feat(remote): route list_tables by what the server serves

`list_tables` asked for `/v2` unconditionally, which 404s against every server that is not a recent Phalanx -- including `RestAdapter`, the namespace spec's own reference implementation. The connection now asks `/v1/version` once, before its first listing, and keeps the one bit it needs: whether this server serves the `/v2` listing. Servers that do not keep the listing they have always served, which is correct and merely slower. The answer has to be known before the first page rather than learned from it. The two routes resume from different things, so a walk that started on one cannot finish on the other, and a walk that learned from its own first page would hand `/v2` a token `/v1` minted. What is cached is that bit, not the `ServerVersion` it came from. A server that sends no version header is indistinguishable from one running the oldest version we know of, so caching the version would let a stripped header switch off multivector, structural FTS, multipart write and blobs for the life of the connection. A missing header can only cost a listing its pushdown. `table_names` is untouched: it stays on `/v1`, where `page_token` is a table name to resume after that its callers build themselves.
chore: pin lance to the read_dir_page branch
2026-08-27 16:38:31 +00:00 · 2026-08-19 17:05:27 -07:00 · 2026-08-19 13:32:34 -07:00 · 2026-08-19 13:30:26 -07:00 · 2026-08-19 13:28:26 -07:00 · 2026-08-19 15:18:27 -05:00
100 changed files with 9648 additions and 530 deletions
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [tool.bumpversion]
-current_version = "0.37.1-beta.1"
+current_version = "0.38.0-beta.2"
 parse = """(?x)
    (?P<major>0|[1-9]\\d*)\\.
    (?P<minor>0|[1-9]\\d*)\\.
@@ -4,14 +4,14 @@ on:
  workflow_call:
    inputs:
      tag:
-        description: "Tag name from Lance. If omitted, the skill will use the latest Lance release that needs an update."
+        description: "Tag name from Lance (e.g. `v7.2.0-beta.1`). If omitted, the newest release is resolved automatically — stable releases are preferred over pre-releases — and the run is skipped if it is not newer than the version currently pinned in Cargo.toml."
        required: false
        default: ""
        type: string
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      tag:
-        description: "Tag name from Lance. Leave empty to use the latest Lance release that needs an update."
+        description: "Tag name from Lance (e.g. `v7.2.0-beta.1`). Leave empty to resolve the newest release automatically — stable releases are preferred over pre-releases — and skip the run if it is not newer than the version currently pinned in Cargo.toml."
        required: false
        default: ""
        type: string
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ jobs:
    permissions:
      contents: read
    outputs:
+      checker_outcome: ${{ steps.lychee.outcome }}
      exit_code: ${{ steps.lychee.outputs.exit_code }}
+      status: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.status }}
    steps:
      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v6
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ jobs:

      - name: Check links
        id: lychee
+        continue-on-error: true
        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@e7477775783ea5526144ba13e8db5eec57747ce8 # v2.9.0
        with:
          # Restricted to http(s) on purpose. Much of docs/src is generated
@@ -68,38 +71,50 @@ jobs:
          format: json
          output: ./lychee/out.json
          jobSummary: false
-          # The report, not a red build, is the signal for broken links. The
-          # validation step below still fails the run if the check itself
-          # breaks.
+          # The report issue, not a red workflow run, is the signal for link
+          # findings and checker failures alike.
          fail: false

      - name: Validate report
+        id: validate
        # lychee does not reserve exit code 2 for broken links: its CLI
        # parser also exits 2 on an invalid option, before any link was
        # checked or any report written. Only a parseable report whose
-        # counts agree with the exit code counts as a link verdict; anything
-        # else fails here, and the report job below is skipped entirely, so
-        # the tracking issue is never touched. Exit 2 covers timeouts as
-        # well as errors, and a timed-out host is exactly the transient
-        # unavailability this report exists to surface, so both count as
-        # findings. Requiring total > 0 also catches a glob that silently
-        # stopped matching any file.
-        if: steps.lychee.outputs.exit_code == 0 || steps.lychee.outputs.exit_code == 2
+        # counts agree with a completed exit code (0 or 2) counts as a link
+        # verdict. Everything else becomes a checker-error report instead of
+        # failing the workflow. Exit 2 covers timeouts as well as errors, and a
+        # timed-out host is exactly the transient unavailability this report
+        # exists to surface, so both count as findings. Requiring total > 0
+        # also catches a glob that silently stopped matching any file.
+        if: always()
        env:
+          CHECKER_OUTCOME: ${{ steps.lychee.outcome }}
          EXIT_CODE: ${{ steps.lychee.outputs.exit_code }}
        run: |
-          jq -e --argjson code "$EXIT_CODE" '
-            (.total > 0) and
-            (if $code == 0
-             then .errors == 0 and .timeouts == 0
-               and (.error_map | length == 0) and (.timeout_map | length == 0)
-             else (.errors + .timeouts) > 0
-               and ((.error_map | length) + (.timeout_map | length)) > 0
-             end)
-          ' ./lychee/out.json
+          status=checker-error
+          if [[ "$CHECKER_OUTCOME" == success ]] &&
+             [[ "$EXIT_CODE" == 0 || "$EXIT_CODE" == 2 ]] &&
+             jq -e --argjson code "$EXIT_CODE" '
+               (.total > 0) and
+               (if $code == 0
+                then .errors == 0 and .timeouts == 0
+                  and (.error_map | length == 0) and (.timeout_map | length == 0)
+                else (.errors + .timeouts) > 0
+                  and ((.error_map | length) + (.timeout_map | length)) > 0
+                end)
+             ' ./lychee/out.json
+          then
+            if [[ "$EXIT_CODE" == 0 ]]; then
+              status=healthy
+            else
+              status=findings
+            fi
+          fi
+          echo "status=$status" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "Validated link check as $status"

      - name: Upload report
-        if: steps.lychee.outputs.exit_code == 2
+        if: steps.validate.outputs.status == 'findings'
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
        with:
          name: link-report
@@ -115,26 +130,11 @@ jobs:
    permissions:
      issues: write
    env:
+      CHECKER_OUTCOME: ${{ needs.scan.outputs.checker_outcome }}
      EXIT_CODE: ${{ needs.scan.outputs.exit_code }}
+      STATUS: ${{ needs.scan.outputs.status }}
      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    steps:
-      - name: Classify checker result
-        # lychee exits 0 when every link resolves and 2 when links fail,
-        # both already cross-checked against the report by the scan job's
-        # validation step. Anything else (1 runtime, 3 bad config) means the
-        # check never produced a link verdict, which must surface as a failed
-        # run rather than be published as "broken documentation links".
-        run: |
-          case "$EXIT_CODE" in
-            0|2)
-              echo "lychee exit code $EXIT_CODE"
-              ;;
-            *)
-              echo "::error::lychee exited with '$EXIT_CODE': the link check did not complete. Leaving the report issue untouched."
-              exit 1
-              ;;
-          esac
-
      - name: Find existing report issue
        id: report
        # Matched on title alone, and through search rather than a listing:
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ jobs:
        # Closed issues are included because a healthy run closes the report:
        # an open-only lookup would forget that identity and the next failing
        # run would open a duplicate. The oldest match stays the canonical
-        # report and is reopened below when links break again.
+        # report and is reopened below when a problem recurs.
        run: |
          match=$(gh issue list --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --state all \
            --search "in:title \"$REPORT_TITLE\" author:app/github-actions" \
@@ -154,14 +154,14 @@ jobs:
          echo "state=$(jq -r '.state // empty' <<<"$match")" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"

