diff --git a/description/src/description.rs b/description/src/description.rs
index b477f7c..02e8d4d 100644
--- a/description/src/description.rs
+++ b/description/src/description.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use scale_info::{
     TypeDefCompact, TypeDefPrimitive, TypeDefSequence, TypeDefTuple, TypeDefVariant, Variant,
 };
 
-use crate::{description, transformer::Transformer};
+use crate::transformer::Transformer;
 
 use super::formatting::format_type_description;
 
diff --git a/typegen/src/tests/mod.rs b/typegen/src/tests/mod.rs
index 4b687e6..dcb0427 100644
--- a/typegen/src/tests/mod.rs
+++ b/typegen/src/tests/mod.rs
@@ -1012,7 +1012,103 @@ fn apply_user_defined_derives_for_specific_types() {
 }
 
 #[test]
-fn opt_out_from_default_derives() {
+fn apply_recursive_derives() {
+    use std::collections::BTreeMap;
+
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    #[derive(TypeInfo)]
+    struct Human {
+        organ_status: BTreeMap<Organ, Status>,
+        profession: Profession,
+        organs: Vec<Organ>,
+    }
+
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    #[derive(TypeInfo)]
+    enum Organ {
+        Heart,
+        Stomach,
+    }
+
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    #[derive(TypeInfo)]
+    struct Status {
+        damage: Compact<u32>,
+    }
+
+    #[allow(unused)]
+    #[derive(TypeInfo)]
+    enum Profession {
+        Student { college: String },
+        Programmer,
+    }
+
+    let mut derives = DerivesRegistry::new();
+
+    derives.extend_for_type(
+        parse_quote!(scale_typegen::tests::Human),
+        vec![parse_quote!(Reflect)],
+        vec![parse_quote!(#[is_human])],
+        false,
+    );
+
+    derives.extend_for_type(
+        parse_quote!(scale_typegen::tests::Human),
+        vec![parse_quote!(Clone)],
+        vec![parse_quote!(#[is_nice])],
+        true,
+    );
+
+    let settings = TypeGeneratorSettings {
+        derives,
+        ..subxt_settings()
+    };
+    let code = Testgen::new().with::<Human>().gen_tests_mod(settings);
+
+    let expected_code = quote! {
+        pub mod tests {
+            use super::root;
+            #[derive(Clone, Reflect)]
+            #[is_human]
+            #[is_nice]
+            pub struct Human {
+                pub organ_status: ::subxt_path::utils::KeyedVec<
+                    root::scale_typegen::tests::Organ,
+                    root::scale_typegen::tests::Status
+                >,
+                pub profession: root::scale_typegen::tests::Profession,
+                pub organs: ::std::vec::Vec<root::scale_typegen::tests::Organ>,
+            }
+            #[derive(Clone)]
+            #[is_nice]
+            pub enum Organ {
+                #[codec(index = 0)]
+                Heart,
+                #[codec(index = 1)]
+                Stomach,
+            }
+            #[derive(Clone)]
+            #[is_nice]
+            pub enum Profession {
+                #[codec(index = 0)]
+                Student { college: ::std::string::String , },
+                #[codec(index = 1)]
+                Programmer,
+            }
+            #[derive(Clone)]
+            #[is_nice]
+            pub struct Status {
+                #[codec(compact)]
+                pub damage: ::core::primitive::u32,
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
+    assert_eq!(code.to_string(), expected_code.to_string());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn apply_derives() {
     #[allow(unused)]
     #[derive(TypeInfo)]
     struct A(B);
@@ -1060,7 +1156,7 @@ fn opt_out_from_default_derives() {
 /// By default a BTreeMap would be replaced by a KeyedVec.
 /// This test demonstrates that it does not happen if we opt out of default type substitutes.
 #[test]
-fn opt_out_from_default_substitutes() {
+fn apply_custom_substitutes() {
     use std::collections::BTreeMap;
 
