diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go b/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
index a305b602..70078425 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
@@ -26,6 +26,17 @@ func (d *dataTreeNavigator) DeeplyAssign(context Context, path []interface{}, rh
 
 	assignmentOp := &Operation{OperationType: assignOpType, Preferences: assignPreferences{}}
 
+	if rhsCandidateNode.Kind == MappingNode {
+		log.Debug("[DataTreeNavigator] DeeplyAssign: deeply merging object")
+		// if the rhs is a map, we need to deeply merge it in.
+		// otherwise we'll clobber any existing fields
+		assignmentOp = &Operation{OperationType: multiplyAssignOpType, Preferences: multiplyPreferences{
+			AppendArrays:  true,
+			TraversePrefs: traversePreferences{DontFollowAlias: true},
+			AssignPrefs:   assignPreferences{},
+		}}
+	}
+
 	rhsOp := &Operation{OperationType: valueOpType, CandidateNode: rhsCandidateNode}
 
 	assignmentOpNode := &ExpressionNode{
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/decoder_toml.go b/pkg/yqlib/decoder_toml.go
index 68181596..1066a89c 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/decoder_toml.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/decoder_toml.go
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func (dec *tomlDecoder) getFullPath(tomlNode *toml.Node) []interface{} {
 func (dec *tomlDecoder) processKeyValueIntoMap(rootMap *CandidateNode, tomlNode *toml.Node) error {
 	value := tomlNode.Value()
 	path := dec.getFullPath(value.Next())
-	log.Debug("!!!processKeyValueIntoMap: %v", path)
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] processKeyValueIntoMap: %v", path)
 
 	valueNode, err := dec.decodeNode(value)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -70,14 +70,14 @@ func (dec *tomlDecoder) processKeyValueIntoMap(rootMap *CandidateNode, tomlNode
 }
 
 func (dec *tomlDecoder) decodeKeyValuesIntoMap(rootMap *CandidateNode, tomlNode *toml.Node) (bool, error) {
-	log.Debug("!! DECODE_KV_INTO_MAP -- processing first (current) entry")
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] decodeKeyValuesIntoMap -- processing first (current) entry")
 	if err := dec.processKeyValueIntoMap(rootMap, tomlNode); err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
 
 	for dec.parser.NextExpression() {
 		nextItem := dec.parser.Expression()
-		log.Debug("!! DECODE_KV_INTO_MAP -- next exp, its a %v", nextItem.Kind)
+		log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] decodeKeyValuesIntoMap -- next exp, its a %v", nextItem.Kind)
 
 		if nextItem.Kind == toml.KeyValue {
 			if err := dec.processKeyValueIntoMap(rootMap, nextItem); err != nil {
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ func (dec *tomlDecoder) Decode() (*CandidateNode, error) {
 func (dec *tomlDecoder) processTopLevelNode(currentNode *toml.Node) (bool, error) {
 	var runAgainstCurrentExp bool
 	var err error
-	log.Debug("!!!!!!!!!!!!Going to process %v state is current %v", currentNode.Kind, NodeToString(dec.rootMap))
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] processTopLevelNode: Going to process %v state is current %v", currentNode.Kind, NodeToString(dec.rootMap))
 	if currentNode.Kind == toml.Table {
 		runAgainstCurrentExp, err = dec.processTable(currentNode)
 	} else if currentNode.Kind == toml.ArrayTable {
@@ -258,14 +258,14 @@ func (dec *tomlDecoder) processTopLevelNode(currentNode *toml.Node) (bool, error
 		runAgainstCurrentExp, err = dec.decodeKeyValuesIntoMap(dec.rootMap, currentNode)
 	}
 
-	log.Debug("!!!!!!!!!!!!DONE Processing state is now %v", NodeToString(dec.rootMap))
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] processTopLevelNode: DONE Processing state is now %v", NodeToString(dec.rootMap))
 	return runAgainstCurrentExp, err
 }
 
 func (dec *tomlDecoder) processTable(currentNode *toml.Node) (bool, error) {
-	log.Debug("!!! processing table")
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] Enter processTable")
 	fullPath := dec.getFullPath(currentNode.Child())
-	log.Debug("!!!fullpath: %v", fullPath)
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] fullpath: %v", fullPath)
 
 	tableNodeValue := &CandidateNode{
 		Kind:    MappingNode,
@@ -302,6 +302,7 @@ func (dec *tomlDecoder) processTable(currentNode *toml.Node) (bool, error) {
 }
 
 func (dec *tomlDecoder) arrayAppend(context Context, path []interface{}, rhsNode *CandidateNode) error {
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] arrayAppend to path: %v,%v", path, NodeToString(rhsNode))
 	rhsCandidateNode := &CandidateNode{
 		Kind:    SequenceNode,
 		Tag:     "!!seq",
@@ -323,9 +324,9 @@ func (dec *tomlDecoder) arrayAppend(context Context, path []interface{}, rhsNode
 }
 
 func (dec *tomlDecoder) processArrayTable(currentNode *toml.Node) (bool, error) {
-	log.Debug("!!! processing table")
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] Entering processArrayTable")
 	fullPath := dec.getFullPath(currentNode.Child())
-	log.Debug("!!!fullpath: %v", fullPath)
+	log.Debug("[DecoderTOML] Fullpath: %v", fullPath)
 
 	// need to use the array append exp to add another entry to
 	// this array: fullpath += [ thing ]
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/operators_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/operators_test.go
index 01562fd8..b6f37aa1 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/operators_test.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/operators_test.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ type expressionScenario struct {
 }
 
 func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
-	logging.SetLevel(logging.ERROR, "")
+	logging.SetLevel(logging.DEBUG, "")
 	Now = func() time.Time {
 		return time.Date(2021, time.May, 19, 1, 2, 3, 4, time.UTC)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/toml_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/toml_test.go
index fcbea8a1..0dda9773 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/toml_test.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/toml_test.go
@@ -16,6 +16,19 @@ name = "Tom Preston-Werner"
 age = 36
 `
 
+var tableArrayBeforeOwners = `
+[[owner.addresses]]
+street = "first street"
+
+[owner]
+name = "Tom Preston-Werner"
+`
+var expectedTableArrayBeforeOwners = `owner:
+  addresses:
+    - street: first street
+  name: Tom Preston-Werner
+`
+
 var sampleTableExpected = `var: x
 owner:
   contact:
@@ -74,6 +87,13 @@ var tomlScenarios = []formatScenario{
 		expected:     "",
 		scenarioType: "decode",
 	},
+	{
+		skipDoc:      true,
+		description:  "table array before owners",
+		input:        tableArrayBeforeOwners,
+		expected:     expectedTableArrayBeforeOwners,
+		scenarioType: "decode",
+	},
 	{
 		skipDoc:      true,
 		description:  "datetime",