Config glob: {name} is a literal, not a wildcard

ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ kind, and dirsql never injects a column the table did not produce:
   `content` column — the one place dirsql supplies columns for you. Attaching a
   `--on-file` parser replaces the stat columns with the parser's output.
 
-There is no automatic fact injection and no glob capture: a `{name}` glob
-segment is rewritten to `*` and captures nothing. (Both mechanisms were
+There is no automatic fact injection and no glob capture: a `{name}` in a glob is
+a literal, not a wildcard. (Both mechanisms were
 removed in the fact-removal epic, [#624](https://github.com/thekevinscott/dirsql/issues/624).)
 
 **Content interpretation is intentionally out of scope.** dirsql does not
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ Walks a directory tree and matches files against table globs. Returns a list of
 
 ### `matcher` -- Glob-to-table mapping
 
-Maps glob patterns to table names and handles ignore patterns. A file is matched against every glob in registration order; every matching pattern fires, so a file can belong to multiple tables. A `{name}` placeholder in a glob is rewritten to `*` before compilation, so it matches a single path segment but captures no value (glob captures were removed in #624).
+Maps glob patterns to table names and handles ignore patterns. A file is matched against every glob in registration order; every matching pattern fires, so a file can belong to multiple tables. A `{name}` in a glob is a literal; `{a,b}` is an alternation.
 
 ### `watcher` -- Filesystem monitoring
 

packages/python/changelog.d/2026-10-06-config-braces.md

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+**Changed** In a declared `[[table]] glob`, `{name}` is a literal, not a
+wildcard, as in a path-table and in bash. The load-time error for a `{name}`
+that collides with a declared column is gone. Write `*` for the old meaning.

packages/python/e2e-attestations/claude-1258-config-braces.json

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "command": "uv run python -m pytest tests/e2e/glob_speed_matchers_test.py tests/e2e/glob_speed_one_level_test.py tests/e2e/query_contract_test.py -x -q",
+  "ran_at": 1791333540,
+  "exit_code": 0,
+  "commit": "37586d9320ebca5d4be159cfe3a523ebcf017884",
+  "branch": "claude/1258-config-braces"
+}

packages/python/migrations.d/2026-10-06-config-braces.md

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+### A braced name in a config glob is a literal
+
+#### Summary
+
+`glob = "data/{id}/metadata.json"` used to treat `{id}` as `*`. It now matches
+a directory literally named `{id}`. `{a,b}` alternation is unchanged. A column
+named like a `{name}` no longer errors at load.
+
+#### Required changes
+
+| Before | After |
+| --- | --- |
+| `glob = "data/{id}/metadata.json"` | `glob = "data/*/metadata.json"` |
+
+#### Deprecations removed
+
+- The `CaptureColumnCollision` error: a `{name}` is no longer a capture, so
+  nothing can collide.
+
+#### Behavior changes without code changes
+
+- A config that kept `{name}` in a glob stops matching files and loads no rows.
+
+#### Verification
+
+```bash
+cd "$(mktemp -d)"
+mkdir -p 'data/{id}' data/x
+echo '[{"p":"lit"}]' > 'data/{id}/m.json'
+echo '[{"p":"other"}]' > data/x/m.json
+cat > .dirsql.toml <<'TOML'
+[[table]]
+name = "t"
+glob = "data/{id}/m.json"
+ddl = "CREATE TABLE t (p TEXT)"
+on-file = "jq -sc add"
+TOML
+dirsql query "SELECT p FROM t" -c .dirsql.toml
+# expected: [{"p":"lit"}]
+```

packages/python/tests/integration/binding/fanout_test.py

@@ -65,20 +65,3 @@ async def it_populates_both_tables_with_overlapping_distinct_globs(tmp_dir):
         b_rows = await db.query("SELECT col_b FROM tb")
         assert len(b_rows) == 1, "second-declared table must be populated"
         assert b_rows[0]["col_b"] == "B"
-
-    @pytest.mark.asyncio
-    async def it_errors_when_a_placeholder_collides_with_a_column(tmp_dir):
-        _write_fanout_file(tmp_dir)
-        db = DirSQL(
-            tmp_dir,
-            tables=[
-                Table(
-                    name="a",
-                    ddl="CREATE TABLE a (id TEXT, col_a TEXT)",
-                    glob="data/{id}/metadata.json",
-                    on_file=lambda _path: [{"col_a": "A"}],
-                ),
-            ],
-        )
-        with pytest.raises(Exception, match="id"):
-            await db.ready()

packages/python/tests/integration/binding/from_config_test.py

@@ -64,63 +64,6 @@ async def it_produces_one_row_per_matched_file(config_dir):
             assert results[1]["path"] == "items/b.csv"
             assert results[1]["basename"] == "b.csv"
 
