diff --git a/fiftyone/operators/_types/pipeline.py b/fiftyone/operators/_types/pipeline.py
index 97c8a169b2..46d35f27fd 100644
--- a/fiftyone/operators/_types/pipeline.py
+++ b/fiftyone/operators/_types/pipeline.py
@@ -96,28 +96,35 @@ def stage(
         return stage
 
     @classmethod
-    def from_json(cls, json_list):
-        """Loads the pipeline from a list of JSON/python dicts.
+    def from_json(cls, json_dict):
+        """Loads the pipeline from a JSON/python dict.
 
-        Ex., [
-            {"operator_uri": "@voxel51/test/blah", "name": "my_stage", ...},
-            ...,
-        ]
+        Ex., {
+            "stages": [
+                {"operator_uri": "@voxel51/test/blah", "name": "my_stage"},
+                ...,
+            ]
+        }
 
         Args:
-            json_list: a list of JSON / python dicts
+            json_dict: a JSON / python dict representation of the pipeline
         """
-        stages = [PipelineStage(**stage) for stage in json_list]
+        stages = [
+            PipelineStage(**stage) for stage in json_dict.get("stages") or []
+        ]
         return cls(stages=stages)
 
     def to_json(self):
-        """Converts the pipeline to list of JSON/python dicts.
+        """Converts this pipeline to JSON/python dict representation
+
+        Ex., {
+            "stages": [
+                {"operator_uri": "@voxel51/test/blah", "name": "my_stage"},
+                ...,
+            ]
+        }
 
-        Ex., [
-            {"operator_uri": "@voxel51/test/blah", "name": "my_stage", ...},
-            ...,
-        ]
         Returns:
-            list of JSON / python dicts
+            JSON / python dict representation of the pipeline
         """
-        return [stage.to_json() for stage in self.stages]
+        return dataclasses.asdict(self)
diff --git a/tests/unittests/factory/delegated_operation_doc_tests.py b/tests/unittests/factory/delegated_operation_doc_tests.py
index 972102a59b..cd347743be 100644
--- a/tests/unittests/factory/delegated_operation_doc_tests.py
+++ b/tests/unittests/factory/delegated_operation_doc_tests.py
@@ -69,20 +69,7 @@ def test_serialize_pipeline(self):
             ]
         )
         out = op_doc.to_pymongo()
-        assert out["pipeline"] == [
-            {
-                "name": "one",
-                "operator_uri": "@test/op1",
-                "num_distributed_tasks": None,
-                "params": None,
-            },
-            {
-                "name": "two",
-                "operator_uri": "@test/op2",
-                "num_distributed_tasks": None,
-                "params": None,
-            },
-        ]
+        assert out["pipeline"] == op_doc.pipeline.to_json()
         op_doc2 = repos.DelegatedOperationDocument()
         op_doc2.from_pymongo(out)
         assert op_doc2.pipeline == op_doc.pipeline
diff --git a/tests/unittests/operators/types_tests.py b/tests/unittests/operators/types_tests.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..305deedc7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unittests/operators/types_tests.py
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+"""
+FiftyOne operator type tests.
+
+| Copyright 2017-2025, Voxel51, Inc.
+| `voxel51.com <https://voxel51.com/>`_
+|
+"""
+
+import unittest
+
+import bson
+
+import fiftyone as fo
+import fiftyone.operators as foo
+from fiftyone.operators import types
+
+
+class TestPipelineType(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_pipeline_type(self):
+        pipeline = types.Pipeline()
+        self.assertListEqual(pipeline.stages, [])
+
+        pipeline = types.Pipeline(stages=[])
+        self.assertListEqual(pipeline.stages, [])
+
+        stage1 = types.PipelineStage(operator_uri="my/uri")
+        stage2 = types.PipelineStage(
+            operator_uri="my/uri2",
+            name="stage2",
+            num_distributed_tasks=5,
+            params={"foo": "bar"},
+        )
+        pipeline = types.Pipeline(stages=[stage1, stage2])
+        self.assertListEqual(pipeline.stages, [stage1, stage2])
+
+        pipeline = types.Pipeline()
+        pipeline.stage(stage1.operator_uri)
+        pipeline.stage(
+            stage2.operator_uri,
+            stage2.name,
+            stage2.num_distributed_tasks,
+            stage2.params,
+        )
+        self.assertListEqual(pipeline.stages, [stage1, stage2])
+
+    def test_serialize(self):
+        pipeline = types.Pipeline(
+            stages=[
+                types.PipelineStage(operator_uri="my/uri"),
+                types.PipelineStage(
+                    operator_uri="my/uri2",
+                    name="stage2",
+                    num_distributed_tasks=5,
+                    params={"foo": "bar"},
+                ),
+            ]
+        )
+        dict_rep = pipeline.to_json()
+        self.assertDictEqual(
+            dict_rep,
+            {
+                "stages": [
+                    {
+                        "operator_uri": "my/uri",
+                        "name": None,
+                        "num_distributed_tasks": None,
+                        "params": None,
+                    },
+                    {
+                        "operator_uri": "my/uri2",
+                        "name": "stage2",
+                        "num_distributed_tasks": 5,
+                        "params": {"foo": "bar"},
+                    },
+                ],
+            },
+        )
+        new_obj = types.Pipeline.from_json(dict_rep)
+        self.assertEqual(new_obj, pipeline)
+
+    def test_validation(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            types.PipelineStage(operator_uri=None)
+
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            types.PipelineStage(operator_uri="my/uri", num_distributed_tasks=0)
+
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            types.PipelineStage(
+                operator_uri="my/uri", num_distributed_tasks=-5
+            )
+
+        pipe = types.Pipeline()
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            pipe.stage("my/uri", num_distributed_tasks=-5)