     #[allow(unused)]
diff --git a/typegen/src/typegen/settings/derives.rs b/typegen/src/typegen/settings/derives.rs
index adda25c..1f60b13 100644
--- a/typegen/src/typegen/settings/derives.rs
+++ b/typegen/src/typegen/settings/derives.rs
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@ impl DerivesRegistry {
     }
 
     /// Insert derives to be applied to a specific generated type.
+    ///
+    /// The `recursive` flag can be set if child types should also receive the given derives/attributes.
+    /// Child types are all types that are mentioned as fields or type parameters of the type.
     pub fn extend_for_type(
         &mut self,
         ty: syn::TypePath,
@@ -134,7 +137,9 @@ impl ToTokens for Derives {
     }
 }
 
-/// This is like a DerivesRegistry, but the recursive type derives have been flattened out into the specific_type_derives.
+/// This is like a DerivesRegistry, but the recursive type derives have been flattened out into specific_type_derives.
+///
+/// Can be constructed properly using a DerivesRegistry and a PortableRegistry with `DerivesRegistry::flatten_recursive_derives()`.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
 pub struct FlatDerivesRegistry {
     default_derives: Derives,
@@ -142,7 +147,7 @@ pub struct FlatDerivesRegistry {
 }
 
 impl FlatDerivesRegistry {
-    /// Resolve the derives for a specific type.
+    /// Resolve the derives for a specific type path.
     pub fn resolve(&self, ty: &syn::TypePath) -> Derives {
         let mut resolved_derives = self.default_derives.clone();
         if let Some(specific) = self.specific_type_derives.get(ty) {
@@ -151,6 +156,7 @@ impl FlatDerivesRegistry {
         resolved_derives
     }
 
+    /// Resolve the derives for a specific type.
     pub fn resolve_derives_for_type(
         &self,
         ty: &Type<PortableForm>,
@@ -160,6 +166,8 @@ impl FlatDerivesRegistry {
 }
 
 impl DerivesRegistry {
+    /// Flattens out the recursive derives into specific derives.
+    /// For this it needs to have a PortableRegistry that it can traverse recursively.
     pub fn flatten_recursive_derives(
         self,
         types: &PortableRegistry,
@@ -181,9 +189,15 @@ impl DerivesRegistry {
         let mut syn_path_for_id: HashMap<u32, syn::TypePath> = types
             .types
             .iter()
-            .map(|t| {
-                let path = syn_type_path(&t.ty)?;
-                Ok((t.id, path))
+            .filter_map(|t| {
+                if t.ty.path.is_empty() {
+                    None
+                } else {
+                    match syn_type_path(&t.ty) {
+                        Ok(path) => Some(Ok((t.id, path))),
+                        Err(err) => Some(Err(err)),
+                    }
+                }
             })
             .collect::<Result<_, TypegenError>>()?;
 
@@ -192,8 +206,11 @@ impl DerivesRegistry {
 
         // Check for each type in the registry if it is the top level of
         for ty in types.types.iter() {
-            let path = syn_path_for_id.get(&ty.id).expect("inserted above; qed;");
-            let Some(recursive_derives) = recursive_type_derives.remove(&path) else {
+            let Some(path) = syn_path_for_id.get(&ty.id) else {
+                // this is only the case for types with empty path (i.e. builtin types).
+                continue;
+            };
+            let Some(recursive_derives) = recursive_type_derives.remove(path) else {
                 continue;
             };
             // The collected_type_ids contain the id of the type itself and all ids of its fields:
@@ -211,13 +228,12 @@ impl DerivesRegistry {
 
         // Merge all the recursively obtained derives with the existing derives for the types.
         for (id, derived_to_add) in add_derives_for_id {
-            let path = syn_path_for_id
-                .remove(&id)
-                .expect("syn_path_for_id contains all type ids; qed;");
-            specific_type_derives
-                .entry(path)
-                .or_default()
-                .extend_from(derived_to_add);
+            if let Some(path) = syn_path_for_id.remove(&id) {
+                specific_type_derives
+                    .entry(path)
+                    .or_default()
+                    .extend_from(derived_to_add);
+            }
         }
 
         Ok(FlatDerivesRegistry {