      - name: Download report
-        if: env.EXIT_CODE == 2
+        if: env.STATUS == 'findings'
        uses: actions/download-artifact@v8
        with:
          name: link-report
          path: ./lychee

      - name: Compose report
-        if: env.EXIT_CODE == 2
+        if: env.STATUS == 'findings'
        run: |
          run_url="$GITHUB_SERVER_URL/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/runs/$GITHUB_RUN_ID"
          {
@@ -185,22 +185,41 @@ jobs:
            ' ./lychee/out.json
          } > ./lychee/issue.md

+      - name: Compose checker error report
+        if: env.STATUS == 'checker-error'
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p ./lychee
+          run_url="$GITHUB_SERVER_URL/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/runs/$GITHUB_RUN_ID"
+          {
+            echo "The documentation link check did not complete in [the latest run]($run_url)."
+            echo
+            echo "This issue is rewritten by every scheduled run and closed automatically once a trustworthy run finds that all links resolve."
+            echo
+            echo "The checker did not produce a trustworthy link verdict. Treat the previous result, if any, as stale until a later run completes."
+            echo
+            echo "* Action outcome: \`$CHECKER_OUTCOME\`"
+            echo "* Exit code: \`${EXIT_CODE:-not reported}\`"
+            echo "* Verdict validation: \`failed\`"
+          } > ./lychee/issue.md
+
      - name: Reopen report issue
        # A healthy run closes the report, and the issue action below only
        # rewrites the body of whatever number it is given. Without an
-        # explicit reopen, the 2 -> 0 -> 2 sequence would keep rewriting a
-        # closed issue while links are broken. A CLOSED state implies the
-        # lookup found a canonical issue, so no separate emptiness check.
-        if: env.EXIT_CODE == 2 && steps.report.outputs.state == 'CLOSED'
+        # explicit reopen, a later finding or checker error would rewrite a
+        # closed issue. A CLOSED state implies the lookup found a canonical
+        # issue, so no separate emptiness check.
+        if: >-
+          env.STATUS != 'healthy' &&
+          steps.report.outputs.state == 'CLOSED'
        env:
          ISSUE_NUMBER: ${{ steps.report.outputs.number }}
        run: |
          run_url="$GITHUB_SERVER_URL/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/runs/$GITHUB_RUN_ID"
          gh issue reopen "$ISSUE_NUMBER" --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" \
-            --comment "Broken documentation links found again in [the latest run]($run_url)."
+            --comment "The documentation link checker reported a problem again in [the latest run]($run_url)."

-      - name: Report broken links
-        if: env.EXIT_CODE == 2
+      - name: Report link-check problem
+        if: env.STATUS != 'healthy'
        uses: peter-evans/create-issue-from-file@fca9117c27cdc29c6c4db3b86c48e4115a786710 # v6.0.0
        with:
          # Empty on the first failing run, which creates the issue; afterwards
@@ -213,7 +232,9 @@ jobs:
      - name: Close report issue once links are healthy
        # An OPEN state implies the lookup found a canonical issue; a report
        # that is already closed needs nothing.
-        if: env.EXIT_CODE == 0 && steps.report.outputs.state == 'OPEN'
+        if: >-
+          env.STATUS == 'healthy' &&
+          steps.report.outputs.state == 'OPEN'
        env:
          ISSUE_NUMBER: ${{ steps.report.outputs.number }}
        run: |
@@ -69,6 +69,16 @@ jobs:
        uses: actions/setup-python@v6
        with:
          python-version: "3.10"
+      - name: Add swap for Arm fat LTO
+        if: matrix.config.platform == 'aarch64'
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          swap_file="$RUNNER_TEMP/lancedb-swap"
+          sudo fallocate --length 16G "$swap_file"
+          sudo chmod 600 "$swap_file"
+          sudo mkswap "$swap_file"
+          sudo swapon "$swap_file"
+          free -h
      - uses: ./.github/workflows/build_linux_wheel
        with:
          python-minor-version: 10
@@ -959,7 +959,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "aws-smithy-runtime-api",
 "aws-smithy-types",
 "h2 0.3.27",
- "h2 0.4.14",
+ "h2 0.4.16",
 "http 0.2.12",
 "http 1.5.0",
 "http-body 0.4.6",
@@ -3455,8 +3455,8 @@ checksum = "42703706b716c37f96a77aea830392ad231f44c9e9a67872fa5548707e11b11c"

 [[package]]
 name = "fsst"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "rand 0.9.5",
@@ -3877,9 +3877,9 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "h2"
-version = "0.4.14"
+version = "0.4.16"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "171fefbc92fe4a4de27e0698d6a5b392d6a0e333506bc49133760b3bcf948733"
+checksum = "a9f37a958b41b3b19ee2707c06439c0e9e547e847223eb791ecb0cb821c65e27"
 dependencies = [
 "atomic-waker",
 "bytes",
@@ -4188,7 +4188,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "bytes",
 "futures-channel",
 "futures-core",
- "h2 0.4.14",
+ "h2 0.4.16",
 "http 1.5.0",
 "http-body 1.1.0",
 "httparse",
@@ -4815,8 +4815,8 @@ checksum = "e037a2e1d8d5fdbd49b16a4ea09d5d6401c1f29eca5ff29d03d3824dba16256a"

