# Configuration Binding Fix - January 6, 2026
## Problem
Application fails to start with:
```
Failed to bind properties under 'jakarta.migration.feature-flags.features' to java.util.Map<java.lang.String, java.lang.Boolean>:
Property: jakarta.migration.feature-flags.features
Value: ""
Reason: No converter found capable of converting from type [java.lang.String] to type [java.util.Map<java.lang.String, java.lang.Boolean>]
```
## Root Cause
In `application.yml`, the `features:` key was defined with only commented-out examples:
```yaml
features:
# Example: Enable auto-fixes for testing
# auto-fixes: true
```
When a YAML key has no actual values (only comments), Spring Boot tries to bind it as an empty string `""` instead of an empty map `{}`. Since `FeatureFlagsProperties.features` is defined as `Map<String, Boolean>`, Spring can't convert an empty string to a Map.
## Solution
Set `features` to an explicit empty map `{}`:
```yaml
features: {}
```
This tells Spring Boot to bind it as an empty `Map<String, Boolean>` rather than trying to parse an empty string.
## Fix Applied
Updated `application.yml` to set `features: {}` instead of just `features:` with comments.
**Status:** ✅ Fixed
