query: replace CLI flags with pipe syntax

degree > 15 | sort degree | limit 10 | select degree,category
  * | sort weight asc | limit 20
  category = core | count

Output modifiers live in the grammar now, not in CLI flags.
Also adds * wildcard for "all nodes" and string-aware sort fallback.

src/main.rs

@@ -195,10 +195,9 @@ Commands:
   export [FILE|--all]       Export store nodes to markdown file(s)
   journal-write TEXT        Write a journal entry to the store
   journal-tail [N] [--full] Show last N journal entries (default 20, --full for content)
-  query EXPR [--fields F] [--sort F] [--limit N] [--count]
+  query 'EXPR | stages'    Query the memory graph
-                            Query the memory graph with expressions
+                            Stages: sort F [asc], limit N, select F,F, count
-                            Examples: \"degree > 15\", \"key ~ 'journal.*'\",
+                            Ex: \"degree > 15 | sort degree | limit 10\"");
-                            \"neighbors('identity.md') WHERE strength > 0.5\"");
 }
 
 fn cmd_search(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
@@ -1624,48 +1623,29 @@ fn cmd_interference(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
 
 fn cmd_query(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
     if args.is_empty() {
-        return Err("Usage: poc-memory query EXPR [--fields F,F,...] [--sort F] [--limit N] [--count]".into());
+        return Err("Usage: poc-memory query 'EXPR | stage | stage ...'\n\n\
+Expressions:\n  \
+  degree > 15                          property filter\n  \
+  key ~ 'journal.*' AND degree > 10    boolean + regex\n  \
+  neighbors('identity.md') WHERE ...   graph traversal\n  \
+  community_id = community('key')      function as value\n  \
+  *                                    all nodes\n\n\
+Pipe stages:\n  \
+  | sort FIELD [asc]    sort (desc by default)\n  \
+  | limit N             cap results\n  \
+  | select F,F,...      output fields as TSV\n  \
+  | count               just show count".into());
     }
 
-    // Parse flags — query string is the first non-flag arg
+    let query_str = args.join(" ");
-    let mut opts = query::QueryOpts::default();
-    let mut query_str = None;
-    let mut i = 0;
-    while i < args.len() {
-        match args[i].as_str() {
-            "--fields" if i + 1 < args.len() => {
-                opts.fields = args[i + 1].split(',').map(|s| s.trim().to_string()).collect();
-                i += 2;
-            }
-            "--sort" if i + 1 < args.len() => {
-                opts.sort_field = Some(args[i + 1].clone());
-                i += 2;
-            }
-            "--limit" if i + 1 < args.len() => {
-                opts.limit = Some(args[i + 1].parse().map_err(|_| "invalid --limit")?);
-                i += 2;
-            }
-            "--count" => {
-                opts.count_only = true;
-                i += 1;
-            }
-            _ if query_str.is_none() => {
-                query_str = Some(args[i].clone());
-                i += 1;
-            }
-            _ => {
-                return Err(format!("unexpected argument: {}", args[i]));
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
-    let query_str = query_str.ok_or("missing query expression")?;
     let store = capnp_store::Store::load()?;
     let graph = store.build_graph();
 
-    let results = query::execute_query(&store, &graph, &query_str, &opts)?;
+    let stages = query::output_stages(&query_str)?;
+    let results = query::execute_query(&store, &graph, &query_str)?;
 
-    if opts.count_only {
+    // Check for count stage
+    if stages.iter().any(|s| matches!(s, query::Stage::Count)) {
         println!("{}", results.len());
         return Ok(());
     }
@@ -1675,15 +1655,20 @@ fn cmd_query(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
         return Ok(());
     }
 
