diff --git a/src/GameCult.Mesh/CultMeshSnapshots.cs b/src/GameCult.Mesh/CultMeshSnapshots.cs
index 68b9cb49..58aede9d 100644
--- a/src/GameCult.Mesh/CultMeshSnapshots.cs
+++ b/src/GameCult.Mesh/CultMeshSnapshots.cs
@@ -857,9 +857,11 @@ namespace GameCult.Mesh
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Resolves one selection for a typed convenience call: explicit <paramref name="schemaIds"/>
-        /// win; otherwise an explicit, non-empty <paramref name="recordKeys"/> means no schema filter;
-        /// otherwise the selection defaults to the document type's own schema. The one owner of that
-        /// rule (docs/cultnet-selection-cut.md, section 4).
+        /// win; otherwise an explicit <paramref name="recordKeys"/> - including one that lowers to an
+        /// empty array - means no schema filter; otherwise the selection defaults to the document
+        /// type's own schema. R-R (2026-09-22): an empty <paramref name="recordKeys"/> is a real filter
+        /// (answers nothing), not "no filter", so it must not fall through to the schema default
+        /// either. The one owner of that rule (docs/cultnet-selection-cut.md, section 4).
         /// </summary>
         internal static CultNetSelection ResolveDefaultSelection(
             IReadOnlyList<string>? schemaIds,
diff --git a/src/GameCult.Networking/CultNetDocumentRegistry.cs b/src/GameCult.Networking/CultNetDocumentRegistry.cs
index 84871469..de275adf 100644
--- a/src/GameCult.Networking/CultNetDocumentRegistry.cs
+++ b/src/GameCult.Networking/CultNetDocumentRegistry.cs
@@ -283,14 +283,32 @@ namespace GameCult.Networking
             CultNetDocumentMessageOptions? options = null)
         {
             if (cache == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(cache));
+            var lowKeys = CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(filter?.RecordKeys);
             var selection = new CultNetSelection
             {
                 Schemas = CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(filter?.SchemaIds),
-                Keys = CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(filter?.RecordKeys),
+                Keys = lowKeys,
                 Projection = CultNetSelectionProjections.Document
             };
 
-            var page = SelectAll(cache, selection, ordinalOf: static (_, _) => 0, asOf: 0, options);
+            // R-R: v0's pre-cut CreateRawSnapshotResponse (b3d9cf7) iterated the requested record keys
+            // in the order the caller sent them (a HashSet<string> built from the array, enumerated in
+            // insertion order). The evaluator's own tiebreak (schema then key) only applies when the
+            // caller did not name keys.
+            Func<string, CultRecordKey, long> ordinalOf;
+            if (lowKeys is { Length: > 0 })
+            {
+                var order = new Dictionary<string, long>(StringComparer.Ordinal);
+                for (var i = 0; i < lowKeys.Length; i++)
+                    order.TryAdd(lowKeys[i], i);
+                ordinalOf = (_, key) => order.TryGetValue(key.Value, out var index) ? index : lowKeys.Length;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                ordinalOf = static (_, _) => 0;
+            }
+
+            var page = SelectAll(cache, selection, ordinalOf, asOf: 0, options);
 
             return new CultNetSnapshotResponseRawMessage
             {
diff --git a/src/GameCult.Networking/CultNetSelection.cs b/src/GameCult.Networking/CultNetSelection.cs
index 2ae88305..ed4ad9b0 100644
--- a/src/GameCult.Networking/CultNetSelection.cs
+++ b/src/GameCult.Networking/CultNetSelection.cs
@@ -210,17 +210,26 @@ namespace GameCult.Networking
     /// </summary>
     public static class CultNetV0SelectionLowering
     {
-        /// <summary>Lowers one v0 filter list; see the type summary.</summary>
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Lowers one v0 filter list; see the type summary. R-R (2026-09-22): a <c>null</c> list means
+        /// "no filter" and stays <c>null</c>; a non-null list, even one that filters down to nothing,
+        /// stays a real (possibly empty) array. Collapsing an explicit empty list to "no filter" was
+        /// wrong - the pre-cut reference (<c>CultNetDatabase.CreateShardSnapshotResponse</c> at
+        /// <c>b3d9cf7</c>) tests <c>filter?.RecordKeys != null</c>, not a length, so
+        /// <c>recordKeys: []</c> always answered empty. The evaluator already honours that distinction
+        /// (<c>CultNetSelectionEvaluator</c>: a non-null <c>Keys</c> array excludes every row when it
+        /// is empty); only this lowering used to erase it before the selection ever reached the
+        /// evaluator.
+        /// </summary>
         public static string[]? Lower(IReadOnlyList<string>? values)
         {
-            if (values is not { Count: > 0 })
+            if (values == null)
                 return null;
 
