Decoupling nodes and stages.

[Mihara]

So I've taken to using Subassembly Loader mod for most of my rocket construction. Sice Subassembly Loader can't copy-paste the root object (i.e. the pod) and the pod is often an attachment point for multiple small pieces of hardware, it's a bit annoying. Since most of my constructs include a docking port anyway, I usually make a probe core the root object, stack a docking port under it, and build from there.

Naturally, when I reassemble, I need to start with a probe core again. It's ok, if it's right above a docking port I can just decouple it, right? Decoupling it, however, makes the stages on everything below it condense into one stage. This is normally not a problem, since I can just decouple it only by the time I reach orbit, when I am typically no longer dependent on staging interface for firing things in the correct order anyway.

That is, unless the build includes parachutes, which, in this case, immediately become primed.

How do I prevent that from happening or un-prime them?

[HoY]

I've had to deal with the same thin a couple of times, what I normally do is leave the probe on the docking port until I actually need to use the port. By then most or all of my stages have already been fired already so it doesn't effect them.

If you still have chutes on board try activating stage lock? It might prevent them from opening. Also "control from here" from a lower part like the docking port below it or another command module besides the probe your about to eject may help as well.

If none of that works, make sure you have deploy chute set as an action group in case you need to repack them in orbit and they won't fire in staging again.

[Mihara]

Neither "control from here" nor stage lock seem to achieve the desired results.

I noticed, however, that it's MechJeb that's preventing me from rearranging stages afterwards by prematurely triggering them, which is what eventually causes the parachutes to prime. Turning off auto-stage in ascent guidance tab fixes that.

It'd be nice if I didn't have to do any of that though, but I guess I can afford to be extra careful with those few landers that do need parachutes.

[HoY]

In an update coming soon the auto stage won't be global for mechjeb ascent helper. There Will be a global autostage but not that one. So we will be able to leave ascent autostage on but after its done circularizing it won't autostage any longer unless you have the global toggle on. I didn't check to see if that was added in a dev release but I believe The_Duck said it was on the list of things for a "soon" update