-    // If --fields specified, show as TSV with header
+    // Check for select stage
-    if !opts.fields.is_empty() {
+    let fields: Option<&Vec<String>> = stages.iter().find_map(|s| match s {
+        query::Stage::Select(f) => Some(f),
+        _ => None,
+    });
+
+    if let Some(fields) = fields {
         let mut header = vec!["key".to_string()];
-        header.extend(opts.fields.iter().cloned());
+        header.extend(fields.iter().cloned());
         println!("{}", header.join("\t"));
 
         for r in &results {
             let mut row = vec![r.key.clone()];
-            for f in &opts.fields {
+            for f in fields {
                 row.push(query::format_field(f, &r.key, &store, &graph));
             }
             println!("{}", row.join("\t"));

src/query.rs

@@ -3,6 +3,23 @@
 // Grammar-driven: the peg definition IS the language spec.
 // Evaluates against node properties, graph metrics, and edge attributes.
 // Designed for ad-hoc exploration without memorizing 35+ subcommands.
+//
+// Syntax:
+//   expr | stage | stage ...
+//
+// Stages (piped):
+//   sort FIELD          sort descending (default for exploration)
+//   sort FIELD asc      sort ascending
+//   limit N             cap results
+//   select F,F,...      output specific fields as TSV
+//   count               just show count
+//
+// Examples:
+//   degree > 15 | sort degree | limit 10
+//   category = core | select degree,weight
+//   neighbors('identity.md') WHERE strength > 0.5 | sort strength
+//   key ~ 'journal.*' AND degree > 10 | count
+//   * | sort weight asc | limit 20
 
 use crate::capnp_store::{NodeType, Provenance, RelationType, Store};
 use crate::graph::Graph;
@@ -12,6 +29,7 @@ use regex::Regex;
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
 pub enum Expr {
+    All,
     Comparison { field: String, op: CmpOp, value: Value },
     And(Box<Expr>, Box<Expr>),
     Or(Box<Expr>, Box<Expr>),
@@ -38,12 +56,53 @@ pub enum CmpOp {
     Gt, Lt, Ge, Le, Eq, Ne, Match,
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub enum Stage {
+    Sort { field: String, ascending: bool },
+    Limit(usize),
+    Select(Vec<String>),
+    Count,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct Query {
+    pub expr: Expr,
+    pub stages: Vec<Stage>,
+}
+
 // -- PEG grammar --
 
 peg::parser! {
     pub grammar query_parser() for str {
         rule _() = [' ' | '\t']*
 
+        pub rule query() -> Query
+            = e:expr() s:stages() { Query { expr: e, stages: s } }
+
+        rule stages() -> Vec<Stage>
+            = s:(_ "|" _ s:stage() { s })* { s }
+
+        rule stage() -> Stage
+            = "sort" _ f:field() _ a:asc_desc() { Stage::Sort { field: f, ascending: a } }
+            / "limit" _ n:integer() { Stage::Limit(n) }
+            / "select" _ f:field_list() { Stage::Select(f) }
+            / "count" { Stage::Count }
+
+        rule asc_desc() -> bool
+            = "asc" { true }
+            / "desc" { false }
+            / { false }  // default: descending
+
+        rule field_list() -> Vec<String>
+            = f:field() fs:(_ "," _ f:field() { f })* {
+                let mut v = vec![f];
+                v.extend(fs);
+                v
+            }
+
+        rule integer() -> usize
+            = n:$(['0'..='9']+) { n.parse().unwrap() }
+
         pub rule expr() -> Expr = precedence! {
             a:(@) _ "OR" _ b:@ { Expr::Or(Box::new(a), Box::new(b)) }
             --
@@ -57,6 +116,7 @@ peg::parser! {
             f:field() _ op:cmp_op() _ v:value() {
                 Expr::Comparison { field: f, op, value: v }
             }
+            "*" { Expr::All }
             "(" _ e:expr() _ ")" { e }
         }
 
@@ -162,7 +222,6 @@ fn rel_type_label(r: RelationType) -> &'static str {
 
 // -- Comparison logic --
 
-/// Extract numeric value for comparison
 fn as_num(v: &Value) -> Option<f64> {
     match v {
         Value::Num(n) => Some(*n),
@@ -172,7 +231,6 @@ fn as_num(v: &Value) -> Option<f64> {
     }
 }
 