-            var filtered = values
+            return values
                 .Where(value => !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(value))
                 .Distinct(StringComparer.Ordinal)
                 .ToArray();
-            return filtered.Length == 0 ? null : filtered;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/GameCult.Mesh.Tests/CultMeshStreamingTests.cs b/tests/GameCult.Mesh.Tests/CultMeshStreamingTests.cs
index f829b369..906f564f 100644
--- a/tests/GameCult.Mesh.Tests/CultMeshStreamingTests.cs
+++ b/tests/GameCult.Mesh.Tests/CultMeshStreamingTests.cs
@@ -2746,9 +2746,8 @@ public sealed class CultMeshStreamingTests
 
         (await mixedAliasSchemaHandle.LatestAsync()).Text.Should().Be("compatible-record-key");
 
-        // MESH-KEY-Loosening (docs/cultnet-selection-cut.md, section 4/S2-4): the recordKey match is
-        // exact (ordinal), not case-insensitive. A case-variant key must not win even when it appears
-        // first in the response.
+        // The recordKey match is exact (ordinal), not case-insensitive. A case-variant key must not
+        // win even when it appears first in the response.
         var caseVariantKey = key.Value.ToUpperInvariant();
         var caseVariantKeyHandle = CultMesh.DocumentFromPeerSnapshot<MeshNoteAliasDocument>(
             _ => Task.FromResult(new CultNetSnapshotResponseRawMessage
@@ -2794,13 +2793,14 @@ public sealed class CultMeshStreamingTests
         (await caseVariantKeyHandle.LatestAsync()).Text.Should().Be("right-case-key");
     }
 
-    // MESH-DEFAULT-Loosening (docs/cultnet-selection-cut.md, section 4/S2-7): ResolveDefaultSelection's
-    // no-schema-filter branch must trigger on a non-empty recordKeys, not merely a non-null one. An
-    // explicit empty recordKeys array is a v0-compatible list that lowers to null (rule 1's v0
-    // lowering), so it does not suppress the type's own schema default - the wire must carry
-    // [T.SchemaId], not schemas=null.
+    // R-R (docs/cultnet-selection-cut.md, Self's rulings 2026-09-22) corrects the earlier commit-2
+    // ruling this test used to pin: an explicit empty recordKeys array is a real filter, not "no
+    // filter". ResolveDefaultSelection must not fall back to the type's own schema default just
+    // because the caller's recordKeys happened to be empty - the wire must carry recordKeys=[] and
+    // no schema default, and the answer is empty, exactly as v0 answered before this cut
+    // (CultNetDatabase.CreateShardSnapshotResponse at b3d9cf7 tests RecordKeys != null, not a length).
     [Test]
-    public async Task FetchDocumentsAsync_WithExplicitEmptyRecordKeys_StillDefaultsToOwnSchema()
+    public async Task FetchDocumentsAsync_WithExplicitEmptyRecordKeys_AnswersEmpty()
     {
         var cache = new CultCache();
         var key = new CultRecordKey("mesh-note:empty-keys-default");
@@ -2828,11 +2828,11 @@ public sealed class CultMeshStreamingTests
 
         var documents = await session.FetchDocumentsAsync<MeshNoteDocument>(recordKeys: Array.Empty<string>());
 
-        documents.Should().ContainSingle().Which.Text.Should().Be("empty-keys-default");
+        documents.Should().BeEmpty();
         requests.Should().ContainSingle();
-        requests[0].SchemaIds.Should().ContainSingle().Which
-            .Should().Be(CultDocumentRegistry.Shared.GetRequired<MeshNoteDocument>().SchemaId);
-        requests[0].RecordKeys.Should().BeNull();
+        requests[0].SchemaIds.Should().BeNull();
+        requests[0].RecordKeys.Should().NotBeNull();
+        requests[0].RecordKeys.Should().BeEmpty();
     }
 