-    def describe_glob_placeholders():
-        @pytest.mark.asyncio
-        async def it_errors_when_a_placeholder_collides_with_a_column(config_dir):
-            _write(
-                os.path.join(config_dir, "comments", "thread-1", "a.txt"),
-                "hello",
-            )
-            _write(
-                os.path.join(config_dir, ".dirsql.toml"),
-                """\
-[[table]]
-name = "comments"
-ddl = "CREATE TABLE comments (thread_id TEXT, basename TEXT)"
-glob = "comments/{thread_id}/*.txt"
-"""
-                + _HOOK_PATH_BASENAME
-                + "\n",
-            )
-
-            db = DirSQL(
-                root=config_dir, config=os.path.join(config_dir, ".dirsql.toml")
-            )
-            with pytest.raises(Exception, match="thread_id"):
-                await db.ready()
-
-        @pytest.mark.asyncio
-        async def it_treats_a_non_colliding_placeholder_as_a_wildcard(config_dir):
-            _write(
-                os.path.join(config_dir, "comments", "thread-1", "a.txt"),
-                "hello",
-            )
-            _write(
-                os.path.join(config_dir, "comments", "thread-2", "b.txt"),
-                "world",
-            )
-            _write(
-                os.path.join(config_dir, ".dirsql.toml"),
-                """\
-[[table]]
-name = "comments"
-ddl = "CREATE TABLE comments (path TEXT, basename TEXT)"
-glob = "comments/{thread_id}/*.txt"
-"""
-                + _HOOK_PATH_BASENAME
-                + "\n",
-            )
-
-            db = DirSQL(
-                root=config_dir, config=os.path.join(config_dir, ".dirsql.toml")
-            )
-            await db.ready()
-            results = await db.query("SELECT basename FROM comments ORDER BY basename")
-            assert len(results) == 2
-            assert results[0]["basename"] == "a.txt"
-            assert results[1]["basename"] == "b.txt"
-            assert "thread_id" not in results[0]
-
     def describe_stat_virtuals():
         @pytest.mark.asyncio
         async def it_exposes_stat_virtuals(config_dir):

packages/rust/changelog.d/2026-10-06-config-braces.md

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+**Changed** In a declared `[[table]] glob`, `{name}` is a literal, not a
+wildcard, as in a path-table and in bash. The load-time error for a `{name}`
+that collides with a declared column is gone. Write `*` for the old meaning.

packages/rust/migrations.d/2026-10-06-config-braces.md

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+### A braced name in a config glob is a literal
+
+#### Summary
+
+`glob = "data/{id}/metadata.json"` used to treat `{id}` as `*`. It now matches
+a directory literally named `{id}`. `{a,b}` alternation is unchanged. A column
+named like a `{name}` no longer errors at load.
+
+#### Required changes
+
+| Before | After |
+| --- | --- |
+| `glob = "data/{id}/metadata.json"` | `glob = "data/*/metadata.json"` |
+
+#### Deprecations removed
+
+- The `CaptureColumnCollision` error: a `{name}` is no longer a capture, so
+  nothing can collide.
+
+#### Behavior changes without code changes
+
+- A config that kept `{name}` in a glob stops matching files and loads no rows.
+
+#### Verification
+
+```bash
+cd "$(mktemp -d)"
+mkdir -p 'data/{id}' data/x
+echo '[{"p":"lit"}]' > 'data/{id}/m.json'
+echo '[{"p":"other"}]' > data/x/m.json
+cat > .dirsql.toml <<'TOML'
+[[table]]
+name = "t"
+glob = "data/{id}/m.json"
+ddl = "CREATE TABLE t (p TEXT)"
+on-file = "jq -sc add"
+TOML
+dirsql query "SELECT p FROM t" -c .dirsql.toml
+# expected: [{"p":"lit"}]
+```

packages/rust/src/lib.rs

@@ -199,14 +199,6 @@ pub enum DirSqlError {
         source: Option<BoxError>,
     },
 
