diff --git a/src/FormStateApp.tsx b/src/FormStateApp.tsx
index 17970b4..3e7c96d 100644
--- a/src/FormStateApp.tsx
+++ b/src/FormStateApp.tsx
@@ -7,11 +7,13 @@ export function FormStateApp() {
     config: formConfig,
     // Simulate getting the initial form state back from a server call
     init: {
-      firstName: "a1",
-      books: [...Array(2)].map((_, i) => ({
-        title: `b${i}`,
-        classification: { number: `10${i + 1}`, category: `Test Category ${i}` },
-      })),
+      input: {
+        firstName: "a1",
+        books: [...Array(2)].map((_, i) => ({
+          title: `b${i}`,
+          classification: { number: `10${i + 1}`, category: `Test Category ${i}` },
+        })),
+      },
     },
     addRules(state) {
       state.lastName.rules.push(() => {
diff --git a/src/useFormState.test.tsx b/src/useFormState.test.tsx
index 629e76b..1ef8820 100644
--- a/src/useFormState.test.tsx
+++ b/src/useFormState.test.tsx
@@ -106,39 +106,6 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
     expect(r.changedValue.textContent).toEqual(JSON.stringify({ firstName: "default" }));
   });
 
-  it("uses init if set as a value", async () => {
-    // Given a component
-    type FormValue = Pick<AuthorInput, "firstName">;
-    const config: ObjectConfig<FormValue> = { firstName: { type: "value" } };
-    function TestComponent() {
-      const [, setTick] = useState(0);
-      const form = useFormState({
-        config,
-        // That's using a raw init value
-        init: { firstName: "bob" },
-      });
-      return (
-        <div>
-          <button
-            data-testid="change"
-            onClick={() => {
-              // When that value changes
-              form.firstName.set("fred");
-              // And also we re-render the component
-              setTick(1);
-            }}
-          />
-          <div data-testid="firstName">{form.firstName.value}</div>
-        </div>
-      );
-    }
-    const r = await render(<TestComponent />);
-    expect(r.firstName).toHaveTextContent("bob");
-    click(r.change);
-    // Then the change didn't get dropped due to init being unstable
-    expect(r.firstName).toHaveTextContent("fred");
-  });
-
   it("doesn't required an init value", async () => {
     function TestComponent() {
       type FormValue = Pick<AuthorInput, "firstName">;
@@ -191,7 +158,7 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
       };
       // And we start out with data1
       const [data, setData] = useState<FormValue>(data1);
-      const form = useFormState({ config, init: { input: data, map: (d) => d } });
+      const form = useFormState({ config, init: { input: data } });
       function makeLocalChanges() {
         form.firstName.value = "local";
         form.address.street.value = "local";
@@ -284,7 +251,7 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
       const [data, setData] = useState<FormValue>(data1);
       const form = useFormState({
         config,
-        init: { input: data, map: (d) => d },
+        init: { input: data },
         // And the form is read only
         readOnly: true,
       });
@@ -412,7 +379,7 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
       const data2 = { books: [{ title: "Title 1" }] };
       const form = useFormState({
         config: authorWithBooksConfig,
-        init: { input: data, map: (d) => d, ifUndefined: { books: [] } },
+        init: { input: data, ifUndefined: { books: [] } },
         autoSave,
       });
       return (
@@ -458,7 +425,7 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
       const data = { firstName: "f1", lastName: "f1" };
       const form = useFormState({
         config,
-        init: data,
+        init: { input: data },
         // And there is reactive business logic in the `autoSave` method
         async autoSave(state) {
           state.lastName.set("l2");
@@ -487,7 +454,7 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
       const data = { firstName: "f1", lastName: "f1" };
       const form = useFormState({
         config,
-        init: data,
+        init: { input: data },
         autoSave: (form) => autoSave(form.changedValue),
       });
       return (
@@ -602,7 +569,7 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
           );
         },
         autoSave: (fs) => autoSaveStub(fs.changedValue),
-        init: { id: "a:1" },
+        init: { input: { id: "a:1" } },
       });
       return <TextField field={fs.firstName} />;
     }
@@ -638,7 +605,7 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
     type FormValue = Pick<AuthorInput, "firstName">;
     const config: ObjectConfig<FormValue> = { firstName: { type: "value" } };
     function TestComponent({ data }: { data: AuthorInput | undefined }) {
-      const form = useFormState({ config, init: { input: data, map: (d) => d } });
+      const form = useFormState({ config, init: { input: data } });
       return <Observer>{() => <div data-testid="loading">{String(form.loading)}</div>}</Observer>;
     }
     // And we initially pass in `init.input: undefined`
@@ -722,7 +689,7 @@ describe("useFormState", () => {
       const config: ObjectConfig<FormValue> = authorConfig;
       const form = useFormState({
         config,
-        init: { firstName: "f1", lastName: "f1" },
+        init: { input: { firstName: "f1", lastName: "f1" } },
         autoSave: async (form) => {
           autoSave(form.changedValue);
           // And the autoSave functions erroneously calls commitChanges
diff --git a/src/useFormState.ts b/src/useFormState.ts
index 9d092d8..221f962 100644
--- a/src/useFormState.ts
+++ b/src/useFormState.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ export type Query<I> = { data: I; loading: boolean; error?: any };
 
 export type InputAndMap<T, I> = {
   input: I;
-  map: (input: Exclude<I, null | undefined>) => T;
+  map?: (input: Exclude<I, null | undefined>) => T;
   ifUndefined?: T;
 };
 
