fix(deploy): fix workflow change detection to handle old variable reference format

apps/sim/lib/workflows/comparison/compare.test.ts

@@ -2523,4 +2523,181 @@ describe('hasWorkflowChanged', () => {
       }
     )
   })
+
+  describe('Variables (UI-only fields should not trigger change)', () => {
+    it.concurrent('should not detect change when validationError differs', () => {
+      const deployedState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(deployedState as any).variables = {
+        var1: {
+          id: 'var1',
+          workflowId: 'workflow1',
+          name: 'myVar',
+          type: 'plain',
+          value: 'test',
+        },
+      }
+
+      const currentState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(currentState as any).variables = {
+        var1: {
+          id: 'var1',
+          workflowId: 'workflow1',
+          name: 'myVar',
+          type: 'plain',
+          value: 'test',
+          validationError: undefined,
+        },
+      }
+
+      expect(hasWorkflowChanged(currentState, deployedState)).toBe(false)
+    })
+
+    it.concurrent('should not detect change when validationError has value vs missing', () => {
+      const deployedState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(deployedState as any).variables = {
+        var1: {
+          id: 'var1',
+          workflowId: 'workflow1',
+          name: 'myVar',
+          type: 'number',
+          value: 'invalid',
+        },
+      }
+
+      const currentState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(currentState as any).variables = {
+        var1: {
+          id: 'var1',
+          workflowId: 'workflow1',
+          name: 'myVar',
+          type: 'number',
+          value: 'invalid',
+          validationError: 'Not a valid number',
+        },
+      }
+
+      expect(hasWorkflowChanged(currentState, deployedState)).toBe(false)
+    })
+
+    it.concurrent('should detect change when variable value differs', () => {
+      const deployedState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(deployedState as any).variables = {
+        var1: {
+          id: 'var1',
+          workflowId: 'workflow1',
+          name: 'myVar',
+          type: 'plain',
+          value: 'old value',
+        },
+      }
+
+      const currentState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(currentState as any).variables = {
+        var1: {
+          id: 'var1',
+          workflowId: 'workflow1',
+          name: 'myVar',
+          type: 'plain',
+          value: 'new value',
+          validationError: undefined,
+        },
+      }
+
+      expect(hasWorkflowChanged(currentState, deployedState)).toBe(true)
+    })
+
+    it.concurrent('should detect change when variable is added', () => {
+      const deployedState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(deployedState as any).variables = {}
+
+      const currentState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(currentState as any).variables = {
+        var1: {
+          id: 'var1',
+          workflowId: 'workflow1',
+          name: 'myVar',
+          type: 'plain',
+          value: 'test',
+        },
+      }
+
+      expect(hasWorkflowChanged(currentState, deployedState)).toBe(true)
+    })
+
+    it.concurrent('should detect change when variable is removed', () => {
+      const deployedState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(deployedState as any).variables = {
+        var1: {
+          id: 'var1',
+          workflowId: 'workflow1',
+          name: 'myVar',
+          type: 'plain',
+          value: 'test',
+        },
+      }
+
+      const currentState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(currentState as any).variables = {}
+
+      expect(hasWorkflowChanged(currentState, deployedState)).toBe(true)
+    })
+
+    it.concurrent('should not detect change when empty array vs empty object', () => {
+      const deployedState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(deployedState as any).variables = []
+
+      const currentState = createWorkflowState({
+        blocks: {
+          block1: createBlock('block1'),
+        },
+      })
+      ;(currentState as any).variables = {}
+
+      expect(hasWorkflowChanged(currentState, deployedState)).toBe(false)
+    })
+  })
 })

apps/sim/lib/workflows/comparison/compare.ts

@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ import {
   normalizeLoop,
   normalizeParallel,
   normalizeValue,
+  normalizeVariables,
   sanitizeInputFormat,
   sanitizeTools,
+  sanitizeVariable,
   sortEdges,
 } from './normalize'
 
@@ -228,11 +230,17 @@ export function hasWorkflowChanged(
   }
 
   // 6. Compare variables
-  const currentVariables = (currentState as any).variables || {}
-  const deployedVariables = (deployedState as any).variables || {}
-
-  const normalizedCurrentVars = normalizeValue(currentVariables)
-  const normalizedDeployedVars = normalizeValue(deployedVariables)
+  const currentVariables = normalizeVariables((currentState as any).variables)
+  const deployedVariables = normalizeVariables((deployedState as any).variables)
+
+  const normalizedCurrentVars = normalizeValue(
+    Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(currentVariables).map(([id, v]) => [id, sanitizeVariable(v)]))
+  )
+  const normalizedDeployedVars = normalizeValue(
+    Object.fromEntries(
+      Object.entries(deployedVariables).map(([id, v]) => [id, sanitizeVariable(v)])
+    )
+  )
 
   if (normalizedStringify(normalizedCurrentVars) !== normalizedStringify(normalizedDeployedVars)) {
     return true

apps/sim/lib/workflows/comparison/normalize.ts

@@ -88,6 +88,30 @@ export function sanitizeTools(tools: any[] | undefined): any[] {
   return tools.map(({ isExpanded, ...rest }) => rest)
 }
 
+/**
+ * Sanitizes a variable by removing UI-only fields like validationError
+ * @param variable - The variable object
+ * @returns Sanitized variable object
+ */
+export function sanitizeVariable(variable: any): any {
+  if (!variable || typeof variable !== 'object') return variable
+  const { validationError, ...rest } = variable
+  return rest
+}
+
+/**
+ * Normalizes the variables structure to always be an object.
+ * Handles legacy data where variables might be stored as an empty array.
+ * @param variables - The variables to normalize
+ * @returns A normalized variables object
+ */
+export function normalizeVariables(variables: any): Record<string, any> {
+  if (!variables) return {}
+  if (Array.isArray(variables)) return {}
+  if (typeof variables !== 'object') return {}
+  return variables
+}
+
 /**
  * Sanitizes inputFormat array by removing UI-only fields like value and collapsed
  * @param inputFormat - Array of input format configurations