@classytic/mongokit 3.5.6 → 3.6.1

package/README.md

@@ -3,1706 +3,315 @@
 [![npm version](https://badge.fury.io/js/@classytic%2Fmongokit.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@classytic/mongokit)
 [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
 
-> Production-grade MongoDB repository pattern with zero external dependencies
-
-**Works with:** Express, Fastify, NestJS, Next.js, Koa, Hapi, Serverless
-
-## Features
-
-- **Zero dependencies** - Only Mongoose as peer dependency
-- **Explicit + smart pagination** - Explicit `mode` control or auto-detection; offset, keyset, and aggregate
-- **Event-driven** - Pre/post hooks for all operations (granular scalability hooks)
-- **17 built-in plugins** - Caching, soft delete, audit trail, validation, multi-tenant, custom IDs, observability, Elasticsearch, and more
-- **Distributed cache safety** - List cache versions stored in the adapter (Redis) for multi-pod correctness
-- **Search governance** - Text index guard (throws `400` if no index), allowlisted sort/filter fields, ReDoS protection
-- **Geo queries** - `[near]`, `[nearSphere]`, `[withinRadius]`, `[geoWithin]` URL operators with auto sort/count handling
-- **Schema-aware coercion** - Pass `schema: Model.schema` to QueryParser for deterministic type-safe filter values
-- **String/UUID/Number `_id` support** - Works out of the box with any `_id` type, not just ObjectId
-- **Query primitives** - Composable pure functions (`coercion`, `geo`, `indexes`) importable standalone for custom parsers
-- **Vector search** - MongoDB Atlas `$vectorSearch` with auto-embedding and multimodal support
-- **TypeScript first** - Full type safety with discriminated unions, typed events, and field autocomplete
-- **Extensively tested** — 1500+ tests, Mongoose 9.4.1 aligned, battle-tested and production-ready
-
-## Installation
+Production-grade MongoDB repository pattern for Node.js. Zero runtime deps, Mongoose as a peer.
 
 ```bash
 npm install @classytic/mongokit mongoose
 ```
 
-> Requires Mongoose `>=9.4.1` | Node.js `>=22`
+Requires Mongoose `>=9.4.1`, Node.js `>=22`.
 
-## Quick Start
-
-```javascript
-import { Repository } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-import UserModel from "./models/User.js";
-
-const userRepo = new Repository(UserModel);
+---
 
-// Create
-const user = await userRepo.create({ name: "John", email: "john@example.com" });
+## Quick start
 
-// Read with auto-detected pagination
-const users = await userRepo.getAll({ page: 1, limit: 20 });
+```ts
+import { Repository } from '@classytic/mongokit';
+import UserModel from './models/User.js';
 
-// Update
-await userRepo.update(user._id, { name: "Jane" });
+const userRepo = new Repository(UserModel);
 
-// Delete
+const user = await userRepo.create({ name: 'John', email: 'john@example.com' });
+const page = await userRepo.getAll({ page: 1, limit: 20, filters: { status: 'active' } });
+await userRepo.update(user._id, { name: 'Jane' });
 await userRepo.delete(user._id);
 ```
 
-## Pagination
-
-`getAll()` takes an **explicit `mode`** or auto-detects based on parameters:
-
-```javascript
-// EXPLICIT: Offset pagination (recommended for dashboards, admin panels)
-const result = await repo.getAll({
-  mode: "offset", // explicit — no ambiguity
-  page: 1,
-  limit: 20,
-  filters: { status: "active" },
-  sort: { createdAt: -1 },
-  countStrategy: "exact", // 'exact' | 'estimated' | 'none'
-  hint: { createdAt: -1 }, // index hint for query governance
-  maxTimeMS: 2000, // kill slow queries
-});
-// → { method: 'offset', docs, total, pages, hasNext, hasPrev }
+Every Repository method is event-driven, pluggable, and returns raw Mongoose documents — no custom envelopes.
 
-// EXPLICIT: Keyset pagination (recommended for feeds, infinite scroll)
-const stream = await repo.getAll({
-  mode: "keyset",
-  sort: { createdAt: -1 },
-  limit: 20,
-});
-// → { method: 'keyset', docs, hasMore, next: 'eyJ2IjoxLC...' }
+---
 
-// Next page with cursor
-const next = await repo.getAll({
-  after: stream.next,
-  sort: { createdAt: -1 },
-  limit: 20,
-});
-
-// AUTO-DETECTION (backwards compatible, no mode required)
-// page parameter → offset mode
-// after/cursor parameter → keyset mode
-// sort without page → keyset mode (first page)
-// nothing/filters only → offset mode (page 1)
-```
-
-**Auto-detection rules (when `mode` is omitted):**
-
-- `page` present → **offset** mode
-- `after` or `cursor` present → **keyset** mode
-- Non-default `sort` provided without `page` → **keyset** mode
-- Nothing / filters only → **offset** mode (page 1)
-
-> ⚠️ **Recommended:** Always pass `mode` explicitly in new code to make intent clear and avoid surprising behavior when query params change.
-
-### Performance Options
-
-| Option          | Type                           | Description                                                         |
-| --------------- | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
-| `hint`          | `string \| object`             | Force a specific index — prevents collection scans on large tables  |
-| `maxTimeMS`     | `number`                       | Kill query if it takes longer than N ms (prevent runaway queries)   |
-| `countStrategy` | `'exact'\|'estimated'\|'none'` | Control cost of total-count query — use `'estimated'` for 10M+ rows |
-
-### Required Indexes
-
-```javascript
-// For keyset pagination: sort field + _id (compound)
-PostSchema.index({ createdAt: -1, _id: -1 });
-
-// For multi-tenant: tenant + sort field + _id
-UserSchema.index({ organizationId: 1, createdAt: -1, _id: -1 });
-```
-
-## API Reference
-
-### CRUD Operations
-
-| Method                           | Options Type         | Description                        |
-| -------------------------------- | -------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
-| `create(data, opts)`             | `CreateOptions`      | Create single document             |
-| `createMany(data[], opts)`       | `CreateOptions`      | Create multiple documents          |
-| `getById(id, opts)`              | `CacheableOptions`   | Find by ID                         |
-| `getByQuery(query, opts)`        | `CacheableOptions`   | Find one by query                  |
-| `getOne(filter, opts)`           | `CacheableOptions`   | Find one by compound filter        |
-| `getAll(params, opts)`           | `CacheableOptions`   | Paginated list (auto-detects mode) |
-| `findAll(filters, opts)`         | `OperationOptions`   | All docs without pagination        |
-| `getOrCreate(query, data, opts)` | `SessionOptions`     | Find or create                     |
-| `update(id, data, opts)`         | `UpdateOptions`      | Update document                    |
-| `delete(id, opts)`               | `SessionOptions`     | Delete document                    |
-| `count(query, opts)`             | `ReadOptions`        | Count documents                    |
-| `exists(query, opts)`            | `ReadOptions`        | Check existence                    |
-| `aggregate(pipeline, opts)`      | `AggregateOptions`   | Run aggregation pipeline           |
-| `distinct(field, query, opts)`   | `ReadOptions`        | Get distinct values                |
-
-All option types inherit from a clean hierarchy — import only what you need:
-
-```
-SessionOptions          → { session }
-└─ ReadOptions          → + readPreference
-   ├─ OperationOptions  → + select, populate, populateOptions, lean, throwOnNotFound
-   │  ├─ CacheableOptions → + skipCache, cacheTtl
-   │  └─ UpdateOptions    → + updatePipeline, arrayFilters
-   ├─ AggregateOptions  → + allowDiskUse, collation, maxTimeMS, maxPipelineStages
-   └─ LookupPopulateOptions → + filters, lookups, sort, page, limit, collation
-└─ CreateOptions        → + ordered
-```
-
-### Aggregation
-
-```javascript
-// Basic aggregation
-const result = await repo.aggregate([
-  { $match: { status: 'active' } },
-  { $group: { _id: '$category', total: { $sum: 1 } } }
-]);
-
-// Paginated aggregation
-const result = await repo.aggregatePaginate({
-  pipeline: [...],
-  page: 1,
-  limit: 20
-});
-
-// Distinct values
-const categories = await repo.distinct('category', { status: 'active' });
-```
-
-### Transactions
-
-```javascript
-await repo.withTransaction(async (session) => {
-  await repo.create({ name: "User 1" }, { session });
-  await repo.create({ name: "User 2" }, { session });
-  // Auto-commits on success, auto-rollbacks on error
-});
-```
-
-## Configuration
-
-```javascript
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel, plugins, {
-  defaultLimit: 20, // Default docs per page
-  maxLimit: 100, // Maximum allowed limit
-  maxPage: 10000, // Maximum page number
-  deepPageThreshold: 100, // Warn when page exceeds this
-  useEstimatedCount: false, // Use fast estimated counts
-  cursorVersion: 1, // Cursor format version
-});
-```
-
-### Search configuration
-
-`Repository.getAll({ search })` has three layers, ordered from simplest to most
-flexible. Pick the lowest one that solves your problem.
-
-| Layer                       | When to use                                                                                                              | Where it lives                              |
-| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------- |
-| **`searchMode: 'text'`**    | You have a MongoDB text index and want `$text`-ranked results.                                                           | Repository option (default)                 |
-| **`searchMode: 'regex'`**   | Small/medium collection, no text index, simple substring matching across known fields. Works behind any HTTP framework.  | Repository option                           |
-| **Search-resolver plugin**  | External engine (Elasticsearch, Meilisearch, Typesense, pgvector, hybrid BM25+vector). Composes with cache, multi-tenant. | `before:getAll` plugin — see Plugins below  |
-
-```javascript
-// Built-in regex mode — no MongoDB text index required
-const repo = new Repository(
-  MemoModel,
-  [],
-  {},
-  {
-    // 'text'  → default, requires text index
-    // 'regex' → case-insensitive $or of $regex across searchFields, no index needed
-    // 'auto'  → text if a text index exists, otherwise regex
-    searchMode: "regex",
-    searchFields: ["title", "scope", "body"],
-  },
-);
-
-await repo.getAll({ search: "alpha", filters: { scope: "public" } });
-```
+## Core concepts
 
-User input is regex-escaped (literal substring match), and any pre-existing
-`$or` filter is preserved by promoting both clauses to `$and`.
+### Repository
 
-> **QueryParser ↔ Repository:** `QueryParser` also exposes `searchMode`/`searchFields`
-> for the HTTP boundary (`?search=foo` URL → parsed query). The two layers are
-> independent: configure the parser if you want URL-time consumption (Arc does
-> this), configure the Repository if you want data-layer consumption
-> (Express/Nest/raw handlers), or both for defense in depth — they will not
-> conflict because the parser clears `parsed.search` before it reaches the repo.
+A `Repository<TDoc>` wraps a Mongoose model and exposes a small, uniform CRUD surface:
 
-### Geo queries
+- **Reads:** `getById`, `getByQuery`, `getOne`, `getAll`, `findAll`, `count`, `exists`, `distinct`, `aggregate`, `aggregatePaginate`, `lookupPopulate`
+- **Writes:** `create`, `createMany`, `update`, `updateMany` (via plugin), `delete`, `deleteMany` (via plugin), `bulkWrite` (via plugin)
+- **Restore / trash bin:** via `softDeletePlugin`
 
-QueryParser supports 4 geo operators that compile to canonical GeoJSON-shaped
-MongoDB queries. All validate coordinate ranges and reject malformed input by
-dropping the filter (not silently widening).
+Extend it by subclassing; add domain verbs on the subclass. Do not wrap it in a service layer.
 
-```javascript
-const parser = new QueryParser({ schema: PlaceModel.schema });
-
-// Distance-sorted (implicit distance ordering, no explicit sort allowed)
-const near = parser.parse({ "location[near]": "-73.98,40.76,5000" });
-// → { location: { $near: { $geometry: { type: 'Point', coordinates: [-73.98, 40.76] }, $maxDistance: 5000 } } }
-
-// Count-compatible radius — use this for paginated getAll (supports sort + count)
-const radius = parser.parse({ "location[withinRadius]": "-73.98,40.76,5000" });
-// → { location: { $geoWithin: { $centerSphere: [[-73.98, 40.76], 0.000783...] } } }
-
-// Bounding box (works without a 2dsphere index)
-const box = parser.parse({ "location[geoWithin]": "-74,40.7,-73.9,40.8" });
-// → { location: { $geoWithin: { $box: [[-74, 40.7], [-73.9, 40.8]] } } }
-```
-
-**Repository integration:** `Repository.getAll` auto-detects `$near` /
-`$nearSphere` in filters and handles the MongoDB constraints transparently:
-
-- Skips the default `-createdAt` sort (MongoDB forbids explicit sort with `$near`)
-- Warns and drops any caller-supplied sort that conflicts
-- Rewrites the count query via `$geoWithin: $centerSphere` for accurate `total`
-- Falls back to `countStrategy: 'none'` for unbounded `$near` (no `$maxDistance`)
-- All plugins (multi-tenant, soft-delete, cache, populate) compose unchanged
-
-Use `[near]` when you need distance-sorted results. Use `[withinRadius]` when
-you need paginated lists with `total` and custom sort.
-
-### String / UUID / Number `_id`
-
-Schemas that declare `_id` as `String`, `Number`, or `UUID` instead of the
-default `ObjectId` work out of the box — no configuration needed:
-
-```typescript
-const SessionSchema = new Schema({
-  _id: { type: String, default: () => randomUUID() },
-  userId: { type: String, required: true },
-});
-
-const repo = new Repository(SessionModel);
-await repo.create({ userId: "user-1" });         // _id auto-generated as UUID
-await repo.getById("550e8400-e29b-...");          // works — no ObjectId validation
-await repo.update("550e8400-e29b-...", { ... });  // works
-```
-
-The `id-resolution` utility detects the `_id` type from the schema and
-validates accordingly. Schema generation also includes String `_id` as an
-optional field in `createBody` so Fastify/AJV validation accepts user-supplied
-IDs. Available standalone:
-
-```typescript
-import { getSchemaIdType, isValidIdForType } from "@classytic/mongokit/utils";
-
-const idType = getSchemaIdType(SessionModel.schema); // 'string'
-isValidIdForType("550e8400-...", idType);             // true
-isValidIdForType("not-valid", "objectid");            // false
-```
-
-### Query primitives
-
-Pure, composable functions that power QueryParser internals — importable
-standalone for custom parsers, Arc controllers, migration scripts, and AI
-agents that build queries programmatically:
-
-```typescript
-// Geo
-import { parseGeoFilter, hasNearOperator } from "@classytic/mongokit/query/primitives/geo";
-// Coercion
-import { coerceFieldValue, buildFieldTypeMap } from "@classytic/mongokit/query/primitives/coercion";
-// Schema indexes
-import { extractSchemaIndexes } from "@classytic/mongokit/query/primitives/indexes";
+```ts
+class InvoiceRepository extends Repository<InvoiceDoc> {
+  async markPaid(id: string, ctx: RepositoryContext) {
+    return this.update(id, { status: 'paid', paidAt: new Date() }, ctx);
+  }
+}
 ```
 