-/// Extract string value for comparison
 fn as_str(v: &Value) -> String {
     match v {
         Value::Str(s) | Value::Ident(s) => s.clone(),
@@ -181,7 +239,6 @@ fn as_str(v: &Value) -> String {
     }
 }
 
-/// Compare two values with the given operator
 fn compare(lhs: &Value, op: CmpOp, rhs: &Value) -> bool {
     match op {
         CmpOp::Match => {
@@ -193,7 +250,6 @@ fn compare(lhs: &Value, op: CmpOp, rhs: &Value) -> bool {
             }
         }
         CmpOp::Eq => {
-            // Try numeric first, fall back to string
             if let (Some(a), Some(b)) = (as_num(lhs), as_num(rhs)) {
                 a == b
             } else {
@@ -223,7 +279,6 @@ fn compare(lhs: &Value, op: CmpOp, rhs: &Value) -> bool {
 
 // -- Evaluator --
 
-/// Resolve function calls that return values (community ID, degree of specific node)
 fn resolve_fn(f: &FnCall, store: &Store, graph: &Graph) -> Value {
     match f {
         FnCall::Community(key) => {
@@ -239,7 +294,6 @@ fn resolve_fn(f: &FnCall, store: &Store, graph: &Graph) -> Value {
     }
 }
 
-/// Resolve a Value, evaluating function calls
 fn resolve_value(v: &Value, store: &Store, graph: &Graph) -> Value {
     match v {
         Value::FnCall(f) => resolve_fn(f, store, graph),
@@ -247,9 +301,9 @@ fn resolve_value(v: &Value, store: &Store, graph: &Graph) -> Value {
     }
 }
 
-/// Evaluate an expression against a node
 fn eval_node(expr: &Expr, key: &str, store: &Store, graph: &Graph) -> bool {
     match expr {
+        Expr::All => true,
         Expr::Comparison { field, op, value } => {
             let lhs = match resolve_field(field, key, store, graph) {
                 Some(v) => v,
@@ -265,11 +319,10 @@ fn eval_node(expr: &Expr, key: &str, store: &Store, graph: &Graph) -> bool {
             eval_node(a, key, store, graph) || eval_node(b, key, store, graph)
         }
         Expr::Not(e) => !eval_node(e, key, store, graph),
-        Expr::Neighbors { .. } => false, // neighbors() is a top-level expression, not a predicate
+        Expr::Neighbors { .. } => false,
     }
 }
 
-/// Evaluate a WHERE clause against an edge
 fn eval_edge(
     expr: &Expr,
     _source: &str,
@@ -280,12 +333,11 @@ fn eval_edge(
     graph: &Graph,
 ) -> bool {
     match expr {
+        Expr::All => true,
         Expr::Comparison { field, op, value } => {
-            // Edge-context fields
             let lhs = match field.as_str() {
                 "strength" => Value::Num(strength as f64),
                 "rel_type" => Value::Str(rel_type_label(rel_type).to_string()),
-                // Fall through to node fields on the target
                 _ => match resolve_field(field, target, store, graph) {
                     Some(v) => v,
                     None => return false,
@@ -313,40 +365,17 @@ pub struct QueryResult {
     pub key: String,
 }
 
-// -- Query options --
-
-pub struct QueryOpts {
-    pub fields: Vec<String>,
-    pub sort_field: Option<String>,
-    pub limit: Option<usize>,
-    pub count_only: bool,
-}
-
-impl Default for QueryOpts {
-    fn default() -> Self {
-        QueryOpts {
-            fields: Vec::new(),
-            sort_field: None,
-            limit: None,
-            count_only: false,
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 // -- Query executor --
 
-/// Parse and execute a query, returning matching node keys.
 pub fn execute_query(
     store: &Store,
     graph: &Graph,
     query_str: &str,
-    opts: &QueryOpts,
 ) -> Result<Vec<QueryResult>, String> {
-    let expr = query_parser::expr(query_str)
+    let q = query_parser::query(query_str)
         .map_err(|e| format!("Parse error: {}", e))?;
 
