diff --git a/src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.ts b/src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.ts
index 9c221c84..d3a1fd74 100644
--- a/src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.ts
+++ b/src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.ts
@@ -570,15 +570,35 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
       }
     }
 
-    // Restore native provider state from persistence
+    // Restore native provider state from persistence — GATED by the same
+    // adoption verdict as caller-side state (the unconditional adopt was an
+    // asymmetry: a stale native blob restored over a moved store silently
+    // over/under-counted). 'adopt' restores; 'catchup' restores too (the
+    // incremental reconciliation drives the provider through
+    // incrementalUpdate over the exact missing window); 'rescan' SKIPS the
+    // blob — the flagged rebuild repopulates the provider from source.
+    // Legacy unstamped envelopes verdict as rescan, loudly, never silently.
     if (this.nativeProvider?.restoreState) {
       const nativeState = await this.storage.getMetadata('__aggregation_native_state__')
-      if (nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'string') {
-        this.nativeProvider.restoreState(nativeState)
-      } else if (nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'object' && nativeState.data) {
-        // flush() persists `{ data: serializeState() }`, so `data` is the
-        // provider's serialized state string.
-        this.nativeProvider.restoreState(nativeState.data as string)
+      const blob =
+        nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'string'
+          ? nativeState
+          : nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'object' && nativeState.data
+            ? (nativeState.data as string)
+            : null
+      if (blob !== null) {
+        const verdict = this.stateAdoptionVerdict(
+          '__native__',
+          nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'object' ? (nativeState as Record<string, unknown>) : {}
+        )
+        if (verdict === 'adopt' || verdict === 'catchup') {
+          this.nativeProvider.restoreState(blob)
+        } else {
+          prodLog.warn(
+            `[Aggregation] native provider state not adopted (verdict: ${verdict}) — ` +
+              `the flagged rescan repopulates the provider from source`
+          )
+        }
       }
     }
   }
@@ -614,12 +634,17 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
       }
     }
 
-    // Persist native provider state
+    // Persist native provider state — stamped. noteSourceGeneration lets the
+    // provider bake the committed watermark into its OWN envelope before
+    // serializing (so a native-side reopen can verify honesty without our
+    // wrapper); the wrapper carries the same stamp for OUR adoption verdict.
     if (this.nativeProvider?.serializeState) {
+      const nativeGen = this.storage.committedGeneration?.() ?? null
+      if (nativeGen !== null) this.nativeProvider.noteSourceGeneration?.(nativeGen)
       const nativeState = this.nativeProvider.serializeState()
       await this.storage.saveMetadata(
         '__aggregation_native_state__',
-        { data: nativeState }
+        nativeGen === null ? { data: nativeState } : { data: nativeState, sourceGeneration: nativeGen }
       )
     }
 
diff --git a/src/brainy.ts b/src/brainy.ts
index 6c0971e1..fff176fd 100644
--- a/src/brainy.ts
+++ b/src/brainy.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import {
 } from './storage/brainFormat.js'
 import type { BrainFormat } from './storage/brainFormat.js'
 import { StorageAdapter, Vector, DistanceFunction, EmbeddingFunction, GraphVerb, STANDARD_ENTITY_FIELDS } from './coreTypes.js'
-import type { HNSWNounWithMetadata, HNSWVerbWithMetadata, EntityVisibility } from './coreTypes.js'
+import type { HNSWNoun, HNSWNounWithMetadata, HNSWVerbWithMetadata, EntityVisibility } from './coreTypes.js'
 import {
   defaultEmbeddingFunction,
   cosineDistance,
@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@ import { AggregationIndex } from './aggregation/AggregationIndex.js'
 import { AggregateMaterializer } from './aggregation/materializer.js'
 import type { AggregateDefinition, AggregateQueryParams, AggregateResult } from './types/brainy.types.js'
 import type { MigrationProgress } from './types/brainy.types.js'
+import type { IndexedProjectionPath, WaitForIndexedOptions } from './types/brainy.types.js'
+import { WaitForIndexedTimeoutError } from './types/brainy.types.js'
 import { resolveJsHnswConfig, DEFAULT_RECALL } from './utils/recallPreset.js'
 import * as fs from 'node:fs'
 import * as os from 'node:os'
@@ -1273,6 +1275,34 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         this.graphIndex = graphIndex
       }
 
+      // Fact-log v2 mint seam: after-image records carry minted dense ints,
+      // and the ONE authority for those assignments is the metadata index's
+      // id mapper (append-only getOrAssign — a rebuilt mapper reproduces
+      // them exactly). The generation store cannot know the mapper, so the
+      // mint thunk is injected here, immediately after the index is ready;
+      // installing it is what flips the fact log's LIVE writes to the v2
+      // segment format. A configuration whose mapper is unavailable throws
+      // at mint time — an int of 0 is never written.
+      this.generationStore.setIntMinter((kind, id) => {
+        const mapper = this.metadataIndex?.getIdMapper?.()
+        if (!mapper || typeof mapper.getOrAssign !== 'function') {
+          throw new Error(
+            `fact log v2: cannot mint the ${kind} int for ${id} — the metadata index's ` +
+              `id mapper is unavailable on this configuration; refusing to write an ` +
+              `after-image without a reproducible int`
+          )
+        }
+        const minted = mapper.getOrAssign(id, undefined)
+        const asBigint = typeof minted === 'bigint' ? minted : BigInt(minted)
+        if (asBigint <= 0n) {
+          throw new Error(
+            `fact log v2: the id mapper minted ${asBigint} for ${kind} ${id} — ` +
+              `minted ints are positive; refusing to write`
+          )
+        }
+        return asBigint
+      })
+
       // Eager cold-load (readiness contract). A provider that persists its
       // derived state exposes init?(): trigger the load NOW — AFTER
       // metadataIndex.init() above (the id-mapper is hydrated first, so a
@@ -2040,6 +2070,116 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     return this._pendingEmbedIds.size
   }
 
