) copyToYamlNode(node *yaml.Node) {
 	node.Column = o.Column
 }
 
+func (o *CandidateNode) decodeIntoChild(childNode *yaml.Node) (*CandidateNode, error) {
+	newChild := o.CreateChild()
+
+	// null yaml.Nodes to not end up calling UnmarshalYAML
+	// so we call it explicitly
+	if childNode.Tag == "!!null" {
+		newChild.Kind = ScalarNode
+		newChild.copyFromYamlNode(childNode)
+		return newChild, nil
+	}
+
+	err := childNode.Decode(newChild)
+	return newChild, err
+}
+
 func (o *CandidateNode) UnmarshalYAML(node *yaml.Node) error {
-	log.Debugf("unmarshalling %v", node.Tag)
+	log.Debugf("UnmarshalYAML %v", node.Tag)
 	switch node.Kind {
 	case yaml.DocumentNode:
+		log.Debugf("UnmarshalYAML -  a document")
 		o.Kind = DocumentNode
 		o.copyFromYamlNode(node)
 		if len(node.Content) == 0 {
 			return nil
 		}
 
-		singleChild := &CandidateNode{
-			Parent: o,
-		}
-		err := node.Content[0].Decode(singleChild)
+		singleChild, err := o.decodeIntoChild(node.Content[0])
+
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		o.Content = []*CandidateNode{singleChild}
 		return nil
 	case yaml.AliasNode:
-		log.Debug("decoding alias from yaml: %v", o.Tag)
+		log.Debug("UnmarshalYAML - alias from yaml: %v", o.Tag)
 		o.Kind = AliasNode
 		o.copyFromYamlNode(node)
 		return nil
 	case yaml.ScalarNode:
-		log.Debugf("its a scalar")
+		log.Debugf("UnmarshalYAML -  a scalar")
 		o.Kind = ScalarNode
 		o.copyFromYamlNode(node)
 		return nil
 	case yaml.MappingNode:
+		log.Debugf("UnmarshalYAML -  a mapping node")
 		o.Kind = MappingNode
 		o.copyFromYamlNode(node)
 		o.Content = make([]*CandidateNode, len(node.Content))
 		for i := 0; i < len(node.Content); i += 2 {
-			keyNode := o.CreateChild()
-			keyNode.IsMapKey = true
-			err := node.Content[i].Decode(keyNode)
+
+			keyNode, err := o.decodeIntoChild(node.Content[i])
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 
-			valueNode := o.CreateChild()
-			valueNode.Key = keyNode
-			err = node.Content[i+1].Decode(valueNode)
+			keyNode.IsMapKey = true
+
+			valueNode, err := o.decodeIntoChild(node.Content[i+1])
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 
+			valueNode.Key = keyNode
+
 			o.Content[i] = keyNode
 			o.Content[i+1] = valueNode
 		}
 		return nil
 	case yaml.SequenceNode:
+		log.Debugf("UnmarshalYAML -  a sequence: %v", len(node.Content))
 		o.Kind = SequenceNode
 		o.copyFromYamlNode(node)
 		o.Content = make([]*CandidateNode, len(node.Content))
@@ -141,16 +158,17 @@ func (o *CandidateNode) UnmarshalYAML(node *yaml.Node) error {
 			keyNode.Kind = ScalarNode
 			keyNode.Value = fmt.Sprintf("%v", i)
 
