diff --git a/build.gradle.kts b/build.gradle.kts
index c1d6b7b8..97b67691 100644
--- a/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/build.gradle.kts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ plugins {
 
 allprojects {
     group = "space.kscience"
-    version = "0.6.1-dev-2"
+    version = "0.6.1-dev-3"
 }
 
 subprojects {
diff --git a/dataforge-context/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/context/AbstractPlugin.kt b/dataforge-context/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/context/AbstractPlugin.kt
index bfba218a..3357a0f1 100644
--- a/dataforge-context/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/context/AbstractPlugin.kt
+++ b/dataforge-context/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/context/AbstractPlugin.kt
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractPlugin(override val meta: Meta = Meta.EMPTY) : Plu
     private var _context: Context? = null
     private val dependencies = HashMap<PluginFactory<*>, Meta>()
 
-    override val isAttached: Boolean = _context != null
+    override val isAttached: Boolean get() = _context != null
 
     override val context: Context
         get() = _context ?: error("Plugin $tag is not attached")
diff --git a/dataforge-io/dataforge-io-yaml/build.gradle.kts b/dataforge-io/dataforge-io-yaml/build.gradle.kts
index 854925f6..b33e1b9a 100644
--- a/dataforge-io/dataforge-io-yaml/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/dataforge-io/dataforge-io-yaml/build.gradle.kts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ kscience {
     dependencies {
         api(projects.dataforgeIo)
     }
-    useSerialization("1.4.1"){
+    useSerialization{
         yamlKt()
     }
 }
diff --git a/dataforge-io/dataforge-io-yaml/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/io/yaml/YamlMetaFormat.kt b/dataforge-io/dataforge-io-yaml/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/io/yaml/YamlMetaFormat.kt
index f043508c..51c143a6 100644
--- a/dataforge-io/dataforge-io-yaml/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/io/yaml/YamlMetaFormat.kt
+++ b/dataforge-io/dataforge-io-yaml/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/io/yaml/YamlMetaFormat.kt
@@ -90,8 +90,8 @@ public fun YamlMap.toMeta(): Meta = YamlMeta(this)
 public class YamlMetaFormat(private val meta: Meta) : MetaFormat {
 
     override fun writeMeta(output: Output, meta: Meta, descriptor: MetaDescriptor?) {
-        val yaml = meta.toYaml()
-        val string = Yaml.encodeToString(yaml)
+        val yaml: YamlMap = meta.toYaml()
+        val string = Yaml.encodeToString(YamlMap.serializer(), yaml)
         output.writeUtf8String(string)
     }
 
diff --git a/dataforge-io/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/io/IOFormat.kt b/dataforge-io/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/io/IOFormat.kt
index 10f33e19..12ea587b 100644
--- a/dataforge-io/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/io/IOFormat.kt
+++ b/dataforge-io/src/commonMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/io/IOFormat.kt
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 package space.kscience.dataforge.io
 
-import io.ktor.utils.io.core.Input
-import io.ktor.utils.io.core.Output
-import io.ktor.utils.io.core.readDouble
-import io.ktor.utils.io.core.writeDouble
+import io.ktor.utils.io.core.*
 import space.kscience.dataforge.context.Context
 import space.kscience.dataforge.context.Factory
 import space.kscience.dataforge.io.IOFormatFactory.Companion.IO_FORMAT_TYPE
@@ -27,6 +24,19 @@ public interface IOReader<out T> {
     public fun readObject(input: Input): T
 
     public fun readObject(binary: Binary): T = binary.read { readObject(this) }
+
+    public companion object {
+        /**
+         * no-op reader for binaries.
+         */
+        public val binary: IOReader<Binary> = object : IOReader<Binary> {
+            override val type: KType = typeOf<Binary>()
+
+            override fun readObject(input: Input): Binary = input.readBytes().asBinary()
+
+            override fun readObject(binary: Binary): Binary = binary
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 public inline fun <reified T> IOReader(crossinline read: Input.() -> T): IOReader<T> = object : IOReader<T> {
diff --git a/dataforge-workspace/src/jvmMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/workspace/fileData.kt b/dataforge-workspace/src/jvmMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/workspace/fileData.kt
index cd34d8bb..c352d635 100644
--- a/dataforge-workspace/src/jvmMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/workspace/fileData.kt
+++ b/dataforge-workspace/src/jvmMain/kotlin/space/kscience/dataforge/workspace/fileData.kt
@@ -36,11 +36,14 @@ import kotlin.reflect.typeOf
 
 public typealias FileFormatResolver<T> = (path: Path, meta: Meta) -> IOReader<T>
 
-public class FileData<T> internal constructor(private val data: Data<T>) : Data<T> by data {
-
-    public val path: String? get() = meta[META_FILE_PATH_KEY].string
-    public val extension: String? get() = meta[META_FILE_EXTENSION_KEY].string
+/**
+ * A data based on a filesystem [Path]
+ */
+public class FileData<T> internal constructor(private val data: Data<T>, public val path: Path) : Data<T> by data {
 
+    //    public val path: String? get() = meta[META_FILE_PATH_KEY].string
+//    public val extension: String? get() = meta[META_FILE_EXTENSION_KEY].string
+//
     public val createdTime: Instant? get() = meta[META_FILE_CREATE_TIME_KEY].string?.let { Instant.parse(it) }
     public val updatedTime: Instant? get() = meta[META_FILE_UPDATE_TIME_KEY].string?.let { Instant.parse(it) }
 
@@ -74,9 +77,12 @@ public fun <T : Any> IOPlugin.readDataFile(
         FileData.META_FILE_UPDATE_TIME_KEY put attributes.lastModifiedTime().toInstant().toString()
         FileData.META_FILE_CREATE_TIME_KEY put attributes.creationTime().toInstant().toString()
     }
-    return FileData(Data(format.type, updatedMeta) {
-        envelope.data?.readWith(format) ?: error("Can't convert envelope without content to Data")
-    })
+    return FileData(
+        Data(format.type, updatedMeta) {
+            envelope.data?.readWith(format) ?: error("Can't convert envelope without content to Data")
+        },
+        path
+    )
 }
 
 
@@ -122,7 +128,15 @@ public fun <T : Any> IOPlugin.readDataDirectory(
 public inline fun <reified T : Any> IOPlugin.readDataDirectory(
     path: Path,
     noinline formatResolver: FileFormatResolver<T>,
-): DataTree<Any> = readDataDirectory(typeOf<T>(), path, formatResolver)
+): DataTree<T> = readDataDirectory(typeOf<T>(), path, formatResolver)
+
+/**
+ * Read raw binary data tree from the directory. All files are read as-is (save for meta files).
+ */
+@DFExperimental
+public fun IOPlugin.readRawDirectory(
+    path: Path,
+): DataTree<Binary> = readDataDirectory(path) { _, _ -> IOReader.binary }
 
 
 @OptIn(DFExperimental::class)
@@ -205,6 +219,7 @@ public suspend fun <T : Any> IOPlugin.writeDataDirectory(
                 is DataTreeItem.Node -> {
                     writeDataDirectory(childPath, item.tree, format, envelopeFormat)
                 }
+
                 is DataTreeItem.Leaf -> {
                     val envelope = item.data.toEnvelope(format)
                     if (envelopeFormat != null) {