+  /**
+   * THE READ BARRIER: wait until a projection — or every projection — has
+   * caught up to the CURRENT committed head, so a write-then-recall caller
+   * has ONE honest await instead of a sleep-and-hope.
+   *
+   * Legs:
+   * - `'semantic'` — waits for the deferred-embedding backlog to drain
+   *   (delegates to {@link awaitPendingEmbeds}, which keeps working
+   *   unchanged as this leg's engine). After it resolves, every previously
+   *   acknowledged write is vector-searchable.
+   * - `'metadata'` / `'graph'` / `'aggregation'` — resolve IMMEDIATELY by
+   *   design today: these projections are updated inside the write path, so
+   *   by the time a write's promise resolves they already reflect it. Their
+   *   asynchrony arrives with the log-authority read path; the door's shape
+   *   freezes now so callers written against it keep working unchanged when
+   *   those legs become real waits.
+   * - no argument — every projection at the head; today that reduces to the
+   *   semantic drain (the only asynchronous projection in the current
+   *   architecture).
+   *
+   * `opts.generation`: resolve as soon as the projection's watermark has
+   * reached that committed generation. The pending-embed set carries no
+   * generation stamps today, so the refinement is conservative — an empty
+   * backlog resolves immediately (the watermark is at the head, hence ≥ any
+   * committed generation); a non-empty backlog waits for the full drain, a
+   * SUPERSET of the requested wait, never a partial one.
+   *
+   * `opts.timeoutMs`: on expiry the promise REJECTS with
+   * {@link WaitForIndexedTimeoutError} — typed, carrying the leg and the
+   * still-pending embed count, and naming the gauge to check
+   * (`getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds`). Never a silent
+   * partial wait: a timeout means the projection has NOT caught up.
+   *
+   * @example Write, then semantically recall — no polling, no sleeps
+   * ```typescript
+   * const id = await brain.add({
+   *   data: 'quarterly revenue narrative',
+   *   type: NounType.Document,
+   *   deferEmbedding: true,
+   *   metadata: { kind: 'report' }
+   * })
+   * await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic')   // the barrier: vector landed + indexed
+   * const hits = await brain.find({ query: 'revenue report', searchMode: 'semantic' })
+   * // `id` is eligible to appear in `hits` — the recall is honest, not lucky.
+   * ```
+   *
+   * @param path - The projection to wait on; omit to wait on all of them.
+   * @param opts - Optional `generation` watermark target and `timeoutMs` bound.
+   * @throws {WaitForIndexedTimeoutError} When `timeoutMs` expires before the
+   *   projection catches up.
+   */
+  public async waitForIndexed(
+    path?: IndexedProjectionPath,
+    opts?: WaitForIndexedOptions
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    await this.ensureInitialized()
+
+    // Synchronous projections: updated inside the write path today, so an
+    // acknowledged write is already reflected — resolve immediately BY
+    // DESIGN (honest, not a stub). When the log-authority read path makes
+    // these legs asynchronous, only this body changes; the door's shape is
+    // frozen now.
+    if (path === 'metadata' || path === 'graph' || path === 'aggregation') {
+      return
+    }
+
+    // 'semantic' — or no-arg, which today reduces to it: the deferred-embed
+    // backlog is the only asynchronous projection in the current
+    // architecture.
+
+    // Generation refinement (conservative — see JSDoc): an empty backlog
+    // means the semantic watermark is at the head, hence ≥ any committed G.
+    if (opts?.generation !== undefined && this._pendingEmbedIds.size === 0) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    const timeoutMs = opts?.timeoutMs
+    const drained = this.awaitPendingEmbeds()
+    if (timeoutMs === undefined) {
+      return drained
+    }
+
+    // Typed timeout: reject LOUDLY with the leg + the live backlog gauge.
+    // (`drained` never rejects — the worker catches its own failures — so
+    // abandoning it on timeout cannot leak an unhandled rejection; the
+    // backlog keeps draining in the background.)
+    let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined
+    try {
+      await Promise.race([
+        drained,
+        new Promise<never>((_, reject) => {
+          timer = setTimeout(
+            () =>
+              reject(
+                new WaitForIndexedTimeoutError(
+                  path ?? 'all',
+                  timeoutMs,
+                  this._pendingEmbedIds.size
+                )
+              ),
+            timeoutMs
+          )
+          ;(timer as { unref?: () => void }).unref?.()
+        })
+      ])
+    } finally {
+      if (timer !== undefined) clearTimeout(timer)
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * @description The write-side persistence trigger (policy `'auto'`): count
    * the committed write, kick a single-flight BACKGROUND flush when the
@@ -6129,6 +6269,24 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       }
     }
 
+    // MATCH-ALL NORMALIZATION (served-or-refused law): an empty `where: {}`
+    // carries zero predicates, so it MUST route exactly like an absent `where`.
+    // Left in place it reads as "filter criteria present" below, builds an
+    // empty index filter, and `getIdsForFilter({})` answers `[]` by contract —
+    // a silent empty on a query that semantically matches everything (worst on
+    // a freshly reopened brain, where it masquerades as data loss; on the
+    // vector path it short-circuits `find({ query, where: {} })` to `[]`).
+    // Dropped here, ONCE, before branch selection: the query takes the
+    // unfiltered match-all branch below, which serves from truth-complete
+    // sources — a storage page bounded to the offset+limit window (never a
+    // full walk), or the column store's top-K sort when orderBy is present.
+    // Every delegating surface (Db pins via host.find, pagination.find,
+    // streaming.search, subgraph query seeding) inherits this routing.
+    if (params.where !== undefined && !whereConstrains(params.where)) {
+      const { where: _emptyWhere, ...rest } = params
+      params = rest as FindParams<T>
+    }
+
     // Zero-config validation (static import for performance)
     validateFindParams(params)
 
@@ -7049,6 +7207,18 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           `An empty selector would silently delete nothing — refusing.`
       )
     }
+    // An empty `where: {}` carries zero predicates. find() serves it as
+    // MATCH-ALL (the served-or-refused law), which on this destructive path
+    // would silently become "delete up to `limit` arbitrary rows". A bulk
+    // delete of everything must be asked for explicitly (type selector, real
+    // predicates, or ids) — refuse the ambiguous shape loudly.
+    if (params.where && !params.ids && !params.type && !whereConstrains(params.where)) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `removeMany() received where: {} — an empty filter matches EVERYTHING, ` +
+          `and a match-all bulk delete must be explicit. Pass real predicates, ` +
+          `a { type }, or { ids }; to clear the store use clear().`
+      )
+    }
     if (params.ids && params.ids.length === 0) {
       throw new Error(
         `removeMany() received ids: [] — an empty id list deletes nothing. ` +
@@ -7814,7 +7984,89 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
   async adoptLogAuthority(): Promise<OracleReport> {
     await this.ensureInitialized()
     this.assertWritable('adoptLogAuthority')
-    const report = await this.verifyLogAuthority()
+    let report = await this.verifyLogAuthority()
+
+    // BASELINE BACKFILL: curable divergences are rows whose CANONICAL truth
+    // simply never reached the log — pre-log records (e.g. the generation-0
+    // VFS root, or a brain older than its log) and witness drift from
+    // maintenance that rewrote canonical outside a generation. The cure is
+    // an identity re-commit: any generational touch of the row makes the
+    // commit fact capture the CURRENT canonical bytes (the fact reads
+    // canonical back after execute), so the log converges on witness truth.
+    // Log-AHEAD divergences (log-live-canonical-absent /
+    // log-tombstone-canonical-present) are NOT curable by backfill — the
+    // log claims things the witness denies — and refuse loudly below.
+    let passes = 0
+    while (report.verdict === 'red' && passes < 5) {
+      passes++
+      const curable = report.mismatches.filter(
+        (m) => m.reason === 'pre-log-record' || m.reason === 'state-differs'
+      )
+      const incurable = report.mismatches.filter(
+        (m) => m.reason !== 'pre-log-record' && m.reason !== 'state-differs'
+      )
+      if (incurable.length > 0) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `adoptLogAuthority(): the log claims state the canonical witness denies ` +
+            `(${incurable.length} divergence(s); first: ${incurable[0].reason} on ` +
+            `${incurable[0].id}) — backfill cannot cure a log-ahead divergence. ` +
+            `Investigate before flipping; the witness remains authoritative.`
+        )
+      }
+      if (curable.length === 0) break
+      prodLog.info(
+        `[Brainy] adoptLogAuthority: baseline backfill pass ${passes} — re-committing ` +
+          `${curable.length} row(s) whose canonical truth never reached the log`
+      )
+      for (const m of curable) {
+        const raw = await this.storage.readNounRaw(m.id)
+        if (raw.metadata === null && raw.vector === null) continue // vanished since the scan
+        // IDENTITY re-commit: preserve the stored vector-file wrapper AS-IS —
+        // the denormalized enumeration fields and the embedding floats ride
+        // through, because a backfill must never DEGRADE the row it cures
+        // (a skeleton rewrite would drop the row's floats and its enumerable
+        // fields, and a later log replay could only reproduce the metadata
+        // leg's hydration). The wrapper's floats sit nested under `vector`
+        // (canonical noun vector files hold the denormalized noun, not a
+        // bare array); adjacency legs stay in SaveNounOperation's
+        // placeholder shape (the vector index owns them).
+        const wrapper =
+          raw.vector !== null && typeof raw.vector === 'object' && !Array.isArray(raw.vector)
+            ? (raw.vector as Record<string, unknown>)
+            : null
+        const vector = Array.isArray(raw.vector)
+          ? (raw.vector as number[])
+          : Array.isArray(wrapper?.vector)
+            ? (wrapper!.vector as number[])
+            : []
+        await this.persistSingleOp({ nouns: [m.id] }, async (tx) => {
+          tx.addOperation(
+            new SaveNounOperation(this.storage, {
+              ...(wrapper ?? {}),
+              id: m.id,
+              vector,
+              connections: new Map(),
+              level: typeof wrapper?.level === 'number' ? (wrapper.level as number) : 0
+            } as HNSWNoun)
+          )
+        })
+      }
+      const next = await this.verifyLogAuthority()
+      if (
+        next.verdict === 'red' &&
+        next.mismatches.length >= report.mismatches.length &&
+        !report.mismatchListTruncated
+      ) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `adoptLogAuthority(): baseline backfill made no progress ` +
+            `(${report.mismatches.length} → ${next.mismatches.length} mismatches; first: ` +
+            `${next.mismatches[0]?.reason} on ${next.mismatches[0]?.id}) — refusing to loop. ` +
+            `This is a divergence class the backfill cannot express; investigate.`
+        )
+      }
+      report = next
+    }
+
     this._logAuthority = await flipToLogAuthority(
       this.storage as unknown as LogAuthorityStorage,
       report
@@ -10795,6 +11047,19 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     await this.generationStore.flushPendingSingleOps()
 
