diff --git a/pkg/app/pipedv1/controller/planner.go b/pkg/app/pipedv1/controller/planner.go
index ed2518ef4b..434d948471 100644
--- a/pkg/app/pipedv1/controller/planner.go
+++ b/pkg/app/pipedv1/controller/planner.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 package controller
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
@@ -273,8 +272,8 @@ func (p *planner) buildPlan(ctx context.Context, runningDS, targetDS *model.Depl
 		}
 	}
 
-	cfg := new(config.GenericApplicationSpec)
-	if err := json.NewDecoder(bytes.NewReader(targetDS.ApplicationConfig)).Decode(cfg); err != nil {
+	cfg, err := config.ParseApplication(targetDS.GetApplicationConfig())
+	if err != nil {
 		p.logger.Error("unable to parse application config", zap.Error(err))
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/configv1/application.go b/pkg/configv1/application.go
index a2c49495b1..bb870a6daf 100644
--- a/pkg/configv1/application.go
+++ b/pkg/configv1/application.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 package config
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
@@ -593,3 +594,13 @@ func LoadApplication(repoPath, configRelPath string, appKind model.ApplicationKi
 
 	return &spec, nil
 }
+
+// ParseApplication parses the given byte slice into a GenericApplicationSpec.
+func ParseApplication(b []byte) (*GenericApplicationSpec, error) {
+	cfg := new(GenericApplicationSpec)
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(bytes.NewReader(b)).Decode(cfg); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return cfg, nil
+}