-    #[error(
-        "glob capture `{{{placeholder}}}` collides with declared column `{column}`: \
-         captures no longer populate columns, so `{column}` would always be NULL. \
-         Remove `{column}` from the table's DDL, or emit its value from the on-file \
-         hook by splitting the path yourself."
-    )]
-    CaptureColumnCollision { placeholder: String, column: String },
-
     #[error(
         "query() only accepts read-only statements; SQLite classified this statement as a write"
     )]
@@ -1323,18 +1315,6 @@ impl DirSQL {
                     eprintln!("{warning}");
                 }
             }
-            // Reject a `{name}` glob placeholder whose name is also a declared
-            // column: captures no longer populate columns, so it would read
-            // NULL forever. The table exists here either way (freshly created
-            // or restored from cache), so its columns are knowable, and this
-            // runs before any file is ingested — a load-time failure.
-            let declared_columns = db.get_table_columns(&table_name).map_err(map_db_error)?;
-            if let Some(name) = find_capture_column_collision(&table.glob, &declared_columns) {
-                return Err(DirSqlError::CaptureColumnCollision {
-                    placeholder: name.clone(),
-                    column: name,
-                });
-            }
             on_file_map.insert(table_name.clone(), table.hook);
             strict_map.insert(table_name.clone(), table.strict);
             ddl_map.insert(table_name, table.ddl);
@@ -2519,18 +2499,6 @@ pub(crate) fn json_to_value(value: &serde_json::Value) -> Value {
     }
 }
 
-/// Returns the first `{name}` placeholder in `glob` whose name is also one of
-/// `declared_columns`. `None` when the glob has no placeholders or none of
-/// them names a declared column. Pure: the sole input is the glob string and
-/// the column list, so it is exhaustively unit-testable.
-fn find_capture_column_collision(glob: &str, declared_columns: &[String]) -> Option<String> {
-    let declared: std::collections::HashSet<&str> =
-        declared_columns.iter().map(String::as_str).collect();
-    crate::matcher::placeholder_names(glob)
-        .into_iter()
-        .find(|name| declared.contains(name.as_str()))
-}
-
 /// Async wrapper around [`DirSQL`] whose constructor returns immediately while
 /// the initial scan runs on a background thread.
 ///
@@ -4506,54 +4474,6 @@ mod internal_tests {
         assert_eq!(deleted, vec![("gone.txt".to_string(), "t".to_string())]);
     }
 
-    #[test]
-    fn find_capture_column_collision_flags_a_placeholder_naming_a_column() {
-        let declared = vec!["thread_id".to_string(), "basename".to_string()];
-        assert_eq!(
-            find_capture_column_collision("_comments/{thread_id}/*.txt", &declared),
-            Some("thread_id".to_string())
-        );
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn find_capture_column_collision_ignores_a_placeholder_with_no_column() {
-        let declared = vec!["path".to_string(), "basename".to_string()];
-        assert_eq!(
-            find_capture_column_collision("_comments/{thread_id}/*.txt", &declared),
-            None
-        );
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn find_capture_column_collision_none_without_placeholders() {
-        let declared = vec!["thread_id".to_string()];
-        assert_eq!(
-            find_capture_column_collision("_comments/*/*.txt", &declared),
-            None
-        );
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn find_capture_column_collision_returns_first_colliding_placeholder() {
-        let declared = vec!["repo".to_string(), "org".to_string()];
-        assert_eq!(
-            find_capture_column_collision("{org}/{repo}/data.json", &declared),
-            Some("org".to_string())
-        );
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn capture_column_collision_error_names_placeholder_and_fix() {
-        let err = DirSqlError::CaptureColumnCollision {
-            placeholder: "thread_id".to_string(),
-            column: "thread_id".to_string(),
-        };
-        let msg = err.to_string();
-        assert!(msg.contains("thread_id"));
-        assert!(msg.contains("collides"));
-        assert!(msg.contains("on-file"));
-    }
-
     /// A `name` the batch never created: the error has to say what it *did*
     /// create, or a typo gives the reader nothing to compare against.
     #[test]