chore(release): 10.4.0-rc.3

resolveVerbEndpointInts mirrors the resolved u64 endpoint ints onto the
verb object itself as BigInt (verb.sourceInt/targetInt) for the graph legs'
own params. The live verb path's delete legs then reused that same object
as the metadata-index crossing — and the seam's metadata is JSON-safe by
contract (a native provider serializes it; u64 as Number corrupts above
2^53), so JSON.stringify threw and the whole transaction aborted. Found by
the first joint pair gate; four downstream suites red from one crossing.

The crossing now routes through a JSON-safe view that drops BigInt-valued
top-level keys — endpoint ints ride their own op params on the graph legs,
exactly as designed, and never the metadata crossing. Applied at the
retraction helper (cascade + unrelate + transact mirrors) and
updateRelation's remove leg.

Pinned by driving the exact shape (relate resolves ints, remove cascades
the same object) through a provider shim enforcing the JSON contract —
red-proved against the unfixed path (the joint gate's verbatim error),
green with the fix.

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,15 @@
 
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.
 
+### [10.4.0-rc.3](https://source.soulcraft.com/soulcraft/brainy/compare/v10.4.0-rc.2...v10.4.0-rc.3) (2026-08-25)
+
+- fix(update-seam): the metadata crossing never carries BigInt endpoint ints (f4780c8e)
+- Merge branch 'worktree-agent-ad3aff0dffd17a6eb' (f14da34b)
+- fix(add): empty string is real data, not a missing field (258e9042)
+- feat(vfs): implement readdir's recursive option — typed since 7.30, never read (fc516da6)
+- feat(open-path): init never gates on the embedding model; open goes concurrent; slow opens narrate (96624f40)
+
+
 ### [10.4.0-rc.2](https://source.soulcraft.com/soulcraft/brainy/compare/v10.4.0-rc.1...v10.4.0-rc.2) (2026-08-25)
 
 - test(readiness): the report helper's clock freezes — two independently-built reports compared across a millisecond tick made the plant lane red (39b916a3)

package-lock.json

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@soulcraft/brainy",
-  "version": "10.4.0-rc.2",
+  "version": "10.4.0-rc.3",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@soulcraft/brainy",
-      "version": "10.4.0-rc.2",
+      "version": "10.4.0-rc.3",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@msgpack/msgpack": "^3.1.2",

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@soulcraft/brainy",
-  "version": "10.4.0-rc.2",
+  "version": "10.4.0-rc.3",
   "description": "Universal Knowledge Protocol™ - World's first Triple Intelligence database unifying vector, graph, and document search in one API. Stage 3 CANONICAL: 42 nouns × 127 verbs covering 96-97% of all human knowledge.",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
   "module": "dist/index.js",

src/brainy.ts

@@ -742,6 +742,15 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
   private _pendingEmbedIds = new Set<string>()
   private _embedWorkerFlight: Promise<void> | null = null
 
+  // OPEN-PATH FIX: the background embedding-engine warm kicked off (never
+  // awaited) by `performInit()` when `eagerEmbeddings` resolves true. Stored
+  // for observability only — `embed()`/`embeddingManager.embed()` already
+  // await the engine's OWN singleton init promise internally, so nothing
+  // needs to explicitly await this field for correctness. Never rejects on
+  // its own: a `.catch` narrates the failure and swallows it so a failed
+  // warm never surfaces as an unhandled rejection.
+  private _embeddingWarmPromise: Promise<void> | null = null
+
   /** The stored log-authority switch, read once at open (default: tree). */
   private _logAuthority: LogAuthorityRecord = { authority: 'tree' }
   // A failed walk latches its error: retries within the cooldown rethrow it
@@ -1079,6 +1088,23 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       configureLogger({ level: LogLevel.DEBUG })  // Enable verbose logging
     }
 
+    // OPEN-PATH NARRATION: lightweight phase timing across the five
+    // named stretches of init — storage init / generation-store open+fold /
+    // index init+gate / VFS bootstrap / embedding-warm-started. Each
+    // `markPhase()` call records elapsed ms SINCE THE PREVIOUS checkpoint,
+    // so the buckets always sum to the pre-integration/warmOnOpen total.
+    // Silent under 2s; one `prodLog.warn` line naming every phase's ms
+    // above it, so the operator's next restart storm names its own slow
+    // phase instead of re-deriving it from a stack of raw timestamps.
+    const initStart = Date.now()
+    let lastPhaseCheckpoint = initStart
+    const phaseTimingsMs: Record<string, number> = {}
+    const markPhase = (name: string): void => {
+      const now = Date.now()
+      phaseTimingsMs[name] = now - lastPhaseCheckpoint
+      lastPhaseCheckpoint = now
+    }
+
     try {
       // Auto-detect and activate plugins BEFORE storage setup
       // so plugin-provided storage factories (e.g., filesystem override from cor) are available
@@ -1150,6 +1176,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         }
       }
 
+      // PHASE 1 of 5 — "storage init": plugin/legacy-layout bootstrap,
+      // storage adapter construction+init, the OS-limit check, and the
+      // writer-lock claim, all folded into one bucket (everything above this
+      // line since performInit started).
+      markPhase('storage-init')
+
       // 8.0 generational MVCC: open the record layer BEFORE any index is
       // created or loaded. Crash recovery may rewrite canonical entity files
       // (restoring before-images of an uncommitted transaction), and every
@@ -1224,6 +1256,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         await this.createMigrationBackupIfNeeded()
       }
 
+      // PHASE 2 of 5 — "generation-store open+fold": GenerationStore
+      // construction+open (crash-recovery replay/rollback fold), the
+      // derived-family registration, the fact-scan seam, the entity-tree
+      // stamp check, the brain-format handshake, and the pre-upgrade backup.
+      markPhase('generation-store-open-fold')
+
       // Provider: embeddings (reassign embedder if plugin provides one)
       const embeddingProvider = this.pluginRegistry.getProvider<EmbeddingFunction>('embeddings')
       if (embeddingProvider) {
@@ -1475,6 +1513,14 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       // Check for pending data migrations
       await this.checkMigrations()
 
+      // PHASE 3 of 5 — "index init+gate": provider wiring (embeddings,
+      // cache, roaring, msgpack, sort:topK, distance), HNSW/metadata/graph
+      // index construction, the eager cold-load, id-resolver + connections-
+      // codec wiring, crash-recovery index rebuild, the replay-gap check,
+      // legacy VFS blob adoption, blob-history backfill, and the
+      // rebuildIndexesIfNeeded() gate + migration check.
+      markPhase('index-init-gate')
+
       // Register shutdown hooks for graceful count flushing (once globally)
       if (!Brainy.shutdownHooksRegisteredGlobally) {
         this.registerShutdownHooks()
@@ -1626,15 +1672,40 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         }
       }
 