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ export type QueryAndMap<T, I> = {
   ifUndefined?: T;
 };
 
+/**
+ * The opts has for `useFormState`.
+ *
+ * @typeparam T the form type, which is usually as close as possible to your *GraphQL input*
+ * @typeparam I the *form input* type, which is usually the *GraphQL output* type, i.e. the type of the response from your GraphQL query
+ */
 export type UseFormStateOpts<T, I> = {
   /** The form configuration, should be a module-level const or useMemo'd. */
   config: ObjectConfig<T>;
@@ -40,7 +46,7 @@ export type UseFormStateOpts<T, I> = {
    * only call `init.map` if it's set, otherwise we'll use `init.ifDefined` or `{}`, saving you
    * from having to null check within your `init.map` function.
    */
-  init?: T | InputAndMap<T, I> | QueryAndMap<T, I>;
+  init?: InputAndMap<T, I> | QueryAndMap<T, I>;
 
   /**
    * A hook to add custom, cross-field validation rules that can be difficult to setup directly in the config DSL.
diff --git a/src/useFormStates.ts b/src/useFormStates.ts
index 6903706..f163479 100644
--- a/src/useFormStates.ts
+++ b/src/useFormStates.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ import { initValue } from "src/utils";
 
 export type ObjectStateCache<T, I> = Record<string, [ObjectState<T>, I]>;
 
+/**
+ * The opts has for `useFormStates`.
+ *
+ * @typeparam T the form type, which is usually as close as possible to your *GraphQL input*
+ * @typeparam I the *form input* type, which is usually the *GraphQL output* type, i.e. the type of the response from your GraphQL query
+ */
 type UseFormStatesOpts<T, I> = {
   /**
    * The config to use for each form state.
@@ -54,6 +60,19 @@ type UseFormStatesHook<T, I> = {
   getFormState: (input: I, opts?: { readOnly?: boolean }) => ObjectState<T>;
 };
 
+/**
+ * A hook to manage many "mini-forms" on a single page, typically one form per row
+ * in a table.
+ *
+ * This hook basically provides the page/table with a cache, so each table row naively ask "what's
+ * the form state for this given row's data?" and get back a new-or-existing `ObjectState` instance
+ * that, if already existing, still has any of the user's WIP changes.
+ *
+ * Each mini-form/row can have its own autoSave calls, independent of the other rows.
+ *
+ * @typeparam T the form type, which is usually as close as possible to your *GraphQL input*
+ * @typeparam I the *form input* type, which is usually the *GraphQL output* type, i.e. the type of the response from your GraphQL query
+ */
 export function useFormStates<T, I = T>(opts: UseFormStatesOpts<T, I>): UseFormStatesHook<T, I> {
   const { config, autoSave, getId, map, addRules, readOnly = false } = opts;
 
@@ -109,7 +128,7 @@ export function useFormStates<T, I = T>(opts: UseFormStatesOpts<T, I>): UseFormS
 
       // If it didn't exist, then add to the cache.
       if (!form) {
-        form = createObjectState(config, initValue(config, map ? { map, input } : input), {
+        form = createObjectState(config, initValue(config, { map, input }), {
           maybeAutoSave: () => maybeAutoSave(form),
         });
         if (addRules) {
@@ -120,7 +139,7 @@ export function useFormStates<T, I = T>(opts: UseFormStatesOpts<T, I>): UseFormS
 
       // If the source of truth changed, then update the existing state and return it.
       if (existing && existing[1] !== input) {
-        (form as any as ObjectStateInternal<any>).set(initValue(config, map ? { map, input } : input), {
+        (form as any as ObjectStateInternal<any>).set(initValue(config, { map, input }), {
           refreshing: true,
         });
         existing[1] = input;
diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index 4a2118b..08176de 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -35,21 +35,24 @@ export function assertNever(x: never): never {
   throw new Error("Unexpected object: " + x);
 }
 
-/** Introspects the `init` prop to see if has a `map` function/etc. and returns the form value. */
+/** Introspects the `init` prop to see if it has a `map` function/etc. and returns the form value. */
 export function initValue<T>(config: ObjectConfig<T>, init: any): T {
   let value: any;
   if (isInput(init)) {
-    value = init.input ? init.map(init.input) : init.ifUndefined;
+    value = init.input ? (init.map ? init.map(init.input) : init.input) : init.ifUndefined;
   } else if (isQuery(init)) {
     value = init.query.data ? init.map(init.query.data) : init.ifUndefined;
+  } else if (init === undefined) {
+    // allow completely undefined init
   } else {
-    value = init;
+    throw new Error("init must have an input or query key");
   }
+  // Given our form config, pick out only the subset of fields out of `value` (unless it's a mobx class)
   return pickFields(config, value ?? {}) as T;
 }
 
 export function isInput<T, I>(init: UseFormStateOpts<T, I>["init"]): init is InputAndMap<T, I> {
-  return !!init && typeof init === "object" && "input" in init && "map" in init;
+  return !!init && typeof init === "object" && "input" in init;
 }
 
 export function isQuery<T, I>(init: UseFormStateOpts<T, I>["init"]): init is QueryAndMap<T, I> {