diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/config.spec.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/config.spec.ts
index 457cb8244..8dd4ff33c 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/config.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/config.spec.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
+/* eslint-disable @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion */
 import * as configApi from './config.js';
+import type { MermaidConfig } from './config.type.js';
 
-describe('when working with site config', function () {
+describe('when working with site config', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     // Resets the site config to default config
     configApi.setSiteConfig({});
   });
-  it('should set site config and config properly', function () {
+  it('should set site config and config properly', () => {
     const config_0 = { fontFamily: 'foo-font', fontSize: 150 };
     configApi.setSiteConfig(config_0);
     const config_1 = configApi.getSiteConfig();
@@ -14,19 +16,26 @@ describe('when working with site config', function () {
     expect(config_1.fontSize).toEqual(config_0.fontSize);
     expect(config_1).toEqual(config_2);
   });
-  it('should respect secure keys when applying directives', function () {
-    const config_0 = {
+  it('should respect secure keys when applying directives', () => {
+    const config_0: MermaidConfig = {
       fontFamily: 'foo-font',
+      securityLevel: 'strict', // can't be changed
       fontSize: 12345, // can't be changed
       secure: [...configApi.defaultConfig.secure!, 'fontSize'],
     };
     configApi.setSiteConfig(config_0);
-    const directive = { fontFamily: 'baf', fontSize: 54321 /* fontSize shouldn't be changed */ };
-    const cfg = configApi.updateCurrentConfig(config_0, [directive]);
+    const directive: MermaidConfig = {
+      fontFamily: 'baf',
+      // fontSize and securityLevel shouldn't be changed
+      fontSize: 54321,
+      securityLevel: 'loose',
+    };
+    const cfg: MermaidConfig = configApi.updateCurrentConfig(config_0, [directive]);
     expect(cfg.fontFamily).toEqual(directive.fontFamily);
     expect(cfg.fontSize).toBe(config_0.fontSize);
+    expect(cfg.securityLevel).toBe(config_0.securityLevel);
   });
-  it('should allow setting partial options', function () {
+  it('should allow setting partial options', () => {
     const defaultConfig = configApi.getConfig();
 
     configApi.setConfig({
@@ -42,7 +51,7 @@ describe('when working with site config', function () {
       updatedConfig.quadrantChart!.chartWidth
     );
   });
-  it('should set reset config properly', function () {
+  it('should set reset config properly', () => {
     const config_0 = { fontFamily: 'foo-font', fontSize: 150 };
     configApi.setSiteConfig(config_0);
     const config_1 = { fontFamily: 'baf' };
@@ -55,7 +64,7 @@ describe('when working with site config', function () {
     const config_4 = configApi.getSiteConfig();
     expect(config_4.fontFamily).toEqual(config_0.fontFamily);
   });
-  it('should set global reset config properly', function () {
+  it('should set global reset config properly', () => {
     const config_0 = { fontFamily: 'foo-font', fontSize: 150 };
     configApi.setSiteConfig(config_0);
     const config_1 = configApi.getSiteConfig();
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/config.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/config.ts
index e00663827..c426e9122 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/config.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/config.ts
@@ -3,15 +3,16 @@ import { log } from './logger.js';
 import theme from './themes/index.js';
 import config from './defaultConfig.js';
 import type { MermaidConfig } from './config.type.js';
+import { sanitizeDirective } from './utils.js';
 
 export const defaultConfig: MermaidConfig = Object.freeze(config);
 
 let siteConfig: MermaidConfig = assignWithDepth({}, defaultConfig);
 let configFromInitialize: MermaidConfig;
-let directives: any[] = [];
+let directives: MermaidConfig[] = [];
 let currentConfig: MermaidConfig = assignWithDepth({}, defaultConfig);
 