-Each primitive is independently unit-tested, tree-shake friendly (no barrel),
-and decoupled from Mongoose — they accept structural types, not concrete
-Mongoose instances.
-
-## Plugins
+### Plugins
 
-### Using Plugins
+Plugins register hooks and/or methods on a repository. Order matters — they run at declared priorities:
 
-```javascript
+```ts
 import {
   Repository,
-  timestampPlugin,
+  methodRegistryPlugin,
+  batchOperationsPlugin,
+  multiTenantPlugin,
   softDeletePlugin,
   cachePlugin,
-  createMemoryCache,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
+} from '@classytic/mongokit';
 
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel, [
-  timestampPlugin(),
-  softDeletePlugin(),
-  cachePlugin({ adapter: createMemoryCache(), ttl: 60 }),
-]);
-```
-
-### Available Plugins
-
-| Plugin                              | Description                                               |
-| ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
-| `timestampPlugin()`                 | Auto-manage `createdAt`/`updatedAt`                       |
-| `softDeletePlugin(opts)`            | Mark as deleted instead of removing                       |
-| `auditLogPlugin(logger)`            | Log all CUD operations                                    |
-| `cachePlugin(opts)`                 | Redis/Memcached/memory caching with auto-invalidation     |
-| `validationChainPlugin(validators)` | Custom validation rules                                   |
-| `fieldFilterPlugin(preset)`         | Role-based field visibility                               |
-| `cascadePlugin(opts)`               | Auto-delete related documents                             |
-| `methodRegistryPlugin()`            | Dynamic method registration (required by plugins below)   |
-| `mongoOperationsPlugin()`           | Adds `increment`, `pushToArray`, `upsert`, etc.           |
-| `batchOperationsPlugin()`           | Adds `updateMany`, `deleteMany`, `bulkWrite`              |
-| `aggregateHelpersPlugin()`          | Adds `groupBy`, `sum`, `average`, etc.                    |
-| `subdocumentPlugin()`               | Manage subdocument arrays                                 |
-| `multiTenantPlugin(opts)`           | Auto-inject tenant isolation on all operations            |
-| `customIdPlugin(opts)`              | Auto-generate sequential/random IDs with atomic counters  |
-| `elasticSearchPlugin(opts)`         | Delegate text/semantic search to Elasticsearch/OpenSearch |
-| `auditTrailPlugin(opts)`            | DB-persisted audit trail with change tracking and TTL     |
-| `observabilityPlugin(opts)`         | Operation timing, metrics, slow query detection           |
-
-### Soft Delete
-
-```javascript
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel, [
+const repo = new Repository<Invoice>(InvoiceModel, [
   methodRegistryPlugin(),
   batchOperationsPlugin(),
-  softDeletePlugin({ deletedField: "deletedAt" }),
+  multiTenantPlugin({ tenantField: 'organizationId' }), // POLICY (100)
+  softDeletePlugin({ deletedField: 'deletedAt' }),      // POLICY (100)
+  cachePlugin({ adapter: redisAdapter }),                // CACHE  (200)
 ]);
-
-await repo.delete(id); // Marks as deleted (sets deletedAt)
-await repo.getAll(); // Excludes deleted
-await repo.getAll({ includeDeleted: true }); // Includes deleted
-
-// Batch operations respect soft-delete automatically
-await repo.deleteMany({ status: "draft" }); // Soft-deletes matching docs
-await repo.updateMany({ status: "active" }, { $set: { featured: true } }); // Skips soft-deleted
-```
-
-### Populate via URL (Array Refs + Field Selection)
-
-Populate arrays of ObjectIds with field selection, filtering, and sorting — all from URL query params:
-
-```bash
-# Populate all products in an order
-GET /orders?populate=products
-
-# Only name and price from each product
-GET /orders?populate[products][select]=name,price
-
-# Exclude fields
-GET /orders?populate[products][select]=-internalNotes,-cost
-
-# Filter: only active products
-GET /orders?populate[products][match][status]=active
-
-# Limit + sort populated items
-GET /orders?populate[products][limit]=5&populate[products][sort]=-price
-
-# Combined
-GET /orders?populate[products][select]=name,price&populate[products][match][status]=active&populate[products][limit]=10
-```
-
-```typescript
-// Express route — 3 lines
-const parsed = parser.parse(req.query);
-const result = await orderRepo.getAll(
-  { filters: parsed.filters, sort: parsed.sort, limit: parsed.limit },
-  { populateOptions: parsed.populateOptions, populate: parsed.populate },
-);
 ```
 
-### Lookup Joins via URL (No Refs Needed)
+Hook priorities ensure deterministic ordering: `POLICY (100) → CACHE (200) → OBSERVABILITY (300) → DEFAULT (500)`.
 
-Join collections by any field (slug, code, SKU) using `$lookup` — no `ref` in schema required. Faster than `populate` for non-ref joins.
+### Events
 
-```bash
-# Join products with categories by slug
-GET /products?lookup[category][from]=categories&lookup[category][localField]=categorySlug&lookup[category][foreignField]=slug&lookup[category][single]=true
-
-# With field selection on joined collection (only bring name + slug)
-GET /products?lookup[category][...same]&lookup[category][select]=name,slug
-
-# Combined with filter + sort + root select
-GET /products?status=active&sort=-price&select=name,price,category&lookup[category][...same]&lookup[category][select]=name
-```
+Every operation emits `before:*`, `after:*`, `error:*`:
 
-```typescript
-// Express route — getAll auto-routes to $lookup when lookups are present
-const parsed = parser.parse(req.query);
-const result = await repo.getAll({
-  filters: parsed.filters,
-  sort: parsed.sort,
-  lookups: parsed.lookups,   // auto-routes to lookupPopulate
-  select: parsed.select,
-  limit: parsed.limit,
-});
+```ts
+repo.on('before:delete', (ctx) => { /* mutate ctx, throw to veto */ });
+repo.on('after:create',  ({ context, result }) => { /* audit, notify */ });
 ```
 