     // Flush all components in parallel for performance
+    // Watermark stamps ride every flush fan-out: stamp each projection with
+    // the committed generation BEFORE its flush persists (stamp-after-data
+    // holds inside each owner — the stamp is its LAST write; here we only
+    // hand the generation over). No committedGeneration capability = no
+    // stamp = the owner's verdict machinery treats the artifact as legacy.
+    {
+      const wmGen = this.storage?.committedGeneration?.() ?? null
+      if (wmGen !== null) {
+        this.metadataIndex.stampWatermark(wmGen)
+        ;(this.index as { stampWatermark?: (g: number) => void }).stampWatermark?.(wmGen)
+        ;(this.graphIndex as { stampWatermark?: (g: number) => void }).stampWatermark?.(wmGen)
+      }
+    }
     await Promise.all([
       // 1. Flush storage adapter counts (entity/verb counts by type)
       (async () => {
@@ -10974,6 +11239,32 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     return this.storage.requestFlushOverFilesystem(timeoutMs)
   }
 
+  /**
+   * @description The per-projection catch-up gauges served on
+   * `getIndexStatus().projections` (both the initialized and the
+   * pre-init snapshot — the numbers are safe to read at any lifecycle
+   * stage). Semantic reports the live deferred-embed backlog; metadata and
+   * graph are synchronous today (updated inside the write path);
+   * aggregation reports its rescan/catch-up backlogs (zero when the
+   * aggregation engine was never engaged).
+   */
+  private projectionGauges(): {
+    semantic: { pendingEmbeds: number }
+    metadata: { synchronous: true }
+    graph: { synchronous: true }
+    aggregation: { pendingBackfills: number; pendingCatchUps: number }
+  } {
+    return {
+      semantic: { pendingEmbeds: this._pendingEmbedIds.size },
+      metadata: { synchronous: true },
+      graph: { synchronous: true },
+      aggregation: {
+        pendingBackfills: this._aggregationIndex?.getPendingBackfills().length ?? 0,
+        pendingCatchUps: this._aggregationIndex?.getPendingCatchUps().length ?? 0
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Get index loading status (Diagnostic for lazy loading)
    *
@@ -10986,6 +11277,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
    * console.log(`HNSW Index: ${status.hnswIndex.size} entities`)
    * console.log(`Metadata Index: ${status.metadataIndex.entries} entries`)
    * console.log(`Graph Index: ${status.graphIndex.relationships} relationships`)
+   * console.log(`Pending embeds: ${status.projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds}`)
    * console.log(`Lazy rebuild completed: ${status.lazyRebuildCompleted}`)
    * ```
    */
@@ -10994,6 +11286,26 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     lazyRebuildCompleted: boolean
     /** Deferred embeds not yet landed (MT5) — the eventual-vector-index backlog. */
     pendingEmbeds: number
+    /** Per-projection catch-up gauges — the honest numbers behind
+     *  {@link waitForIndexed}. `synchronous: true` marks projections updated
+     *  inside the write path today: their barrier leg resolves immediately by
+     *  design, and the flag becomes a real backlog gauge when the
+     *  log-authority read path makes them asynchronous. */
+    projections: {
+      /** The deferred-embedding backlog (same number as the top-level
+       *  `pendingEmbeds`, which stays for compat). */
+      semantic: { pendingEmbeds: number }
+      metadata: { synchronous: true }
+      graph: { synchronous: true }
+      aggregation: {
+        /** Aggregates flagged for a full rescan of existing entities
+         *  (drained on the next aggregate query). */
+        pendingBackfills: number
+        /** Aggregates adopted behind the watermark, with exact missing
+         *  windows still to reconcile. */
+        pendingCatchUps: number
+      }
+    }
     disableAutoRebuild: boolean
     /** `true` while a native provider runs the one-time 7.x → 8.0 rebuild LOCK.
      *  A readiness probe should map this to HTTP 503 + Retry-After (transiently
@@ -11040,6 +11352,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         initialized: false,
         lazyRebuildCompleted: this.lazyRebuildCompleted,
         pendingEmbeds: this._pendingEmbedIds.size,
+        projections: this.projectionGauges(),
         disableAutoRebuild: this.config.disableAutoRebuild || false,
         migrating: false,
         rebuildFailed: this._indexRebuildFailed != null,
@@ -11083,6 +11396,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       initialized: this.initialized,
       lazyRebuildCompleted: this.lazyRebuildCompleted,
         pendingEmbeds: this._pendingEmbedIds.size,
+      projections: this.projectionGauges(),
       disableAutoRebuild: this.config.disableAutoRebuild || false,
       // A non-fatal index-rebuild failure recorded at init(), or adopt-forward
       // degraded ids, are degraded states (queries may be incomplete) — surface
@@ -11525,21 +11839,26 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
 
       // Get total count for pagination UI (O(1) when possible)
       count: async (params: Omit<FindParams<T>, 'limit' | 'offset'>) => {
+        // Match-all normalization (shared with find()): an empty `where: {}`
+        // carries no predicates. Counting it as a filter would route through
+        // getIdsForFilter({}) → [] → a silent count of 0 while rows exist.
+        const constrainingWhere = whereConstrains(params.where) ? params.where : undefined
+
         // For simple type queries, use O(1) index counting
-        if (params.type && !params.subtype && !params.query && !params.where && !params.connected) {
+        if (params.type && !params.subtype && !params.query && !constrainingWhere && !params.connected) {
           const types = Array.isArray(params.type) ? params.type : [params.type]
           return types.reduce((sum, type) => sum + this.metadataIndex.getEntityCountByType(type), 0)
         }
 
