diff --git a/python_json_config/__version__.py b/python_json_config/__version__.py
index a955fda..bc86c94 100644
--- a/python_json_config/__version__.py
+++ b/python_json_config/__version__.py
@@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
-__version__ = "1.2.1"
+__version__ = "1.2.2"
diff --git a/python_json_config/config_node.py b/python_json_config/config_node.py
index ce524d2..e11710d 100644
--- a/python_json_config/config_node.py
+++ b/python_json_config/config_node.py
@@ -122,12 +122,12 @@ class ConfigNode(object):
                 raise RuntimeError(f"Updating not existing key {self.__path_for_key(key)}. To insert non existing keys"
                                    f"set upsert=True.")
             if isinstance(value, dict):
-                self.__node_dict[key] = ConfigNode(value, path=self.__path + [key])
+                self.__node_dict[key] = ConfigNode(value, path=self.__path + [key], strict_access=self.strict_access)
             else:
                 self.__node_dict[key] = value
         else:
             if key not in self.__node_dict and upsert:
-                self.__node_dict[key] = ConfigNode({}, path=self.__path + [key])
+                self.__node_dict[key] = ConfigNode({}, path=self.__path + [key], strict_access=self.strict_access)
             elif key not in self.__node_dict:
                 raise RuntimeError(f"Updating not existing key {self.__path_for_key(key)}. To insert non existing keys"
                                    f"set upsert=True.")

Properly set required/optional access in Config Nodes that are created at a later point in time (e.g. upsert)
Pass the value of the member `strict_access` to children spawned at a later point in time
diff --git a/tests/config_node/test_crud.py b/tests/config_node/test_crud.py
index 764e339..2df1fb9 100644
--- a/tests/config_node/test_crud.py
+++ b/tests/config_node/test_crud.py
@@ -136,6 +136,16 @@ def test_strict_access(config_dict):
         assert config.key2.nokey2 is None
 
 
+def test_access_options_in_new_nodes(config_dict):
+    config = ConfigNode(config_dict, strict_access=False)
+    assert config.key1 == 1
+    assert config.key10 is None
+
+    config.update("key10.key11", "testme", upsert=True)
+    assert config.key10.key11 == "testme"
+    assert config.key10.key12 is None
+
+
 def test_merge_env_variable():
     prefix = "PYTHONJSONCONFIG"
     variables = {f"{prefix}_TESTVALUE1": "bla", f"{prefix}_TESTVALUE2": "1"}

pip install -e .[dev]
parse_log_pytest
requirements.txt
pytest pytest-cov pytest-xdist pytest-mock pytest-asyncio pytest-bdd pytest-benchmark pytest-randomly
apt-get update apt-get install -y gcc
3.9
requirements.txt
pytest --no-header -rA --tb=line --color=no -p no:cacheprovider -W ignore::DeprecationWarning
atomicwrites==1.3.0
attrs==19.1.0
coverage==7.8.0
entrypoints==0.3
exceptiongroup==1.2.2
execnet==2.1.1
flake8==3.7.7
flake8-formatter-abspath==1.0.1
gherkin-official==29.0.0
importlib_metadata==8.6.1
iniconfig==2.1.0
jsonschema==3.0.1
Mako==1.3.9
MarkupSafe==3.0.2
mccabe==0.6.1
more-itertools==7.0.0
msgpack==0.6.1
packaging==24.2
parse==1.20.2
parse_type==0.6.4
pluggy==1.5.0
py==1.8.0
py-cpuinfo==9.0.0
pycodestyle==2.5.0
pyflakes==2.1.1
pyrsistent==0.14.11
pytest==8.3.5
pytest-asyncio==0.26.0
pytest-bdd==8.1.0
pytest-benchmark==5.1.0
pytest-cov==6.0.0
pytest-mock==3.14.0
pytest-randomly==3.16.0
pytest-xdist==3.6.1
-e git+https://github.com/janehmueller/python-json-config.git@f744b33a0b1cfde6e116d047618fc1fce120bcf7#egg=python_json_config
six==1.17.0
tomli==2.2.1
typing_extensions==4.13.0
zipp==3.21.0

name: python-json-config
channels:
  - defaults
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/r
  - conda-forge
dependencies:
  - _libgcc_mutex=0.1=main
  - _openmp_mutex=5.1=1_gnu
  - ca-certificates=2025.2.25=h06a4308_0
  - ld_impl_linux-64=2.40=h12ee557_0
  - libffi=3.4.4=h6a678d5_1
  - libgcc-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libgomp=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libstdcxx-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - ncurses=6.4=h6a678d5_0
  - openssl=3.0.16=h5eee18b_0
  - pip=25.0=py39h06a4308_0
  - python=3.9.21=he870216_1
  - readline=8.2=h5eee18b_0
  - setuptools=75.8.0=py39h06a4308_0
  - sqlite=3.45.3=h5eee18b_0
  - tk=8.6.14=h39e8969_0
  - tzdata=2025a=h04d1e81_0
  - wheel=0.45.1=py39h06a4308_0
  - xz=5.6.4=h5eee18b_1
  - zlib=1.2.13=h5eee18b_1
  - pip:
      - atomicwrites==1.3.0
      - attrs==19.1.0
      - coverage==7.8.0
      - entrypoints==0.3
      - exceptiongroup==1.2.2
      - execnet==2.1.1
      - flake8==3.7.7
      - flake8-formatter-abspath==1.0.1
      - gherkin-official==29.0.0
      - importlib-metadata==8.6.1
      - iniconfig==2.1.0
      - jsonschema==3.0.1
      - mako==1.3.9
      - markupsafe==3.0.2
      - mccabe==0.6.1
      - more-itertools==7.0.0
      - msgpack==0.6.1
      - packaging==24.2
      - parse==1.20.2
      - parse-type==0.6.4
      - pluggy==1.5.0
      - py==1.8.0
      - py-cpuinfo==9.0.0
      - pycodestyle==2.5.0
      - pyflakes==2.1.1
      - pyrsistent==0.14.11
      - pytest==8.3.5
      - pytest-asyncio==0.26.0
      - pytest-bdd==8.1.0
      - pytest-benchmark==5.1.0
      - pytest-cov==6.0.0
      - pytest-mock==3.14.0
      - pytest-randomly==3.16.0
      - pytest-xdist==3.6.1
      - six==1.17.0
      - tomli==2.2.1
      - typing-extensions==4.13.0
      - zipp==3.21.0
prefix: /opt/conda/envs/python-json-config

tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_access_options_in_new_nodes
tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_nested_upsert tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_creation tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_merge_env_variable_underscore_name tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_nested_update tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_get tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_update tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_add tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_strict_access tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_add_overwrite tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_merge_env_variable tests/config_node/test_crud.py::test_upsert
python_json_config/__version__.py python_json_config/config_node.py
python_json_config/__version__.py python_json_config/config_node.py