 [[package]]
 name = "lance"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arc-swap",
 "arrow",
@@ -4832,7 +4832,6 @@ dependencies = [
 "async-recursion",
 "async-trait",
 "async_cell",
- "aws-credential-types",
 "aws-sdk-dynamodb",
 "byteorder",
 "bytes",
@@ -4848,7 +4847,6 @@ dependencies = [
 "either",
 "fst",
 "futures",
- "half",
 "humantime",
 "itertools 0.14.0",
 "lance-arrow",
@@ -4890,8 +4888,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-arrow"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "arrow-buffer",
@@ -4913,7 +4911,7 @@ dependencies = [
 [[package]]
 name = "lance-arrow-scalar"
 version = "58.0.0"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "arrow-buffer",
@@ -4927,7 +4925,7 @@ dependencies = [
 [[package]]
 name = "lance-arrow-stats"
 version = "58.0.0"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "arrow-schema",
@@ -4936,8 +4934,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-bitpacking"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrayref",
 "crunchy",
@@ -4947,8 +4945,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-core"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "arrow-buffer",
@@ -4956,12 +4954,10 @@ dependencies = [
 "arrow-schema",
 "async-trait",
 "blake3",
- "byteorder",
 "bytes",
 "datafusion-common",
 "datafusion-sql",
 "futures",
- "itertools 0.14.0",
 "lance-arrow",
 "lance-derive",
 "libc",
@@ -4979,7 +4975,6 @@ dependencies = [
 "snafu 0.9.0",
 "tempfile",
 "tokio",
- "tokio-stream",
 "tokio-util",
 "tracing",
 "twox-hash",
@@ -4988,8 +4983,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-datafusion"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow",
 "arrow-array",
@@ -5008,7 +5003,6 @@ dependencies = [
 "jsonb",
 "lance-arrow",
 "lance-core",
- "lance-datagen",
 "log",
 "pin-project",
 "prost",
@@ -5019,8 +5013,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-datagen"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow",
 "arrow-array",
@@ -5037,8 +5031,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-derive"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "proc-macro2",
 "quote",
@@ -5047,8 +5041,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-encoding"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-arith",
 "arrow-array",
@@ -5073,7 +5067,6 @@ dependencies = [
 "num-traits",
 "prost",
 "prost-build",
- "rand 0.9.5",
 "tokio",
 "tracing",
 "xxhash-rust",
@@ -5082,8 +5075,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-file"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-arith",
 "arrow-array",
@@ -5114,8 +5107,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-index"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arc-swap",
 "arrow",
@@ -5130,7 +5123,6 @@ dependencies = [
 "async-trait",
 "bitvec",
 "bytes",
- "chrono",
 "crossbeam-queue",
 "datafusion",
 "datafusion-common",
@@ -5148,7 +5140,6 @@ dependencies = [
 "lance-bitpacking",
 "lance-core",
 "lance-datafusion",
- "lance-datagen",
 "lance-encoding",
 "lance-file",
 "lance-index-core",
@@ -5177,13 +5168,12 @@ dependencies = [
 "tempfile",
 "tokio",
 "tracing",
- "uuid",
 ]

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-index-core"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "arrow-schema",
@@ -5205,8 +5195,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-io"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow",
 "arrow-array",
@@ -5220,7 +5210,6 @@ dependencies = [
 "futures",
 "http 1.5.0",
 "io-uring",
- "lance-arrow",
 "lance-core",
 "lance-namespace",
 "log",
@@ -5238,29 +5227,28 @@ dependencies = [
 "tokio",
 "tracing",
 "url",
+ "uuid",
 ]

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-linalg"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
- "arrow-buffer",
 "arrow-schema",
 "cc",
 "half",
 "lance-arrow",
 "lance-core",
 "num-traits",
- "rand 0.9.5",
 "rayon",
 ]

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-namespace"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow",
 "async-trait",
@@ -5272,8 +5260,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-namespace-impls"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow",
 "arrow-ipc",
@@ -5312,9 +5300,9 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-namespace-reqwest-client"
-version = "0.8.6"
+version = "0.11.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "ba3f0a235e3ed5f8805205649ccc7d7d0f3df23ce1294242c9265ad488d7f19d"
+checksum = "0a030196da1c994b63a96a4f0bf5b0cfa459fe6dadc9e962320246ca328da22a"
 dependencies = [
 "reqwest 0.12.28",
 "serde",
@@ -5326,14 +5314,13 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-select"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "arrow-buffer",
 "arrow-schema",
 "byteorder",
- "bytes",
 "itertools 0.14.0",
 "lance-core",
 "roaring",
@@ -5342,8 +5329,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-table"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow",
 "arrow-array",
@@ -5383,8 +5370,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-testing"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "arrow-schema",
@@ -5397,8 +5384,8 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lance-tokenizer"
-version = "11.0.0-beta.3"
-source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?tag=v11.0.0-beta.3#f7d475539cefbd140cc46a828f3d843e68cd10f1"
+version = "11.0.0-beta.15"
+source = "git+https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git?rev=d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f#d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f"
 dependencies = [
 "frostem",
 "icu_segmenter",
@@ -5411,7 +5398,7 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lancedb"
-version = "0.37.1-beta.1"
+version = "0.38.0-beta.2"
 dependencies = [
 "ahash",
 "anyhow",
@@ -5499,7 +5486,7 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lancedb-nodejs"
-version = "0.37.1-beta.1"
+version = "0.38.0-beta.2"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow-array",
 "arrow-buffer",
@@ -5524,7 +5511,7 @@ dependencies = [

 [[package]]
 name = "lancedb-python"
-version = "0.37.1-beta.1"
+version = "0.38.0-beta.2"
 dependencies = [
 "arrow",
 "async-trait",
@@ -8439,7 +8426,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "encoding_rs",
 "futures-core",
 "futures-util",
- "h2 0.4.14",
+ "h2 0.4.16",
 "http 1.5.0",
 "http-body 1.1.0",
 "http-body-util",
@@ -10095,7 +10082,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "async-trait",
 "base64 0.22.1",
 "bytes",
- "h2 0.4.14",
+ "h2 0.4.16",
 "http 1.5.0",
 "http-body 1.1.0",
 "http-body-util",
@@ -13,20 +13,23 @@ categories = ["database-implementations"]
 rust-version = "1.91.0"

 [workspace.dependencies]
-lance = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", default-features = false, "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-core = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-datagen = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-file = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-io = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", default-features = false, "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-index = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-linalg = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-namespace = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-namespace-impls = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", default-features = false, "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-table = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-testing = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-datafusion = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-encoding = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
-lance-arrow = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.3", "tag" = "v11.0.0-beta.3", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+# TEMPORARY: `ObjectStore::read_dir_page` is not in a lance release yet, so these point at
+# lance-format/lance#8606 cherry-picked onto the v11.0.0-beta.15 tag. Put the tag back once that
+# PR has merged and shipped in a release.
+lance = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", default-features = false, "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-core = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-datagen = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-file = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-io = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", default-features = false, "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-index = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-linalg = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-namespace = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-namespace-impls = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", default-features = false, "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-table = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-testing = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-datafusion = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-encoding = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
+lance-arrow = { "version" = "=11.0.0-beta.15", "rev" = "d7b1d570461c6d2adde8f3a84ae88db4823c726f", "git" = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance.git" }
 ahash = "0.8"
 # Note that this one does not include pyarrow
 arrow = { version = "58.0.0", optional = false }
@@ -101,6 +101,19 @@ ignore = [
    # https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2026-0195
    { id = "RUSTSEC-2026-0194", reason = "transitive via inferno/lance/opendal; XML from trusted cloud endpoints, not attacker-controlled" },
    { id = "RUSTSEC-2026-0195", reason = "transitive via inferno/lance/opendal; XML from trusted cloud endpoints, not attacker-controlled" },
+    # smartstring: unmaintained — the repository was archived by its author on
+    # 2026-05-03. Not a vulnerability. Reached only transitively through polars
+    # (polars-core/-io/-ops/-time/-utils); nothing in LanceDB depends on it directly.
+    # The advisory states no safe upgrade is available: upstream recommends
+    # compact_str/smol_str, so clearing this requires polars to migrate.
+    # https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2026-0249
+    { id = "RUSTSEC-2026-0249", reason = "smartstring unmaintained via polars; no fixed upstream release" },
+
+    # h2 0.3: empty DATA frames can be queued without limit. The patched
+    # h2 0.4 line is locked to 0.4.16, but no patched 0.3 release exists.
+    # The old copy is pulled in by aws-smithy's legacy hyper 0.14 client.
+    # https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2026-0258
+    { id = "RUSTSEC-2026-0258", reason = "h2 0.3 via legacy aws-smithy/hyper 0.14; no patched 0.3 release" },
 ]

