diff --git a/tests/test_dsl.py b/tests/test_dsl.py
index b52e2c57..516aab9e 100644
--- a/tests/test_dsl.py
+++ b/tests/test_dsl.py
@@ -510,19 +510,20 @@ def test_example_template():
     assert src_tpl == tosca_tpl2
     tosca_tpl3 = _to_yaml(example_operation_on_template_python, False)
     wordpress_db = tosca_tpl3["topology_template"]["node_templates"]["wordpress_db"]
-    wordpress_db["artifacts"] = {
+    assert wordpress_db["artifacts"] == {
         "db_content": {
             "type": "tosca.artifacts.File",
             "file": "files/wordpress_db_content.txt",
         }
     }
-    wordpress_db["interfaces"] = {
+    assert wordpress_db["interfaces"] == {
         "Standard": {
             "type": "tosca.interfaces.node.lifecycle.Standard",
             "operations": {
                 "create": {
                     "implementation": {"primary": "db_create.sh"},
-                    "inputs": {"db_data": {"get_artifact": ["SELF", "db_content"]}},
+                    "inputs": {"db_data": {"get_artifact": ["SELF", "db_content"]}
+                  },
                 }
             },
         }
diff --git a/tosca-package/tosca/_tosca.py b/tosca-package/tosca/_tosca.py
index a1c3e850..0108fe16 100644
--- a/tosca-package/tosca/_tosca.py
+++ b/tosca-package/tosca/_tosca.py
@@ -2782,9 +2782,6 @@ def _get_instance_fields(self):
             elif not field and name[0] != "_" and is_data_field(value):
                 # attribute is not part of class definition, try to deduce from the value's type
                 field = _Tosca_Field.infer_field(self.__class__, name, value)
-                if field.tosca_field_type != ToscaFieldType.property:
-                    # the value was a data value or unrecognized, nothing to convert
-                    continue
                 field.default = MISSING  # this whole field was missing
                 yield name, (field, value)
             elif isinstance(field, _Tosca_Field):
@@ -3427,6 +3424,8 @@ def __getattr__(self, name):
             else:
                 # this is only called when defining an operation on a type so reset query to be relative
                 attr._path = [".", attr.field.as_ref_expr()]
+        elif isinstance(attr, ArtifactType):
+            return _ArtifactProxy(name)
         return attr
 
     def find_artifact(self, name_or_tpl):
diff --git a/tosca-package/tosca/yaml2python.py b/tosca-package/tosca/yaml2python.py
index cf039932..b480eba9 100644
--- a/tosca-package/tosca/yaml2python.py
+++ b/tosca-package/tosca/yaml2python.py
@@ -802,6 +802,8 @@ def _prop_decl(
         default_value: Any = MISSING
         if "default" in prop.schema.schema:
             default_value = prop.schema.schema["default"]
+        elif "value" in prop.schema.schema:  # special case for topology outputs
+            default_value = prop.schema.schema["value"]
         elif not prop.required:
             default_value = None
         typename = self._prop_type(prop.schema)
@@ -1271,7 +1273,7 @@ def get_configurator_decl(self, op: OperationDef) -> Tuple[str, Dict[str, Any]]:
             else None
         )
         cmd = ""
-        if kw is None:
+        if kw is None or kw["primary"]:
             if isinstance(op.implementation, dict):
                 artifact = op.implementation.get("primary")
                 kw = op.implementation.copy()
@@ -1281,11 +1283,12 @@ def get_configurator_decl(self, op: OperationDef) -> Tuple[str, Dict[str, Any]]:
             kw["inputs"] = op.inputs
             if isinstance(artifact, str):
                 artifact, toscaname = self._get_name(artifact)
-                if hasattr(self, artifact):
+                tname = toscaname or artifact
+                if op.node_template and tname in op.node_template.artifacts:
                     # add direct reference to allow static type checking
-                    cmd = f"self.{artifact}.execute("
+                    cmd = f"self.{artifact}.execute"
             if not cmd and artifact:
-                cmd = f"self.find_artifact({self.value2python_repr(artifact)})"
+                cmd = f"self.find_artifact({self.value2python_repr(artifact)}).execute"
         else:
             cmd = kw["className"]
             module, sep, klass = cmd.rpartition(".")
diff --git a/unfurl/yamlloader.py b/unfurl/yamlloader.py
index 68724288..e4568b9c 100644
--- a/unfurl/yamlloader.py
+++ b/unfurl/yamlloader.py
@@ -349,14 +349,27 @@ def find_implementation(self, op: OperationDef) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
         from . import (
             configurators,
         )  # need to import configurators to get short names  # noqa: F401
+        from .spec import NodeSpec
 
         inputs = op.inputs if op.inputs is not None else {}
-        if not op._source and self.manifest:
-            op._source = self.manifest.get_base_dir()
+        node = None
+        if self.manifest:
+            if not op._source:
+                op._source = self.manifest.get_base_dir()
+            if self.manifest.tosca and self.manifest.tosca.topology:
+                if op.node_template:
+                    node_template = op.node_template
+                else:
+                    ntype = op.ntype.type if op.ntype else "tosca:Root"
+                    topology = self.manifest.tosca.topology.topology_template
+                    nname = f"_{ntype}"
+                    node_template = topology.add_template(nname, dict(type=ntype, imported="ignore"))
+                    del topology.node_templates[nname]
+                node = NodeSpec(node_template, self.manifest.tosca.topology)
         return cast(
             Optional[Dict[str, Any]],
             _get_config_spec_args_from_implementation(
-                op, inputs, None, None, safe_mode=self.get_safe_mode()
+                op, inputs, node, None, safe_mode=self.get_safe_mode()
             ),
         )