-      // Eager embedding initialization.
+      // PHASE 4 of 5 — "VFS bootstrap": shutdown-hook registration, blob
+      // storage init, the provider-summary log, flipping `initialized`,
+      // the migration-lock wait, VFS construction+init, flipping generation
+      // stamping active, the log-authority adopt/oracle check, and
+      // pending-embed crash recovery.
+      markPhase('vfs-bootstrap')
+
+      // Eager embedding initialization — BACKGROUND WARM (open-path fix).
       //
-      // Adaptive default (8.0): the WASM embedding engine eagerly initializes
+      // Adaptive default (8.0): the WASM embedding engine eagerly WARMS
       // during init() WHENEVER it is the active embedder — i.e. no native
       // 'embeddings' provider has taken over — and the instance is a writer
       // (not reader-mode) outside of unit tests. The WASM module (≈93MB with
-      // the embedded model) takes 90-140s to compile on throttled CPUs; paying
-      // that during boot rather than on the first embed()-driven call is the
-      // right default for the overwhelmingly common single-process server.
+      // the embedded model) takes 90-140s to compile on throttled CPUs.
+      //
+      // Historically this AWAITED `embeddingManager.init()` INLINE, so every
+      // writer's open() blocked on the compile — N concurrent opens all
+      // queued on the ONE process-global singleton (an ~80x contention
+      // multiplier measured in a production restart storm: 90,017ms busy vs
+      // 1,117ms quiet). The engine only needs to be ready before the FIRST
+      // REAL embed() call, not before init() returns, so this now only
+      // STARTS the warm and moves on — init() never waits for it.
+      //
+      // No double-await needed for correctness: `this.embed()` (~line 15420)
+      // delegates to `this.embedder`, which for the default engine is
+      // `embeddingManager.getEmbeddingFunction()` → `embeddingManager.embed()`
+      // (src/embeddings/EmbeddingManager.ts). That method calls `await
+      // this.init()` FIRST, and `init()` itself serializes every concurrent
+      // caller onto ONE shared `globalInitPromise` — so the first real
+      // embed() automatically waits for whichever finishes first: this
+      // background warm (if still running) or a fresh init() (if the warm
+      // hasn't reached this code yet, e.g. `eagerEmbeddings: false`).
+      // Verified by reading both call sites; `_embeddingWarmPromise` below
+      // is stored for observability only, never re-awaited by embed().
       //
       // Skipped automatically when:
       //   - a native 'embeddings' provider is registered (it owns embeddings;
@@ -1642,8 +1713,8 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       //   - reader-mode (readers don't embed — they query existing vectors),
       //   - unit-test mode (tests must stay fast and use the mock embedder).
       //
-      // `eagerEmbeddings: false` is the explicit override to force lazy init
-      // (first-embed) even when this instance is the active embedder.
+      // `eagerEmbeddings: false` keeps meaning "no warm at all" — fully lazy,
+      // the first embed() call pays the full cost inline, same as before.
       const isUnitTestMode = isDeterministicEmbedMode()
       const eager = this.config.eagerEmbeddings ?? true
       if (
@@ -1652,9 +1723,45 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         this.config.mode !== 'reader' &&
         !isUnitTestMode
       ) {
-        console.log('Eager embedding initialization enabled...')
-        await embeddingManager.init()
-        console.log('Embedding engine ready')
+        const warmStart = Date.now()
+        console.log('Background embedding-engine warm started (init() does not wait for it)...')
+        this._embeddingWarmPromise = embeddingManager
+          .init()
+          .then(() => {
+            prodLog.info(
+              `[Brainy] background embedding-engine warm complete in ${Date.now() - warmStart}ms`
+            )
+          })
+          .catch((err) => {
+            // Loud, never silent: a warm that fails to compile must be
+            // heard NOW, not discovered as a mystery latency spike on
+            // whichever request happens to trigger the first real embed().
+            // That first embed() call still retries init() itself (the
+            // singleton promise contract above) and surfaces its own typed
+            // error to its caller — this is the immediate, background echo.
+            prodLog.warn(
+              `[Brainy] background embedding-engine warm FAILED: ` +
+                `${(err as Error).message} — the first embed() call will retry ` +
+                `initialization and surface the error there`
+            )
+          })
+      }
+
+      // PHASE 5 of 5 — "embedding-warm-started": just the synchronous cost
+      // of kicking off the background warm above (the warm's own compile
+      // time is NOT included — that's the whole point of backgrounding it).
+      markPhase('embedding-warm-started')
+      {
+        const totalOpenMs = Date.now() - initStart
+        if (totalOpenMs > 2000) {
+          const phaseList = Object.entries(phaseTimingsMs)
+            .map(([name, ms]) => `${name}=${ms}ms`)
+            .join(', ')
+          prodLog.warn(
+            `[Brainy] slow open: ${totalOpenMs}ms total (${phaseList}) — see the ` +
+              `phase breakdown above to find which one to investigate first`
+          )
+        }
       }
 
       // Integration Hub initialization
@@ -3469,11 +3576,20 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       // new `data`); otherwise new `data` re-embeds; otherwise the existing
       // vector is kept. Any vector change re-indexes HNSW below.
       let vector = existing.vector
+      // 'data' is a real new value whenever it's not null/undefined — an
+      // empty string ('') is legitimate content (e.g. truncating a file to
+      // empty via overwrite), matching validateUpdateParams's absent-vs-empty
+      // distinction. Using `Boolean(params.data)` here would treat '' as "no
+      // new data", silently skipping BOTH the deferred marker and the eager
+      // re-embed below — a stale vector left behind with no path to ever
+      // correct itself (a quiet loss, not the deferred-but-eventually-
+      // correct flicker the deferEmbedding contract promises).
+      const hasNewData = params.data !== undefined && params.data !== null
       // MT5 deferred re-embedding: the OLD vector keeps serving semantic
       // search — stale-but-present, never absent (the flicker law) — until
       // the background worker embeds the new data and swaps it atomically.
       const deferringEmbed =
-        params.deferEmbedding === true && Boolean(params.data) && !params.vector
+        params.deferEmbedding === true && hasNewData && !params.vector
       if (params.vector) {
         if (this.dimensions && params.vector.length !== this.dimensions) {
           throw new Error(
@@ -3481,13 +3597,13 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           )
         }
         vector = params.vector
-      } else if (params.data && !deferringEmbed) {
+      } else if (hasNewData && !deferringEmbed) {
         vector = await this.embed(params.data)
       }
       // A deferred data change does NOT reindex now (the vector is unchanged;
       // the worker's atomic swap carries the real reindex later).
       const needsReindexing = Boolean(
-        (params.data && !deferringEmbed) || params.type || params.vector
+        (hasNewData && !deferringEmbed) || params.type || params.vector
       )
 
