diff --git a/openlibrary/plugins/openlibrary/js/index.js b/openlibrary/plugins/openlibrary/js/index.js
index b90a5bdc604..b29c4ae7cc7 100644
--- a/openlibrary/plugins/openlibrary/js/index.js
+++ b/openlibrary/plugins/openlibrary/js/index.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import automaticInit from './automatic';
 import bookReaderInit from './bookreader_direct';
 import { ungettext, ugettext,  sprintf } from './i18n';
 import jQueryRepeat from './jquery.repeat';
-import { enumerate, htmlquote, websafe, foreach, join, len, range } from './jsdef';
+import { enumerate, htmlquote, websafe, foreach, join, len, range, jsdef_get } from './jsdef';
 import initAnalytics from './ol.analytics';
 import init from './ol.js';
 import * as Browser from './Browser';
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ window.cond = cond;
 window.enumerate = enumerate;
 window.foreach = foreach;
 window.htmlquote = htmlquote;
+window.jsdef_get = jsdef_get;
 window.len = len;
 window.range = range;
 window.slice = slice;
diff --git a/openlibrary/plugins/openlibrary/js/jsdef.js b/openlibrary/plugins/openlibrary/js/jsdef.js
index 3611e4f1ead..af763e4f7fe 100644
--- a/openlibrary/plugins/openlibrary/js/jsdef.js
+++ b/openlibrary/plugins/openlibrary/js/jsdef.js
@@ -145,3 +145,17 @@ export function htmlquote(text) {
 export function is_jsdef() {
     return true;
 }
+
+
+/**
+ * foo.get(KEY, default) isn't defined in js, so we can't use that construct
+ * in our jsdef methods. This helper function provides a workaround, and works
+ * in both environments.
+ *
+ * @param {object} obj - the object to get the key from
+ * @param {string} key - the key to get from the object
+ * @param {any} def - the default value to return if the key isn't found
+ */
+export function jsdef_get(obj, key, def=null) {
+    return (key in obj) ? obj[key] : def;
+}
diff --git a/openlibrary/plugins/upstream/jsdef.py b/openlibrary/plugins/upstream/jsdef.py
index 745e8e18b70..2c5978b7eff 100644
--- a/openlibrary/plugins/upstream/jsdef.py
+++ b/openlibrary/plugins/upstream/jsdef.py
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ def py2js(expr):
     >>> py2js("x or not y")
     'x || ! y'
     """
-    d = {"and": "&&", "or": "||", "not": "!"}
+    d = {"and": "&&", "or": "||", "not": "!", "None": "null"}
 
     def f(tokens):
         for t in tokens:
diff --git a/openlibrary/plugins/upstream/utils.py b/openlibrary/plugins/upstream/utils.py
index 506f0fe6727..ff64a1e33de 100644
--- a/openlibrary/plugins/upstream/utils.py
+++ b/openlibrary/plugins/upstream/utils.py
@@ -1437,6 +1437,16 @@ def is_jsdef():
     return False
 
 
+@public
+def jsdef_get(obj, key, default=None):
+    """
+    foo.get(KEY, default) isn't defined in js, so we can't use that construct
+    in our jsdef methods. This helper function provides a workaround, and works
+    in both environments.
+    """
+    return obj.get(key, default)
+
+
 @public
 def get_donation_include() -> str:
     ia_host = get_ia_host(allow_dev=True)
diff --git a/openlibrary/templates/type/list/edit.html b/openlibrary/templates/type/list/edit.html
index 6538b22fc79..a3aacf7e9c3 100644
--- a/openlibrary/templates/type/list/edit.html
+++ b/openlibrary/templates/type/list/edit.html
@@ -20,8 +20,9 @@ <h1>$(_("Create a list") if new else _("Edit List"))</h1>
 
 $# Render the ith seed input field
 $jsdef render_seed_field(i, seed):
-    $# Note: Cannot use "in" because this is a jsdef function
-    $if seed['key'] or seed['key']:
+    $# seed['key'] errors in python; seed.get('key') errors in js. So need
+    $# to run different code on the server and client.
+    $if jsdef_get(seed, 'key') != None:
         $ seed = { 'thing': seed, 'notes': '' }
 
     $ key = ''