 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Add the following dependency to your `pom.xml`:
 <dependency>
    <groupId>com.lancedb</groupId>
    <artifactId>lancedb-core</artifactId>
-    <version>0.37.1-beta.1</version>
+    <version>0.38.0-beta.2</version>
 </dependency>
 ```

@@ -55,6 +55,38 @@ LanceNamespace namespaceClient = LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder.newBuilder()
 | `region(String)` | AWS region (default: "us-east-1") | No |
 | `config(String, String)` | Additional configuration parameters | No |

+### Opening a Table with Vended Credentials
+
+When the catalog vends temporary object store credentials, open the table through the
+namespace client. The Lance dataset builder fetches the table location and storage options
+from the catalog and refreshes the credentials when they expire.
+
+```java
+import com.lancedb.LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder;
+import org.lance.Dataset;
+import org.lance.namespace.LanceNamespace;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+LanceNamespace namespaceClient = LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder.newBuilder()
+    .apiKey(System.getenv("LANCEDB_API_KEY"))
+    .database(System.getenv("LANCEDB_DATABASE"))
+    // Set the endpoint for a LanceDB Enterprise deployment.
+    // .endpoint("https://your-enterprise-endpoint")
+    .build();
+
+try (Dataset dataset = Dataset.open()
+        .namespaceClient(namespaceClient)
+        .tableId(Arrays.asList("my_namespace", "my_table"))
+        .build()) {
+    System.out.println("Rows: " + dataset.countRows());
+}
+```
+
+Do not call `describeTable()` and then open the returned location with `Dataset.open(uri)`.
+Opening through `namespaceClient()` is what applies the vended storage options and enables
+automatic credential refresh. No object store credentials need to be passed by the application.
+
 ## Metadata Operations

 ### Creating a Namespace Path
@@ -386,6 +386,29 @@ Drop an existing table.

 ***

+### dropTableAsync()
+
+```ts
+abstract dropTableAsync(name, namespacePath?): Promise<Job>
+```
+
+Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job.
+
+The table may become unavailable before its data files are removed. Wait
+on the returned job to know when cleanup has finished.
+
+#### Parameters
+
+* **name**: `string`
+
+* **namespacePath?**: `string`[]
+
+#### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;[`Job`](Job.md)&gt;
+
+***
+
 ### getJob()

 ```ts
@@ -506,6 +529,71 @@ Child namespace names and

 ***

+### listTables()
+
+#### listTables(options)
+
+```ts
+abstract listTables(options?): Promise<ListTablesResponse>
+```
+
+List a page of tables in this database.
+
+Results may be paginated. To retrieve subsequent pages, pass the
+`pageToken` returned by a previous call. A page may be shorter than
+`limit` without being the last one, so walk until the response carries no
+page token:
+
+```ts
+const names = [];
+let pageToken = undefined;
+do {
+  const page = await conn.listTables({ pageToken, limit: 100 });
+  names.push(...page.tables);
+  pageToken = page.pageToken;
+} while (pageToken);
+```
+
+##### Parameters
+
+* **options?**: `Partial`&lt;[`ListTablesOptions`](../interfaces/ListTablesOptions.md)&gt;
+    Pagination options
+    (`pageToken`, `limit`).
+
+##### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;[`ListTablesResponse`](../interfaces/ListTablesResponse.md)&gt;
+
+Table names and an optional token
+  for fetching the next page.
+
+#### listTables(namespacePath, options)
+
+```ts
+abstract listTables(namespacePath?, options?): Promise<ListTablesResponse>
+```
+
+List a page of tables in this database.
+
+##### Parameters
+
+* **namespacePath?**: `string`[]
+    The namespace path to list tables from
+    (defaults to root namespace)
+
+* **options?**: `Partial`&lt;[`ListTablesOptions`](../interfaces/ListTablesOptions.md)&gt;
+    Pagination options
+    (`pageToken`, `limit`).
+
+##### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;[`ListTablesResponse`](../interfaces/ListTablesResponse.md)&gt;
+
+Table names and an optional token
+  for fetching the next page.
+
+***
+
 ### openTable()

 ```ts
@@ -567,7 +655,7 @@ a "not supported" error.

 ***

-### tableNames()
+### ~~tableNames()~~

 #### tableNames(options)

@@ -589,6 +677,10 @@ Tables will be returned in lexicographical order.

 `Promise`&lt;`string`[]&gt;

+##### Deprecated
+
+Use [Connection.listTables](Connection.md#listtables) instead.
+
 #### tableNames(namespacePath, options)

 ```ts
@@ -611,3 +703,7 @@ Tables will be returned in lexicographical order.
 ##### Returns

 `Promise`&lt;`string`[]&gt;
+
+##### Deprecated
+
+Use [Connection.listTables](Connection.md#listtables) instead.
@@ -69,14 +69,34 @@ abstract addColumns(newColumnTransforms): Promise<AddColumnsResult>

 Add new columns with defined values.

+The `{ computed }` form stores the expression rather than evaluating it
+now: the column is committed with no values, and rows get them from
+[Table#refreshColumn](Table.md#refreshcolumn). Declaring one therefore costs the same on a
+large table as on an empty one.
+
+A refresh does not revisit rows it has already filled, so mutating an
+input leaves the value computed at fill time; recomputing means dropping
+the column and declaring it again. While a declaration reads a column,
+that column cannot be renamed, retyped or dropped.
+
+On LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise the expression is planned by the
+server, and the refresh runs as a server job -- see
+[Table#refreshColumnAsync](Table.md#refreshcolumnasync).
+
 #### Parameters

-* **newColumnTransforms**: `Field`&lt;`any`&gt; \| `Field`&lt;`any`&gt;[] \| `Schema`&lt;`any`&gt; \| [`AddColumnsSql`](../interfaces/AddColumnsSql.md)[]
+* **newColumnTransforms**:
+    \| `Field`&lt;`any`&gt;
+    \| `Field`&lt;`any`&gt;[]
+    \| `Schema`&lt;`any`&gt;
+    \| [`AddColumnsSql`](../interfaces/AddColumnsSql.md)[]
+    \| `object`
    Either:
    - An array of objects with column names and SQL expressions to calculate values
    - A single Arrow Field defining one column with its data type (column will be initialized with null values)
    - An array of Arrow Fields defining columns with their data types (columns will be initialized with null values)
    - An Arrow Schema defining columns with their data types (columns will be initialized with null values)
+    - `{ computed }`, declaring columns defined by a SQL expression whose type and inputs are derived from it

 #### Returns

@@ -85,6 +105,13 @@ Add new columns with defined values.
 A promise that resolves to an object
 containing the new version number of the table after adding the columns.