         // For complex queries, use metadata index for efficient counting
-        if (params.where || params.subtype || params.service) {
+        if (constrainingWhere || params.subtype || params.service) {
           let filter: any = {}
-          if (params.where) {
+          if (constrainingWhere) {
             // Where keys pass through UNTOUCHED — the one addressing law
             // parses them at the index boundary (bare = user metadata,
             // system.* = engine scalars). The old where.type→noun alias is
             // dead: a bare 'type' is the user's own field now.
-            Object.assign(filter, params.where)
+            Object.assign(filter, constrainingWhere)
           }
           if (params.service) filter['system.service'] = params.service
           if (params.subtype !== undefined) {
@@ -11600,13 +11919,18 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     return {
       // Stream all entities with optional filtering
       entities: async function* (this: Brainy<T>, filter?: Partial<FindParams<T>>) {
-        if (filter?.type || filter?.subtype || filter?.where || filter?.service) {
+        // Match-all normalization (shared with find()): an empty `where: {}`
+        // carries no predicates — routing it through getIdsForFilter({})
+        // would stream NOTHING while storage holds rows. Treat it as absent
+        // so it falls to the unfiltered storage-paginated walk below.
+        const constrainingWhere = whereConstrains(filter?.where) ? filter!.where : undefined
+        if (filter && (filter.type || filter.subtype || constrainingWhere || filter.service)) {
           // Use MetadataIndexManager for efficient filtered streaming
           let filterObj: any = {}
-          if (filter.where) {
+          if (constrainingWhere) {
             // Where keys pass through — the addressing law parses them at
             // the index boundary; the type→noun alias is dead.
-            Object.assign(filterObj, filter.where)
+            Object.assign(filterObj, constrainingWhere)
           }
           if (filter.service) filterObj['system.service'] = filter.service
           if (filter.subtype !== undefined) {
@@ -13743,15 +14067,20 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     service?: string
     excludeVFS?: boolean
   }): any | null {
-    if (!(params.where || params.type || params.subtype || params.service || params.excludeVFS)) {
+    // An empty `where: {}` carries no predicates — it is NOT structured
+    // criteria (see whereConstrains). Counting it would produce an empty
+    // filter object, and getIdsForFilter({}) / getIdSetForFilter({}) answer
+    // the empty set by contract — silently emptying a match-all query.
+    const constrainingWhere = whereConstrains(params.where) ? params.where : undefined
+    if (!(constrainingWhere || params.type || params.subtype || params.service || params.excludeVFS)) {
       return null
     }
     let filter: any = {}
-    if (params.where) {
+    if (constrainingWhere) {
       // Where keys pass through UNTOUCHED — the one addressing law parses
       // them at the index boundary (bare = user metadata, system.* = engine
       // scalars, typed refusal otherwise). The old type→noun alias is dead.
-      Object.assign(filter, params.where)
+      Object.assign(filter, constrainingWhere)
     }
     if (params.service) filter['system.service'] = params.service
     if (params.excludeVFS === true) {
@@ -16999,6 +17328,26 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * @description Whether a `where` clause actually constrains the result set —
+ * i.e. it is a non-null object carrying at least one predicate key. An empty
+ * `where: {}` carries ZERO predicates and must behave exactly like an absent
+ * `where` everywhere it is consulted; treating it as "a filter is present"
+ * routes the query into the index-filter path, where `getIdsForFilter({})`
+ * answers `[]` by contract — a silent empty on a match-all query (the
+ * forbidden answer class: served-or-refused, never silently nothing).
+ * @param where - The raw `where` value from a query/selector params object.
+ * @returns `true` when `where` holds at least one predicate.
+ */
+function whereConstrains(where: unknown): where is Record<string, unknown> {
+  return (
+    where !== null &&
+    typeof where === 'object' &&
+    !Array.isArray(where) &&
+    Object.keys(where).length > 0
+  )
+}
+
 /**
  * @description Extract the entity/relationship id from a canonical storage
  * path of the form `entities/(nouns|verbs)/<shard>/<id>/metadata.json`.
diff --git a/src/db/logAuthority.ts b/src/db/logAuthority.ts
index e6a36f75..a148f04e 100644
--- a/src/db/logAuthority.ts
+++ b/src/db/logAuthority.ts
@@ -128,6 +128,16 @@ export async function runLogCompletenessOracle(args: {
   canonicalNounDigest: (id: string) => Promise<string | null>
   /** Digest a log after-image record's payload. */
   factRecordDigest: (record: unknown) => string
+  /**
+   * Verb legs (optional until every owner wires them): the canonical verb
+   * digest + the paged verb enumeration. When ABSENT, the oracle counts NO
+   * verbs and says so via verbsChecked = 0 — an honest partial verdict,
+   * never a silent full-pass claim.
+   */
+  canonicalVerbDigest?: (id: string) => Promise<string | null>
+  getVerbs?: (opts: {
+    pagination: { limit: number; offset?: number; cursor?: string }
+  }) => Promise<{ items: unknown[]; hasMore?: boolean; nextCursor?: string }>
 }): Promise<OracleReport> {
   const report: OracleReport = {
     verdict: 'red',
@@ -151,19 +161,17 @@ export async function runLogCompletenessOracle(args: {
     return report
   }
   const logState = new Map<string, { tombstoned: boolean; digest: string | null }>()
+  const verbLogState = new Map<string, { tombstoned: boolean; digest: string | null }>()
   for await (const batch of scan.batches()) {
     for (const fact of batch.facts) {
       report.generationsScanned++
       for (const op of fact.ops) {
-        if (op.kind !== 'noun') continue
-        if (op.record === null) {
-          logState.set(op.id, { tombstoned: true, digest: null })
-        } else {
-          logState.set(op.id, {
-            tombstoned: false,
-            digest: args.factRecordDigest(op.record)
-          })
-        }
+        const state =
+          op.record === null
+            ? { tombstoned: true, digest: null }
+            : { tombstoned: false, digest: args.factRecordDigest(op.record) }
+        if (op.kind === 'noun') logState.set(op.id, state)
+        else verbLogState.set(op.id, state)
       }
     }
   }
@@ -210,6 +218,48 @@ export async function runLogCompletenessOracle(args: {
     }
   }
 
+  // Verb passes — only when the owner wired the verb legs; otherwise the
+  // report says verbsChecked: 0, an honest partial scope, never a claim.
+  if (args.canonicalVerbDigest && args.getVerbs) {
+    const seenVerbs = new Set<string>()
+    let vOffset = 0
+    let vCursor: string | undefined
+    for (;;) {
+      const page = await args.getVerbs({
+        pagination: vCursor ? { limit: PAGE, cursor: vCursor } : { limit: PAGE, offset: vOffset }
+      })
+      for (const item of page.items) {
+        const id = (item as { id: string }).id
+        seenVerbs.add(id)
+        report.verbsChecked++
+        const inLog = verbLogState.get(id)
+        if (!inLog) {
+          addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'pre-log-record' })
+          continue
+        }
+        if (inLog.tombstoned) {
+          addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'log-tombstone-canonical-present' })
+          continue
+        }
+        const canonical = await args.canonicalVerbDigest(id)
+        if (canonical === null) {
+          addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'pre-log-record' })
+          continue
+        }
+        if (canonical === inLog.digest) report.matched++
+        else addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'state-differs' })
+      }
+      if (!page.hasMore || page.items.length === 0) break
+      if (page.nextCursor) vCursor = page.nextCursor
+      else vOffset += page.items.length
+    }
+    for (const [id, state] of verbLogState) {
+      if (!state.tombstoned && !seenVerbs.has(id)) {
+        addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'log-live-canonical-absent' })
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   const totalMismatches =
     report.mismatches.length + (report.mismatchListTruncated ? 1 : 0)
   report.verdict = totalMismatches === 0 ? 'green' : 'red'
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 3186a6a7..03fba018 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,14 @@ export type {
   AggregationProvider
 } from './types/brainy.types.js'
 
