---
id: LANG-15
family: GR-LANG
level: extended
profiles: [runtime]
posture: normative-target
added: "1.0"
changed: "1.0"
source: https://flowdrop.io/spec/rules/gr-lang/lang-15
specification: FlowDrop Workflow Specification 1.0-draft
licence: CC BY 4.0
---

# LANG-15 — A single JSONPath match is unwrapped unless the path selects many

*GR-LANG (Part I) · level: extended · profiles: runtime · added in 1.0*

Arity is read off the path, not off the result, so a query written to select many keeps a list shape even on the day it matches exactly one thing.

## The rule

> **Normative.** This is the rule.
>
> A JSONPath query that returns exactly one match yields that match rather than a one-element list, unless the path is written to select many, containing a wildcard, a filter or a slice, in which case the result stays a list even when only one item matched.

## Related rules

- Referenced by: LANG-23

---

Rule identifiers are permanent and are never renumbered. This specification carries
no implementation status: each implementation publishes its own standing against
these rules. Licensed CC BY 4.0.