       // Always update the noun with new metadata
@@ -3715,13 +3831,45 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
    * @returns The operation to add to the caller's batch, or `null` when
    *   nothing could be done (already narrated + tracked as degraded).
    */
+  /**
+   * @description A JSON-safe view of a record bound for the metadata-index
+   * crossing. The seam's metadata is JSON-safe BY CONTRACT (a native provider
+   * serializes it; u64 ints as Number corrupt above 2^53) — but
+   * {@link resolveVerbEndpointInts} MIRRORS the resolved endpoint ints onto
+   * the verb object itself as BigInt (`verb.sourceInt`/`targetInt`), so a
+   * verb object reused as index metadata carried BigInts into
+   * JSON.stringify, which throws, aborting the whole transaction (found by
+   * the first joint pair gate). Endpoint ints ride their OWN op params on the
+   * graph legs — the metadata crossing drops every BigInt-valued top-level
+   * key instead of guessing at a lossy numeric encoding.
+   * @param metadata - The candidate index-metadata record.
+   * @returns The same object when already JSON-safe, else a shallow copy
+   *   without the BigInt-valued keys.
+   */
+  private static jsonSafeIndexMetadata(metadata: unknown): unknown {
+    if (metadata === null || typeof metadata !== 'object') return metadata
+    const rec = metadata as Record<string, unknown>
+    let hasBigint = false
+    for (const k in rec) {
+      if (typeof rec[k] === 'bigint') { hasBigint = true; break }
+    }
+    if (!hasBigint) return metadata
+    const out: Record<string, unknown> = {}
+    for (const k in rec) {
+      if (typeof rec[k] !== 'bigint') out[k] = rec[k]
+    }
+    return out
+  }
+
   private metadataIndexRetractionOp(
     id: string,
     metadata: unknown,
     context: string
   ): Operation | null {
     if (metadata) {
-      return new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, metadata, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+      return new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(
+        this.metadataIndex, id, Brainy.jsonSafeIndexMetadata(metadata), this.indexWriteGeneration
+      )
     }
     const prov = this.metadataIndex as unknown as {
       removeEntityById?: (id: string) => Promise<void>
@@ -4998,7 +5146,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       // read above); `updatedMetadata` is the raw stored record just
       // persisted — the same shape relate()/rebuild() use to add.
       tx.addOperation(
-        new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, existing, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+        new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, Brainy.jsonSafeIndexMetadata(existing), this.indexWriteGeneration)
       )
       tx.addOperation(
         new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, updatedMetadata, this.indexWriteGeneration)
@@ -10495,6 +10643,11 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     // Resolve the updated vector — mirror of update(): an explicit `vector`
     // always wins, new `data` re-embeds, otherwise the existing vector is
     // kept. Any vector change re-indexes HNSW below.
+    // 'data' is present whenever it's not null/undefined — '' is real
+    // content (see the identical hasNewData in update()); a plain truthy
+    // check would silently skip re-embedding an emptied value and leave a
+    // stale vector with no path to ever correct itself.
+    const hasNewData = params.data !== undefined && params.data !== null
     let vector = existing.vector
     if (params.vector) {
       if (this.dimensions && params.vector.length !== this.dimensions) {
@@ -10503,10 +10656,10 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         )
       }
       vector = params.vector
-    } else if (params.data) {
+    } else if (hasNewData) {
       vector = await this.embed(params.data)
     }
-    const needsReindexing = Boolean(params.data || params.type || params.vector)
+    const needsReindexing = Boolean(hasNewData || params.type || params.vector)
 
     const newMetadata =
       params.merge !== false
@@ -15826,6 +15979,25 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     return embeddingManager.isInitialized()
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Whether the process-global WASM embedding engine (all-MiniLM-L6-v2,
+   * fixed 384-dim output, ≈93MB with the bundled model, 90-140s cold compile
+   * on throttled CPUs) is this instance's active embedder — `false` when a
+   * plugin has replaced it via the `'embeddings'` provider key. A native
+   * provider has no such cold-start cost and may use a different output
+   * dimension, so it is never worth avoiding.
+   *
+   * Used by init-path bootstrap writes (the VFS root — see
+   * `VirtualFileSystem.doInitializeRoot()`) to decide whether embedding a
+   * value during `init()` risks paying the WASM engine's cold compile.
+   *
+   * @returns true when the default WASM engine is active (no native
+   *   `'embeddings'` provider registered).
+   */
+  usesDefaultWasmEmbedder(): boolean {
+    return !this.pluginRegistry.hasProvider('embeddings')
+  }
+
   /**
    * Setup embedder
    */

src/storage/adapters/fileSystemStorage.ts

@@ -239,38 +239,54 @@ export class FileSystemStorage extends BaseStorage {
 
       // Finish any restore interrupted by a crash (resume the staged swap, or
       // discard an uncommitted staging area) BEFORE counts/derived state load,
-      // so the rest of startup sees the completed store.
+      // so the rest of startup sees the completed store. ORDER-DEPENDENT:
+      // `swapStagedRestoreIn()` reads `fs.readdir(rootDir)` and then
+      // removes/renames rootDir's own TOP-LEVEL entries to place the staged
+      // copy — racing that against the directory-creation batch below (which
+      // also touches rootDir's children) could see a half-created directory
+      // mid-swap or a mkdir racing a concurrent rm/rename on the same path.
+      // Stays strictly sequential, never folded into the OPEN-PATH batch.
       await this.completeInterruptedRestore()
 
-      // Create the nouns directory if it doesn't exist
-      await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.nounsDir)
+      // OPEN-PATH FIX: the remaining bootstrap directories are mutually
+      // independent — each is its own subtree under rootDir, and
+      // `fs.mkdir(dir, { recursive: true })` creates every intermediate
+      // segment of ITS OWN path in one call, so it never depends on any
+      // sibling here existing first. Nothing between here and
+      // `initializeCounts()` reads any of them, so batching collapses what
+      // was up to 8 sequential mkdir round-trips (each a real syscall+await)
+      // into one wave — this is what serialized an N-writer restart storm on
+      // filesystem I/O it never structurally needed. `initializeCounts()`
+      // right after DOES depend on `systemDir` (which the batch creates), so
+      // it stays outside, awaited only once every directory has landed.
+      await Promise.all([
+        // Create the nouns directory if it doesn't exist
+        this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.nounsDir),
+        // Create the verbs directory if it doesn't exist
+        this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.verbsDir),
+        // Create the metadata directory if it doesn't exist
+        this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.metadataDir),
+        // Create the noun metadata directory if it doesn't exist
+        this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.nounMetadataDir),
+        // Create the verb metadata directory if it doesn't exist
+        this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.verbMetadataDir),
+        // Create both directories for backward compatibility
+        this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.systemDir),
+        // Only create legacy directory if it exists (don't create new legacy
+        // dirs) — a read-then-maybe-write, but on its own subtree, so it's
+        // still independent of every other entry in this batch.
+        (async () => {
+          if (await this.directoryExists(this.indexDir)) {
+            await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.indexDir)
+          }
+        })(),
+        // Create the locks directory if it doesn't exist
+        this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.lockDir),
+        // Create the binary blobs directory if it doesn't exist
+        this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.blobsDir)
+      ])
 