+#### Example
+
+```ts
+await table.addColumns({ computed: [{ name: "doubled", valueSql: "x * 2" }] });
+const { rowsFilled } = await table.refreshColumn("doubled");
+```
+
 ***

 ### alterColumns()
@@ -186,6 +213,39 @@ version of the table.

 ***

+### checkpointLsm()
+
+```ts
+abstract checkpointLsm(): Promise<void>
+```
+
+Converge this table's LSM write path into its base table.
+
+Seals once, then triggers compaction and polls until the L0 that existed
+at the start is gone. The target set is fixed at the start, so
+generations created *during* the checkpoint are ignored — that is what
+lets it terminate under write load, and what makes it best-effort: it
+converges the fresh tier as of some instant. Idempotent, abandonable at
+any point, and safe to run on a cadence.
+
+There is no liveness bound — the compactor pool is shared across tables,
+so a checkpoint queued behind unrelated work looks exactly like one that
+is merging. The caller owns the deadline.
+
+#### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;`void`&gt;
+
+#### Example
+
+```ts
+const before = await table.getLsmStats();
+await table.checkpointLsm();
+const after = await table.getLsmStats();
+```
+
+***
+
 ### close()

 ```ts
@@ -223,6 +283,24 @@ It is a no-op when no writers are cached.

 ***

+### compactLsm()
+
+```ts
+abstract compactLsm(): Promise<void>
+```
+
+Trigger a background L0 → base compaction pass per bucket.
+
+Returns once the passes are *dispatched*, not once they finish — watch
+[Table#getLsmStats](Table.md#getlsmstats) for progress, or use
+[Table#checkpointLsm](Table.md#checkpointlsm) to wait for convergence.
+
+#### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;`void`&gt;
+
+***
+
 ### countRows()

 ```ts
@@ -421,6 +499,48 @@ Drop an index from the table.

 ***

+### flushLsm()
+
+```ts
+abstract flushLsm(): Promise<void>
+```
+
+Seal every bucket's active memtable into a new L0 generation.
+
+Returns once the seal is committed. Sealing an empty memtable is a no-op,
+so this is safe to call repeatedly.
+
+#### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;`void`&gt;
+
+***
+
+### getLsmStats()
+
+```ts
+abstract getLsmStats(includeGenerationRows?): Promise<undefined | LsmStats>
+```
+
+Read live per-bucket LSM state.
+
+Answers "how far behind is my fresh tier", "which bucket is hot", and
+"why is my fresh-tier vector search brute-force". Mutates no table state.
+
+Resolves to `undefined` only when the LSM write path is not enabled.
+
+#### Parameters
+
+* **includeGenerationRows?**: `boolean`
+    Also count rows per L0 generation.
+    Off by default because each count opens an uncached Lance dataset.
+
+#### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;`undefined` \| [`LsmStats`](../interfaces/LsmStats.md)&gt;
+
+***
+
 ### getLsmWriteSpec()

 ```ts
@@ -718,6 +838,67 @@ for await (const batch of table.query()) {

 ***

+### refreshColumn()
+
+```ts
+abstract refreshColumn(column): Promise<RefreshColumnResult>
+```
+
+Fill the rows of a computed column that hold no value yet.
+
+Rows appended since the last refresh are filled by the next one; rows
+already filled are left as they are, so the call is idempotent and does
+not observe a mutated input. Local tables only: a remote refresh runs
+as a server job, through [Table#refreshColumnAsync](Table.md#refreshcolumnasync).
+
+#### Parameters
+
+* **column**: `string`
+    The name of the computed column to fill.
+
+#### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;[`RefreshColumnResult`](../interfaces/RefreshColumnResult.md)&gt;
+
+A promise that resolves to the
+number of rows filled and the new version number of the table.
+
+***
+
+### refreshColumnAsync()
+
+```ts
+abstract refreshColumnAsync(column): Promise<Job>
+```
+
+Like [Table#refreshColumn](Table.md#refreshcolumn), but returns a handle to the refresh
+job instead of blocking until it completes.
+
+The job may already be complete when returned; callers must not assume
+the column is filled until [Job.wait](Job.md#wait) resolves. Invalid input --
+an unknown column, or one that is not computed -- rejects here rather
+than failing the job. On local tables the job runs in-process; on
+LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise it is the server's backfill job.
+
+#### Parameters
+
+* **column**: `string`
+    The name of the computed column to fill.
+
+#### Returns
+
+`Promise`&lt;[`Job`](Job.md)&gt;
+
+#### Example
+
+```ts
+const job = await table.refreshColumnAsync("doubled");
+await job.wait();
+console.log(await job.status()); // "finished"
+```
+
+***
+
 ### restore()

