QueryBuilder.withDeleted() position affects joined relations' soft delete filter
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Description
Issue description
When using QueryBuilder with .withDeleted() and join operations, the call position determines whether soft delete filters are applied to joined relations.
Expected Behavior
.withDeleted() should consistently include all soft-deleted records regardless of when it's called in the builder chain.
Actual Behavior
- withDeleted() BEFORE joins: All entities' soft delete filters removed ✅
- withDeleted() AFTER joins: Main entity's filter removed, but joined relations still filtered ❌
Steps to reproduce
Test Case 1: .withDeleted() AFTER joins (❌ INCORRECT)
const recipients = await em
.createQueryBuilder(Recipient, 'recipient')
.leftJoinAndSelect('recipient.deal', 'deal')
.leftJoinAndSelect('deal.contact', 'contact')
.leftJoinAndSelect('deal.company', 'company')
.where('recipient.team_id = :team_id', { team_id: 1 })
.withDeleted() // ← Position: AFTER joins
.getMany();
Generated SQL (INCORRECT):
// LEFT JOIN "deal" ON ... AND "deal"."deleted_at" IS NULL ❌
// LEFT JOIN "contact" ON ... AND "contact"."deleted_at" IS NULL ❌
// LEFT JOIN "company" ON ... AND "company"."deleted_at" IS NULL ❌
Test Case 2: .withDeleted() BEFORE joins (✅ CORRECT)
const recipients = await em
.createQueryBuilder(Recipient, 'recipient')
.withDeleted() // ← Position: BEFORE joins
.leftJoinAndSelect('recipient.deal', 'deal')
.leftJoinAndSelect('deal.contact', 'contact')
.leftJoinAndSelect('deal.company', 'company')
.where('recipient.team_id = :team_id', { team_id: 1 })
.getMany();
Generated SQL (CORRECT):
// LEFT JOIN "deal" ON ... ✅
// LEFT JOIN "contact" ON ... ✅
// LEFT JOIN "company" ON ... ✅
My Environment
| Dependency | Version |
|---|---|
| Operating System | macOS |
| Node.js version | 22.14.0 |
| Typescript version | 5.7.3 |
| TypeORM version | 0.3.21 |
Additional Context
No response
Relevant Database Driver(s)
- aurora-mysql
- aurora-postgres
- better-sqlite3
- cockroachdb
- cordova
- expo
- mongodb
- mysql
- nativescript
- oracle
- postgres
- react-native
- sap
- spanner
- sqlite
- sqlite-abstract
- sqljs
- sqlserver
Are you willing to resolve this issue by submitting a Pull Request?
Yes, I have the time, and I know how to start.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start by reproducing the two createQueryBuilder chains using withDeleted(), leftJoinAndSelect(), and PostgreSQL, then compare the generated SQL for joined soft-delete filters. Done means withDeleted() removes the joined relations' soft-delete filters consistently regardless of whether it appears before or after the joins.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- postgres, typescript
- Domain
- backend, database
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Clearly specified
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100