-> **Populate vs Lookup:** Use `populate` for `ref` fields (ObjectId arrays). Use `lookup` for joining by any field (slugs, codes, SKUs) — it runs a server-side `$lookup` aggregation, which is faster than client-side population for non-ref joins.
-
-### Caching
+The `before:*` hook receives the context directly; `after:*` and `error:*` receive `{ context, result | error }`.
 
-```javascript
-import { cachePlugin, createMemoryCache } from "@classytic/mongokit";
+---
 
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel, [
-  cachePlugin({
-    adapter: createMemoryCache(), // or Redis adapter
-    ttl: 60, // Default TTL (seconds)
-    byIdTtl: 300, // TTL for getById
-    queryTtl: 30, // TTL for lists
-  }),
-]);
-
-// Reads are cached automatically
-const user = await repo.getById(id);
+## Pagination
 
-// Skip cache for fresh data
-const fresh = await repo.getById(id, { skipCache: true });
+`getAll` supports offset, keyset (cursor), and aggregate pagination. Pass `mode: 'offset' | 'keyset'` explicitly or let it auto-detect.
 
-// Mutations auto-invalidate cache
-await repo.update(id, { name: "New" });
+```ts
+// Offset — dashboards, admin panels
+await repo.getAll({ mode: 'offset', page: 1, limit: 20, sort: { createdAt: -1 } });
+// → { method: 'offset', docs, total, pages, hasNext, hasPrev }
 
-// Manual invalidation
-await repo.invalidateCache(id);
-await repo.invalidateAllCache();
+// Keyset — feeds, infinite scroll
+const p1 = await repo.getAll({ mode: 'keyset', sort: { createdAt: -1 }, limit: 20 });
+const p2 = await repo.getAll({ mode: 'keyset', sort: { createdAt: -1 }, after: p1.next });
+// → { method: 'keyset', docs, hasMore, next }
 ```
 
-**Redis adapter example:**
+Keyset pagination with `filters + sort` warns once if no matching schema-declared compound index exists. Silent in `NODE_ENV=test`. Route warnings via `configureLogger({ warn })`.
 
-```javascript
-const redisAdapter = {
-  async get(key) {
-    return JSON.parse((await redis.get(key)) || "null");
-  },
-  async set(key, value, ttl) {
-    await redis.setex(key, ttl, JSON.stringify(value));
-  },
-  async del(key) {
-    await redis.del(key);
-  },
-  async clear(pattern) {
-    /* optional bulk delete */
-  },
-};
-```
+---
 
-### Validation Chain
+## Delete semantics
 
-```javascript
-import {
-  validationChainPlugin,
-  requireField,
-  uniqueField,
-  immutableField,
-  blockIf,
-  autoInject,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel, [
-  validationChainPlugin([
-    requireField("email", ["create"]),
-    uniqueField("email", "Email already exists"),
-    immutableField("userId"),
-    blockIf(
-      "noAdminDelete",
-      ["delete"],
-      (ctx) => ctx.data?.role === "admin",
-      "Cannot delete admin users",
-    ),
-    autoInject("slug", (ctx) => slugify(ctx.data?.name), ["create"]),
-  ]),
-]);
-```
+`delete(id)` respects the plugin stack by default — soft when `softDeletePlugin` is wired, physical otherwise. Pass `mode: 'hard'` for GDPR / admin cleanup while keeping every policy hook firing:
 
-### Cascade Delete
-
-```javascript
-import { cascadePlugin, softDeletePlugin } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const repo = new Repository(ProductModel, [
-  softDeletePlugin(),
-  cascadePlugin({
-    relations: [
-      { model: "StockEntry", foreignKey: "product" },
-      { model: "Review", foreignKey: "product", softDelete: false },
-    ],
-    parallel: true,
-    logger: console,
-  }),
-]);
+```ts
+// Default — soft when plugin wired
+await repo.delete(userId, { organizationId });
 
-// Deleting product also deletes related StockEntry and Review docs
-await repo.delete(productId);
-```
-
-### Field Filtering (RBAC)
-
-```javascript
-import { fieldFilterPlugin } from "@classytic/mongokit";
+// Hard — physical delete, audit + tenant scoping still enforced
+await repo.delete(userId, { organizationId, mode: 'hard' });
 
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel, [
-  fieldFilterPlugin({
-    public: ["id", "name", "avatar"],
-    authenticated: ["email", "phone"],
-    admin: ["createdAt", "internalNotes"],
-  }),
-]);
+// Bulk hard delete (requires batchOperationsPlugin)
+await repo.deleteMany(
+  { createdAt: { $lt: cutoff } },
+  { organizationId, mode: 'hard' },
+);
 ```
 
-### Multi-Tenant
-
-```javascript
-import { multiTenantPlugin } from "@classytic/mongokit";
+Never drop to `repo.Model.deleteOne` — that bypasses every hook you wired.
 
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel, [
-  multiTenantPlugin({
-    tenantField: "organizationId",
-    contextKey: "organizationId", // reads from context
-    required: true,
-  }),
-]);
-
-// All operations are automatically scoped to the tenant
-const users = await repo.getAll({ organizationId: "org_123" });
-await repo.update(userId, { name: "New" }, { organizationId: "org_123" });
-// Cross-tenant update/delete is blocked — returns "not found"
-```
+---
 
-### Audit Trail (DB-Persisted)
+## Transactions
 
-The `auditTrailPlugin` persists operation audit entries to a shared MongoDB collection. Unlike `auditLogPlugin` (which logs to an external logger), this stores a queryable audit trail in the database with automatic TTL cleanup.
+Two entry points, identical semantics, shared retry/fallback logic:
 
-```typescript
-import {
-  Repository,
-  methodRegistryPlugin,
-  auditTrailPlugin,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
+```ts
+import { withTransaction } from '@classytic/mongokit';
 
-const repo = new Repository(JobModel, [
-  methodRegistryPlugin(),
-  auditTrailPlugin({
-    operations: ["create", "update", "delete"], // Which ops to track
-    trackChanges: true, // Field-level before/after diff on updates
-    trackDocument: false, // Full doc snapshot on create (heavy)
-    ttlDays: 90, // Auto-purge after 90 days (MongoDB TTL index)
-    excludeFields: ["password", "token"], // Redact sensitive fields
-    metadata: (context) => ({
-      // Custom metadata per entry
-      ip: context.req?.ip,
-      userAgent: context.req?.headers?.["user-agent"],
-    }),
-  }),
-]);
-
-// Query audit trail for a specific document (requires methodRegistryPlugin)
-const trail = await repo.getAuditTrail(documentId, {
-  page: 1,
-  limit: 20,
-  operation: "update", // Optional filter
+// Cross-repo — pass a Mongoose connection
+await withTransaction(mongoose.connection, async (session) => {
+  const order = await orderRepo.create(data, { session });
+  await ledgerRepo.create({ orderId: order._id, amount }, { session });
+  return order;
 });
-// → { docs, page, limit, total, pages, hasNext, hasPrev }
-```
-
-**What gets stored:**
-
-```javascript
-{
-  model: 'Job',
-  operation: 'update',
-  documentId: ObjectId('...'),
-  userId: ObjectId('...'),
-  orgId: ObjectId('...'),
-  changes: {
-    title: { from: 'Old Title', to: 'New Title' },
-    salary: { from: 50000, to: 65000 },
-  },
-  metadata: { ip: '192.168.1.1' },
-  timestamp: ISODate('2026-02-26T...'),
-}
-```
-
-**Standalone queries** (admin dashboards, audit APIs — no repo needed):
-
-```typescript
-import { AuditTrailQuery } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const auditQuery = new AuditTrailQuery(); // 'audit_trails' collection
-
-// All audits for an org
-const orgAudits = await auditQuery.getOrgTrail(orgId);
 