-      // Create the verbs directory if it doesn't exist
-      await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.verbsDir)
-
-      // Create the metadata directory if it doesn't exist
-      await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.metadataDir)
-
-      // Create the noun metadata directory if it doesn't exist
-      await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.nounMetadataDir)
-
-      // Create the verb metadata directory if it doesn't exist
-      await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.verbMetadataDir)
-
-      // Create both directories for backward compatibility
-      await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.systemDir)
-      // Only create legacy directory if it exists (don't create new legacy dirs)
-      if (await this.directoryExists(this.indexDir)) {
-        await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.indexDir)
-      }
-
-      // Create the locks directory if it doesn't exist
-      await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.lockDir)
-
-      // Create the binary blobs directory if it doesn't exist
-      await this.ensureDirectoryExists(this.blobsDir)
-
-      // Initialize count management
+      // Initialize count management — depends on systemDir, created above.
       this.countsFilePath = path.join(this.systemDir, 'counts.json')
       await this.initializeCounts()
 

src/types/brainy.types.ts

@@ -1983,25 +1983,32 @@ export interface BrainyConfig {
   reservedQueryMemory?: number     // Memory reserved for queries in bytes (e.g., 1073741824 = 1GB)
 
   /**
-   * Controls when the WASM embedding engine is initialized.
+   * Controls whether `init()` starts a BACKGROUND warm of the WASM embedding
+   * engine.
    *
-   * **Adaptive default (8.0):** when omitted, the engine eagerly initializes
-   * during `init()` whenever the WASM embedder is the *active* one — i.e. no
-   * native `'embeddings'` provider is registered — and this instance is a
-   * writer (not `mode: 'reader'`) running outside unit tests. The WASM module
-   * (≈93MB with the embedded model) takes 90-140s to compile on throttled
-   * CPUs, so paying that during boot rather than on the first `embed()`-driven
-   * call is the right default for a single-process server.
+   * **Adaptive default (8.0, background since the open-path fix):** when
+   * omitted, `init()` STARTS a background warm of the engine whenever the
+   * WASM embedder is the *active* one — i.e. no native `'embeddings'`
+   * provider is registered — and this instance is a writer (not
+   * `mode: 'reader'`) running outside unit tests. The WASM module (≈93MB with
+   * the embedded model) takes 90-140s to compile on throttled CPUs — but
+   * `init()` never awaits that compile. It only starts it, so N concurrent
+   * opens no longer serialize on the one process-global engine singleton.
+   * The first `embed()` call then waits for whichever finishes first: the
+   * background warm (if still running) or its own fresh init (if the warm
+   * never started, e.g. `eagerEmbeddings: false`) — both paths converge on
+   * the SAME shared promise inside the engine singleton, so the vector is
+   * always correct; only the timing of who pays the wait differs.
    *
    * The adaptive path skips itself automatically when a native embeddings
    * provider owns embeddings, in reader-mode (readers query existing vectors
    * and never embed), and in unit-test mode (kept fast via the mock embedder).
    *
-   * - `true` — force eager init during `init()` (the adaptive default already
-   *   does this for the active-embedder writer case; set it explicitly to be
-   *   unambiguous).
-   * - `false` — explicit override to force lazy init (first `embed()` call)
-   *   even when this instance is the active embedder.
+   * - `true` — force the background warm to start during `init()` (the
+   *   adaptive default already does this for the active-embedder writer
+   *   case; set it explicitly to be unambiguous).
+   * - `false` — no warm at all. Fully lazy: the first `embed()` call pays the
+   *   full cold-compile cost inline, on whichever request triggers it.
    */
   eagerEmbeddings?: boolean
 

src/utils/paramValidation.ts

@@ -540,6 +540,11 @@ function rejectForgedSystemKeys(metadata: Record<string, unknown> | undefined, s
 
 export function validateAddParams(params: AddParams): void {
   rejectForgedSystemKeys(params.metadata as Record<string, unknown> | undefined, 'add()')
+  // 'data' is ABSENT only when null/undefined — an empty string ('') is real
+  // content (a legitimate empty file's first write) and must not be treated
+  // as missing. Falsy-but-present values (0, false, '') all count as present;
+  // only the true "nothing was given" case is absent.
+  const hasData = params.data !== undefined && params.data !== null
   // MT5 deferred embedding: an explicit vector has nothing to defer, and a
   // deferral without data has nothing to embed — both are caller bugs that
   // must refuse with the fix, never be silently reinterpreted.
@@ -550,14 +555,14 @@ export function validateAddParams(params: AddParams): void {
           `the vector is already computed; drop one of the two.`
       )
     }
-    if (!params.data) {
+    if (!hasData) {
       throw new Error(
         `add(): deferEmbedding requires 'data' (the content the background worker will embed).`
       )
     }
   }
   // Universal truth: must have data or vector
-  if (!params.data && !params.vector) {
+  if (!hasData && !params.vector) {
     throw new Error(
       `Invalid add() parameters: Missing required field 'data'\n` +
       `\nReceived: ${JSON.stringify({
@@ -597,6 +602,10 @@ export function validateAddParams(params: AddParams): void {
  */
 export function validateUpdateParams(params: UpdateParams): void {
   rejectForgedSystemKeys(params.metadata as Record<string, unknown> | undefined, 'update()')
+  // Same absent-vs-empty distinction as validateAddParams: '' is a real new
+  // value (e.g. truncating a file to empty content via overwrite), only
+  // null/undefined means "no new data was given".
+  const hasData = params.data !== undefined && params.data !== null
   if ((params as UpdateParams & { deferEmbedding?: boolean }).deferEmbedding === true) {
     if (params.vector) {
       throw new Error(
@@ -604,7 +613,7 @@ export function validateUpdateParams(params: UpdateParams): void {
           `the vector is already computed; drop one of the two.`
       )
     }
-    if (!params.data) {
+    if (!hasData) {
       throw new Error(
         `update(): deferEmbedding requires new 'data' — without a data change there is nothing to re-embed.`
       )
@@ -614,10 +623,10 @@ export function validateUpdateParams(params: UpdateParams): void {
   if (!params.id) {
     throw new Error('id is required for update')
   }
-  
+
   // Universal truth: must update something
   if (
-    !params.data &&
+    !hasData &&
     !params.metadata &&
     !params.type &&
     !params.vector &&

src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.ts

@@ -89,6 +89,16 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
   // Uses deterministic UUID format for storage compatibility
   private static readonly VFS_ROOT_ID = '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'
 
