diff --git a/Runtime/ArenaClientScene.cs b/Runtime/ArenaClientScene.cs
index b831872..1d89b9e 100644
--- a/Runtime/ArenaClientScene.cs
+++ b/Runtime/ArenaClientScene.cs
@@ -678,7 +678,7 @@ private void CreateUpdateObject(string object_id, string storeType, bool persist
             JToken amObj = jData.SelectToken("animation-mixer");
             if (amObj != null)
             {
-                ArenaUnity.ToUnityAnimationMixer(data, jData, ref gobj);
+                ArenaUnity.ToUnityAnimationMixer(jData, ref gobj);
             }
 
             if (aobj != null)
diff --git a/Runtime/ArenaUnity.cs b/Runtime/ArenaUnity.cs
index 7849d17..95f29db 100644
--- a/Runtime/ArenaUnity.cs
+++ b/Runtime/ArenaUnity.cs
@@ -818,10 +818,10 @@ internal static void ToArenaAnimationMixer(GameObject gobj, ref JObject jData)
             ArenaAnimationMixer am = gobj.GetComponent<ArenaAnimationMixer>();
             jData["animation-mixer"] = am.json.SaveToString();
         }
-        internal static void ToUnityAnimationMixer(dynamic data, JObject jData, ref GameObject gobj)
+        internal static void ToUnityAnimationMixer(JObject jData, ref GameObject gobj)
         {
             JToken amObj = jData.SelectToken("animation-mixer");
-            if (amObj != null && amObj.HasValues)
+            if (amObj != null && amObj.Type != JTokenType.Null)
             {
                 ArenaAnimationMixer am = gobj.GetComponent<ArenaAnimationMixer>();
                 if (am == null)
diff --git a/Runtime/Components/ArenaAnimationMixer.cs b/Runtime/Components/ArenaAnimationMixer.cs
index d68e28e..8c12923 100644
--- a/Runtime/Components/ArenaAnimationMixer.cs
+++ b/Runtime/Components/ArenaAnimationMixer.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ namespace ArenaUnity.Components
     [ExecuteInEditMode]
     [DisallowMultipleComponent]
     [HelpURL("https://docs.arenaxr.org/content/schemas/message/animation-mixer")]
+    [RequireComponent(typeof(ArenaObject))]
     public class ArenaAnimationMixer : MonoBehaviour
     {
         // STATUS
@@ -33,6 +34,8 @@ public class ArenaAnimationMixer : MonoBehaviour
 
         internal bool apply = false;
 
+        private string updatedJson = null;
+
         protected virtual void Start()
         {
             apply = true;
@@ -40,7 +43,7 @@ protected virtual void Start()
 
         protected void OnValidate()
         {
-            apply = true;
+            UpdateObject();
         }
 
         protected void Update()
@@ -58,21 +61,24 @@ internal void ApplyAnimations()
             Animation anim = GetComponentInChildren<Animation>(true);
             if (anim == null) return;
             // set animation mixer properties
-            if (anim.isPlaying) anim.Stop();
-            anim.cullingType = AnimationCullingType.BasedOnRenderers;
-            anim.playAutomatically = true;
-            switch (json.Loop.ToString())
-            {
-                default:
-                case "repeat": anim.wrapMode = WrapMode.Loop; break;
-                case "once": anim.wrapMode = WrapMode.Once; break;
-                case "pingpong": anim.wrapMode = WrapMode.PingPong; break;
-            }
-            if (json.ClampWhenFinished) anim.wrapMode = WrapMode.ClampForever;
+            anim.Stop();
+            anim.cullingType = AnimationCullingType.AlwaysAnimate;
+            anim.playAutomatically = false;
 
             var aobj = GetComponent<ArenaObject>();
             if (aobj != null)
                 animations = aobj.animations;
+            if (animations.Count > 0) anim.clip = anim[animations[0]].clip;
+
+            if (json == null) return;
+            switch (json.Loop)
+            {
+                default:
+                case ArenaAnimationMixerJson.LoopType.Repeat: anim.wrapMode = WrapMode.Loop; break;
+                case ArenaAnimationMixerJson.LoopType.Once: anim.wrapMode = WrapMode.Once; break;
+                case ArenaAnimationMixerJson.LoopType.Pingpong: anim.wrapMode = WrapMode.PingPong; break;
+            }
+            if (json.ClampWhenFinished) anim.wrapMode = WrapMode.ClampForever;
 
             // play animations according to clip and wildcard
             string pattern = @$"{json.Clip.Replace("*", @"\w*")}"; // update wildcards for .Net
@@ -108,12 +114,17 @@ internal void ApplyAnimations()
 
         internal void UpdateObject()
         {
-            var aobj = GetComponent<ArenaObject>();
-            if (aobj != null)
+            var newJson = json.SaveToString();
+            if (updatedJson != newJson)
             {
-                aobj.PublishUpdate($"{{\"{ArenaAnimationMixerJson.componentName}\":{json.SaveToString()}}}");
-                apply = true;
+                var aobj = GetComponent<ArenaObject>();
+                if (aobj != null)
+                {
+                    aobj.PublishUpdate($"{{\"{ArenaAnimationMixerJson.componentName}\":{newJson}}}");
+                    apply = true;
+                }
             }
+            updatedJson = newJson;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/Runtime/Components/ArenaAnimationMixerEditor.cs b/Runtime/Components/ArenaAnimationMixerEditor.cs
index a452a6b..9f53739 100644
--- a/Runtime/Components/ArenaAnimationMixerEditor.cs
+++ b/Runtime/Components/ArenaAnimationMixerEditor.cs
@@ -22,14 +22,6 @@ public override void OnInspectorGUI()
             var aobj = am.GetComponent<ArenaObject>();
             if (aobj != null)
                 GUI.enabled = aobj.HasPermissions;
-            if (am.json != null)
-            {
-                if (GUILayout.Button($"Publish {ArenaAnimationMixerJson.componentName}"))
-                {
-                    am.UpdateObject();
-                }
-            }
-            GUI.enabled = true;
 
             DrawDefaultInspector();
 
@@ -42,6 +34,7 @@ public override void OnInspectorGUI()
                 if (GUILayout.Toggle((am.json.Clip == "*"), "All"))
                 {
                     am.json.Clip = "*";
+                    if (am.json != null) am.UpdateObject();
                 }
                 GUILayout.EndHorizontal();
                 for (int i = 0; i < aobj.animations.Count; i++)
@@ -50,11 +43,13 @@ public override void OnInspectorGUI()
                     if (GUILayout.Toggle((am.json.Clip == aobj.animations[i]), $"{i}: {aobj.animations[i]}"))
                     {
                         am.json.Clip = aobj.animations[i];
+                        if (am.json != null) am.UpdateObject();
                     }
                     GUILayout.EndHorizontal();
                 }
             }
 
+            GUI.enabled = true;
         }
     }
 #endif
diff --git a/Runtime/Schemas/ArenaAnimationMixerJson.cs b/Runtime/Schemas/ArenaAnimationMixerJson.cs
index 27fe358..09486fe 100644
--- a/Runtime/Schemas/ArenaAnimationMixerJson.cs
+++ b/Runtime/Schemas/ArenaAnimationMixerJson.cs
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@ public bool ShouldSerializeClampWhenFinished()
         public string Clip = defClip;
         public bool ShouldSerializeClip()
         {
-            if (_token != null && _token.SelectToken("clip") != null) return true;
-            return (Clip != defClip);
+            return true; // required in json schema 
         }
 
         private static float defCrossFadeDuration = 0f;