-// All actions by a user
-const userAudits = await auditQuery.getUserTrail(userId);
-
-// History of a specific document
-const docHistory = await auditQuery.getDocumentTrail("Job", jobId);
-
-// Custom query with date range
-const recent = await auditQuery.query({
-  orgId,
-  operation: "delete",
-  from: new Date("2025-01-01"),
-  to: new Date(),
-  page: 1,
-  limit: 50,
+// Single-repo convenience
+await orderRepo.withTransaction(async (session) => {
+  return orderRepo.create(data, { session });
 });
-
-// Direct model access for anything custom
-const model = auditQuery.getModel();
-const deleteCount = await model.countDocuments({ operation: "delete" });
 ```
 
-**Key design decisions:**
-
-- **Fire & forget** — audit writes are async and never block or fail the main operation
-- **Shared collection** — one `audit_trails` collection for all models (filtered by `model` field)
-- **TTL index** — MongoDB auto-deletes old entries, no cron needed
-- **Change diff** — compares before/after on updates, stores only changed fields
-
-**Plugin options:**
-
-| Option          | Default                          | Description                            |
-| --------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
-| `operations`    | `['create', 'update', 'delete']` | Which operations to audit              |
-| `trackChanges`  | `true`                           | Store before/after diff on updates     |
-| `trackDocument` | `false`                          | Store full document snapshot on create |
-| `ttlDays`       | `undefined` (keep forever)       | Auto-purge after N days                |
-| `collectionName`| `'audit_trails'`                 | MongoDB collection name                |
-| `excludeFields` | `[]`                             | Fields to redact from diffs/snapshots  |
-| `metadata`      | `undefined`                      | Callback to inject custom metadata     |
+Both auto-retry on `TransientTransactionError` / `UnknownTransactionCommitResult`. Pass `{ allowFallback: true, onFallback }` to run the callback non-transactionally on standalone MongoDB (dev).
 
-**TypeScript type safety:**
+---
 
-```typescript
-import type { AuditTrailMethods } from "@classytic/mongokit";
+## Outbox pattern — compose, don't plugin
 
-type JobRepoWithAudit = JobRepo & AuditTrailMethods;
+mongokit does **not** ship an `outboxPlugin`. It doesn't need to.
 
-const repo = new JobRepo(JobModel, [
-  methodRegistryPlugin(),
-  auditTrailPlugin({ ttlDays: 90 }),
-]) as JobRepoWithAudit;
-
-// Full autocomplete for getAuditTrail
-const trail = await repo.getAuditTrail(jobId, { operation: "update" });
-```
+The only thing outbox requires is the ability to write an event row **in the same MongoDB session** as the business write — otherwise a crash between the two writes loses the event. Mongokit's hook system already hands you `context.session` at the exact moment of the write, so hosts can wire outbox with a ~60-line recipe that composes:
 
-### Observability
+- **mongokit's hooks** (`before:create` / `before:update` / `before:delete`) for session-bound writes
+- **arc's `EventTransport`** (Memory / Redis / Kafka / etc.) for delivery
+- **a Mongo collection** (with a TTL index on `deliveredAt`) as the outbox store
 
-```javascript
-import { observabilityPlugin } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel, [
-  observabilityPlugin({
-    onMetric: (metric) => {
-      // Send to DataDog, New Relic, OpenTelemetry, etc.
-      statsd.histogram(`mongokit.${metric.operation}`, metric.duration);
-    },
-    slowThresholdMs: 200, // log operations slower than 200ms
-  }),
-]);
-```
+See [`tests/_shared/outbox-recipe.ts`](./tests/_shared/outbox-recipe.ts) for the full reference implementation and [`tests/outbox-recipe.test.ts`](./tests/outbox-recipe.test.ts) for end-to-end coverage of the pattern (session threading, FIFO relay, failure retry, `shouldEnqueue` / `enrichMeta` extension points).
 
-### Custom ID Generation
+Sketch:
 
-Generate human-readable sequential IDs (e.g., `INV-0001`, `BILL-2026-02-0001`) using atomic MongoDB counters — safe under concurrency with zero duplicates.
+```ts
+// host: src/outbox/wire.ts
+import { wireOutbox, MongoOutboxStore } from './outbox-recipe.js';
+import { RedisEventTransport } from '@classytic/arc/events';
 
-```typescript
-import {
-  Repository,
-  customIdPlugin,
-  sequentialId,
-  dateSequentialId,
-  prefixedId,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-```
-
-#### Sequential Counter
-
-```typescript
-const invoiceRepo = new Repository(InvoiceModel, [
-  customIdPlugin({
-    field: "invoiceNumber",
-    generator: sequentialId({
-      prefix: "INV",
-      model: InvoiceModel,
-    }),
-  }),
-]);
-
-const inv1 = await invoiceRepo.create({ amount: 100 });
-// inv1.invoiceNumber → "INV-0001"
-
-const inv2 = await invoiceRepo.create({ amount: 200 });
-// inv2.invoiceNumber → "INV-0002"
-```
-
-**Options:**
-
-| Option       | Default      | Description                                          |
-| ------------ | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- |
-| `prefix`     | _(required)_ | Prefix string (e.g., `'INV'`, `'ORD'`)               |
-| `model`      | _(required)_ | Mongoose model (counter key derived from model name) |
-| `padding`    | `4`          | Number of digits (`4` → `0001`)                      |
-| `separator`  | `'-'`        | Separator between prefix and number                  |
-| `counterKey` | model name   | Custom counter key to avoid collisions               |
-
-#### Date-Partitioned Counter
-
-Counter resets per period — ideal for invoice/bill numbering:
-
-```typescript
-const billRepo = new Repository(BillModel, [
-  customIdPlugin({
-    field: "billNumber",
-    generator: dateSequentialId({
-      prefix: "BILL",
-      model: BillModel,
-      partition: "monthly", // resets each month
-    }),
-  }),
-]);
-
-const bill = await billRepo.create({ total: 250 });
-// bill.billNumber → "BILL-2026-02-0001"
-```
-
-**Partition modes:**
-
-- `'yearly'` → `BILL-2026-0001` (resets every January)
-- `'monthly'` → `BILL-2026-02-0001` (resets every month)
-- `'daily'` → `BILL-2026-02-20-0001` (resets every day)
-
-#### Prefixed Random ID
-
-No database round-trip — purely in-memory random suffix:
-
-```typescript
-const orderRepo = new Repository(OrderModel, [
-  customIdPlugin({
-    field: "orderRef",
-    generator: prefixedId({ prefix: "ORD", length: 10 }),
-  }),
-]);
-
-const order = await orderRepo.create({ total: 99 });
-// order.orderRef → "ORD_a7b3xk9m2p"
-```
-
-#### Custom Generator
-
-Write your own generator function for full control:
-
-```typescript
-const repo = new Repository(OrderModel, [
-  customIdPlugin({
-    field: "orderRef",
-    generator: async (context) => {
-      const region = context.data?.region || "US";
-      const seq = await getNextSequence("orders");
-      return `ORD-${region}-${String(seq).padStart(4, "0")}`;
-    },
-  }),
-]);
-// → "ORD-US-0001", "ORD-EU-0002", ...
-```
-
-#### Plugin Options
-
-| Option                | Default      | Description                                  |
-| --------------------- | ------------ | -------------------------------------------- |
-| `field`               | `'customId'` | Document field to store the generated ID     |
-| `generator`           | _(required)_ | Function returning the ID (sync or async)    |
-| `generateOnlyIfEmpty` | `true`       | Skip generation if field already has a value |
-
-#### Batch Creation
-
-Works with `createMany` — each document gets its own sequential ID:
-
-```typescript
-const docs = await invoiceRepo.createMany([
-  { amount: 10 },
-  { amount: 20, invoiceNumber: "MANUAL-001" }, // skipped (already has ID)
-  { amount: 30 },
-]);
-// docs[0].invoiceNumber → "INV-0001"
-// docs[1].invoiceNumber → "MANUAL-001"  (preserved)
-// docs[2].invoiceNumber → "INV-0002"
-```
-
-#### Atomic Counter API
-
-The `getNextSequence` helper is exported for use in custom generators:
-
-```typescript
-import { getNextSequence } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const seq = await getNextSequence("my-counter"); // → 1, 2, 3, ...
-const batch = await getNextSequence("my-counter", 5); // → jumps by 5
-```
-
-Counters are stored in the `_mongokit_counters` collection using MongoDB's atomic `findOneAndUpdate` + `$inc` — guaranteed unique under any level of concurrency.
-
-> **Note:** Counters are monotonically increasing and never decrement on document deletion.
-> This is standard behavior for business documents (invoices, bills, receipts) — you never reuse a number.
-
-### Vector Search (Atlas)
-
-```javascript
-import { vectorPlugin } from '@classytic/mongokit/ai';
-
-const repo = new Repository(ProductModel, [
-  methodRegistryPlugin(),
-  vectorPlugin({
-    fields: [{