     [Test]
diff --git a/tests/GameCult.Networking.Tests/NetworkingTests.cs b/tests/GameCult.Networking.Tests/NetworkingTests.cs
index 7784b02c..6d28c2b7 100644
--- a/tests/GameCult.Networking.Tests/NetworkingTests.cs
+++ b/tests/GameCult.Networking.Tests/NetworkingTests.cs
@@ -3284,6 +3284,63 @@ namespace GameCult.Networking.Tests
             Assert.That(SerializePlayerDataPayload(replicated!), Is.EqualTo(expectedPayload));
         }
 
+        // R-R (docs/cultnet-selection-cut.md, Self's rulings 2026-09-22): v0 lowering preserves v0's
+        // pre-cut answers exactly. recordKeys: [] answers empty - it does not lower to "no filter".
+        [Test]
+        public async Task CultNetDocumentRegistry_RawSnapshot_ExplicitEmptyRecordKeys_AnswersEmpty()
+        {
+            var cache = new CultCache();
+            var registry = new CultNetDocumentRegistry()
+                .Register(CultNetDocumentBinding.ForDocument<PlayerData>(
+                    payloadSerializer: SerializePlayerDataPayload,
+                    payloadDeserializer: DeserializePlayerDataPayload));
+            await cache.AddAsync(new PlayerData { PlayerId = Guid.NewGuid(), Email = "a@test", PasswordHash = "x", Username = "A" });
+
+            var request = registry.CreateSnapshotRequest("request-empty", recordKeys: Array.Empty<string>());
+            var response = registry.CreateRawSnapshotResponse(cache, "snapshot-empty", request);
+
+            Assert.That(response.Documents, Is.Empty);
+        }
+
+        // R-R: v0's pre-cut CreateRawSnapshotResponse iterated the requested record keys in the order
+        // the caller sent them, not in schema-and-key sort order. This pins that order survives the
+        // move to the shared evaluator.
+        [Test]
+        public async Task CultNetDocumentRegistry_RawSnapshot_KeepsRequestedRecordKeyOrder()
+        {
+            var cache = new CultCache();
+            var registry = new CultNetDocumentRegistry()
+                .Register(CultNetDocumentBinding.ForDocument<PlayerData>(
+                    payloadSerializer: SerializePlayerDataPayload,
+                    payloadDeserializer: DeserializePlayerDataPayload));
+
+            var players = new[] { "zeta", "alpha", "mid" }
+                .Select(name => new PlayerData { PlayerId = Guid.NewGuid(), Email = $"{name}@test", PasswordHash = "x", Username = name })
+                .ToArray();
+            var handles = new List<CultRecordHandle<PlayerData>>();
+            foreach (var player in players)
+                handles.Add(await cache.AddAsync(player));
+
+            // Request in an order that matches neither the insertion order nor the ordinal-sorted
+            // record-key order, so a schema-and-key sort would visibly reorder the response.
+            var requestedOrder = new[] { handles[2].Key.Value, handles[0].Key.Value, handles[1].Key.Value };
+            var request = registry.CreateSnapshotRequest("request-order", recordKeys: requestedOrder);
+            var response = registry.CreateRawSnapshotResponse(cache, "snapshot-order", request);
+
+            Assert.That(response.Documents.Select(d => d.RecordKey), Is.EqualTo(requestedOrder));
+        }
+
+        [Test]
+        public void CultNetV0SelectionLowering_Lower_DistinguishesNullFromExplicitEmpty()
+        {
+            Assert.That(CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(null), Is.Null);
+            Assert.That(CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(Array.Empty<string>()), Is.Not.Null);
+            Assert.That(CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(Array.Empty<string>()), Is.Empty);
+            Assert.That(CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(new[] { "", "  " }), Is.Not.Null);
+            Assert.That(CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(new[] { "", "  " }), Is.Empty);
+            Assert.That(CultNetV0SelectionLowering.Lower(new[] { "b", "a", "b" }), Is.EqualTo(new[] { "b", "a" }));
+        }
+
         [Test]
         public async Task CultNetDatabase_PutGet_AndWatchByIndex_Uses_PrimaryShard()
         {