query_graph silently returns blank default projection for unsupported WITH expression

Summary

query_graph appears to mishandle computed expressions in WITH, especially split(...)[0]. Instead of returning the requested columns or an explicit unsupported-query error, it returns a default-looking projection with blank values.

Repro

MATCH (f:File)
WITH split(f.file_path,'/')[0] AS top, count(*) AS files
RETURN top, files
ORDER BY files DESC

Expected behavior

Either:

Valid grouped output with columns top, files; or
An explicit error saying the expression/query is unsupported.

Actual behavior

The tool returned:

Columns: f.name, f.qualified_name, f.label
Total rows: one row per File node, 449 in this case
Row values: blank strings, for example ["", "", ""]

This looks like a fallback/default file-node projection rather than the requested return shape.

Control queries that worked

MATCH (f:File) RETURN count(f) AS files

Returned 449.

MATCH (f:File) RETURN f.file_path AS path LIMIT 5

Returned valid paths, for example cloudbuild.yaml, vitest.config.ts, and capacitor.config.ts.

Additional observations

This also returned blank values instead of an error:

MATCH (f:File)
RETURN split(f.file_path,'/')[0] AS top
LIMIT 5

And an obviously unsupported function behaved similarly:

MATCH (f:File)
RETURN foo(f.file_path) AS nope
LIMIT 3

Why this matters

Silent wrong output is worse than a query failure. Callers can mistake blank/default rows for valid graph evidence and make incorrect downstream claims.

Possible cause

One or more of these may be unsupported or mishandled:

split()
list indexing with [0]
computed aliases in WITH
aggregation over a computed expression
fallback behavior when expression evaluation fails

If these expressions are intentionally unsupported, query_graph should fail closed with a clear error instead of returning blank/default projections.

Sample Output

{
   "project": "home-gc-projcet-directory",
   "query": "MATCH (f:File) WITH split(f.file_path,'/')[0] AS top, count(*) AS files RETURN top, files ORDER BY files DESC"
 }
 {"columns":["f.name","f.qualified_name","f.label"],"rows":[["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",""],["","",
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{
   "project": "home-gc-project-directory",
   "query": "MATCH (n) WHERE n.file_path STARTS WITH 'src/store/' RETURN labels(n)[0] AS label, count(n) AS count ORDER BY count DESC",
   "max_rows": 20
 }
 {"columns":["labels"],"rows":[[""],[""],[""],[""],[""],[""],[""]],"total":7}

Confirmed reproducible: an unsupported WITH expression (WITH split(f.file_path,'/')[0] AS top, count(*) AS files) does not error — it silently falls back to a default node projection (f.name/f.qualified_name/f.label) with blank values, which is worse than failing. Fix scope: when a projection/WITH expression isn't supported, return an explicit error in the result instead of the silent default. This is the highest-priority of the Cypher set (silent-wrong-output). Reproduced + queued. 🙏

fix(cypher): resync on unsupported WITH/RETURN expression (#373)

Fixed in commit a2cd1e7. The root problem was a parser desync: split(f.file_path,'/')[0] parsed split as a bare variable and left (...)[0] unconsumed, which knocked the parser out of alignment and made it fall back to a default star projection — exactly the f.name / f.qualified_name / f.label columns with blank values and one row per node you saw.

parse_return_item now consumes the balanced parentheses/brackets of an unknown function-call/index expression, so the parser stays in sync. The result: your requested column shape is preserved (top, files — not the misleading star columns), sibling aggregates like count(*) still compute, and the unsupported split(...)[0] term simply projects empty rather than corrupting the whole projection.

Note: this makes the output honest (correct columns, no misleading blank star projection) but does not yet evaluate split()/list-indexing — so grouping by top collapses to a single blank group. Full split() + list-indexing support is a separate scalar-expression feature; if you need true per-directory grouping, open a focused enhancement and I'll implement the split/index evaluator. Verified by a regression test asserting the requested columns (not the star projection) are returned, with labels()/toInteger() still working. Ships next release — thanks for the precise repro and the clear expected-behavior options!

feat(cypher): string functions + fail loudly on unsupported syntax

fix(cypher): refuse a name that is not in scope instead of projecting…

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query_graph silently returns blank default projection for unsupported WITH expression #373

Summary

Repro

Expected behavior

Actual behavior

Control queries that worked

Additional observations

Why this matters

Possible cause

Sample Output

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query_graph silently returns blank default projection for unsupported WITH expression #373

Description

Summary

Repro

Expected behavior

Actual behavior

Control queries that worked

Additional observations

Why this matters

Possible cause

Sample Output

Activity

DeusData commented on May 31, 2026

DeusData commented on May 31, 2026

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