-export const updateCurrentConfig = (siteCfg: MermaidConfig, _directives: any[]) => {
+export const updateCurrentConfig = (siteCfg: MermaidConfig, _directives: MermaidConfig[]) => {
   // start with config being the siteConfig
   let cfg: MermaidConfig = assignWithDepth({}, siteCfg);
   // let sCfg = assignWithDepth(defaultConfig, siteConfigDelta);
@@ -20,7 +21,6 @@ export const updateCurrentConfig = (siteCfg: MermaidConfig, _directives: any[])
   let sumOfDirectives: MermaidConfig = {};
   for (const d of _directives) {
     sanitize(d);
-
     // Apply the data from the directive where the the overrides the themeVariables
     sumOfDirectives = assignWithDepth(sumOfDirectives, d);
   }
@@ -111,12 +111,6 @@ export const getSiteConfig = (): MermaidConfig => {
  * @returns The currentConfig merged with the sanitized conf
  */
 export const setConfig = (conf: MermaidConfig): MermaidConfig => {
-  // sanitize(conf);
-  // Object.keys(conf).forEach(key => {
-  //   const manipulator = manipulators[key];
-  //   conf[key] = manipulator ? manipulator(conf[key]) : conf[key];
-  // });
-
   checkConfig(conf);
   assignWithDepth(currentConfig, conf);
 
@@ -188,16 +182,14 @@ export const sanitize = (options: any) => {
  *
  * @param directive - The directive to push in
  */
-export const addDirective = (directive: any) => {
-  if (directive.fontFamily) {
-    if (!directive.themeVariables) {
-      directive.themeVariables = { fontFamily: directive.fontFamily };
-    } else {
-      if (!directive.themeVariables.fontFamily) {
-        directive.themeVariables = { fontFamily: directive.fontFamily };
-      }
-    }
+export const addDirective = (directive: MermaidConfig) => {
+  sanitizeDirective(directive);
+
+  // If the directive has a fontFamily, but no themeVariables, add the fontFamily to the themeVariables
+  if (directive.fontFamily && (!directive.themeVariables || !directive.themeVariables.fontFamily)) {
+    directive.themeVariables = { fontFamily: directive.fontFamily };
   }
+
   directives.push(directive);
   updateCurrentConfig(siteConfig, directives);
 };
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/directiveUtils.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/directiveUtils.ts
index 563856631..baf628e74 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/directiveUtils.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/directiveUtils.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 import * as configApi from './config.js';
-
 import { log } from './logger.js';
-import { directiveSanitizer } from './utils.js';
 
 let currentDirective: { type?: string; args?: any } | undefined = {};
 
@@ -60,9 +58,6 @@ const handleDirective = function (p: any, directive: any, type: string): void {
           delete directive.args[prop];
         }
       });
-      log.info('sanitize in handleDirective', directive.args);
-      directiveSanitizer(directive.args);
-      log.info('sanitize in handleDirective (done)', directive.args);
       configApi.addDirective(directive.args);
       break;
     }
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
index f8a36f88e..35b251bc7 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import { attachFunctions } from './interactionDb.js';
 import { log, setLogLevel } from './logger.js';
 import getStyles from './styles.js';
 import theme from './themes/index.js';
-import utils, { directiveSanitizer } from './utils.js';
+import utils from './utils.js';
 import DOMPurify from 'dompurify';
 import { MermaidConfig } from './config.type.js';
 import { evaluate } from './diagrams/common/common.js';
@@ -388,7 +388,6 @@ const render = async function (
   // Add Directives. Must do this before getting the config and before creating the diagram.
   const graphInit = utils.detectInit(text);
   if (graphInit) {
-    directiveSanitizer(graphInit);
     configApi.addDirective(graphInit);
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/utils.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/utils.ts
index f054ef29f..dd574f86a 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/utils.ts
@@ -102,8 +102,6 @@ export const detectInit = function (text: string, config?: MermaidConfig): Merma
 
   if (Array.isArray(inits)) {
     const args = inits.map((init) => init.args);
-    sanitizeDirective(args);
-
     results = assignWithDepth(results, [...args]);
   } else {
     results = inits.args;