diff --git a/src/napari_micromanager/_gui_objects/_mda_widget.py b/src/napari_micromanager/_gui_objects/_mda_widget.py
index abd34780..60b12bbd 100644
--- a/src/napari_micromanager/_gui_objects/_mda_widget.py
+++ b/src/napari_micromanager/_gui_objects/_mda_widget.py
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ def value(self) -> MDASequence:
     def setValue(self, value: MDASequence) -> None:
         """Set the current value of the widget."""
         if nmm_meta := value.metadata.get(SEQUENCE_META_KEY):
+            if isinstance(nmm_meta, dict):
+                nmm_meta = SequenceMeta(**nmm_meta)
             if not isinstance(nmm_meta, SequenceMeta):  # pragma: no cover
                 raise TypeError(f"Expected {SequenceMeta}, got {type(nmm_meta)}")