-      path: 'embedding',
-      index: 'vector_index',
-      dimensions: 1536,
-      sourceFields: ['title', 'description'],
-    }],
-    embedFn: async ({ text }) =>
-      openai.embeddings.create({ input: text, model: 'text-embedding-3-small' })
-        .then(r => r.data[0].embedding),
-    autoEmbed: true,
-    onEmbedError: (err) => console.warn('Embed failed:', err.message),
-  }),
-]);
-
-// Search by text (auto-embeds the query)
-const results = await repo.searchSimilar({ query: 'running shoes', limit: 10 });
-
-// Search by vector directly
-const results = await repo.searchSimilar({ query: [0.1, 0.2, ...], limit: 5 });
-
-// Embed manually
-const vector = await repo.embed('some text');
-```
+const store = new MongoOutboxStore({ connection: mongoose.connection, name: 'outbox' });
+const transport = new RedisEventTransport({ url: process.env.REDIS_URL });
 
-### Custom Search Backends (search-resolver plugin contract)
-
-The built-in `searchMode: 'text' | 'regex'` is sugar over a more general
-**plugin contract** for any search backend — Elasticsearch, Meilisearch,
-Typesense, Algolia, pgvector, Pinecone, hybrid BM25+vector. The contract
-keeps mongokit core free of backend-specific dependencies, and the same
-plugin works behind any HTTP framework (Arc, Express, Nest, raw handlers)
-without further wiring.
-
-**The contract** (4 lines):
-
-1. Hook `before:getAll`.
-2. If `ctx.search` is set, resolve it against your backend (returns IDs).
-3. Mutate `ctx.filters` to constrain the Mongo query: `_id: { $in: ids }`.
-4. Set `ctx.search = undefined` so Repository's text-index check is bypassed.
-
-```javascript
-function meilisearchPlugin({ client, index }) {
-  return (repo) => {
-    repo.on("before:getAll", async (ctx) => {
-      if (!ctx.search) return;
-      const hits = await client.index(index).search(ctx.search, {
-        limit: ctx.limit ?? 20,
-      });
-      const ids = hits.hits.map((h) => h.id);
-      ctx.filters = { ...(ctx.filters ?? {}), _id: { $in: ids } };
-      ctx.search = undefined; // bypass text-index check
-      ctx._meiliRanking = ids; // stash for after:getAll re-sort
-    });
-    repo.on("after:getAll", (ctx) => {
-      if (!ctx._meiliRanking) return;
-      const order = new Map(ctx._meiliRanking.map((id, i) => [String(id), i]));
-      ctx.result.docs.sort(
-        (a, b) => order.get(String(a._id)) - order.get(String(b._id)),
-      );
-    });
-  };
-}
-
-// Wire at Repository construction — works in Arc, Express, Nest, anywhere
-const repo = new Repository(ProductModel, [
-  meilisearchPlugin({ client: meili, index: "products" }),
-  cachePlugin({ adapter: createMemoryCache(), ttl: 60 }), // composes cleanly
-]);
-```
-
-**Why this contract works:**
-
-- `before:getAll` runs inside `_buildContext`, _before_ Repository reads `search` or hits the text-index check. A plugin that clears `ctx.search` short-circuits the built-in search path entirely.
-- `Repository.getAll` reads `search` only from the post-hook context (no fallback to original params) — this is the framework-level guarantee that makes `ctx.search = undefined` a real clear, not a silently overridden no-op.
-- The caller's existing filters are preserved by spreading: `ctx.filters = { ...(ctx.filters ?? {}), _id: ... }`. Multi-tenant scoping (which also runs in `before:getAll`), soft-delete filters, and the search plugin compose without ordering concerns — they all mutate `ctx.filters` independently and all survive.
-- Cache plugin composes too: it sees the post-hook context (filters with the resolved ID list), so cache keys are accurate. ES/Meili results get cached just like Mongo results.
-- The same plugin shape works for every backend; only the resolver call changes.
-
-The bundled `elasticSearchPlugin` (next section) is the canonical reference implementation, and `tests/repository-search-mode.test.ts` exercises this contract end-to-end with multi-tenant + soft-delete + cache composition.
-
-### Elasticsearch / OpenSearch Plugin
-
-Delegates heavy text and semantic search to an external search engine while fetching full documents from MongoDB. Keeps your OLTP (transactional) MongoDB operations fast by separating search I/O.
-
-**Architecture:** Query ES/OpenSearch → get IDs + relevance scores → fetch full docs from MongoDB → return in ES ranking order.
-
-```typescript
-import {
-  Repository,
-  methodRegistryPlugin,
-  elasticSearchPlugin,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-import { Client } from "@elastic/elasticsearch"; // or '@opensearch-project/opensearch'
-
-const esClient = new Client({ node: "http://localhost:9200" });
-
-const productRepo = new Repository(ProductModel, [
-  methodRegistryPlugin(), // Required first
-  elasticSearchPlugin({
-    client: esClient,
-    index: "products",
-    idField: "_id", // field in ES doc that maps to MongoDB _id
-  }),
-]);
-
-// Perform semantic/full-text search
-const results = await productRepo.search(
-  { match: { description: "wireless headphones" } },
-  {
-    limit: 20, // capped to 1000 max (safety bound)
-    from: 0,
-    mongoOptions: {
-      select: "name price description",
-      lean: true,
-    },
+wireOutbox({
+  repos: {
+    'catalog:product':    catalog.repositories.product,
+    'revenue:transaction': revenue.repositories.transaction,
+    'order:order':         order.repositories.order,
   },
-);
-
-// results.docs - MongoDB documents in ES ranking order
-// results.docs[*]._score - ES relevance score (preserved, including 0)
-// results.total - total hits count from ES
-```
-
-**Why this exists:**
-
-- `$text` in MongoDB requires a text index and is not scalable for fuzzy/semantic search
-- ES/OpenSearch provides BM25, vector search, semantic search, analyzers, facets
-- This plugin bridges both: ES rank + MongoDB's transactional documents
-
-**Bounds enforcement:**
-
-- `limit` is clamped to `[1, 1000]` — prevents runaway ES queries
-- `from` is clamped to `>= 0` — prevents negative offsets
-- Returns `{ docs: [], total: 0 }` immediately if ES returns no hits
-
-### Logging
-
-```javascript
-import { configureLogger } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-// Silence all internal warnings
-configureLogger(false);
-
-// Custom logger
-configureLogger({
-  warn: (msg, ...args) => myLogger.warn(msg, ...args),
-  debug: (msg, ...args) => myLogger.debug(msg, ...args),
+  store,
+  // optional: skip internal audit repos, add tenant/correlation meta, etc.
+  shouldEnqueue: ({ resource }) => resource !== 'audit:log',
+  enrichMeta:    (ctx) => ({ correlationId: ctx.correlationId as string | undefined }),
 });
-```
-
-### MongoDB Operations Plugin
-
-The `mongoOperationsPlugin` adds MongoDB-specific atomic operations like `increment`, `upsert`, `pushToArray`, etc.
-
-#### Basic Usage (No TypeScript Autocomplete)
-
-```javascript
-import {
-  Repository,
-  methodRegistryPlugin,
-  mongoOperationsPlugin,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const repo = new Repository(ProductModel, [
-  methodRegistryPlugin(), // Required first
-  mongoOperationsPlugin(),
-]);
 
-// Works at runtime but TypeScript doesn't provide autocomplete
-await repo.increment(productId, "views", 1);
-await repo.upsert({ sku: "ABC" }, { name: "Product", price: 99 });
-```
-
-#### With TypeScript Type Safety (Recommended)
-
-For full TypeScript autocomplete and type checking, use the `MongoOperationsMethods` type:
-
-```typescript
-import {
-  Repository,
-  methodRegistryPlugin,
-  mongoOperationsPlugin,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-import type { MongoOperationsMethods } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-// 1. Create your repository class
-class ProductRepo extends Repository<IProduct> {
-  // Add custom methods here
-  async findBySku(sku: string) {
-    return this.getByQuery({ sku });
+// relay worker — runs on app startup
+setInterval(async () => {
+  const pending = await store.getPending(100);
+  for (const event of pending) {
+    try {
+      await transport.publish(event);
+      await store.acknowledge(event.meta.id);
+    } catch {
+      break; // retry next tick
+    }
   }
-}
-
-// 2. Create type helper for autocomplete
-type ProductRepoWithPlugins = ProductRepo & MongoOperationsMethods<IProduct>;
-
-// 3. Instantiate with type assertion
-const repo = new ProductRepo(ProductModel, [
-  methodRegistryPlugin(),
-  mongoOperationsPlugin(),
-]) as ProductRepoWithPlugins;
-
-// 4. Now TypeScript provides full autocomplete and type checking!
-await repo.increment(productId, "views", 1); // ✅ Autocomplete works
-await repo.upsert({ sku: "ABC" }, { name: "Product" }); // ✅ Type-safe
-await repo.pushToArray(productId, "tags", "featured"); // ✅ Validated
-await repo.findBySku("ABC"); // ✅ Custom methods too
+}, 1000);
 ```
 
-**Available operations:**
+That's the entire outbox. No plugin, no custom base class, no opinions baked into the data layer. The host decides:
 
-- `upsert(query, data, opts)` - Create or find document
-- `increment(id, field, value, opts)` - Atomically increment field
-- `decrement(id, field, value, opts)` - Atomically decrement field
-- `pushToArray(id, field, value, opts)` - Add to array
-- `pullFromArray(id, field, value, opts)` - Remove from array
-- `addToSet(id, field, value, opts)` - Add unique value to array
-- `setField(id, field, value, opts)` - Set field value
-- `unsetField(id, fields, opts)` - Remove field(s)
-- `renameField(id, oldName, newName, opts)` - Rename field
-- `multiplyField(id, field, multiplier, opts)` - Multiply numeric field
-- `setMin(id, field, value, opts)` - Set to min (if current > value)
-- `setMax(id, field, value, opts)` - Set to max (if current < value)
+- Which repos emit events (`wireOutbox.repos`)
+- What the event type naming convention is (map keys → `${resource}.created`)
+- Which transport to publish to (any `EventTransport` implementation)
+- When the relay runs (`setInterval`, BullMQ, scheduled worker…)
+- How to enrich meta (AsyncLocalStorage, request ctx, tenant keys)
 
-### Plugin Type Safety
+mongokit's job stops at "the hook has `context.session`." Everything else is composition.
 
-Plugin methods are added at runtime. Use `WithPlugins<TDoc, TRepo>` for TypeScript autocomplete:
+---
 
-```typescript
-import type { WithPlugins } from "@classytic/mongokit";
+## Built-in plugins
 
-class UserRepo extends Repository<IUser> {}
+| Plugin | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| `methodRegistryPlugin` | Prerequisite for plugins that attach new methods |
+| `batchOperationsPlugin` | `updateMany`, `deleteMany`, `bulkWrite` with hook support |
+| `multiTenantPlugin` | Inject tenant scope at POLICY priority — supports `fieldType: 'objectId'` for `$lookup`/`.populate()` |
+| `softDeletePlugin` | `deletedAt` / custom field, `restore`, `getDeleted`, TTL, `before:restore` / `after:restore` hooks |
+| `cascadePlugin` | Cascade delete; prefer `{ repo: targetRepo, foreignKey, softDelete? }` to route through the target's hook pipeline |
+| `customIdPlugin` | Stripe-style prefixed public IDs (`txn_a7b3xk9m`) on top of `_id` |
+| `cachePlugin` | Pluggable adapter (memory, Redis); list-cache versioning for multi-pod correctness |
+| `auditLogPlugin` / `auditTrailPlugin` | Who/when/what capture to a sibling collection |
+| `observabilityPlugin` | Metric hooks for OpenTelemetry / Prometheus bridges |
+| `timestampPlugin` | `createdAt` / `updatedAt` management |
+| `validationChainPlugin` | Layered sync + async validators |
+| `fieldFilterPlugin` | Role-based field visibility on reads |
+| `subdocumentPlugin` | Helpers for nested array document CRUD |
+| `mongoOperationsPlugin` | Low-level Mongo helpers (`$inc`, `$push`, etc.) with hooks |
+| `aggregateHelpersPlugin` | Common aggregation builders |
+| `elasticPlugin` | Mirror writes to Elasticsearch |
 
-const repo = new UserRepo(Model, [
-  methodRegistryPlugin(),
-  mongoOperationsPlugin(),
-  softDeletePlugin(),
-]) as WithPlugins<IUser, UserRepo>;
-
-// Full TypeScript autocomplete — field names inferred from IUser!
-await repo.increment(id, "age", 1); // ✅ "age" autocompleted from IUser
-await repo.groupBy("status"); // ✅ "status" autocompleted
-await repo.restore(id); // ✅ Returns Promise<IUser>
-await repo.getDeleted(); // ✅ Returns OffsetPaginationResult<IUser>
-await repo.invalidateCache(id);
-```
-
-Field params use `DocField<TDoc>` — autocomplete for known fields, still accepts arbitrary strings for nested paths like `'address.city'`.
-
-**Individual plugin types:** `MongoOperationsMethods<T>`, `BatchOperationsMethods`, `AggregateHelpersMethods`, `SubdocumentMethods<T>`, `SoftDeleteMethods<T>`, `CacheMethods`, `AuditTrailMethods`
-
-## Event System
-
-Event names are typed as `RepositoryEvent` — full autocomplete in TypeScript:
-
-```typescript
-// before:* receives context directly — mutate in-place
-repo.on("before:create", async (context) => {
-  context.data.processedAt = new Date();
-});
-
-// after:* receives { context, result }
-repo.on("after:create", ({ context, result }) => {
-  console.log("Created:", result);
-});
-
-// error:* receives { context, error }
-repo.on("error:create", ({ context, error }) => {
-  console.error("Failed:", error);
-});
-
-// Remove a listener
-repo.off("after:create", myListener);
-```
-
-**Events:** `before:*`, `after:*`, `error:*` for `create`, `createMany`, `update`, `delete`, `deleteMany`, `updateMany`, `getById`, `getByQuery`, `getAll`, `aggregate`, `aggregatePaginate`, `lookupPopulate`, `getOrCreate`, `count`, `exists`, `distinct`, `bulkWrite`
-
-### Microservice Integration (Kafka / RabbitMQ / Redis Pub-Sub)
-
-Use `after:*` hooks to publish events to message brokers — zero additional libraries needed:
-
-```typescript
-import { HOOK_PRIORITY } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-// Publish to Kafka after every create
-repo.on("after:create", async ({ context, result }) => {
-  await kafka.publish("orders.created", {
-    operation: context.operation,
-    model: context.model,
-    document: result,
-    userId: context.user?._id,
-    tenantId: context.organizationId,
-    timestamp: Date.now(),
-  });
-}, { priority: HOOK_PRIORITY.OBSERVABILITY });
-
-// Redis Pub-Sub on updates
-repo.on("after:update", async ({ context, result }) => {
-  await redis.publish("order:updated", JSON.stringify({
-    id: result._id,
-    changes: context.data,
-  }));
-}, { priority: HOOK_PRIORITY.OBSERVABILITY });
-
-// RabbitMQ on deletes (including soft-deletes)
-repo.on("after:delete", async ({ context, result }) => {
-  await rabbitMQ.sendToQueue("order.deleted", {
-    id: result.id,
-    soft: result.soft,
-    tenantId: context.organizationId,
-  });
-}, { priority: HOOK_PRIORITY.OBSERVABILITY });
-```
-
-**Hook priority order:** `POLICY (100)` → `CACHE (200)` → `OBSERVABILITY (300)` → `DEFAULT (500)`. Event publishing at `OBSERVABILITY` ensures it runs after policy enforcement and cache invalidation.
-
-## Building REST APIs
-
-MongoKit provides a complete toolkit for building REST APIs: QueryParser for request handling, JSON Schema generation for validation/docs, and IController interface for framework-agnostic controllers.
-
-### IController Interface
-
-Framework-agnostic controller contract that works with Express, Fastify, Next.js, etc:
-
-```typescript
-import type {
-  IController,
-  IRequestContext,
-  IControllerResponse,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-// IRequestContext - what your controller receives
-interface IRequestContext {
-  query: Record<string, unknown>; // URL query params
-  body: Record<string, unknown>; // Request body
-  params: Record<string, string>; // Route params (:id)
-  user?: { id: string; role?: string }; // Auth user
-  context?: Record<string, unknown>; // Tenant ID, etc.
-}
+Each plugin is tree-shakeable. Import only what you use.
 
-// IControllerResponse - what your controller returns
-interface IControllerResponse<T> {
-  success: boolean;
-  data?: T;
-  error?: string;
-  status: number;
-}
-
-// IController - implement this interface
-interface IController<TDoc> {
-  list(
-    ctx: IRequestContext,
-  ): Promise<IControllerResponse<PaginationResult<TDoc>>>;
-  get(ctx: IRequestContext): Promise<IControllerResponse<TDoc>>;
-  create(ctx: IRequestContext): Promise<IControllerResponse<TDoc>>;
-  update(ctx: IRequestContext): Promise<IControllerResponse<TDoc>>;
-  delete(
-    ctx: IRequestContext,
-  ): Promise<IControllerResponse<{ message: string }>>;
-}
-```
-
-### QueryParser
-
-Converts HTTP query strings to MongoDB queries with built-in security:
+---
 
-```typescript
-import { QueryParser } from "@classytic/mongokit";
+## QueryParser (URL → filter)
 
-const parser = new QueryParser({
-  schema: ProductModel.schema, // Schema-aware coercion (recommended)
-  maxLimit: 100, // Prevent excessive queries
-  maxFilterDepth: 5, // Prevent nested injection
-  maxRegexLength: 100, // ReDoS protection
-  allowedFilterFields: ["status", "name", "email"], // Whitelist filter fields
-  allowedSortFields: ["createdAt", "name"], // Whitelist sort fields
-  allowedOperators: ["eq", "ne", "in", "gt", "lt"], // Whitelist operators
-});
-
-// Parse request query
-const { filters, limit, page, sort, search } = parser.parse(req.query);
+Turn Express / Fastify query strings into sanitized Mongo filters + sort + pagination.
 
-// Read back configured whitelists (used by Arc MCP integration)
-parser.allowedFilterFields; // ['status', 'name', 'email'] or undefined
-parser.allowedSortFields; // ['createdAt', 'name'] or undefined
-parser.allowedOperators; // ['eq', 'ne', 'in', 'gt', 'lt'] or undefined
-```
+```ts
+import { QueryParser } from '@classytic/mongokit';
 
-**Schema-aware value coercion (recommended):** Pass `schema: Model.schema` and
-the parser coerces filter values exactly to each field's declared type. With
-schema configured, `?stock=50` against a `Number` field becomes `50` (number),
-`?name=12345` against a `String` field stays `'12345'`, `?releasedAt=2026-04-07`
-against a `Date` field becomes a `Date` instance, `?address.zip=01234` against
-a nested `String` field preserves the leading zero. Direct equality and
-operator syntax (`stock[gte]=50`) coerce identically — no more "why does
-operator work but direct equality doesn't" surprises. Unknown fields fall
-through to a safe heuristic so ad-hoc filters still work.
-
-For DB-agnostic setups (raw MongoDB, Prisma, computed fields, models you
-don't own), use `fieldTypes` instead of `schema`. The two can be combined —
-`fieldTypes` overrides `schema` per path:
-
-```typescript
 const parser = new QueryParser({
-  schema: ProductModel.schema,
-  fieldTypes: {
-    "address.zip": "string", // override a Mongoose path
-    legacyCount: "number", // declare a non-schema field
-  },
+  schema: InvoiceModel.schema,           // enables type coercion + geo/text detection
+  allowedFilterFields: ['status', 'total', 'customerId'],
+  allowedSortFields: ['createdAt', 'total'],
+  searchMode: 'auto',                     // 'text' | 'regex' | 'auto'
 });
-```
 
-Without either option, the parser falls back to a string-shape heuristic
-(numeric strings without leading zeros and ≤15 chars become numbers; ObjectId
-hex stays a string; `'true'`/`'false'` become booleans). The heuristic is
-safe but inherently lossy — schema-aware mode is strictly better.
-
-**Supported query patterns:**
-
-```bash
-# Filtering
-GET /users?status=active&role=admin
-GET /users?age[gte]=18&age[lte]=65
-GET /users?role[in]=admin,user
-GET /users?email[contains]=@gmail.com
-GET /users?name[regex]=^John
-
-# Pagination
-GET /users?page=2&limit=50
-GET /users?after=eyJfaWQiOi...&limit=20  # Cursor-based
-
-# Sorting
-GET /users?sort=-createdAt,name
-
-# Search (default: text index; or configure searchMode: 'regex' / 'auto')
-GET /users?search=john
-
-# Geo queries (requires 2dsphere index for near/nearSphere)
-GET /places?location[near]=-73.98,40.76,5000         # Within 5km, distance-sorted
-GET /places?location[nearSphere]=-73.98,40.76,5000    # Spherical variant
-GET /places?location[withinRadius]=-73.98,40.76,5000   # Count-compatible radius (use for paginated lists)
-GET /places?location[geoWithin]=-74,40.7,-73.9,40.8   # Bounding box (no index required)
-
-# Simple populate
-GET /posts?populate=author,category
-
-# Advanced populate with options
-GET /posts?populate[author][select]=name,email
-GET /posts?populate[author][match][active]=true
-GET /posts?populate[comments][limit]=10
-GET /posts?populate[comments][sort]=-createdAt
-GET /posts?populate[author][populate][department][select]=name  # Nested
+// GET /invoices?status=paid&total_gte=1000&sort=-createdAt&page=1&limit=20
+const { filters, sort, page, limit, search } = parser.parse(req.query);
+const result = await invoiceRepo.getAll({ filters, sort, page, limit, search });
 ```
 
-**Security features:**
-
-- Blocks `$where`, `$function`, `$accumulator` operators (`$expr` allowed for `$lookup` correlation)
-- ReDoS protection for regex patterns
-- Max filter depth enforcement
-- Field allowlists for filters and sorting (`allowedFilterFields`, `allowedSortFields`)
-- Operator allowlists (`allowedOperators`)
-- Collection allowlists for lookups
-- Populate path sanitization (blocks `$where`, `__proto__`, etc.)
-- Max populate depth limit (default: 5)
-
-### Advanced Populate Options
-
-QueryParser supports Mongoose populate options via URL query parameters:
-
-```typescript
-import { QueryParser } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const parser = new QueryParser();
-
-// Parse URL: /posts?populate[author][select]=name,email&populate[author][match][active]=true
-const parsed = parser.parse(req.query);
-
-// Use with Repository
-const posts = await postRepo.getAll(
-  { filters: parsed.filters, page: parsed.page, limit: parsed.limit },
-  { populateOptions: parsed.populateOptions },
-);
-```
+Supports URL operators: `_gt/_gte/_lt/_lte/_ne/_in/_nin/_regex`, geo (`[near]`, `[withinRadius]`, `[geoWithin]`), populate, and schema-aware coercion. ReDoS protection + allowlisted operators for hardening.
 
-**Supported populate options:**
-
-| Option     | URL Syntax                                       | Description                                     |
-| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------- |
-| `select`   | `populate[path][select]=field1,field2`           | Fields to include (space-separated in Mongoose) |
-| `match`    | `populate[path][match][field]=value`             | Filter populated documents                      |
-| `limit`    | `populate[path][limit]=10`                       | Limit number of populated docs                  |
-| `sort`     | `populate[path][sort]=-createdAt`                | Sort populated documents                        |
-| `populate` | `populate[path][populate][nested][select]=field` | Nested populate (max depth: 5)                  |
-
-**Example - Complex populate:**
-
-```typescript
-// URL: /posts?populate[author][select]=name,avatar&populate[comments][limit]=5&populate[comments][sort]=-createdAt&populate[comments][match][approved]=true
-
-const parsed = parser.parse(req.query);
-// parsed.populateOptions = [
-//   { path: 'author', select: 'name avatar' },
-//   { path: 'comments', match: { approved: true }, options: { limit: 5, sort: { createdAt: -1 } } }
-// ]
-
-// Simple string populate still works
-// URL: /posts?populate=author,category
-// parsed.populate = 'author,category'
-// parsed.populateOptions = undefined
-```
-
-### JSON Schema Generation
-
-Auto-generate JSON schemas from Mongoose models for validation and OpenAPI docs:
-
-```typescript
-import { buildCrudSchemasFromModel } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const { crudSchemas } = buildCrudSchemasFromModel(UserModel, {
-  fieldRules: {
-    organizationId: { immutable: true }, // Can't update after create
-    role: { systemManaged: true }, // Users can't set this
-    createdAt: { systemManaged: true },
-  },
-  strictAdditionalProperties: true, // Reject unknown fields
-});
-
-// Generated schemas:
-// crudSchemas.createBody  - POST body validation
-// crudSchemas.updateBody  - PATCH body validation
-// crudSchemas.params      - Route params (:id)
-// crudSchemas.listQuery   - GET query validation
-```
-
-#### Soft-required fields (draft-friendly bodies)
-
-Some resources have fields that must be non-null in the DB but should be
-**optional in the HTTP body** — draft journal entries, multi-step wizards,
-or any state-machine resource that's filled out progressively. Marking a
-path `softRequired: true` keeps the Mongoose `required: true` invariant
-(null on save is still rejected) while excluding the field from the
-generated `createBody.required[]` array.
-
-```typescript
-// 1. Per-path flag (when you own the Mongoose schema)
-const JournalEntrySchema = new Schema({
-  label: { type: String, required: true },            // hard required
-  journalType: {
-    type: String,
-    required: true,       // DB invariant — null rejected on save
-    softRequired: true,   // HTTP body — optional in create/update
-    enum: ['sale', 'purchase', 'adjustment'],
-  },
-  date: { type: Date, required: true, softRequired: true },
-});
-
-// 2. Per-build override (when the Mongoose model lives in an upstream package)
-const { createBody } = buildCrudSchemasFromModel(UpstreamModel, {
-  softRequiredFields: ['journalType', 'date'],
-});
-// createBody.required   →  ['label']   (journalType + date excluded)
-// createBody.properties →  still includes journalType + date (validated when present)
-```
-
-The DB-level `required: true` is unaffected — `repo.create()` with `null`
-for a soft-required field still throws a Mongoose ValidationError. The
-flag only changes what HTTP clients must send.
-
-### Complete Controller Example
-
-```typescript
-import {
-  Repository,
-  QueryParser,
-  buildCrudSchemasFromModel,
-  type IController,
-  type IRequestContext,
-  type IControllerResponse,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-class UserController implements IController<IUser> {
-  private repo = new Repository(UserModel);
-  private parser = new QueryParser({ maxLimit: 100 });
-
-  async list(ctx: IRequestContext): Promise<IControllerResponse> {
-    const { filters, limit, page, sort } = this.parser.parse(ctx.query);
-
-    // Inject tenant filter
-    if (ctx.context?.organizationId) {
-      filters.organizationId = ctx.context.organizationId;
-    }
-
-    const result = await this.repo.getAll({ filters, limit, page, sort });
-    return { success: true, data: result, status: 200 };
-  }
-
-  async get(ctx: IRequestContext): Promise<IControllerResponse> {
-    const doc = await this.repo.getById(ctx.params.id);
-    return { success: true, data: doc, status: 200 };
-  }
-
-  async create(ctx: IRequestContext): Promise<IControllerResponse> {
-    const doc = await this.repo.create(ctx.body);
-    return { success: true, data: doc, status: 201 };
-  }
-
-  async update(ctx: IRequestContext): Promise<IControllerResponse> {
-    const doc = await this.repo.update(ctx.params.id, ctx.body);
-    return { success: true, data: doc, status: 200 };
-  }
-
-  async delete(ctx: IRequestContext): Promise<IControllerResponse> {
-    await this.repo.delete(ctx.params.id);
-    return { success: true, data: { message: "Deleted" }, status: 200 };
-  }
-}
-```
-
-### Fastify Integration
-
-```typescript
-import { buildCrudSchemasFromModel } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const controller = new UserController();
-const { crudSchemas } = buildCrudSchemasFromModel(UserModel);
-
-// Routes with auto-validation and OpenAPI docs
-fastify.get(
-  "/users",
-  { schema: { querystring: crudSchemas.listQuery } },
-  async (req, reply) => {
-    const ctx = { query: req.query, body: {}, params: {}, user: req.user };
-    const response = await controller.list(ctx);
-    return reply.status(response.status).send(response);
-  },
-);
-
-fastify.post(
-  "/users",
-  { schema: { body: crudSchemas.createBody } },
-  async (req, reply) => {
-    const ctx = { query: {}, body: req.body, params: {}, user: req.user };
-    const response = await controller.create(ctx);
-    return reply.status(response.status).send(response);
-  },
-);
-
-fastify.get(
-  "/users/:id",
-  { schema: { params: crudSchemas.params } },
-  async (req, reply) => {
-    const ctx = { query: {}, body: {}, params: req.params, user: req.user };
-    const response = await controller.get(ctx);
-    return reply.status(response.status).send(response);
-  },
-);
-```
-
-### Express Integration
-
-```typescript
-const controller = new UserController();
-
-app.get("/users", async (req, res) => {
-  const ctx = { query: req.query, body: {}, params: {}, user: req.user };
-  const response = await controller.list(ctx);
-  res.status(response.status).json(response);
-});
-
-app.post("/users", async (req, res) => {
-  const ctx = { query: {}, body: req.body, params: {}, user: req.user };
-  const response = await controller.create(ctx);
-  res.status(response.status).json(response);
-});
-```
+---
 
 ## TypeScript
 
-`TDoc` is inferred from the Mongoose model — no manual annotation needed:
-
-```typescript
-import { Repository } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-import type { CacheableOptions, ReadOptions } from "@classytic/mongokit";
-
-const repo = new Repository(UserModel); // TDoc inferred from UserModel
+Full type safety for repository methods, plugin method combinations, events, and query contexts.
 
-// All return types flow correctly
-const user = await repo.getById("123"); // IUser | null
-const users = await repo.getAll({ page: 1 }); // OffsetPaginationResult<IUser> | KeysetPaginationResult<IUser>
-
-// Discriminated union — TypeScript narrows the type
-if (users.method === "offset") {
-  console.log(users.total, users.pages); // ✅ Available
-}
-if (users.method === "keyset") {
-  console.log(users.next, users.hasMore); // ✅ Available
-}
-
-// Typed options — import and reuse
-const opts: CacheableOptions = { skipCache: true, lean: true };
-const fresh = await repo.getById("123", opts);
-```
-
-### Utility Types
-
-```typescript
+```ts
 import type {
-  InferDocument,   // Extract TDoc from Model: InferDocument<typeof UserModel>
-  InferRawDoc,     // TDoc without Mongoose Document methods
-  CreateInput,     // Omit<TDoc, '_id' | 'createdAt' | 'updatedAt' | '__v'>
-  UpdateInput,     // Partial<Omit<TDoc, '_id' | 'createdAt' | '__v'>>
-  DocField,        // (keyof TDoc & string) | (string & {}) — autocomplete + nested paths
-  PartialBy,       // Make specific fields optional
-  RequiredBy,      // Make specific fields required
-  DeepPartial,     // Recursive partial
-  KeysOfType,      // Extract keys by value type: KeysOfType<IUser, string>
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-```
-
-## Extending Repository
-
-Create custom repository classes with domain-specific methods:
-
-```typescript
-import {
   Repository,
-  softDeletePlugin,
-  timestampPlugin,
-} from "@classytic/mongokit";
-import UserModel, { IUser } from "./models/User.js";
-
-class UserRepository extends Repository<IUser> {
-  constructor() {
-    super(UserModel, [timestampPlugin(), softDeletePlugin()], {
-      defaultLimit: 20,
-    });
-  }
-
-  // Custom domain methods
-  async findByEmail(email: string) {
-    return this.getByQuery({ email });
-  }
-
-  async findActiveUsers() {
-    return this.getAll({
-      filters: { status: "active" },
-      sort: { createdAt: -1 },
-    });
-  }
-
-  async deactivate(id: string) {
-    return this.update(id, { status: "inactive", deactivatedAt: new Date() });
-  }
-}
-
-// Usage
-const userRepo = new UserRepository();
-const user = await userRepo.findByEmail("john@example.com");
-```
-
-### Overriding Methods
+  RepositoryContext,
+  RepositoryEvent,
+  SoftDeleteMethods,
+  BatchOperationsMethods,
+} from '@classytic/mongokit';
 
-```typescript
-class AuditedUserRepository extends Repository<IUser> {
-  constructor() {
-    super(UserModel);
-  }
-
-  // Override create to add audit trail
-  async create(data: Partial<IUser>, options = {}) {
-    const result = await super.create(
-      {
-        ...data,
-        createdBy: getCurrentUserId(),
-      },
-      options,
-    );
-
-    await auditLog("user.created", result._id);
-    return result;
-  }
-}
+type InvoiceRepo = Repository<Invoice> &
+  SoftDeleteMethods<Invoice> &
+  BatchOperationsMethods;
 ```
 
