Only a $-rooted JSONPath query unwraps a list to its first match
The rule
Normative: this is the rule
- An extractor reduces a list result to its first match only where its engine is jsonpath, the path is
$-rooted, and extract-all is off. - A property-path engine delivers a list result whole, even for a
$-prefixed path, and a jsonpath engine that falls back to property-path resolution never unwraps. - The extractor's reported JSONPath flag reports the
$prefix alone and is independent of the engine in force.
Rule identifiers are permanent and are never renumbered. Each implementation publishes its own standing against these rules; this specification does not.spec 1.0-draft · LANG-23 · changed in spec 1.0