-    let mut results = match &expr {
+    let mut results = match &q.expr {
-        // neighbors() is a set-returning expression
         Expr::Neighbors { key, filter } => {
             let resolved = store.resolve_key(key).unwrap_or_else(|_| key.clone());
             let edges = graph.edges_of(&resolved);
@@ -365,12 +394,11 @@ pub fn execute_query(
             }
             out
         }
-        // Everything else: scan all nodes
         _ => {
             let mut out = Vec::new();
             for key in store.nodes.keys() {
                 if store.nodes[key].deleted { continue; }
-                if eval_node(&expr, key, store, graph) {
+                if eval_node(&q.expr, key, store, graph) {
                     out.push(QueryResult { key: key.clone() });
                 }
             }
@@ -378,26 +406,61 @@ pub fn execute_query(
         }
     };
 
-    // Sort
+    // Apply pipeline stages
-    let sort_field = opts.sort_field.as_deref().unwrap_or("degree");
+    let mut has_sort = false;
-    results.sort_by(|a, b| {
+    for stage in &q.stages {
-        let va = resolve_field(sort_field, &a.key, store, graph)
+        match stage {
-            .and_then(|v| as_num(&v))
+            Stage::Sort { field, ascending } => {
-            .unwrap_or(0.0);
+                has_sort = true;
-        let vb = resolve_field(sort_field, &b.key, store, graph)
+                let asc = *ascending;
-            .and_then(|v| as_num(&v))
+                results.sort_by(|a, b| {
-            .unwrap_or(0.0);
+                    let va = resolve_field(field, &a.key, store, graph)
-        vb.partial_cmp(&va).unwrap_or(std::cmp::Ordering::Equal)
+                        .and_then(|v| as_num(&v));
-    });
+                    let vb = resolve_field(field, &b.key, store, graph)
+                        .and_then(|v| as_num(&v));
+                    match (va, vb) {
+                        (Some(a), Some(b)) => if asc {
+                            a.partial_cmp(&b).unwrap_or(std::cmp::Ordering::Equal)
+                        } else {
+                            b.partial_cmp(&a).unwrap_or(std::cmp::Ordering::Equal)
+                        },
+                        // String fallback for non-numeric fields
+                        _ => {
+                            let sa = resolve_field(field, &a.key, store, graph)
+                                .map(|v| as_str(&v)).unwrap_or_default();
+                            let sb = resolve_field(field, &b.key, store, graph)
+                                .map(|v| as_str(&v)).unwrap_or_default();
+                            if asc { sa.cmp(&sb) } else { sb.cmp(&sa) }
+                        }
+                    }
+                });
+            }
+            Stage::Limit(n) => {
+                results.truncate(*n);
+            }
+            Stage::Select(_) | Stage::Count => {} // handled in output
+        }
+    }
 
-    // Limit
+    // Default sort by degree desc if no explicit sort
-    if let Some(limit) = opts.limit {
+    if !has_sort {
-        results.truncate(limit);
+        results.sort_by(|a, b| {
+            let da = graph.degree(&a.key);
+            let db = graph.degree(&b.key);
+            db.cmp(&da)
+        });
     }
 
     Ok(results)
 }
 
+/// Extract the output stages from a parsed query (for cmd_query formatting)
+pub fn output_stages(query_str: &str) -> Result<Vec<Stage>, String> {
+    let q = query_parser::query(query_str)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Parse error: {}", e))?;
+    Ok(q.stages)
+}
+
 /// Format a field value for display
 pub fn format_field(field: &str, key: &str, store: &Store, graph: &Graph) -> String {
     match resolve_field(field, key, store, graph) {
@@ -409,7 +472,6 @@ pub fn format_field(field: &str, key: &str, store: &Store, graph: &Graph) -> Str
             }
         }
         Some(Value::Str(s)) => {
-            // Truncate content for display
             if field == "content" {
                 let truncated: String = s.chars().take(80).collect();
                 if s.len() > 80 { format!("{}...", truncated) } else { truncated }