diff --git a/k_video_combine.py b/k_video_combine.py
index 073a2a1..38da6a2 100644
--- a/k_video_combine.py
+++ b/k_video_combine.py
@@ -346,23 +346,31 @@ def _remove_audio_suffix_from_result(result, keep_silent_intermediate: bool):
 _COUNTER_RE = re.compile(r"_\d{5}$")
 
 
-def _build_metadata_payload(prompt, extra_pnginfo) -> dict:
-    """Assemble the workflow metadata written to the JSON sidecar.
+def _build_sidecar_workflow(prompt, extra_pnginfo, creation_time):
+    """Build the JSON sidecar as a **drag-loadable ComfyUI workflow**.
 
-    Always records ``CreationTime``. Records the ``prompt`` graph when present.
-    Crucially, when ``extra_pnginfo`` (which carries the ``workflow`` graph in a
-    canvas run) is absent — the headless / API ``/prompt`` path, or any run
-    where the frontend doesn't forward it — fall back to recording the prompt
-    as ``workflow`` so the sidecar is never reduced to a bare timestamp (the
-    "empty JSON" the maintainer reported).
+    ComfyUI restores a workflow from the litegraph graph at the TOP LEVEL of
+    the JSON (``nodes`` / ``links`` / ``last_node_id`` ...). That graph is
+    carried in ``extra_pnginfo['workflow']``, so we write it directly —
+    dropping the sidecar onto the canvas reloads the graph, exactly like
+    ComfyUI's own "Save". ``CreationTime`` is tucked into the graph's
+    ``extra`` so it is preserved without breaking loadability.
+
+    Falls back to ``{CreationTime, prompt}`` when no litegraph graph is
+    available (e.g. the headless / API ``/prompt`` path, which carries only
+    the API-format prompt, not a positioned graph) so the sidecar is never
+    empty — just not drag-loadable in that case.
     """
-    payload = {"CreationTime": datetime.datetime.now().isoformat(" ")[:19]}
+    workflow = extra_pnginfo.get("workflow") if isinstance(extra_pnginfo, dict) else None
+    if isinstance(workflow, dict) and "nodes" in workflow:
+        graph = dict(workflow)
+        extra = dict(graph.get("extra") or {})
+        extra.setdefault("CreationTime", creation_time)
+        graph["extra"] = extra
+        return graph
+    payload = {"CreationTime": creation_time}
     if prompt is not None:
         payload["prompt"] = prompt
-    if extra_pnginfo:
-        payload.update(extra_pnginfo)
-    elif prompt is not None:
-        payload["workflow"] = prompt
     return payload
 
 
@@ -671,8 +679,10 @@ if _VHS_AVAILABLE:
             version_token = resolve_version_token(
                 _coerce_version_input(kwargs.pop("version", ""))
             )
-            metadata_payload = _build_metadata_payload(
-                kwargs.get("prompt"), kwargs.get("extra_pnginfo")
+            metadata_payload = _build_sidecar_workflow(
+                kwargs.get("prompt"),
+                kwargs.get("extra_pnginfo"),
+                datetime.datetime.now().isoformat(" ")[:19],
             )
 
             # Inject VHS's hidden extra_options flags so upstream handles
diff --git a/tests/nodes/test_easy_video_combine.py b/tests/nodes/test_easy_video_combine.py
index bbc1baf..20528e2 100644
--- a/tests/nodes/test_easy_video_combine.py
+++ b/tests/nodes/test_easy_video_combine.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import pytest
 from k_video_combine import (
     _add_metadata_json_sidecar,
     _append_version_to_prefix,
-    _build_metadata_payload,
+    _build_sidecar_workflow,
     _coerce_version_input,
     _compose_prefix,
     _display_format_name,
@@ -401,24 +401,33 @@ def test_strict_version_replaces_on_collision_with_overwrite(tmp_path: Path) ->
     assert out["result"][0][1][-1] == str(clean)
 
 
-def test_build_metadata_payload_canvas_records_prompt_and_workflow() -> None:
-    payload = _build_metadata_payload({"1": {"class_type": "X"}}, {"workflow": {"nodes": []}})
-    assert payload["prompt"] == {"1": {"class_type": "X"}}
-    assert payload["workflow"] == {"nodes": []}
-    assert "CreationTime" in payload
+def test_sidecar_is_drag_loadable_workflow_on_canvas() -> None:
+    """Canvas run: the sidecar IS the litegraph graph at top level, so dropping
+    it into ComfyUI reloads the workflow (not a metadata wrapper)."""
+    wf = {"last_node_id": 5, "nodes": [{"id": 1}], "links": []}
+    out = _build_sidecar_workflow({"1": {"class_type": "X"}}, {"workflow": wf}, "2026-05-29 01:00:00")
+    assert out["nodes"] == [{"id": 1}]
+    assert out["links"] == []
+    assert out["last_node_id"] == 5
+    assert out["extra"]["CreationTime"] == "2026-05-29 01:00:00"
 
 
-def test_build_metadata_payload_headless_falls_back_to_prompt_as_workflow() -> None:
-    """The empty-JSON fix: no extra_pnginfo (headless / API) used to drop the
-    whole graph, leaving a bare timestamp. Fallback records the prompt."""
-    payload = _build_metadata_payload({"1": {"class_type": "X"}}, None)
-    assert payload["prompt"] == {"1": {"class_type": "X"}}
-    assert payload["workflow"] == {"1": {"class_type": "X"}}
+def test_sidecar_preserves_existing_workflow_extra() -> None:
+    wf = {"nodes": [], "extra": {"foo": "bar"}}
+    out = _build_sidecar_workflow(None, {"workflow": wf}, "t")
+    assert out["extra"] == {"foo": "bar", "CreationTime": "t"}
 
 
-def test_build_metadata_payload_empty_inputs_still_timestamped() -> None:
-    payload = _build_metadata_payload(None, None)
-    assert set(payload) == {"CreationTime"}
+def test_sidecar_falls_back_when_no_graph_available() -> None:
+    """Headless/API: no litegraph graph -> keep prompt + timestamp so the
+    sidecar is never empty (just not drag-loadable in that case)."""
+    out = _build_sidecar_workflow({"1": {"class_type": "X"}}, None, "2026-05-29 01:00:00")
+    assert out == {"CreationTime": "2026-05-29 01:00:00", "prompt": {"1": {"class_type": "X"}}}
+
+
+def test_sidecar_empty_inputs_still_timestamped() -> None:
+    out = _build_sidecar_workflow(None, None, "2026-05-29 01:00:00")
+    assert out == {"CreationTime": "2026-05-29 01:00:00"}
 
 
 def test_coerce_version_input_drops_stale_boolean() -> None: