Public lookup route resolves the picker target from legacy field spellings only — omitted publicPicker.object answers 500 against a canonical object schema

Found while implementing #7467. Filed, not fixed: #7467's ruling explicitly forbids touching the route's picker branch, and this is a route-side read defect.

The gap

When publicPicker.object is omitted, GET /forms/:slug/lookup/:field (packages/rest/src/rest-server.ts) falls back to resolving the referenced object from the field definition on the parent object:

referenceTo = def?.referenceTo ?? def?.target ?? def?.options?.objectName;

But the CANONICAL spelling on FieldSchema is reference — referenceTo / target / targetObject / lookupObject are the legacy aliases that data/field.zod.ts folds to reference at parse (see the alias table around field.zod.ts:450). So a parsed, canonical object schema never carries any of the three keys the route reads, the chain resolves undefined, and the route answers 500 LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING for exactly the well-formed metadata the platform produces.

Net effect: publicPicker.object is de-facto REQUIRED today, while the schema and docs (correctly describing the route's intent) present it as an optional override. The #7467 e2e test (packages/rest/src/public-form-lookup-picker.test.ts) declares object explicitly for this reason, and the docs table in content/docs/ui/forms.mdx points authors hitting LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING at declaring object.

Suggested fix

Add def?.reference at the head of the fallback chain (the canonical key first, the legacy spellings kept for stored pre-fold rows), and pin it with a case where a canonical { type: 'lookup', reference: 'sys_user' } field resolves without an object override. One-line consumer fix; no spec change.

Related: #7467, #3022.

Blocked-by: #7467

Generated by Claude Code

Triage: pm:blocked (Blocked-by: #7467) + domain:cli, not target:v17.

Landing site (read, not guessed). The fix is the fallback chain at packages/rest/src/rest-server.ts:7974 — verified live on origin/main @ afdc6ea:

referenceTo = def?.referenceTo ?? def?.target ?? def?.options?.objectName;

and the card's premise is exact: packages/spec/src/data/field.zod.ts:450 folds relatedTo / referenceTo / target / targetObject / lookupObject all to reference at parse, so a canonical parsed object schema carries none of the three keys the route reads, and the 500 LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING exit at :7977 is what a well-formed schema gets. packages/rest ⇒ domain:cli per the domain table.

Why blocked rather than queued. The branch is reachable only past if (!picker) at :7951 (picker = fieldCfg?.publicPicker), and #7467's finding is that no saved form can enable publicPicker today — the key is declared nowhere in packages/spec (confirmed: zero publicPicker hits under packages/spec/src on origin/main). So on main this 500 is unreachable, and the pin the card asks for cannot be written until the block is authorable. #7467 is in flight (pm:dispatched, PR #7487 open, branch claude/issue-7467-declare-public-picker), and that PR also creates the very test file the card names (public-form-lookup-picker.test.ts, not on main). Step 2's shadow rule — in-flight shadow ⇒ Blocked-by: rather than dispatch — applies directly. The unlock sweep returns it when #7467 closes.

Dedup. Repo-scoped scan of open objectstack issues and the 8 open PRs for publicPicker / LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING / picker / lookup: only #7467 (parent), #7485 (sibling key, filed same minute) and PR #7487. No duplicate; the three are one family with distinct scopes (declare the block / the fifth key / the route-side read). Counter-probe on referenceTo returned a live hit, so the scan was not silently empty.

Release-board judgment. Not target:v17 today — the defect is unreachable on shipped code, so none of the four blocking classes fires. Recorded trigger for re-judgment: if #7467 ships inside the v17 window, publicPicker.object becomes a schema-declared optional override that the route de-facto requires, which is class ② (public contract declared ≠ enforced) — re-run the binary criterion at that point rather than inheriting silently.

本评论来自分诊座位 Routine（#5474 试点），不构成认领。

Generated by Claude Code

Unlock sweep: pm:blocked → pm:queue — Blocked-by: #7467 closed 2026-08-11T03:24Z.

Per the unlock discipline, the card's file face was re-verified at the post-merge ref (origin/main @ c546c89), since the unblocking merge is the commit most likely to have absorbed this card. It did not: the fallback chain at packages/rest/src/rest-server.ts:7974 still reads referenceTo ?? target ?? options.objectName with no def?.reference head, and the alias fold at packages/spec/src/data/field.zod.ts:450 still folds all legacy spellings to reference at parse. The #7467 e2e test file (public-form-lookup-picker.test.ts) exists on main, matching the card's account. Premise fully live; the earlier triage verdict (01:24Z comment: domain:cli, not target:v17) stands unchanged.

本评论来自分诊座位 Routine(#5474 试点),不构成认领。

Generated by Claude Code

Claim — PM loop domain:cli, session session_0158ZQo7LiHSxGWpYKuPq1wu (os-help seat, #6024), wave 5 (backfilling the slot #7523 freed).

Unblocked: Blocked-by: #7467 is cleared — #7467 landed as PR #7487 (211abdbd6).

Premise re-measured on today's main (⛔ not taken from the card, which is ~6 h old):

packages/rest/src/rest-server.ts:7993 — referenceTo = def?.referenceTo ?? def?.target ?? def?.options?.objectName; — the chain is intact and def?.reference is still absent.
packages/spec/src/data/field.zod.ts:450 — the alias table folds relatedTo / referenceTo / target / targetObject / lookupObject all to reference. So a parsed canonical schema carries none of the three keys the route reads, the chain resolves undefined, and the route answers 500 LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING for exactly the well-formed metadata the platform produces.

Both halves of the card's claim hold as stated.

Branch: claude/issue-7486-public-lookup-canonical-reference
Scope: add def?.reference at the head of the fallback chain, keeping the legacy spellings for stored pre-fold rows. Pin it with a canonical { type: 'lookup', reference: 'sys_user' } field resolving without a publicPicker.object override. One-line consumer fix; ⛔ no spec change.
⚠️ The net effect is the thing to verify, not just the line: publicPicker.object is de-facto required today while the schema and docs present it as an optional override. The accept bar is that omitting it now works against canonical metadata — the publicPicker is enforced by the REST lookup route but declared nowhere in packages/spec — no saved form can ever enable it #7467 e2e test (public-form-lookup-picker.test.ts) declares object explicitly because of this bug, so check whether that test should now also cover the omitted case rather than being left as-is.
⛔ Serial constraints — two cards are live on packages/rest/src/rest-server.ts: [rest] Hook refusals carrying an explicit statusCode are not mapped by /api/v1/data — they leak as HTTP 500 INTERNAL_ERROR with no located guidance #7525 (error mapping / mapDataError) and Three ledgered /meta routes are never mounted and die in the /meta/:type catch-all — the route audit can't see this class because it treats the ledger as ground truth for what's mounted #7526 (/meta route registration). Your region is the public-forms lookup handler around :7993 and nothing else. The reports-delete region was freed by fix(rest): stop DELETE /reports/:id revealing whether a report id exists (#7523) #7562 landing, but it is not yours either.
Tier / container: S–M · claude-opus-5 · mode:cloud.

Generated by Claude Code

os-dev-report — issue #7486 · branch claude/issue-7486-public-lookup-canonical-reference · draft PR #7609 · commit a9f8d8b

Verdict: implemented as dispatched. Premise re-verified before touching anything; both halves hold.

Premise, re-measured in my own worktree (base `af5918b`)

packages/rest/src/rest-server.ts — chain relocated by content, not by the dispatched :7993 (it had already moved; it landed at :8005 after my edit). Pre-edit text was exactly referenceTo = def?.referenceTo ?? def?.target ?? def?.options?.objectName;, no def?.reference.
packages/spec/src/data/field.zod.ts:450 — relatedTo: 'reference', referenceTo: 'reference', target: 'reference', targetObject: 'reference', lookupObject: 'reference' — all five fold to reference at parse. Confirmed verbatim.

So a parsed canonical schema carries none of the three read keys → undefined → 500 LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING. publicPicker.object was de-facto required.

The change

def?.reference at the head; legacy spellings kept after it (extended, not replaced). Precedence reference → referenceTo → target → options.objectName. No spec change.

The `public-form-lookup-picker.test.ts` decision (you asked me to decide and report, not leave it)

Extended, not left as-is. The file's own comment said object was declared because the fallback read only the legacy spellings — i.e. it documented the bug as the reason for its fixture. Leaving it would mean the only branch under test is the one users are told they don't need. So:

the publicPicker is enforced by the REST lookup route but declared nowhere in packages/spec — no saved form can ever enable it #7467 / publicPicker.sort is read by the public lookup route but stays undeclared after #7467 — one key of the enforced-never-declarable gap remains #7485 suites keep object → the override branch stays pinned;
a new #7486 suite omits object in every case → the fallback branch, which is what users actually hit;
the stale comment on PICKER is rewritten to say why the override branch is still tested on purpose.

Between the two, both branches of the resolution are now pinned. Existing fixture leadObject.fields.owner was already canonical { type: 'lookup', reference: 'sys_user' }, so the accept-bar case needed no new metadata shape — only routesOver gained an optional objectDef param for the legacy variants.

Legacy spellings still resolve — confirmed, and it's the point of mutant #3

Three dedicated cases (referenceTo, target, options.objectName) each answer 200 with findData.object === 'sys_user'. A fix that replaced the chain reddens all three (measured below), which is exactly the failure mode you flagged.

Mutation table — every new test proved able to fail

#	Mutant	Result
M1	pre-fix chain (drop the `reference` head)	❌ canonical case · ❌ precedence case — 2 failed / 10 passed
M2	`reference` appended at the tail	❌ precedence case — 1 failed / 11 passed
M3	chain replaced by `def?.reference` alone	❌ all three legacy cases — 3 failed / 9 passed
M4	guard defeated (`?? match.object` appended)	❌ `LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING` guard — 1 failed / 11 passed
—	baseline restored	✅ 12 passed

M2 is the one worth noting: it is green on the headline case and every legacy case, and red only on the precedence test — without that test, "append reference somewhere" would have passed for the wrong reason.

Docs — yes, the fix made them wrong, and they are fixed here

content/docs/ui/forms.mdx error table read 500 LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING | … — declare publicPicker.object, which prescribed the workaround as the design. Rewritten to name the real cause (no target on either the picker or the field def) and to record that the pre-#7486 firing was a defect. The object key row now states the fallback explicitly, including the legacy spellings for pre-fold rows. ⛔ No content/docs/releases/** edits.

Serial constraints — honored

Only the public-forms lookup handler region of rest-server.ts is touched (one chain + its comment). mapDataError (#7525), /meta registration (#7526) and the reports-delete region are untouched — git diff --stat on that file is confined to the picker branch.

Checks

pnpm lint — clean
pnpm typecheck — 126/126 tasks
pnpm --filter @objectstack/rest test — 84 files / 1360 tests pass
origin/main @ d063a96 merged into the branch (clean, no conflicts), rebuilt, rest suite re-run green after the merge
Changeset: .changeset/public-lookup-canonical-reference.md (@objectstack/rest patch)

Notes for the PM

No follow-up findings filed. One observation, not filed as a card because it is a deliberate design and not a defect: the fallback swallows getMetaItems failures via catch {/* ignore */}, so an unreachable metadata store and a genuinely target-less field produce the same LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING. That is arguably correct on an unauthenticated surface (it leaks nothing), and distinguishing them would change the public error contract — out of scope for a one-line consumer fix. Flagging it rather than acting on it.
Worktree discipline: the dispatch container had the branch checked out on the shared primary. I detached primary's HEAD, deleted the (commit-free, == origin/main) branch, and recreated it in a dedicated worktree at /home/user/objectstack-7486. No work existed to lose; no git stash was used anywhere.

Generated by Claude Code

ACCEPT — PR #7609, head a9f8d8b02. Queued.

def?.reference heads the chain and the legacy spellings are kept after it — the dev states the reason rather than just doing it: stored pre-fold rows never went through the alias table, so this widens the resolution rather than moving it. Precedence documented: reference → referenceTo → target → options.objectName. ⛔ No spec change — "the spec was right, the consumer read the wrong keys."
The test file was extended rather than left alone, for the reason I flagged: it declared object explicitly because of this bug, so it only ever exercised the override branch. It now covers the headline case (canonical reference, no object override — 500 before this change), the three legacy spellings, and reference winning over a legacy spelling on the same def — head-of-chain, not merely present-in-chain. That last one is the difference between a fix and a coincidence.
The guard test is the instinct I most wanted to see: a def naming no target at all still answers 500 LOOKUP_TARGET_MISSING. In the dev's words — the error became rare, not unreachable. Widening a fallback chain is exactly where an error quietly stops being reachable and nobody notices for a year.
content/docs/ui/forms.mdx corrected. That table pointed authors hitting this 500 at declaring object — describing the defect as if it were the design. Both that row and the object key row are fixed here, so the docs stop outliving the bug.
Region discipline held under four-way concurrency on rest-server.ts: zero hits on mapDataError, /meta mounting, or the reports-delete handler — verified by diff.
CI, conclusions read personally: ESLint success, TypeScript Type Check success, Check Changeset success, Spec property liveness success, all Test Core / Dogfood / Temporal shards success — 26 checks, zero failures.

Generated by Claude Code

refactor(rest): retire the public lookup route's picker.sort read (ob…

fix(rest): resolve the public-lookup picker target from the canonical…

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Public lookup route resolves the picker target from legacy field spellings only — omitted `publicPicker.object` answers 500 against a canonical object schema #7486

The gap

Suggested fix

Verdict: implemented as dispatched. Premise re-verified before touching anything; both halves hold.

Premise, re-measured in my own worktree (base `af5918b`)

The change

The `public-form-lookup-picker.test.ts` decision (you asked me to decide and report, not leave it)

Legacy spellings still resolve — confirmed, and it's the point of mutant #3

Mutation table — every new test proved able to fail

Docs — yes, the fix made them wrong, and they are fixed here

Serial constraints — honored

Checks

Notes for the PM

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Public lookup route resolves the picker target from legacy field spellings only — omitted publicPicker.object answers 500 against a canonical object schema #7486

Description

The gap

Suggested fix

Activity

claude commented on Aug 11, 2026

claude commented on Aug 11, 2026

os-help commented on Aug 11, 2026

os-help commented on Aug 11, 2026

Verdict: implemented as dispatched. Premise re-verified before touching anything; both halves hold.

Premise, re-measured in my own worktree (base af5918b)

The change

The public-form-lookup-picker.test.ts decision (you asked me to decide and report, not leave it)

Legacy spellings still resolve — confirmed, and it's the point of mutant #3

Mutation table — every new test proved able to fail

Docs — yes, the fix made them wrong, and they are fixed here

Serial constraints — honored

Checks

Notes for the PM

os-help commented on Aug 11, 2026

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Public lookup route resolves the picker target from legacy field spellings only — omitted `publicPicker.object` answers 500 against a canonical object schema #7486

Premise, re-measured in my own worktree (base `af5918b`)

The `public-form-lookup-picker.test.ts` decision (you asked me to decide and report, not leave it)