diff --git a/Commands/CopyWorldCommand.ts b/Commands/CopyWorldCommand.ts
index 149ff4f..a9003ca 100644
--- a/Commands/CopyWorldCommand.ts
+++ b/Commands/CopyWorldCommand.ts
@@ -142,7 +142,12 @@ export class CopyWorldCommand {
                     let parsedElement: Record<string, any>;
                     if (!isSpanFormat(fileContent) && file instanceof TFile) {
                         const parsed = await readElement(this.app, file);
-                        parsedElement = parsed ? parsed.fields : await this.parseTemplate(fileContent, worldName);
+                        // id rides OUTSIDE parsed.fields — without it the copied
+                        // JSON loses element identity and paste-dedupe breaks
+                        // (gate finding, 2026-07-16).
+                        parsedElement = parsed
+                            ? { id: parsed.id, ...parsed.fields }
+                            : await this.parseTemplate(fileContent, worldName);
                     } else {
                         parsedElement = await this.parseTemplate(fileContent, worldName);
                     }
diff --git a/Commands/ExportWorldCommand.ts b/Commands/ExportWorldCommand.ts
index 468bc0f..903539b 100644
--- a/Commands/ExportWorldCommand.ts
+++ b/Commands/ExportWorldCommand.ts
@@ -212,7 +212,10 @@ export class ExportWorldCommand {
                     const fileContent = await fs.read(file.path);
                     if (!isSpanFormat(fileContent) && file instanceof TFile) {
                         const parsed = await readElement(this.app, file);
-                        if (parsed) return parsed.fields;
+                        // id rides OUTSIDE parsed.fields — without it the upload
+                        // sweep's `if (!id) continue` silently skips every
+                        // frontmatter element (gate finding, 2026-07-16).
+                        if (parsed) return { id: parsed.id, ...parsed.fields };
                     }
                     return await this.parseTemplate(fileContent, worldFolder);
                 }));
diff --git a/docs/SMOKE-CHECKLIST.md b/docs/SMOKE-CHECKLIST.md
index bef8f51..9991ae1 100644
--- a/docs/SMOKE-CHECKLIST.md
+++ b/docs/SMOKE-CHECKLIST.md
@@ -84,8 +84,11 @@ a pre-2.4 note).
 
 17. In a world with BOTH migrated (frontmatter) and un-migrated (span) notes:
     - [ ] **Upload World** completes and pushes both correctly (frontmatter via the
-          reader, span via the legacy parser).
-    - [ ] **Copy World to Clipboard** completes without error.
+          reader, span via the legacy parser). **Check the count in the upload
+          notice matches your element count** — a silent skip looks like success
+          (this exact class was caught and fixed at the gate; verify it stays dead).
+    - [ ] **Copy World to Clipboard** completes; paste the clipboard into a text
+          editor and spot-check elements carry their `id`.
 
 Known limitation to eyeball, not a blocker: **Validate World** is still a span-format
 linter. Run on a migrated (frontmatter) world it will report false "missing Id / Name"