+// Read-barrier contract (waitForIndexed): the leg names, the options, and
+// the typed timeout error (a value export — consumers catch it by instanceof)
+export type {
+  IndexedProjectionPath,
+  WaitForIndexedOptions
+} from './types/brainy.types.js'
+export { WaitForIndexedTimeoutError } from './types/brainy.types.js'
+
 // Reserved-field contract — the canonical list of Brainy-owned field names
 // that may never appear inside a `metadata` bag (see docs/concepts/consistency-model.md)
 export {
diff --git a/src/types/brainy.types.ts b/src/types/brainy.types.ts
index 2d4ff5e3..712f7e07 100644
--- a/src/types/brainy.types.ts
+++ b/src/types/brainy.types.ts
@@ -1614,6 +1614,15 @@ export interface AggregationProvider {
 
   /** Serialize internal state for persistence (called during flush) */
   serializeState?(): string
+
+  /**
+   * Bake the committed generation into the provider's own state envelope
+   * before {@link serializeState} (called during flush, immediately prior).
+   * Lets a native-side reopen verify the envelope's honesty independently of
+   * the host's wrapper stamp. Optional — providers without it rely on the
+   * host wrapper's `sourceGeneration` alone.
+   */
+  noteSourceGeneration?(generation: number): void
 }
 
 // ============= Configuration =============
@@ -2244,6 +2253,79 @@ export interface Highlight {
   contentCategory?: ContentCategory
 }
 
+// ============= Read barrier (waitForIndexed) =============
+
+/**
+ * One projection leg of the read barrier (`brain.waitForIndexed(path)`) — a
+ * derived view of the committed data that queries are served from:
+ *
+ * - `'semantic'` — the vector index (deferred embeds land here asynchronously)
+ * - `'metadata'` — the field/filter index behind `find({ where })`
+ * - `'graph'` — the relationship adjacency index
+ * - `'aggregation'` — the incremental aggregate states
+ */
+export type IndexedProjectionPath = 'semantic' | 'metadata' | 'graph' | 'aggregation'
+
+/**
+ * Options for `brain.waitForIndexed()`.
+ */
+export interface WaitForIndexedOptions {
+  /**
+   * Resolve as soon as the projection has caught up to this committed
+   * generation (rather than the current head). Today the pending-embed set
+   * carries no generation stamps, so the refinement is conservative: an
+   * empty backlog resolves immediately (the watermark is at the head, hence
+   * ≥ any committed generation); a non-empty backlog waits for the full
+   * drain — a SUPERSET of the requested wait, never a partial one.
+   */
+  generation?: number
+
+  /**
+   * Upper bound on the wait in milliseconds. On expiry the promise REJECTS
+   * with {@link WaitForIndexedTimeoutError} (typed: the leg + the
+   * still-pending count) — never a silent partial wait.
+   */
+  timeoutMs?: number
+}
+
+/**
+ * The typed rejection of `brain.waitForIndexed(path, { timeoutMs })` on
+ * expiry. Carries the projection leg (`path`; `'all'` for the no-argument
+ * barrier) and the deferred-embed backlog size at the moment the timer fired
+ * (`pendingEmbeds` — the same number as
+ * `getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds`), so a caller can
+ * log an honest gauge and retry instead of guessing. A timeout means the
+ * projection has NOT caught up — nothing was skipped, nothing partially
+ * waited.
+ */
+export class WaitForIndexedTimeoutError extends Error {
+  /** The projection leg that had not caught up (`'all'` = the no-arg barrier). */
+  public readonly path: IndexedProjectionPath | 'all'
+
+  /** The expired timeout, in milliseconds. */
+  public readonly timeoutMs: number
+
+  /** Deferred embeds still pending when the timer fired — the live value of
+   *  `getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds`. */
+  public readonly pendingEmbeds: number
+
+  constructor(path: IndexedProjectionPath | 'all', timeoutMs: number, pendingEmbeds: number) {
+    super(
+      `waitForIndexed(${path === 'all' ? '' : `'${path}'`}) timed out after ${timeoutMs}ms — ` +
+        `${pendingEmbeds} deferred embed${pendingEmbeds === 1 ? '' : 's'} still pending; the projection has ` +
+        `NOT caught up. Check getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds, then retry with a ` +
+        `larger timeoutMs or use awaitPendingEmbeds() for an unbounded drain.`
+    )
+    this.name = 'WaitForIndexedTimeoutError'
+    this.path = path
+    this.timeoutMs = timeoutMs
+    this.pendingEmbeds = pendingEmbeds
+    if (Error.captureStackTrace) {
+      Error.captureStackTrace(this, WaitForIndexedTimeoutError)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 // ============= Export all types =============
 