 ```ts
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
 - [BranchDiff](interfaces/BranchDiff.md)
 - [BranchIndexSummary](interfaces/BranchIndexSummary.md)
 - [BranchRowCountSummary](interfaces/BranchRowCountSummary.md)
+- [BucketStats](interfaces/BucketStats.md)
 - [ClientConfig](interfaces/ClientConfig.md)
 - [ColumnAlteration](interfaces/ColumnAlteration.md)
 - [ColumnOrdering](interfaces/ColumnOrdering.md)
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@
 - [FtsToken](interfaces/FtsToken.md)
 - [FullTextQuery](interfaces/FullTextQuery.md)
 - [FullTextSearchOptions](interfaces/FullTextSearchOptions.md)
+- [GenerationStats](interfaces/GenerationStats.md)
 - [HnswPqOptions](interfaces/HnswPqOptions.md)
 - [HnswSqOptions](interfaces/HnswSqOptions.md)
 - [IndexConfig](interfaces/IndexConfig.md)
@@ -94,7 +96,11 @@
 - [JobInfo](interfaces/JobInfo.md)
 - [ListNamespacesOptions](interfaces/ListNamespacesOptions.md)
 - [ListNamespacesResponse](interfaces/ListNamespacesResponse.md)
+- [ListTablesOptions](interfaces/ListTablesOptions.md)
+- [ListTablesResponse](interfaces/ListTablesResponse.md)
+- [LsmStats](interfaces/LsmStats.md)
 - [LsmWriteSpec](interfaces/LsmWriteSpec.md)
+- [MemtableStats](interfaces/MemtableStats.md)
 - [MergeBlocker](interfaces/MergeBlocker.md)
 - [MergeBranchResult](interfaces/MergeBranchResult.md)
 - [MergePreview](interfaces/MergePreview.md)
@@ -105,6 +111,7 @@
 - [OptimizeOptions](interfaces/OptimizeOptions.md)
 - [OptimizeStats](interfaces/OptimizeStats.md)
 - [QueryExecutionOptions](interfaces/QueryExecutionOptions.md)
+- [RefreshColumnResult](interfaces/RefreshColumnResult.md)
 - [RemovalStats](interfaces/RemovalStats.md)
 - [RenameTableOptions](interfaces/RenameTableOptions.md)
 - [RestNamespaceConfig](interfaces/RestNamespaceConfig.md)
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+[**@lancedb/lancedb**](../README.md) • **Docs**
+
+***
+
+[@lancedb/lancedb](../globals.md) / BucketStats
+
+# Interface: BucketStats
+
+Live state of one bucket. A table is N buckets on one node; flattening to a
+single number hides the one hot bucket that is usually why someone opened
+this endpoint.
+
+## Properties
+
+### compacting
+
+```ts
+compacting: boolean;
+```
+
+Whether a pass owns this bucket's compaction latch right now. Says *a*
+driver is running, not *whose*, and the latch is held from dispatch —
+including while the pass queues for a pod-wide compactor permit. Read it
+as "do not pile on", never as "mine is progressing".
+
+***
+
+### currentGeneration
+
+```ts
+currentGeneration: number;
+```
+
+The generation the active memtable will become.
+
+***
+
+### generations
+
+```ts
+generations: GenerationStats[];
+```
+
+Flushed L0 generations not yet merged into the base table.
+
+***
+
+### manifestVersion
+
+```ts
+manifestVersion: number;
+```
+
+Version of the shard manifest these numbers were read from.
+
+***
+
+### memtables?
+
+```ts
+optional memtables: MemtableStats[];
+```
+
+Oldest first, active last. Absent for a `"Sealed"` bucket, whose
+in-memory state is torn down.
+
+***
+
+### replayAfterWalEntryPosition
+
+```ts
+replayAfterWalEntryPosition: number;
+```
+
+WAL position replay resumes from.
+
+***
+
+### shardId
+
+```ts
+shardId: string;
+```
+
+The shard this bucket writes.
+
+***
+
+### status
+
+```ts
+status: string;
+```
+
+`"Active"` or `"Sealed"` (drop-table 2PC in flight).
+
+***
+
+### walEntryPositionLastSeen
+
+```ts
+walEntryPositionLastSeen: number;
+```
+
+Highest WAL position the writer has seen. The difference against
+`replayAfterWalEntryPosition` is the WAL lag.
+
+***
+
+### writerEpoch
+
+```ts
+writerEpoch: number;
+```
+
+Epoch of the writer that currently owns the shard.
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+[**@lancedb/lancedb**](../README.md) • **Docs**
+
+***
+
+[@lancedb/lancedb](../globals.md) / GenerationStats
+
+# Interface: GenerationStats
+
+One flushed L0 generation.
+
+## Properties
+
+### bytes
+
+```ts
+bytes: number;
+```
+
+On-disk size of the generation.
+
+***
+
+### generation
+
+```ts
+generation: number;
+```
+
+The generation number. Increases as memtables are sealed into L0.
+
+***
+
+### rows?
+
+```ts
+optional rows: number;
+```
+
+Present only when `includeGenerationRows` was requested. Off by default
+because each count opens an uncached Lance dataset.
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+[**@lancedb/lancedb**](../README.md) • **Docs**
+
+***
+
+[@lancedb/lancedb](../globals.md) / ListTablesOptions
+
+# Interface: ListTablesOptions
+
+## Properties
+
+### limit?
+
+```ts
+optional limit: number;
+```
+
+An upper bound on how many tables to return.
+
+A page may hold fewer than this and still not be the last one, so continue
+while the response carries a page token rather than while pages are full.
+
+***
+
+### pageToken?
+
+```ts
+optional pageToken: string;
+```
+
+Token from a previous response for pagination.
+
+The token is opaque: it carries whatever the database needs to resume, and
+callers should not construct or interpret one.
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+[**@lancedb/lancedb**](../README.md) • **Docs**
+
+***
+
+[@lancedb/lancedb](../globals.md) / ListTablesResponse
+
+# Interface: ListTablesResponse
+
+## Properties
+
+### pageToken?
+
+```ts
+optional pageToken: string;
+```
+
+***
+
+### tables
+
+```ts
+tables: string[];
+```
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+[**@lancedb/lancedb**](../README.md) • **Docs**
+
+***
+
+[@lancedb/lancedb](../globals.md) / LsmStats
+
+# Interface: LsmStats
+
+Live per-bucket LSM state, as returned by `Table#getLsmStats`.
+
+Nothing here is derived: sums and differences (total L0 bytes, WAL lag) are
+the caller's to compute.
+
+## Properties
+
+### buckets
+
+```ts
+buckets: BucketStats[];
+```
+
+One entry per bucket backing this table.
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+[**@lancedb/lancedb**](../README.md) • **Docs**
+
+***
+
+[@lancedb/lancedb](../globals.md) / MemtableStats
+
+# Interface: MemtableStats
+
+One in-memory memtable.
+
+## Properties
+
+### batches
+
+```ts
+batches: number;
+```
+
+Record batches currently buffered.
+
+***
+
+### bytes
+
+```ts
+bytes: number;
+```
+
+Estimated in-memory size.
+
+***
+
+### generation
+
+```ts
+generation: number;
+```
+
+The generation this memtable will become once sealed.
+
+***
+
+### indexes
+
+```ts
+indexes: string[];
+```
+
+Names of the indexes this memtable carries. An absent name is the whole
+answer to "why is my fresh-tier search on that column brute-force".
+
+***
+
+### rows
+
+```ts
+rows: number;
+```
+
+Rows currently buffered.
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+[**@lancedb/lancedb**](../README.md) • **Docs**
+
+***
+
+[@lancedb/lancedb](../globals.md) / RefreshColumnResult
+
+# Interface: RefreshColumnResult
+
+## Properties
+
+### rowsFilled
+
+```ts
+rowsFilled: number;
+```
+
+***
+
+### version
+
+```ts
+version: number;
+```
@@ -4,11 +4,16 @@

 [@lancedb/lancedb](../globals.md) / TableNamesOptions

-# Interface: TableNamesOptions
+# Interface: ~~TableNamesOptions~~
+
+## Deprecated
+
+Use [ListTablesOptions](ListTablesOptions.md) with [Connection.listTables](../classes/Connection.md#listtables)
+instead.

 ## Properties

-### limit?
+### ~~limit?~~

 ```ts
 optional limit: number;
@@ -18,7 +23,7 @@ An optional limit to the number of results to return.

 ***

-### startAfter?
+### ~~startAfter?~~

 ```ts
 optional startAfter: string;
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ listing a storage directory.

 ::: lancedb.table.Branches

+::: lancedb.LsmWriteSpec
+
 ## Expressions

 Type-safe expression builder for filters and projections. Use these instead
@@ -29,6 +29,48 @@ LanceNamespace namespaceClient = LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder.newBuilder()
    .build();
 ```

+## MemWAL LSM write path
+
+Most table operations reach LanceDB through the `LanceNamespace` above, which is
+generated from the Lance Namespace specification. The MemWAL LSM routes are not part
+of that specification, so they are issued through a separate client:
+
+```java
+import com.lancedb.LanceDbRestClient;
+import com.lancedb.LanceDbTableLsm;
+import com.lancedb.LsmWriteSpec;
+
+LanceDbRestClient client = LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder.newBuilder()
+    .apiKey("your_lancedb_cloud_api_key")
+    .database("your_database_name")
+    .buildRestClient();
+
+LanceDbTableLsm lsm = new LanceDbTableLsm(client, "my_table");
+
+// Route future merge_insert upserts through the MemWAL, hash-bucketed by `id`.
+lsm.setLsmWriteSpec(LsmWriteSpec.bucket("id", 16));
+
+// ... merge_insert traffic ...
+
+// Converge the fresh tier into the base table.
+lsm.checkpointLsm();
+
+// Inspect live per-bucket state.
+lsm.getLsmStats().ifPresent(stats -> stats.buckets().forEach(bucket ->
+    System.out.println(bucket.shardId() + ": " + bucket.generations().size() + " L0 generations")));
+
+client.close();
+```
+
+`maintainedIndexes` is tri-state, and the null default is the opposite of what a Java
+reader usually expects:
+
+| Value | Meaning |
+| --- | --- |
+| unset (null) | Maintain **every** index the MemWAL can, resolved on install |
+| `Collections.emptyList()` | Maintain **none** |
+| `Arrays.asList("id_idx")` | Maintain exactly those |
+
 ## Development

 Build:
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
    <parent>
      <groupId>com.lancedb</groupId>
      <artifactId>lancedb-parent</artifactId>
-      <version>0.37.1-beta.1</version>
+      <version>0.38.0-beta.2</version>
      <relativePath>../pom.xml</relativePath>
    </parent>

@@ -33,6 +33,20 @@
            <artifactId>arrow-memory-netty</artifactId>
        </dependency>

+        <!-- Transport for the LanceDB routes outside the Lance Namespace spec.
+             Versions match what lance-namespace-apache-client resolves to. -->
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>org.apache.httpcomponents.client5</groupId>
+            <artifactId>httpclient5</artifactId>
+            <version>5.2.1</version>
+        </dependency>
+
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>com.fasterxml.jackson.core</groupId>
+            <artifactId>jackson-databind</artifactId>
+            <version>2.17.1</version>
+        </dependency>
+
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.junit.jupiter</groupId>
            <artifactId>junit-jupiter</artifactId>
@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.OptionalLong;
+
+/**
+ * Live state of one bucket. A table is N buckets on one node; flattening to a single number hides
+ * the one hot bucket that is usually why someone opened this endpoint.
+ */
+public class BucketStats {
+  private static final String CONTEXT = "bucket stats";
+
+  private final String shardId;
+  private final String status;
+  private final long writerEpoch;
+  private final long manifestVersion;
+  private final long currentGeneration;
+  private final long replayAfterWalEntryPosition;
+  private final long walEntryPositionLastSeen;
+  private final List<GenerationStats> generations;
+  private final boolean compacting;
+  private final List<MemtableStats> memtables;
+
+  BucketStats(
+      String shardId,
+      String status,
+      long writerEpoch,
+      long manifestVersion,
+      long currentGeneration,
+      long replayAfterWalEntryPosition,
+      long walEntryPositionLastSeen,
+      List<GenerationStats> generations,
+      boolean compacting,
+      List<MemtableStats> memtables) {
+    this.shardId = shardId;
+    this.status = status;
+    this.writerEpoch = writerEpoch;
+    this.manifestVersion = manifestVersion;
+    this.currentGeneration = currentGeneration;
+    this.replayAfterWalEntryPosition = replayAfterWalEntryPosition;
+    this.walEntryPositionLastSeen = walEntryPositionLastSeen;
+    this.generations = Collections.unmodifiableList(generations);
+    this.compacting = compacting;
+    this.memtables = memtables == null ? null : Collections.unmodifiableList(memtables);
+  }
+
+  /** The shard this bucket writes. */
+  public String shardId() {
+    return shardId;
+  }
+
+  /** {@code "Active"} or {@code "Sealed"} (drop-table 2PC in flight). */
+  public String status() {
+    return status;
+  }
+
+  /** Epoch of the writer that currently owns the shard. */
+  public long writerEpoch() {
+    return writerEpoch;
+  }
+
+  /** Version of the shard manifest these numbers were read from. */
+  public long manifestVersion() {
+    return manifestVersion;
+  }
+
+  /** The generation the active memtable will become. */
+  public long currentGeneration() {
+    return currentGeneration;
+  }
+
+  /** WAL position replay resumes from. */
+  public long replayAfterWalEntryPosition() {
+    return replayAfterWalEntryPosition;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Highest WAL position the writer has seen. The difference against {@link
+   * #replayAfterWalEntryPosition()} is the WAL lag.
+   */
+  public long walEntryPositionLastSeen() {
+    return walEntryPositionLastSeen;
+  }
+
+  /** Flushed L0 generations not yet merged into the base table. */
+  public List<GenerationStats> generations() {
+    return generations;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Whether a pass owns this bucket's compaction latch right now. Says <em>a</em> driver is
+   * running, not <em>whose</em>, and the latch is held from dispatch — including while the pass
+   * queues for a pod-wide compactor permit. Read it as "do not pile on", never as "mine is
+   * progressing".
+   */
+  public boolean compacting() {
+    return compacting;
+  }
+
+  /** Oldest first, active last. Empty for a {@code "Sealed"} bucket, whose state is torn down. */
+  public Optional<List<MemtableStats>> memtables() {
+    return Optional.ofNullable(memtables);
+  }
+
+  /** The newest flushed generation, or empty when L0 is empty. */
+  OptionalLong newestGeneration() {
+    OptionalLong newest = OptionalLong.empty();
+    for (GenerationStats generation : generations) {
+      if (!newest.isPresent() || generation.generation() > newest.getAsLong()) {
+        newest = OptionalLong.of(generation.generation());
+      }
+    }
+    return newest;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * How many generations at or below {@code target} are still in L0.
+   *
+   * <p>A count, not a boolean: one pass drains a bounded prefix rather than the whole target set,
+   * so a boolean would read as "no progress" for every pass but the last. Compaction drains
+   * oldest-first, so this decreases monotonically.
+   */
+  long outstandingGenerations(long target) {
+    long count = 0;
+    for (GenerationStats generation : generations) {
+      if (generation.generation() <= target) {
+        count++;
+      }
+    }
+    return count;
+  }
+
+  static BucketStats fromJson(JsonNode node) {
+    JsonFields.requiredObject(node, CONTEXT);
+    List<GenerationStats> generations = new ArrayList<GenerationStats>();
+    for (JsonNode generation : JsonFields.requiredArray(node, "generations", CONTEXT)) {
+      generations.add(GenerationStats.fromJson(generation));
+    }
+
+    JsonNode memtablesNode = JsonFields.optionalArray(node, "memtables", CONTEXT);
+    List<MemtableStats> memtables = null;
+    if (memtablesNode != null) {
+      memtables = new ArrayList<MemtableStats>();
+      for (JsonNode memtable : memtablesNode) {
+        memtables.add(MemtableStats.fromJson(memtable));