-			valueNode := o.CreateChild()
-			valueNode.Key = keyNode
-			err := node.Content[i].Decode(valueNode)
+			valueNode, err := o.decodeIntoChild(node.Content[i])
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+
+			valueNode.Key = keyNode
 			o.Content[i] = valueNode
 		}
 		return nil
 	case 0:
+		log.Debugf("UnmarshalYAML -  errr.. %v", node.Tag)
 		// not sure when this happens
 		o.copyFromYamlNode(node)
 		return nil
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/candidiate_node_json.go b/pkg/yqlib/candidiate_node_json.go
index c8c310b5..d9583ddb 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/candidiate_node_json.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/candidiate_node_json.go
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func (o *CandidateNode) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
-	log.Debugf("going to encode %v - %v", o.GetNicePath(), o.Tag)
+	log.Debugf("MarshalJSON %v", NodeToString(o))
 	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
 	enc := json.NewEncoder(buf)
 	enc.SetIndent("", " ")
@@ -15,12 +15,15 @@ func (o *CandidateNode) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 
 	switch o.Kind {
 	case DocumentNode:
+		log.Debugf("MarshalJSON DocumentNode")
 		err := enc.Encode(o.Content[0])
 		return buf.Bytes(), err
 	case AliasNode:
+		log.Debugf("MarshalJSON AliasNode")
 		err := enc.Encode(o.Alias)
 		return buf.Bytes(), err
 	case ScalarNode:
+		log.Debugf("MarshalJSON ScalarNode")
 		value, err := o.GetValueRep()
 		if err != nil {
 			return buf.Bytes(), err
@@ -28,14 +31,13 @@ func (o *CandidateNode) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 		err = enc.Encode(value)
 		return buf.Bytes(), err
 	case MappingNode:
+		log.Debugf("MarshalJSON MappingNode")
 		buf.WriteByte('{')
 		for i := 0; i < len(o.Content); i += 2 {
-			log.Debugf("writing key %v", NodeToString(o.Content[i]))
 			if err := enc.Encode(o.Content[i].Value); err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
 			buf.WriteByte(':')
-			log.Debugf("writing value %v", NodeToString(o.Content[i+1]))
 			if err := enc.Encode(o.Content[i+1]); err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
@@ -45,8 +47,10 @@ func (o *CandidateNode) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 		}
 		buf.WriteByte('}')
 	case SequenceNode:
+		log.Debugf("MarshalJSON SequenceNode")
 		err := enc.Encode(o.Content)
 		return buf.Bytes(), err
 	}
+	log.Debug("none of those things?")
 	return buf.Bytes(), nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go b/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
index 9b1fc43a..9a246027 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ func (d *dataTreeNavigator) GetMatchingNodes(context Context, expressionNode *Ex
 			log.Debug(NodeToString(el.Value.(*CandidateNode)))
 		}
 	}
-	log.Debug("carr on>>")
 	handler := expressionNode.Operation.OperationType.Handler
 	if handler != nil {
 		return handler(d, context, expressionNode)
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/decoder_yaml.go b/pkg/yqlib/decoder_yaml.go
index 3b9a1802..a7ba89ab 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/decoder_yaml.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/decoder_yaml.go
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ func (dec *yamlDecoder) Init(reader io.Reader) error {
 func (dec *yamlDecoder) Decode() (*CandidateNode, error) {
 	var candidateNode CandidateNode
 	err := dec.decoder.Decode(&candidateNode)
-	log.Debugf("decoded the yaml")
+
 	if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) && dec.leadingContent != "" && !dec.readAnything {
 		// force returning an empty node with a comment.
 		dec.readAnything = true
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/encoder_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/encoder_test.go
index 31d5730c..b55b8a9e 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/encoder_test.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/encoder_test.go
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ func yamlToJSON(sampleYaml string, indent int) string {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	node := inputs.Front().Value.(*CandidateNode)
+	log.Debugf("%v", NodeToString(node))
+	log.Debugf("Content[0] %v", NodeToString(node.Content[0]))
+
 	err = jsonEncoder.Encode(writer, node)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/yaml_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/yaml_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b056e4a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/yaml_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package yqlib
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/mikefarah/yq/v4/test"
+)
+
+var yamlScenarios = []formatScenario{
+	// {
+	// 	description: "basic - null",
+	// 	skipDoc:     true,
+	// 	input:       "null",
+	// 	expected:    "null\n",
+	// },
+	{
+		description: "basic - ~",
+		skipDoc:     true,
+		input:       "~",
+		expected:    "~\n",
+	},
+	// {
+	// 	description: "basic - [null]",
+	// 	skipDoc:     true,
+	// 	input:       "[null]",
+	// 	expected:    "[null]\n",
+	// },
+	// {
+	// 	description: "basic - [~]",
+	// 	skipDoc:     true,
+	// 	input:       "[~]",
+	// 	expected:    "[~]\n",
+	// },
+	// {
+	// 	description: "basic - null map value",
+	// 	skipDoc:     true,
+	// 	input:       "a: null",
+	// 	expected:    "a: null\n",
+	// },
+}
+
+func testYamlScenario(t *testing.T, s formatScenario) {
+	// switch s.scenarioType {
+	// case "decode":
+	test.AssertResultWithContext(t, s.expected, mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewYamlEncoder(2, false, ConfiguredYamlPreferences)), s.description)
+	// default:
+	// panic(fmt.Sprintf("unhandled scenario type %q", s.scenarioType))
+	// }
+}
+
+func TestYamlScenarios(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tt := range yamlScenarios {
+		testYamlScenario(t, tt)
+	}
+	// genericScenarios := make([]interface{}, len(yamlScenarios))
+	// for i, s := range yamlScenarios {
+	// 	genericScenarios[i] = s
+	// }
+	// documentScenarios(t, "usage", "convert", genericScenarios, documentJSONScenario)
+}