+  // OPEN-PATH FIX: the dimension of the placeholder vector given to the VFS
+  // root when it is first created (see `doInitializeRoot`). Mirrors the
+  // built-in WASM embedding engine's fixed, hardcoded output size
+  // (all-MiniLM-L6-v2 — see src/embeddings/candle-wasm/src/lib.rs
+  // HIDDEN_SIZE and src/embeddings/EmbeddingManager.ts). Deliberately NOT
+  // derived from `brain.dimensions` — this constant only applies to the
+  // default-embedder branch, where the true output dimension is this fixed
+  // value by construction, never a moving target.
+  private static readonly VFS_ROOT_VECTOR_DIMENSIONS = 384
+
   /**
    * Construct a VFS bound to a Brainy instance.
    *
@@ -260,6 +270,40 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
     try {
       console.log('VFS: Creating root directory (fixed ID: 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000)')
 
+      // OPEN-PATH FIX: the VFS root is Brainy's own system-tier plumbing — it
+      // is hidden from find()/getNounCount()/stats() by default and nothing
+      // ever runs a semantic search against it — so it needs no REAL
+      // embedding. Historically this add() always called embed('/'), which
+      // meant every writer's FIRST-EVER open forced the process-global WASM
+      // engine to cold-compile its model (measured 90-140s on throttled
+      // CPUs) before the brain could even finish init(). This branch only
+      // runs once per store (the root already exists — with a real vector —
+      // in every previously-opened production store; reopening never re-adds
+      // it), so the fix applies only to brand-new stores.
+      //
+      // Chosen fix: an explicit all-zero vector, not `deferEmbedding: true`.
+      // `deferEmbedding` looked attractive (ack now, embed later) but its
+      // landing path (`kickEmbedWorker()`, called synchronously right after
+      // commit — see brainy.ts add()/update()) would still force the WASM
+      // engine to cold-compile within milliseconds of open, just off the
+      // awaited path instead of never paying it at all — worse than the
+      // explicit-vector path, which never touches the engine for this row.
+      // An all-zero vector is safe: `cosineDistance` (src/utils/distance.ts)
+      // explicitly returns the MAXIMUM distance whenever either operand's
+      // norm is zero, so the root can never rank ahead of real content in a
+      // similarity search, and HNSW indexes it like any other vector.
+      //
+      // Only the default WASM engine gets this treatment — its output
+      // dimension (384) is fixed and hardcoded, so the placeholder can never
+      // mis-pin `brain.dimensions` for it. A plugin-registered native
+      // 'embeddings' provider has no cold-compile cost AND may use a
+      // different dimension, so it keeps embedding the root for real (same
+      // as before this fix) rather than risk pinning the wrong dimension
+      // ahead of the caller's own first real embed.
+      const rootVector = this.brain.usesDefaultWasmEmbedder()
+        ? new Array(VirtualFileSystem.VFS_ROOT_VECTOR_DIMENSIONS).fill(0)
+        : undefined
+
       await this.brain.add({
         id: rootId,  // Fixed ID - storage ensures uniqueness
         data: '/',
@@ -271,7 +315,8 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
         // public AddParams.visibility union ('public' | 'internal') — this is the single
         // sanctioned internal setter, hence the cast.
         visibility: 'system' as 'public' | 'internal',
-        metadata: this.getRootMetadata()
+        metadata: this.getRootMetadata(),
+        ...(rootVector ? { vector: rootVector } : {})
       })
 
       return rootId
@@ -1229,7 +1274,20 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Read directory contents
+   * @description List a directory's contents. Non-recursive (default)
+   * returns direct children only, named by basename. `recursive: true`
+   * lists every descendant at any depth (files and directories), each
+   * reported as a path RELATIVE TO THE QUERIED DIRECTORY — matching Node's
+   * `fs.readdir(dir, { recursive: true })` convention — e.g. `'sub'` and
+   * `'sub/file.txt'` for a nested file. With `withFileTypes: true`, each
+   * {@link VFSDirent}'s `name` carries that same value (relative when
+   * recursive, basename otherwise); `path` is always the absolute VFS path
+   * either way.
+   * @param path - The directory to list.
+   * @param options - `recursive`, `withFileTypes`, `filter`, `sort`,
+   *   `offset`/`limit` (pagination applies AFTER filter/sort, over the full
+   *   recursive set when `recursive: true`).
+   * @throws {VFSError} ENOTDIR when `path` is not a directory.
    */
   async readdir(path: string, options?: ReaddirOptions): Promise<string[] | VFSDirent[]> {
     await this.ensureInitialized()
@@ -1242,8 +1300,12 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
       throw new VFSError(VFSErrorCode.ENOTDIR, `Not a directory: ${path}`, path, 'readdir')
     }
 
-    // Get children
-    let children = await this.pathResolver.getChildren(entityId)
+    // Direct children, or every descendant at any depth. gatherDescendants()
+    // is the same graph-traversal + ONE-batch-fetch path getTreeStructure()/
+    // getDescendants() already use — no per-directory storage round trips.
+    let children = options?.recursive
+      ? await this.gatherDescendants(entityId, Infinity)
+      : await this.pathResolver.getChildren(entityId)
 
     // Apply filters
     if (options?.filter) {
@@ -1267,17 +1329,29 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
     // Directory access time updates caused 50-100ms GCS write on EVERY readdir
     // await this.updateAccessTime(entityId)  // ← REMOVED
 
+    // The queried directory's own canonical (already-normalized) path — the
+    // base every recursive entry's relative name is computed against. Using
+    // the resolved entity's OWN path (rather than the raw `path` argument)
+    // means no separate normalization step is needed here.
+    const baseDir = entity.metadata.path
+    const relativeToBase = (childPath: string): string => {
+      const prefix = baseDir === '/' ? '/' : `${baseDir}/`
+      return childPath.startsWith(prefix) ? childPath.slice(prefix.length) : childPath
+    }
+
     // Return appropriate format
     if (options?.withFileTypes) {
       return children.map(child => ({
-        name: child.metadata.name,
+        name: options?.recursive ? relativeToBase(child.metadata.path) : child.metadata.name,
         path: child.metadata.path,
         type: child.metadata.vfsType,
         entityId: child.id
       } as VFSDirent))
     }
 
-    return children.map(child => child.metadata.name)
+    return children.map(child =>
+      options?.recursive ? relativeToBase(child.metadata.path) : child.metadata.name
+    )
   }
 
   // ============= Metadata Operations =============

src/vfs/types.ts

@@ -133,8 +133,17 @@ export interface VFSStats {
  * Directory entry (for readdir)
  */
 export interface VFSDirent {
+  /**
+   * The entry's basename (e.g. `'file.txt'`) when `readdir()` was called
+   * WITHOUT `recursive: true`. When `recursive: true` was set, this is
+   * instead the entry's path RELATIVE TO THE QUERIED DIRECTORY (e.g.
+   * `'sub/file.txt'` for a nested file) — the same value that would appear
+   * in the plain string-array form of a recursive `readdir()` call. `path`
+   * below always carries the absolute VFS path regardless of `recursive`,
+   * so nothing is lost either way.
+   */
   name: string
-  path: string                   // Full path
+  path: string                   // Full (absolute) VFS path — always absolute, recursive or not
   type: 'file' | 'directory' | 'symlink'
   entityId: string               // Underlying entity ID
 }
@@ -240,7 +249,15 @@ export interface ReaddirOptions {
   withFileTypes?: boolean        // Return Dirent objects
 
   // VFS-specific options
-  recursive?: boolean            // Include subdirectories
+  /**
+   * List every descendant (files and directories, all depths), not just
+   * direct children. Entries are reported as paths RELATIVE TO THE QUERIED
+   * DIRECTORY (Node's `fs.readdir(dir, { recursive: true })` convention) —
+   * a string-array result contains e.g. `'sub/file.txt'`, and with
+   * `withFileTypes: true` each `VFSDirent.name` carries that same relative
+   * path (see {@link VFSDirent}). Default: `false` (direct children only).
+   */
+  recursive?: boolean
   limit?: number                 // Max results
   offset?: number                // Skip N results
   cursor?: string                // Pagination cursor

tests/integration/brainy-core.integration.test.ts

@@ -337,12 +337,18 @@ describe('Brainy 3.0 Core (Integration Tests - Real AI)', () => {
 
   describe('Error Handling and Edge Cases', () => {
     it('should handle invalid inputs gracefully', async () => {
-      // Empty data is rejected with a clear validation error (8.0 requires a
-      // non-empty `data` or a `vector` — empty string carries no signal to embed).
+      // Empty string is REAL content (e.g. an empty file's first write), not
+      // a missing field — only null/undefined data (with no vector either)
+      // is rejected. See src/utils/paramValidation.ts validateAddParams().
       await expect(brain.add({
         data: '',
         type: 'document'
-      })).rejects.toThrow(/data/)
+      })).resolves.toBeDefined()
+
+      // Missing BOTH data and vector is still the real "nothing to embed" error.
+      await expect(brain.add({
+        type: 'document'
+      } as any)).rejects.toThrow(/data/)
 
       // Test with very long text — valid input, resolves to an id.
       const longText = 'Lorem ipsum '.repeat(10000)

tests/integration/verb-metadata-rows.test.ts

@@ -187,4 +187,40 @@ describe('verb metadata rows — the live path matches the rebuild walk', () =>
 
     expect(await index.getIds('tag', 'parity-f')).toEqual([])
   })
+
+
+  it('the metadata crossing never carries BigInt endpoint ints — a cascade delete after graph resolution survives JSON', async () => {
+    // resolveVerbEndpointInts MIRRORS the resolved u64 ints onto the verb
+    // object as BigInt (verb.sourceInt/targetInt). A provider that JSON-
+    // serializes the metadata crossing dies on BigInt — found by the first
+    // joint pair gate. This pin drives the exact shape: relate (graph legs
+    // resolve ints), then remove the source entity (the cascade passes the
+    // SAME verb object to the retraction), through a provider shim that
+    // enforces the JSON-safety contract the way a native provider does.
+    const employee = await brain.add({ data: 'cascade employee', type: 'person' })
+    const invoice = await brain.add({ data: 'cascade invoice', type: 'document' })
+    await brain.relate({ from: employee, to: invoice, type: 'relatedTo' })
+    const mgr: any = (brain as any).metadataIndex
+    const origRemove = mgr.removeFromIndex.bind(mgr)
+    const seen: unknown[] = []
+    mgr.removeFromIndex = async (id: string, metadata?: unknown, generation?: bigint) => {
+      seen.push(metadata)
+      JSON.stringify(metadata) // the contract: throws on BigInt, exactly like a native crossing
+      return origRemove(id, metadata, generation)
+    }
+    try {
+      await brain.remove(employee) // cascades the relation's retraction
+    } finally {
+      mgr.removeFromIndex = origRemove
+    }
+    expect(seen.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    for (const m of seen) {
+      if (m && typeof m === 'object') {
+        for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(m as Record<string, unknown>)) {
+          expect(typeof v, `metadata key ${k} must be JSON-safe`).not.toBe('bigint')
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  })
+
 })

tests/unit/brainy/add.test.ts

@@ -335,15 +335,24 @@ describe('Brainy.add()', () => {
   })
   
   describe('edge cases', () => {
-    it('should reject empty string as data', async () => {
-      // Arrange
+    it('should accept an empty string as real (empty) data', async () => {
+      // Arrange — '' is legitimate content (e.g. an empty file's first
+      // write), not a missing field. Only null/undefined data (with no
+      // vector either) is "missing" — see the separate
+      // 'data and vector are both missing' test above.
       const params = createAddParams({
         data: '',
         type: 'thing'
       })
-      
-      // Act & Assert - Empty string is not valid data
-      await expect(brain.add(params)).rejects.toThrow('Invalid add() parameters: Missing required field \'data\'')
+
+      // Act
+      const id = await brain.add(params)
+
+      // Assert — stored and readable back as empty, not rejected
+      expect(id).toBeDefined()
+      const entity = await brain.get(id)
+      expect(entity).not.toBeNull()
+      expect(entity!.data).toBe('')
     })
     
     it('should handle very long text content', async () => {

tests/unit/brainy/open-path.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,199 @@
+/**
+ * OPEN-PATH tests: init() must never gate on the embedding model, the VFS
+ * root bootstrap must never touch the embedding engine, and a slow open
+ * must narrate its phases.
+ *
+ * Background: a production restart storm measured 90,017ms for a single
+ * brain init vs 1,117ms quiet — an ~80x contention multiplier — traced to
+ * every writer's init() eagerly awaiting the process-global WASM embedding
+ * engine before the VFS root even existed. See src/brainy.ts performInit()
+ * and src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.ts doInitializeRoot().
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { Brainy } from '../../../src/brainy'
+import { MemoryStorage } from '../../../src/storage/adapters/memoryStorage'
+import { embeddingManager } from '../../../src/embeddings/EmbeddingManager'
+import { createTestConfig } from '../../helpers/test-factory'
+
+/**
+ * The four signals `isDeterministicEmbedMode()` checks (see
+ * src/embeddings/deterministicEmbedMode.ts). The global unit-test setup
+ * (tests/setup-unit.ts) sets some of these for the whole file/run in some
+ * vitest configurations; other configurations leave them unset and run the
+ * real WASM engine instead. The background-warm tests below need the
+ * "not unit-test mode" branch of performInit() to actually execute, so they
+ * save/clear/restore all four explicitly — deterministic regardless of
+ * which config invoked this file, never relying on ambient state.
+ */
+function withRealEmbedderBranch<T>(fn: () => Promise<T>): Promise<T> {
+  const savedEnvDeterministic = process.env.BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBEDDINGS
+  const savedEnvUnitTest = process.env.BRAINY_UNIT_TEST
+  const g = globalThis as Record<string, unknown>
+  const savedGlobalDeterministic = g.__BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBED__
+  const savedGlobalUnitTest = g.__BRAINY_UNIT_TEST__
+
+  delete process.env.BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBEDDINGS
+  delete process.env.BRAINY_UNIT_TEST
+  delete g.__BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBED__
+  delete g.__BRAINY_UNIT_TEST__
+
+  const restore = () => {
+    if (savedEnvDeterministic !== undefined) process.env.BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBEDDINGS = savedEnvDeterministic
+    if (savedEnvUnitTest !== undefined) process.env.BRAINY_UNIT_TEST = savedEnvUnitTest
+    if (savedGlobalDeterministic !== undefined) g.__BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBED__ = savedGlobalDeterministic
+    if (savedGlobalUnitTest !== undefined) g.__BRAINY_UNIT_TEST__ = savedGlobalUnitTest
+  }
+
+  return fn().finally(restore)
+}
+
+/**
+ * A MemoryStorage whose init() takes an artificially long time — a
+ * controllable fake seam (not a wall-clock race) that reliably pushes
+ * performInit()'s "storage-init" phase (and therefore the total open time)
+ * past the 2000ms narration threshold, without touching the filesystem or
+ * relying on real contention.
+ */
+class SlowMemoryStorage extends MemoryStorage {
+  override async init(): Promise<void> {
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 2200))
+    await super.init()
+  }
+}
+
+describe('OPEN-PATH: init() never gates on the embedding model', () => {
+  it('bootstrapping a fresh store never calls the embedding engine (VFS root add is engine-untouched)', async () => {
+    const embedSpy = vi.spyOn(embeddingManager, 'embed')
+    const brain = new Brainy(createTestConfig())
+    try {
+      await brain.init()
+
+      // The VFS root's add() must never have reached the embedding engine —
+      // it carries an explicit placeholder vector instead (see
+      // VirtualFileSystem.doInitializeRoot()).
+      expect(embedSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+      // Sanity: the VFS is genuinely usable afterwards.
+      const files = await brain.vfs.readdir('/')
+      expect(files).toEqual([])
+    } finally {
+      await brain.close()
+      embedSpy.mockRestore()
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('starts the embedding-engine warm in the BACKGROUND — init() resolves before the warm does', async () => {
+    await withRealEmbedderBranch(async () => {
+      const events: string[] = []
+      let releaseWarm!: () => void
+      const warmGate = new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+        releaseWarm = resolve
+      })
+
+      const initSpy = vi.spyOn(embeddingManager, 'init').mockImplementation(async () => {
+        events.push('warm-start')
+        await warmGate
+        events.push('warm-resolve')
+      })
+
+      const brain = new Brainy(createTestConfig())
+      try {
+        await brain.init()
+        events.push('init-resolved')
+
+        // init() started the warm but returned WITHOUT waiting for it.
+        expect(initSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+        expect(events).toEqual(['warm-start', 'init-resolved'])
+
+        // Now let the fake warm finish and confirm it lands strictly after.
+        releaseWarm()
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0))
+        expect(events).toEqual(['warm-start', 'init-resolved', 'warm-resolve'])
+      } finally {
+        await brain.close()
+        initSpy.mockRestore()
+      }
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('narrates a background warm FAILURE loudly instead of losing it silently', async () => {
+    await withRealEmbedderBranch(async () => {
+      const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(console, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {})
+      const initSpy = vi
+        .spyOn(embeddingManager, 'init')
+        .mockRejectedValue(new Error('simulated cold-compile failure'))
+
+      const brain = new Brainy(createTestConfig())
+      try {
+        // init() itself must still resolve — a failed background warm is
+        // never fatal to open().
+        await expect(brain.init()).resolves.toBeUndefined()
+
+        // Give the background .catch() a microtask/macrotask to run.
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0))
+
+        const failureLine = warnSpy.mock.calls
+          .map((args) => args.map(String).join(' '))
+          .find((line) => line.includes('background embedding-engine warm FAILED'))
+        expect(failureLine).toBeDefined()
+        expect(failureLine).toContain('simulated cold-compile failure')
+      } finally {
+        await brain.close()
+        initSpy.mockRestore()
+        warnSpy.mockRestore()
+      }
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('eagerEmbeddings: false starts no warm at all', async () => {
+    await withRealEmbedderBranch(async () => {
+      const initSpy = vi.spyOn(embeddingManager, 'init')
+      const brain = new Brainy({ ...createTestConfig(), eagerEmbeddings: false })
+      try {
+        await brain.init()
+        expect(initSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+      } finally {
+        await brain.close()
+        initSpy.mockRestore()
+      }
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('narrates a slow open with a per-phase ms breakdown once total time exceeds 2000ms', async () => {
+    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(console, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const brain = new Brainy({ ...createTestConfig(), storage: new SlowMemoryStorage() })
+    try {
+      await brain.init()
+
+      const slowOpenLine = warnSpy.mock.calls
+        .map((args) => args.map(String).join(' '))
+        .find((line) => line.includes('[Brainy] slow open:'))
+
+      expect(slowOpenLine).toBeDefined()
+      expect(slowOpenLine).toContain('storage-init=')
+      expect(slowOpenLine).toContain('generation-store-open-fold=')
+      expect(slowOpenLine).toContain('index-init-gate=')
+      expect(slowOpenLine).toContain('vfs-bootstrap=')
+      expect(slowOpenLine).toContain('embedding-warm-started=')
+    } finally {
+      await brain.close()
+      warnSpy.mockRestore()
+    }
+  }, 20000)
+
+  it('stays silent about phase timing when open is fast (under 2000ms)', async () => {
+    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(console, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    const brain = new Brainy(createTestConfig())
+    try {
+      await brain.init()
+      const slowOpenLine = warnSpy.mock.calls
+        .map((args) => args.map(String).join(' '))
+        .find((line) => line.includes('[Brainy] slow open:'))
+      expect(slowOpenLine).toBeUndefined()
+    } finally {
+      await brain.close()
+      warnSpy.mockRestore()
+    }
+  })
+})