-## Factory Function
+---
 
-For simple cases without custom methods:
+## Subpath imports
 
-```javascript
-import { createRepository, timestampPlugin } from "@classytic/mongokit";
+Import pure primitives without pulling the full package surface:
 
-const userRepo = createRepository(UserModel, [timestampPlugin()], {
-  defaultLimit: 20,
-});
+```ts
+import { extractSchemaIndexes } from '@classytic/mongokit/query/primitives/indexes';
+import { parseGeoFilter } from '@classytic/mongokit/query/primitives/geo';
+import { coerceFieldValue } from '@classytic/mongokit/query/primitives/coercion';
 ```
 
-## Error Handling
-
-MongoKit translates MongoDB and Mongoose errors into HTTP-compatible errors with proper status codes:
+---
 
-| Error Type | Status | Example |
-|---|---|---|
-| Duplicate key (E11000) | **409** | `Duplicate value for email (email: "dup@test.com")` |
-| Validation error | **400** | `Validation Error: name is required` |
-| Cast error | **400** | `Invalid _id: not-a-valid-id` |
-| Document not found | **404** | `Document not found` |
-| Other errors | **500** | `Internal Server Error` |
+## Testing
 
-```typescript
-import { parseDuplicateKeyError } from "@classytic/mongokit";
+Uses `mongodb-memory-server` by default; override via `MONGODB_URI` for a real replica set when running transaction tests locally.
 
-// Use in custom error handlers
-const dupErr = parseDuplicateKeyError(error);
-if (dupErr) {
-  // dupErr.status === 409
-  // dupErr.message includes field name and value
-}
+```bash
+npm test                    # full suite (~80 files, 1500+ tests)
+npx vitest run tests/X.ts   # single file while iterating
 ```
 
-## Custom ID Field
-
-Use `idField` when your documents use a custom identifier (slug, UUID, code) instead of `_id`:
-
-```typescript
-// Repo-level: all calls use slug
-const productRepo = new Repository(ProductModel, [], {}, { idField: 'slug' });
-await productRepo.getById('laptop');                  // { slug: 'laptop' }
-await productRepo.update('laptop', { price: 999 });   // { slug: 'laptop' }
-await productRepo.delete('laptop');                    // { slug: 'laptop' }
-
-// Per-call override: same repo, different lookups
-const repo = new Repository(ChatModel);
-await repo.getById('507f1f77bcf86cd799439011');              // by _id
-await repo.getById('my-chat-uuid', { idField: 'chatId' });  // by chatId
-```
+See [`tests/`](./tests) for real-world plugin composition examples (multi-tenant + soft-delete + cascade + audit).
 
-All plugins respect `idField`: soft-delete, cascade, audit-log, audit-trail, validation-chain, elastic, cache, observability.
+---
 
-## Mongoose Compatibility
+## Mongoose compatibility
 
-Requires Mongoose `>=9.4.1`. Tested and aligned with Mongoose 9.4.1. The package:
+Aligned with **Mongoose 9.4.x**. Earlier versions (8.x) are untested — pin a mongokit v3.x release if you need 8.x support.
 
-- Uses its own event system (not Mongoose middleware)
-- Defines its own `FilterQuery` type (unaffected by Mongoose 9 rename)
-- Properly gates update pipelines (safe for Mongoose 9's stricter defaults)
-- Reads `embeddedSchemaType.instance` for array element types (Mongoose 9.x)
-- 1500+ tests pass on Mongoose 9.4.1
+---
 
 ## License