From ccec38c5b981ee5eee04ace5f28de13d38de89b0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Alex Clarke <alex.j.tusa@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:52:51 -0600
Subject: [PATCH] fix(graph): reject as == output_key on map nodes

A map node whose item binding shares its name with output_key would have
the binding collected as the chain's result whenever the chain never
wrote it, while the missing-writer warning stayed silent. The collision
is now a validator error attributed to the map node and, with validation
off, a runtime error in run_map before any item forks.
---
 src/graph/map.rs       | 56 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 src/graph/validator.rs | 60 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 116 insertions(+)

diff --git a/src/graph/map.rs b/src/graph/map.rs
index ebf8f68..38ceb9f 100644
--- a/src/graph/map.rs
+++ b/src/graph/map.rs
@@ -55,6 +55,13 @@ async fn run_map(
             node.branch
         );
     }
+    if node.as_name == node.output_key {
+        bail!(
+            "map node '{node_id}': `as` and `output_key` are both '{}'; the item binding \
+             would be collected as the chain's result",
+            node.as_name
+        );
+    }
     let subgraph = Arc::new(branch_subgraph(&step_ctx.graph, &node.branch));
 
     let max_conc = resolve_max_concurrency(node, state, step_ctx.max_concurrency, node_id)?;
@@ -810,6 +817,55 @@ nodes:
         }
     }
 
+    /// With validation off, the collision is still caught before any item
+    /// forks: the branch never runs.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn map_as_equal_output_key_fails_at_runtime() {
+        if !cmd_available("bash") {
+            eprintln!("skipping: bash not available");
+            return;
+        }
+        let ws = TestWorkspace::new();
+        let sentinel = ws.dir.join("ran");
+        ws.write_script(
+            "mark.sh",
+            &format!("#!/bin/bash\ntouch '{}'\necho '{{}}'\n", sentinel.display()),
+        );
+
+        let yaml = r#"
+name: as_output_collision_test
+start: fan_out
+settings:
+  validate_before_run: false
+initial_state:
+  items: [1, 2]
+nodes:
+  fan_out:
+    type: map
+    over: "{{items}}"
+    as: output
+    branch: mark
+    collect_into: results
+    next: done
+  mark:
+    type: script
+    script: mark.sh
+  done:
+    type: end
+    output: "{{results}}"
+"#;
+        let chain = error_chain(run_graph(yaml, &ws).await);
+
+        assert!(
+            chain.contains(
+                "map node 'fan_out': `as` and `output_key` are both 'output'; the item binding \
+                 would be collected as the chain's result"
+            ),
+            "{chain}"
+        );
+        assert!(!sentinel.exists(), "no item chain may start");
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn map_chain_two_script_steps_route_via_next() {
         if !cmd_available("python3") {
diff --git a/src/graph/validator.rs b/src/graph/validator.rs
index 99996c1..e325f86 100644
--- a/src/graph/validator.rs
+++ b/src/graph/validator.rs
@@ -643,6 +643,16 @@ impl GraphValidator {
             let NodeType::Map(m) = &node.node_type else {
                 continue;
             };
+            if m.as_name == m.output_key {
+                result.error(ValidationError::with_node(
+                    map_id,
+                    format!(
+                        "map node '{map_id}': `as` and `output_key` are both '{}'; the item \
+                         binding would be collected as the chain's result",
+                        m.as_name
+                    ),
+                ));
+            }
             // A missing entry is reported by `validate_node_references`.
             let mut members: Vec<String> = branch_subgraph(graph, &m.branch).into_iter().collect();
             if members.is_empty() {
@@ -3505,6 +3515,56 @@ mod tests {
         map
     }
 
+    fn map_with_as(id: &str, branch: &str, next: Option<&str>, as_name: &str) -> Node {
+        let mut map = map_node_basic(id, branch, next);
+        if let NodeType::Map(ref mut mm) = map.node_type {
+            mm.as_name = as_name.into();
+        }
+        map
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn map_as_equal_output_key_errors() {
+        let map = map_with_as("m", "br", Some("end"), "output");
+        let branch = llm_with_state_updates("br", &[("output", "{{output}}")], None);
+        let graph = graph_with(
+            vec![("m", map), ("br", branch), ("end", end_node("end"))],
+            "m",
+        );
+
+        let result = validator().validate(&graph);
+
+        assert!(
+            result.errors.iter().any(|e| e.message
+                == "map node 'm': `as` and `output_key` are both 'output'; the item binding \
+                    would be collected as the chain's result"
+                && e.node_id.as_deref() == Some("m")),
+            "expected as/output_key collision error: {:?}",
+            result.errors
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn map_as_distinct_from_output_key_passes() {
+        let map = map_with_as("m", "br", Some("end"), "item");
+        let branch = llm_with_state_updates("br", &[("output", "{{output}}")], None);
+        let graph = graph_with(
+            vec![("m", map), ("br", branch), ("end", end_node("end"))],
+            "m",
+        );
+
+        let result = validator().validate(&graph);
+
+        assert!(
+            !result
+                .errors
+                .iter()
+                .any(|e| e.message.contains("`as` and `output_key`")),
+            "distinct as/output_key must not error: {:?}",
+            result.errors
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn map_max_concurrency_non_template_string_errors() {
         let map = map_with_cap("m", "br", Some("end"), "4");