 export * from './graphTypes.js'  // Re-export NounType, VerbType, etc.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/integration/brain-relocation.test.ts b/tests/integration/brain-relocation.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..827bb959
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/brain-relocation.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+/**
+ * @module tests/integration/brain-relocation
+ * @description LC8 — RELOCATABLE BRAIN DIRECTORY. A brain's directory moved
+ * wholesale to a new path (rename/copy — backup-restore, disk migration,
+ * container re-mount) must open and serve IDENTICALLY: no absolute paths may
+ * hide in any persisted artifact. Pinned across every intelligence: point
+ * reads, metadata find, semantic find, graph traversal, aggregation — plus
+ * continued writes with monotonic generations and time-travel reads over
+ * pre-move history.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, renameSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
+import { NounType, VerbType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
+
+const dirs: string[] = []
+const brains: Brainy[] = []
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
+  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
+})
+
+const AGG = {
+  name: 'by_kind',
+  source: { type: NounType.Document },
+  groupBy: ['kind'] as string[],
+  metrics: { count: { op: 'count' as const } }
+}
+
+describe('LC8 — a moved brain directory opens and serves identically', () => {
+  it('rename the directory: all three intelligences serve, writes continue, history travels', async () => {
+    const home = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-reloc-'))
+    dirs.push(home)
+    const oldPath = join(home, 'brain-old')
+    const newPath = join(home, 'brain-new')
+
+    // Season a brain: rows, a relation, an aggregate, then flush + close.
+    let brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: oldPath }, requireSubtype: false })
+    await brain.init()
+    brains.push(brain)
+    brain.defineAggregate(AGG)
+    const alpha = await brain.add({
+      data: 'alpha document about mountain geology',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      metadata: { kind: 'report', n: 1 }
+    })
+    const beta = await brain.add({
+      data: 'beta document about coastal erosion',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      metadata: { kind: 'report', n: 2 }
+    })
+    await brain.relate({ from: alpha, to: beta, verb: VerbType.RelatedTo })
+    await brain.queryAggregate(AGG.name) // settle backfill
+    const preMoveGen = brain.generation()
+    await brain.flush()
+    await brain.close()
+    brains.pop()
+
+    // The move: wholesale directory rename.
+    renameSync(oldPath, newPath)
+
+    // Reopen at the NEW path — everything serves.
+    brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: newPath }, requireSubtype: false })
+    await brain.init()
+    brains.push(brain)
+    brain.defineAggregate(AGG)
+
+    // Point read + metadata find.
+    expect((await brain.get(alpha))!.data).toContain('mountain geology')
+    const found = await brain.find({ where: { kind: 'report' }, limit: 10 })
+    expect(found.map((r) => r.id).sort()).toEqual([alpha, beta].sort())
+
+    // Semantic find.
+    const sem = await brain.find({ query: 'alpha document about mountain geology', limit: 3 })
+    expect(sem.map((r) => r.id)).toContain(alpha)
+
+    // Graph traversal.
+    const related = await brain.related(alpha)
+    expect(related.map((r) => r.to)).toContain(beta)
+
+    // Aggregation.
+    const agg = (await brain.queryAggregate(AGG.name)) as Array<{
+      groupKey: Record<string, unknown>
+      metrics: Record<string, unknown>
+    }>
+    const reportRow = agg.find((g) => g.groupKey['kind'] === 'report')
+    expect(Number(reportRow?.metrics.count)).toBe(2)
+
+    // Writes continue with monotonic generations.
+    const gamma = await brain.add({
+      data: 'gamma addendum after the move',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      metadata: { kind: 'report', n: 3 }
+    })
+    expect(brain.generation()).toBeGreaterThan(preMoveGen)
+    expect((await brain.get(gamma))!.data).toContain('addendum')
+
+    // Time travel across the move boundary: the pre-move pin sees exactly
+    // the pre-move world (no gamma), served from relocated history.
+    const dbPast = await brain.asOf(preMoveGen)
+    expect(await dbPast.get(gamma)).toBeNull()
+    expect((await dbPast.get(alpha))!.data).toContain('mountain geology')
+    await dbPast.release()
+  }, 120000)
+})
diff --git a/tests/integration/find-matchall-cold.test.ts b/tests/integration/find-matchall-cold.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..158cb163
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/find-matchall-cold.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+/**
+ * @module tests/integration/find-matchall-cold
+ * @description THE MATCH-ALL SILENT-EMPTY PIN: `find({ where: {} })` is a
+ * match-all query — zero predicates constrain nothing — yet it used to route
+ * through the index-filter branch, where `getIdsForFilter({})` answers `[]`
+ * by contract. Result: 0 rows while storage held rows (worst on a freshly
+ * reopened brain, where it masqueraded as data loss), the forbidden answer
+ * class — a silent empty instead of served-or-refused. These tests pin the
+ * law: an empty `where` routes exactly like an absent `where`, serving from
+ * truth-complete sources (a storage page bounded to the offset+limit window,
+ * or the column store's top-K sort under orderBy) — warm AND cold, on the
+ * live brain, the Db pin path, pagination.count, streaming.entities, and the
+ * semantic path (`{ query, where: {} }` must not short-circuit to `[]`).
+ * The one deliberate refusal: `removeMany({ where: {} })` throws — a
+ * match-all BULK DELETE must be asked for explicitly, never inherited.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
+import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
+
+const dirs: string[] = []
+const brains: Brainy[] = []
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
+  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
+})
+
+async function open(dir: string): Promise<Brainy> {
+  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
+  await b.init()
+  brains.push(b)
+  return b
+}
+
+/** Seed three plain documents with a sortable numeric field. */
+async function seed(brain: Brainy): Promise<string[]> {
+  const ids: string[] = []
+  ids.push(await brain.add({ data: 'alpha row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 1 } }))
+  ids.push(await brain.add({ data: 'beta row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 2 } }))
+  ids.push(await brain.add({ data: 'gamma row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 3 } }))
+  await brain.flush()
+  return ids
+}
+
+describe('find({ where: {} }) — match-all serves, warm and cold', () => {
+  it('the repro: a freshly reopened filesystem brain serves match-all (not a silent 0)', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-cold-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    await seed(brain)
+    await brain.close()
+    brains.pop()
+
+    const reopened = await open(dir)
+    const rows = await reopened.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })
+    expect(rows.length, 'match-all serves every stored row on the cold brain').toBe(3)
+
+    // The predicate paths that always worked cold stay working — same brain.
+    expect((await reopened.find({ where: { n: 1 }, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(1)
+    expect((await reopened.find({ where: { 'system.type': 'document' }, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(3)
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('match-all + orderBy on a metadata field serves sorted after reopen', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-order-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    await seed(brain)
+    await brain.close()
+    brains.pop()
+
+    const reopened = await open(dir)
+    const rows = await reopened.find({ where: {}, orderBy: 'n', order: 'desc', limit: 10 })
+    expect(rows.length, 'sorted match-all serves every stored row cold').toBe(3)
+    expect(
+      rows.map((r) => (r.metadata as { n: number }).n),
+      'orderBy is honored on the cold match-all page'
+    ).toEqual([3, 2, 1])
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('warm brain unchanged: match-all, sorted match-all, and predicates all serve in-session', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-warm-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    await seed(brain)
+
+    expect((await brain.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(3)
+    const sorted = await brain.find({ where: {}, orderBy: 'n', order: 'asc', limit: 2 })
+    expect(sorted.map((r) => (r.metadata as { n: number }).n)).toEqual([1, 2])
+    expect((await brain.find({ where: { n: 2 }, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(1)
+    // Pagination window respected: match-all never over-serves the page.
+    expect((await brain.find({ where: {}, limit: 2, offset: 2 })).length).toBe(1)
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('the semantic path: find({ query, where: {} }) must not short-circuit to []', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-query-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    await seed(brain)
+    await brain.close()
+    brains.pop()
+
+    const reopened = await open(dir)
+    // Before the fix, the pre-resolved empty filter matched nothing and the
+    // vector search was skipped entirely — a silent [] for every such query.
+    const rows = await reopened.find({ query: 'alpha row', where: {}, limit: 10 })
+    expect(rows.length, 'an unconstraining where must not empty a semantic query').toBeGreaterThan(0)
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('the Db pin path: asOf(g).find({ where: {} }) serves at the pinned generation after reopen', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-asof-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    await brain.add({ data: 'first', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 1 } })
+    await brain.add({ data: 'second', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 2 } })
+    await brain.flush()