tests/unit/utils/paramValidation.test.ts

@@ -149,7 +149,33 @@ describe('Zero-Config Parameter Validation', () => {
         type: NounType.Document
       } as AddParams)).toThrow('Invalid add() parameters: Missing required field \'data\'')
     })
-    
+
+    it('should accept an empty string as real data — only null/undefined is "missing"', () => {
+      // A legitimate empty file's first write: '' is content, not absence.
+      expect(() => validateAddParams({
+        data: '',
+        type: NounType.Document
+      })).not.toThrow()
+
+      // null/undefined (with no vector) is still the genuine missing-field case.
+      expect(() => validateAddParams({
+        data: null as any,
+        type: NounType.Document
+      })).toThrow('Invalid add() parameters: Missing required field \'data\'')
+      expect(() => validateAddParams({
+        data: undefined,
+        type: NounType.Document
+      })).toThrow('Invalid add() parameters: Missing required field \'data\'')
+    })
+
+    it('deferEmbedding accepts empty-string data (real content, not absence)', () => {
+      expect(() => validateAddParams({
+        data: '',
+        type: NounType.Document,
+        deferEmbedding: true
+      } as AddParams)).not.toThrow()
+    })
+
     it('should validate NounType', () => {
       expect(() => validateAddParams({
         data: 'test',
@@ -190,7 +216,22 @@ describe('Zero-Config Parameter Validation', () => {
         id: 'test-id'
       })).toThrow('must specify at least one field to update')
     })
-    
+
+    it('empty-string data counts as a real field to update (truncating content)', () => {
+      expect(() => validateUpdateParams({
+        id: 'test-id',
+        data: ''
+      })).not.toThrow()
+    })
+
+    it('deferEmbedding accepts empty-string data on update', () => {
+      expect(() => validateUpdateParams({
+        id: 'test-id',
+        data: '',
+        deferEmbedding: true
+      } as UpdateParams)).not.toThrow()
+    })
+
     it('should validate NounType if changing', () => {
       expect(() => validateUpdateParams({
         id: 'test-id',

tests/unit/vfs-readdir-recursive.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+/**
+ * vfs.readdir()'s `recursive` option: typed since 7.30 but never read, so it
+ * silently behaved exactly like `recursive: false`. This pins the real,
+ * documented contract: a recursive listing returns every descendant (files
+ * AND directories, all depths) as paths RELATIVE TO THE QUERIED DIRECTORY —
+ * the same convention Node's `fs.readdir(dir, { recursive: true })` uses —
+ * for both the plain string-array form and the `withFileTypes` VFSDirent
+ * form (whose `name` carries that same relative path when recursive).
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
+import type { VFSDirent } from '../../src/vfs/types.js'
+
+describe('vfs.readdir() recursive option', () => {
+  let brain: Brainy
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    brain = new Brainy({
+      requireSubtype: false,
+      storage: { type: 'memory' },
+      silent: true
+    })
+    await brain.init()
+
+    // Build:
+    //   /a/b.txt
+    //   /a/sub/c.txt
+    //   /a/sub/deeper/d.txt
+    //   /a/sub2/            (empty directory)
+    await brain.vfs.writeFile('/a/b.txt', 'B')
+    await brain.vfs.writeFile('/a/sub/c.txt', 'C')
+    await brain.vfs.writeFile('/a/sub/deeper/d.txt', 'D')
+    await brain.vfs.mkdir('/a/sub2', { recursive: true })
+  })
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await brain.close()
+  })
+
+  it('non-recursive (default) still returns only direct children, by basename', async () => {
+    const entries = await brain.vfs.readdir('/a') as string[]
+    expect([...entries].sort()).toEqual(['b.txt', 'sub', 'sub2'])
+  })
+
+  it('recursive: true returns every descendant as a path relative to the queried directory', async () => {
+    const entries = await brain.vfs.readdir('/a', { recursive: true }) as string[]
+    expect([...entries].sort()).toEqual([
+      'b.txt',
+      'sub',
+      'sub/c.txt',
+      'sub/deeper',
+      'sub/deeper/d.txt',
+      'sub2'
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('recursive: true at the root has no leading slash on relative entries', async () => {
+    const entries = await brain.vfs.readdir('/', { recursive: true }) as string[]
+    expect(entries).toContain('a')
+    expect(entries).toContain('a/b.txt')
+    expect(entries).toContain('a/sub/deeper/d.txt')
+    for (const entry of entries) {
+      expect(entry.startsWith('/')).toBe(false)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('recursive + withFileTypes: VFSDirent.name is the relative path, .path stays absolute', async () => {
+    const entries = await brain.vfs.readdir('/a', {
+      recursive: true,
+      withFileTypes: true
+    }) as VFSDirent[]
+
+    const byName = new Map(entries.map((e) => [e.name, e]))
+
+    const nested = byName.get('sub/deeper/d.txt')
+    expect(nested).toBeDefined()
+    expect(nested!.path).toBe('/a/sub/deeper/d.txt')
+    expect(nested!.type).toBe('file')
+
+    const nestedDir = byName.get('sub/deeper')
+    expect(nestedDir).toBeDefined()
+    expect(nestedDir!.path).toBe('/a/sub/deeper')
+    expect(nestedDir!.type).toBe('directory')
+
+    // Non-recursive VFSDirent behavior is unchanged: name is the basename.
+    const direct = await brain.vfs.readdir('/a', { withFileTypes: true }) as VFSDirent[]
+    const directEntry = direct.find((e) => e.path === '/a/b.txt')
+    expect(directEntry?.name).toBe('b.txt')
+  })
+
+  it('recursive + filter composes: only files survive a type filter', async () => {
+    const entries = await brain.vfs.readdir('/a', {
+      recursive: true,
+      filter: { type: 'file' }
+    }) as string[]
+    expect([...entries].sort()).toEqual(['b.txt', 'sub/c.txt', 'sub/deeper/d.txt'])
+  })
+})

tests/vfs/vfs.unit.test.ts

@@ -53,6 +53,35 @@ describe('VirtualFileSystem - Production Tests', () => {
       expect(exists).toBe(true)
     })
 
+    it('should write and read an empty (0-byte) file end-to-end', async () => {
+      // Pin: validateAddParams() used to treat '' as a missing 'data' field
+      // (falsy check), so a legitimate empty file's FIRST write threw
+      // "Missing required field 'data'". '' is real content, not an absent
+      // field — only null/undefined is absent.
+      const path = '/empty.txt'
+
+      await vfs.writeFile(path, '')
+
+      const result = await vfs.readFile(path)
+      expect(result.toString()).toBe('')
+
+      const exists = await vfs.exists(path)
+      expect(exists).toBe(true)
+
+      const stats = await vfs.stat(path)
+      expect(stats.size).toBe(0)
+      expect(stats.isFile()).toBe(true)
+
+      // The file lists like any other.
+      const entries = await vfs.readdir('/') as string[]
+      expect(entries).toContain('empty.txt')
+
+      // Overwriting it back to empty (truncate) must also succeed.
+      await vfs.writeFile(path, 'not empty anymore')
+      await vfs.writeFile(path, '')
+      expect((await vfs.readFile(path)).toString()).toBe('')
+    })
+
     it('should handle binary files', async () => {
       const binaryData = Buffer.from([0x00, 0x01, 0x02, 0xFF])
       const path = '/binary.dat'