diff --git a/docs/releases/v2.12.6.md b/docs/releases/v2.12.6.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..124061e96ca78f2ca9fd06317bb4cf935737df32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/releases/v2.12.6.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# v2.12.6
+
+## Bugfixes
+
+- fix URL encoded annotations
+- improved reliability of URL encoding of viewer state
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index 3ff6048f486849482bca9b326b24a851d34e7921..ebdcbd0ed1c925dd926f359bbd022607608656d7 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ nav:
     - Fetching datasets: 'advanced/datasets.md'
     - Display non-atlas volumes: 'advanced/otherVolumes.md'
   - Release notes:
+    - v2.12.6: 'releases/v2.12.6.md'
     - v2.12.5: 'releases/v2.12.5.md'
     - v2.12.4: 'releases/v2.12.4.md'
     - v2.12.3: 'releases/v2.12.3.md'
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2612b896200971ccb34e0cff9cb34476ae98178e..d066d32f33f443421e24461733340dff55d73a8d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "siibra-explorer",
-  "version": "2.12.5",
+  "version": "2.12.6",
   "description": "siibra-explorer - explore brain atlases. Based on humanbrainproject/nehuba & google/neuroglancer. Built with angular",
   "scripts": {
     "lint": "eslint src --ext .ts",
diff --git a/src/atlasComponents/userAnnotations/tools/service.ts b/src/atlasComponents/userAnnotations/tools/service.ts
index 9ef8d363ac2a1201e28854b1b940d44967f5def6..5fa7acf9251d3ced3358c2284d670b05ddaca300 100644
--- a/src/atlasComponents/userAnnotations/tools/service.ts
+++ b/src/atlasComponents/userAnnotations/tools/service.ts
@@ -260,6 +260,7 @@ export class ModularUserAnnotationToolService implements OnDestroy{
 
   #voxelSize = this.store.pipe(
     select(atlasSelection.selectors.selectedTemplate),
+    filter(v => !!v),
     switchMap(tmpl => translateV3Entities.translateSpaceToVolumeImage(tmpl)),
     map(volImages => {
       if (volImages.length === 0) {
diff --git a/src/atlasComponents/userAnnotations/tools/type.ts b/src/atlasComponents/userAnnotations/tools/type.ts
index d54b231afd55ca503430125855acdc6701c3fb72..a100ebcf4953a89fedc55df1c5880db5b2e13b05 100644
--- a/src/atlasComponents/userAnnotations/tools/type.ts
+++ b/src/atlasComponents/userAnnotations/tools/type.ts
@@ -336,7 +336,12 @@ export abstract class IAnnotationGeometry extends Highlightable {
   constructor(spec?: TBaseAnnotationGeomtrySpec){
     super()
     this.id = spec && spec.id || getUuid()
-    this.space = spec?.space
+
+    // older version of annotations were made with at_id as key
+    // fallback
+    const spaceId = spec?.space?.id || spec?.space?.['@id']
+    
+    this.space = spaceId && { id: spaceId }
     this.name = spec?.name
     this.desc = spec?.desc
   }
diff --git a/src/routerModule/effects.ts b/src/routerModule/effects.ts
index ec7c34de0744bcc94464d7f248534a582f17745b..4ef7d676e5169ecd6c579a186c41d6cf0b72a81e 100644
--- a/src/routerModule/effects.ts
+++ b/src/routerModule/effects.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,11 @@ export class RouterEffects {
       return generalActions.generalApplyState({
         state
       })
-    })
+    }),
+    switchMap(ac => from([
+      ac,
+      generalActions.routeParseComplete()
+    ]))
   ))
 
   onRouteUpdate$ = createEffect(() => this.#atlasesLoaded$.pipe(
diff --git a/src/state/actions.ts b/src/state/actions.ts
index 67b9df55d8b833dd18ae0029b9ab6a90f08e7172..c6801c1328660ee66b4c319f17dec6a52189d318 100644
--- a/src/state/actions.ts
+++ b/src/state/actions.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ export const generalApplyState = createAction(
   }>()
 )
 
+export const routeParseComplete = createAction(
+  `${nameSpace} routeParseComplete`
+)
+
 export const noop = createAction(
   `${nameSpace} noop`
 )
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/state/index.ts b/src/state/index.ts
index aa9964ec9c0a69f063874b6a8b65382a72e2025c..77c5f08d0fe4d4976c063f2581586e6461fc49ff 100644
--- a/src/state/index.ts
+++ b/src/state/index.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,34 @@ function debug(reducer: ActionReducer<MainState>): ActionReducer<MainState> {
   };
 }
 
+function gateKeepUntilRouteParseComplete(reducer: ActionReducer<MainState>): ActionReducer<MainState>{
+  let completeFlag = false
+  const actions = []
+  return function(state, action) {
+    const isSystem = action.type.includes("@ngrx")
+    if (completeFlag || isSystem) {
+      return reducer(state, action)
+    }
+
+    let _state = state
+    if (action.type === routeParseComplete.type) {
+      while (actions.length > 0) {
+        const _action = actions.shift() // FIFO
+        _state = reducer(_state, _action)
+      }
+      completeFlag = true
+      return reducer(_state, action)
+    }
+
+    if (action.type === generalApplyState.type) {
+
+      return reducer(state, action)
+    }
+    actions.push(action)
+    return reducer(state, noop)
+  }
+}
+
 function generalApplyStateReducer(reducer: ActionReducer<MainState>): ActionReducer<MainState> {
   return function(_state, action) {
     let state = _state
@@ -55,6 +83,7 @@ export const RootStoreModule = StoreModule.forRoot({
   [atlasAppearance.nameSpace]: atlasAppearance.reducer,
 },{
   metaReducers: [ 
+    gateKeepUntilRouteParseComplete,
     generalApplyStateReducer,
     // debug,
   ]
@@ -77,7 +106,7 @@ export function getStoreEffects() {
 }
 
 import { MainState } from "./const"
-import { generalApplyState } from "./actions"
+import { generalApplyState, routeParseComplete, noop } from "./actions"
 
 export { MainState }