+    const gTwo = brain.generation()
+    await brain.add({ data: 'third', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 3 } })
+    await brain.flush()
+    await brain.close()
+    brains.pop()
+
+    const reopened = await open(dir)
+    // Current-generation pin (delegates to the live find fast path).
+    const now = reopened.now()
+    expect((await now.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(3)
+
+    // Historical pin: the record-overlay path must serve match-all too.
+    const past = await reopened.asOf(gTwo)
+    try {
+      const rows = await past.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })
+      expect(rows.length, 'match-all at the pinned generation sees exactly the rows of that generation').toBe(2)
+    } finally {
+      await past.release()
+    }
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('pagination.count({ where: {} }) counts every row instead of a silent 0', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-count-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    await seed(brain)
+    await brain.close()
+    brains.pop()
+
+    const reopened = await open(dir)
+    // The law: an empty where counts exactly like an absent where (the
+    // unfiltered total — which by long-standing count semantics includes
+    // system entities such as the VFS root, hence >= the 3 user rows).
+    const emptyWhere = await reopened.pagination.count({ where: {} })
+    expect(emptyWhere).toBe(await reopened.pagination.count({}))
+    expect(emptyWhere).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3)
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('streaming.entities({ where: {} }) streams every row instead of nothing', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-stream-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    await seed(brain)
+    await brain.close()
+    brains.pop()
+
+    const reopened = await open(dir)
+    const streamed: string[] = []
+    for await (const entity of reopened.streaming.entities({ where: {} })) {
+      streamed.push(entity.id)
+    }
+    expect(streamed.length, 'an unconstraining where streams the full store').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3)
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('removeMany({ where: {} }) refuses loudly — match-all bulk delete is never implicit', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-remove-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    await seed(brain)
+
+    await expect(brain.removeMany({ where: {} })).rejects.toThrow(/matches EVERYTHING/)
+    // Nothing was deleted by the refused call.
+    expect((await brain.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(3)
+  }, 120000)
+})
diff --git a/tests/integration/log-authority-adopt.test.ts b/tests/integration/log-authority-adopt.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ad55fc9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/log-authority-adopt.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+/**
+ * @module tests/integration/log-authority-adopt
+ * @description THE SANCTIONED FLIP, END TO END: adoptLogAuthority() cures
+ * its own curable divergences by baseline backfill — a FRESH brain (whose
+ * generation-0 VFS root never entered the log) flips WITHOUT any manual
+ * white-box backfill. Before this, no fresh brain could ever flip: the
+ * oracle reported the bootstrap row as pre-log-record and the flip refused.
+ * Log-AHEAD divergences stay incurable and refuse loudly (witness wins).
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
+import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
+
+const dirs: string[] = []
+const brains: Brainy[] = []
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
+  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
+})
+
+async function open(dir: string): Promise<Brainy> {
+  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
+  await b.init()
+  brains.push(b)
+  return b
+}
+
+describe('adoptLogAuthority — the sanctioned flip with self-backfill', () => {
+  it('a fresh brain flips directly: the backfill cures the generation-0 baseline', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-adopt-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    const idA = await brain.add({ data: 'first row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 1 } })
+    await brain.add({ data: 'second row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 2 } })
+    await brain.flush()
+
+    const report = await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
+    expect(report.verdict, 'the flip receipt is a green oracle').toBe('green')
+    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
+
+    // The switch survives reopen; the brain keeps serving identically.
+    await brain.close()
+    brains.pop()
+    const reopened = await open(dir)
+    expect(reopened.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
+    expect(await reopened.get(idA), 'records serve at reopen').toBeTruthy()
+    const rows = await reopened.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })
+    expect(rows.length, 'match-all serves on the reopened flipped brain').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2)
+    // And a fresh oracle run on the flipped brain stays green.
+    expect((await reopened.verifyLogAuthority()).verdict).toBe('green')
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('witness drift (out-of-generation canonical rewrite) is cured by the backfill, then flips', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-adopt-drift-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const brain = await open(dir)
+    const id = await brain.add({ data: 'drifter', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { v: 1 } })
+    await brain.flush()
+
+    // Simulate maintenance rewriting canonical OUTSIDE a generation (the
+    // witness-drift class): mutate the stored record directly.
+    const storage = (brain as unknown as {
+      storage: {
+        readNounRaw(id: string): Promise<{ metadata: unknown; vector: unknown }>
+        writeNounRaw(id: string, r: { metadata: unknown; vector: unknown }): Promise<void>
+      }
+    }).storage
+    const raw = await storage.readNounRaw(id)
+    await storage.writeNounRaw(id, {
+      metadata: { ...(raw.metadata as Record<string, unknown>), drifted: true },
+      vector: raw.vector
+    })
+    expect((await brain.verifyLogAuthority()).verdict, 'drift detected').toBe('red')
+
+    const report = await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
+    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
+    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
+  }, 120000)
+})
diff --git a/tests/integration/wait-for-indexed.test.ts b/tests/integration/wait-for-indexed.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..711ddc99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/wait-for-indexed.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+/**
+ * @module tests/integration/wait-for-indexed
+ * @description THE READ BARRIER — `brain.waitForIndexed(path?, opts?)`. A
+ * consumer that writes and then semantically recalls gets ONE honest barrier
+ * instead of guessing. The contract pinned here:
+ *
+ * 1. SEMANTIC LEG: a deferred add followed by `waitForIndexed('semantic')`
+ *    resolves only after the vector landed — the row is vector-searchable
+ *    the moment the barrier returns.
+ * 2. TYPED TIMEOUT: `timeoutMs` expiry REJECTS with
+ *    WaitForIndexedTimeoutError carrying the leg + the pending count and
+ *    naming the gauge — never a silent partial wait.
+ * 3. NO-ARG: every projection at the head; today that means the deferred
+ *    embed backlog is drained.
+ * 4. SYNCHRONOUS LEGS: metadata/graph/aggregation resolve immediately by
+ *    design today (they update inside the write path) — even while the
+ *    semantic backlog is wedged.
+ * 5. GAUGES: getIndexStatus().projections carries the per-leg numbers, and
+ *    the top-level pendingEmbeds compat field agrees with the semantic one.
+ * 6. GENERATION REFINEMENT: an empty backlog satisfies any generation
+ *    immediately; a non-empty one falls back to the full drain.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { Brainy, WaitForIndexedTimeoutError } from '../../src/index.js'
+import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
+
+const brains: Brainy[] = []
+
+async function memBrain(): Promise<Brainy> {
+  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'memory' }, requireSubtype: false })
+  await b.init()
+  brains.push(b)
+  return b
+}
+
+/**
+ * Abandon a poisoned in-flight embed run (its embed promise never resolves —
+ * production is covered by the worker's 60s hang guard; the test takes the
+ * white-box shortcut for speed), then drain so teardown never wedges.
+ */
+async function unwedge(brain: Brainy): Promise<void> {
+  ;(brain as unknown as { _embedWorkerFlight: Promise<void> | null })._embedWorkerFlight = null
+  await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
+}
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  vi.restoreAllMocks()
+  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
+})
+
+describe('waitForIndexed — the read barrier', () => {
+  it("SEMANTIC LEG: deferred add → waitForIndexed('semantic') resolves and the row is vector-searchable after", async () => {
+    const brain = await memBrain()
+    const embedSpy = vi.spyOn(brain, 'embed')
+
+    const id = await brain.add({
+      data: 'the quarterly revenue report for the northern region',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      deferEmbedding: true,
+      metadata: { kind: 'report' }
+    })
+    expect(embedSpy, 'no embed on the ack path').not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
+
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic')
+
+    // The barrier's meaning: backlog drained, vector real, row searchable.
+    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount(), 'barrier means drained').toBe(0)
+    const after = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
+    expect((after!.vector as number[]).length, 'real vector after the barrier').toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    const hits = await brain.find({
+      query: 'the quarterly revenue report for the northern region',
+      searchMode: 'semantic',
+      limit: 5
+    })
