From 2a972d8a79881d470f4099e05bf0766fbeb3a640 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Satya <satyabhangt@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2026 11:41:34 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] Edge resolution: a self-referential base edge is reverse for
 arrays and for non-pointer scalars
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entity.parent_id -> entity matches every type pair in both directions, and the
discovery loop kept forward whenever reverse also matched — so an array
include compiled as `parent.parent_id = child.id` and every nested list read
back empty. An array can only be the reverse side; a scalar is forward only
when the property IS the pointer (`parent` for `parent_id`), otherwise it is
the single child that points here (a cover attachment). 1286 library tests
pass. Pinned by api's accounting suites on branch activity-task-assignment-lines.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5.1 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01AvkGU4kQ4wsqxHFpXtZKZM
---
 src/database/mod.rs | 16 ++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 16 insertions(+)

diff --git a/src/database/mod.rs b/src/database/mod.rs
index afa6eb8..cec3b44 100644
--- a/src/database/mod.rs
+++ b/src/database/mod.rs
@@ -500,6 +500,22 @@ impl Database {
       let is_reverse = p_def.hierarchy.contains(&rel.destination_type)
         && c_def.hierarchy.contains(&rel.source_type);
 
+      // A self-referential edge on a shared ancestor table (entity.parent_id -> entity) matches
+      // both ways for every type pair. An array can only be the reverse (one-to-many) side; a
+      // scalar is the forward side only when the property IS the pointer (`parent` for
+      // `parent_id`) — otherwise it is the single child that points here (a cover attachment).
+      if is_forward && is_reverse {
+        let stem = rel
+          .source_columns
+          .first()
+          .map(|c| c.trim_end_matches("_id"))
+          .unwrap_or("");
+        let names_pointer = !stem.is_empty() && prop_name == stem;
+        if is_array || !names_pointer {
+          is_forward = false;
+        }
+      }
+
       // Structural Cardinality Filtration:
       // If the schema requires a collection (Array), it is mathematically impossible for a pure
       // Forward scalar edge (where the parent holds exactly one UUID pointer) to fulfill a One-to-Many request.