+    expect(hits.map((r) => r.id), 'vector-searchable after the barrier').toContain(id)
+  })
+
+  it('TYPED TIMEOUT: a hung embedder + timeoutMs rejects with the typed error naming the pending count and the gauge', async () => {
+    const brain = await memBrain()
+    const hang = vi
+      .spyOn(brain, 'embed')
+      .mockImplementation(() => new Promise<number[]>(() => {}))
+
+    await brain.add({
+      data: 'never lands while the embedder hangs',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      deferEmbedding: true,
+      metadata: {}
+    })
+    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(1)
+
+    let caught: unknown
+    try {
+      await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic', { timeoutMs: 200 })
+    } catch (e) {
+      caught = e
+    }
+
+    expect(caught, 'expiry REJECTS — never a silent partial wait').toBeInstanceOf(
+      WaitForIndexedTimeoutError
+    )
+    const err = caught as WaitForIndexedTimeoutError
+    expect(err.path).toBe('semantic')
+    expect(err.timeoutMs).toBe(200)
+    expect(err.pendingEmbeds).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
+    // The message names what was still pending and the gauge to check.
+    expect(err.message).toContain(`${err.pendingEmbeds} deferred embed`)
+    expect(err.message).toContain('getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds')
+
+    hang.mockRestore()
+    await unwedge(brain)
+    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  it('NO-ARG: waitForIndexed() waits on the pending-embed drain (every projection at the head)', async () => {
+    const brain = await memBrain()
+    await brain.add({
+      data: 'a deferred capture that the bare barrier must cover',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      deferEmbedding: true,
+      metadata: {}
+    })
+    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
+
+    await brain.waitForIndexed()
+
+    expect(
+      brain.pendingEmbedCount(),
+      'the bare barrier drained the only asynchronous projection'
+    ).toBe(0)
+  })
+
+  it('SYNCHRONOUS LEGS: metadata/graph/aggregation resolve immediately — even while the semantic backlog is wedged', async () => {
+    const brain = await memBrain()
+
+    // Quiet brain first: all three legs resolve on a brain with no backlog.
+    await brain.add({ data: 'quiet row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { q: 1 } })
+    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('metadata')
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('graph')
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('aggregation')
+
+    // The stronger pin: these projections update inside the write path today,
+    // so their leg resolves immediately BY DESIGN — independent of a wedged
+    // semantic backlog. (If any of them incorrectly delegated to the embed
+    // drain, this test would hang.)
+    const hang = vi
+      .spyOn(brain, 'embed')
+      .mockImplementation(() => new Promise<number[]>(() => {}))
+    await brain.add({
+      data: 'wedged deferred row',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      deferEmbedding: true,
+      metadata: {}
+    })
+    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(1)
+
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('metadata')
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('graph')
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('aggregation')
+
+    hang.mockRestore()
+    await unwedge(brain)
+  })
+
+  it('GAUGES: getIndexStatus().projections carries the per-leg shape, and the compat field agrees', async () => {
+    const brain = await memBrain()
+    await brain.add({ data: 'gauge row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { g: 1 } })
+    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
+
+    const status = await brain.getIndexStatus()
+    expect(status.projections).toEqual({
+      semantic: { pendingEmbeds: 0 },
+      metadata: { synchronous: true },
+      graph: { synchronous: true },
+      aggregation: { pendingBackfills: 0, pendingCatchUps: 0 }
+    })
+    // Compat: the existing top-level gauge stays and agrees.
+    expect(status.pendingEmbeds).toBe(0)
+
+    // The semantic gauge is honest while a backlog exists.
+    const hang = vi
+      .spyOn(brain, 'embed')
+      .mockImplementation(() => new Promise<number[]>(() => {}))
+    await brain.add({
+      data: 'backlogged row',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      deferEmbedding: true,
+      metadata: {}
+    })
+    const busy = await brain.getIndexStatus()
+    expect(busy.projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
+    expect(busy.pendingEmbeds).toBe(busy.projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds)
+
+    hang.mockRestore()
+    await unwedge(brain)
+  })
+
+  it('GENERATION REFINEMENT: an empty backlog satisfies any generation immediately; a non-empty one falls back to the full drain', async () => {
+    const brain = await memBrain()
+    await brain.add({ data: 'generation row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
+    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
+
+    // Empty backlog: the semantic watermark is at the head — >= any committed G.
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic', { generation: 1 })
+
+    // Non-empty backlog: the conservative full drain (a superset of the
+    // requested wait, never a partial one).
+    await brain.add({
+      data: 'second generation row',
+      type: NounType.Document,
+      deferEmbedding: true,
+      metadata: {}
+    })
+    await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic', { generation: 1 })
+    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount(), 'the fallback is the full drain').toBe(0)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/tests/unit/db/log-authority-oracle-verbs.test.ts b/tests/unit/db/log-authority-oracle-verbs.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..68da1867
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/db/log-authority-oracle-verbs.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/**
+ * @module tests/unit/db/log-authority-oracle-verbs
+ * @description The verification oracle's VERB legs — module-level pins with
+ * doubles (the brain-level wiring rides the owner's call site):
+ * 1. Wired verb legs diff verbs exactly like nouns (pre-log / state-differs /
+ *    tombstone-vs-present / log-live-absent).
+ * 2. UNWIRED verb legs = an HONEST PARTIAL verdict: verbsChecked stays 0 —
+ *    the oracle never claims scope it did not scan.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
+import { runLogCompletenessOracle, recordDigest } from '../../../src/db/logAuthority.js'
+import type { FactScanHandle } from '../../../src/db/factLog.js'
+
+type Op = { kind: 'noun' | 'verb'; id: string; record: { metadata: unknown; vector: unknown } | null }
+
+function scanOf(facts: Array<{ generation: number; ops: Op[] }>): () => FactScanHandle | null {
+  return () =>
+    ({
+      batches: async function* () {
+        yield { facts: facts.map((f) => ({ ...f, timestamp: 0 })) }
+      }
+    }) as unknown as FactScanHandle
+}
+
+function pagedList(rows: string[]) {
+  return async ({ pagination }: { pagination: { limit: number; offset?: number } }) => {
+    const start = pagination.offset ?? 0
+    const items = rows.slice(start, start + pagination.limit).map((id) => ({ id }))
+    return { items, hasMore: start + pagination.limit < rows.length }
+  }
+}
+
+const rec = (v: number) => ({ metadata: { v }, vector: null })
+
+describe('oracle verb legs', () => {
+  it('wired: verbs diff by digest — clean log goes green over nouns AND verbs', async () => {
+    const report = await runLogCompletenessOracle({
+      storage: { getNouns: pagedList(['n1']) } as never,
+      scanFacts: scanOf([
+        { generation: 1, ops: [{ kind: 'noun', id: 'n1', record: rec(1) }] },
+        { generation: 2, ops: [{ kind: 'verb', id: 'v1', record: rec(7) }] }
+      ]),
+      canonicalNounDigest: async () => recordDigest(rec(1)),
+      factRecordDigest: recordDigest,
+      canonicalVerbDigest: async () => recordDigest(rec(7)),
+      getVerbs: pagedList(['v1'])
+    })
+    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
+    expect(report.nounsChecked).toBe(1)
+    expect(report.verbsChecked).toBe(1)
+    expect(report.matched).toBe(2)
+  })
+
+  it('wired: every verb divergence class is NAMED', async () => {
+    const report = await runLogCompletenessOracle({
+      storage: { getNouns: pagedList([]) } as never,
+      scanFacts: scanOf([
+        {
+          generation: 1,
+          ops: [
+            { kind: 'verb', id: 'v-differs', record: rec(1) },
+            { kind: 'verb', id: 'v-tomb', record: null },
+            { kind: 'verb', id: 'v-orphan', record: rec(3) }
+          ]
+        }
+      ]),
+      canonicalNounDigest: async () => null,
+      factRecordDigest: recordDigest,
+      canonicalVerbDigest: async (id) =>
+        id === 'v-differs' ? recordDigest(rec(999)) : id === 'v-tomb' ? recordDigest(rec(2)) : null,
+      // canonical enumerates: v-differs (drifted), v-tomb (log says deleted),
+      // v-prelog (never logged); v-orphan is log-live but canonical-absent.
+      getVerbs: pagedList(['v-differs', 'v-tomb', 'v-prelog'])
+    })
+    expect(report.verdict).toBe('red')
+    const by = (id: string) => report.mismatches.find((m) => m.id === id)
+    expect(by('v-differs')).toMatchObject({ kind: 'verb', reason: 'state-differs' })
+    expect(by('v-tomb')).toMatchObject({ kind: 'verb', reason: 'log-tombstone-canonical-present' })
+    expect(by('v-prelog')).toMatchObject({ kind: 'verb', reason: 'pre-log-record' })
+    expect(by('v-orphan')).toMatchObject({ kind: 'verb', reason: 'log-live-canonical-absent' })
+  })
+
+  it('unwired: verbsChecked stays 0 — honest partial scope, never a silent claim', async () => {
+    const report = await runLogCompletenessOracle({
+      storage: { getNouns: pagedList(['n1']) } as never,
+      scanFacts: scanOf([
+        { generation: 1, ops: [{ kind: 'noun', id: 'n1', record: rec(1) }] },
+        { generation: 2, ops: [{ kind: 'verb', id: 'v1', record: rec(7) }] }
+      ]),
+      canonicalNounDigest: async () => recordDigest(rec(1)),
+      factRecordDigest: recordDigest
+    })
+    expect(report.verbsChecked).toBe(0)
+    expect(report.nounsChecked).toBe(1)
+  })
+})