+      }
+    }
+
+    return new BucketStats(
+        JsonFields.requiredText(node, "shard_id", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredText(node, "status", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "writer_epoch", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "manifest_version", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "current_generation", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "replay_after_wal_entry_position", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "wal_entry_position_last_seen", CONTEXT),
+        generations,
+        JsonFields.requiredBoolean(node, "compacting", CONTEXT),
+        memtables);
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public String toString() {
+    return "BucketStats{shardId="
+        + shardId
+        + ", status="
+        + status
+        + ", currentGeneration="
+        + currentGeneration
+        + ", generations="
+        + generations
+        + ", compacting="
+        + compacting
+        + "}";
+  }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+
+import java.util.OptionalLong;
+
+/** One flushed L0 generation. */
+public class GenerationStats {
+  private static final String CONTEXT = "generation stats";
+
+  private final long generation;
+  private final long bytes;
+  private final Long rows;
+
+  GenerationStats(long generation, long bytes, Long rows) {
+    this.generation = generation;
+    this.bytes = bytes;
+    this.rows = rows;
+  }
+
+  /** The generation number. Increases as memtables are sealed into L0. */
+  public long generation() {
+    return generation;
+  }
+
+  /** On-disk size of the generation. */
+  public long bytes() {
+    return bytes;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Rows in this generation, present only when {@code includeGenerationRows} was requested. Off by
+   * default because each count opens an uncached Lance dataset.
+   */
+  public OptionalLong rows() {
+    return rows == null ? OptionalLong.empty() : OptionalLong.of(rows);
+  }
+
+  static GenerationStats fromJson(JsonNode node) {
+    JsonFields.requiredObject(node, CONTEXT);
+    return new GenerationStats(
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "generation", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "bytes", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.optionalLong(node, "rows", CONTEXT));
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public String toString() {
+    return "GenerationStats{generation=" + generation + ", bytes=" + bytes + ", rows=" + rows + "}";
+  }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+
+/**
+ * Strict readers for decoding LanceDB JSON responses.
+ *
+ * <p>Every reader fails closed: a missing, null, or wrong-typed field throws rather than
+ * defaulting. That mirrors the serde decoding the Rust client applies to the same payloads in
+ * {@code rust/lancedb/src/table/lsm_stats.rs}, where a required field has no default and a
+ * malformed response is an error rather than a zero.
+ *
+ * <p>The alternative — Jackson's {@code path()}, which yields a missing node that reads as an empty
+ * array or a zero — is unsafe here because {@link LanceDbTableLsm#checkpointLsm()} decides
+ * convergence from these numbers. A defaulted {@code generations} array is indistinguishable from a
+ * drained one, so a malformed response would report a checkpoint that never happened.
+ */
+final class JsonFields {
+  private JsonFields() {}
+
+  /** The node itself, once confirmed to be a JSON object. */
+  static JsonNode requiredObject(JsonNode node, String context) {
+    if (node == null || !node.isObject()) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(context + " is not a JSON object: " + node);
+    }
+    return node;
+  }
+
+  static String requiredText(JsonNode owner, String field, String context) {
+    JsonNode value = required(owner, field, context);
+    if (!value.isTextual()) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(fieldIs(context, field, "a string", value));
+    }
+    return value.asText();
+  }
+
+  static long requiredLong(JsonNode owner, String field, String context) {
+    JsonNode value = required(owner, field, context);
+    if (!value.isIntegralNumber()) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(fieldIs(context, field, "an integer", value));
+    }
+    return value.asLong();
+  }
+
+  static boolean requiredBoolean(JsonNode owner, String field, String context) {
+    JsonNode value = required(owner, field, context);
+    if (!value.isBoolean()) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(fieldIs(context, field, "a boolean", value));
+    }
+    return value.asBoolean();
+  }
+
+  static JsonNode requiredArray(JsonNode owner, String field, String context) {
+    JsonNode value = required(owner, field, context);
+    if (!value.isArray()) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(fieldIs(context, field, "an array", value));
+    }
+    return value;
+  }
+
+  /** Null when the field is absent or JSON null, mirroring a serde {@code Option}. */
+  static Long optionalLong(JsonNode owner, String field, String context) {
+    JsonNode value = owner.get(field);
+    if (value == null || value.isNull()) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    if (!value.isIntegralNumber()) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(fieldIs(context, field, "an integer", value));
+    }
+    return value.asLong();
+  }
+
+  /** Null when the field is absent or JSON null, mirroring a serde {@code Option}. */
+  static JsonNode optionalArray(JsonNode owner, String field, String context) {
+    JsonNode value = owner.get(field);
+    if (value == null || value.isNull()) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    if (!value.isArray()) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(fieldIs(context, field, "an array", value));
+    }
+    return value;
+  }
+
+  private static JsonNode required(JsonNode owner, String field, String context) {
+    JsonNode value = owner.get(field);
+    if (value == null || value.isNull()) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(context + " is missing required field '" + field + "'");
+    }
+    return value;
+  }
+
+  private static String fieldIs(String context, String field, String expected, JsonNode value) {
+    return context + " field '" + field + "' is not " + expected + ": " + value;
+  }
+}
@@ -136,29 +136,48 @@ public class LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder {
   * @throws IllegalStateException if required parameters are missing
   */
  public LanceNamespace build() {
-    // Validate required fields
+    validate();
+
+    // Build configuration map
+    Map<String, String> config = new HashMap<>(additionalConfig);
+    config.put("header.x-lancedb-database", database);
+    config.put("header.x-api-key", apiKey);
+    config.put("uri", resolveUri());
+
+    return LanceNamespace.connect("rest", config, null);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Build a {@link LanceDbRestClient} for the same endpoint.
+   *
+   * <p>Needed only for LanceDB routes that the Lance Namespace specification does not cover — the
+   * MemWAL LSM write path, reached through {@link LanceDbTableLsm}. Every other table operation
+   * belongs on the {@link LanceNamespace} from {@link #build()}.
+   *
+   * <p>The returned client owns an HTTP connection pool; close it when you are done with it.
+   *
+   * @return A configured LanceDbRestClient
+   * @throws IllegalStateException if required parameters are missing
+   */
+  public LanceDbRestClient buildRestClient() {
+    validate();
+    return new LanceDbRestClient(resolveUri(), apiKey, database);
+  }
+
+  private void validate() {
    if (apiKey == null) {
      throw new IllegalStateException("API key is required");
    }
    if (database == null) {
      throw new IllegalStateException("Database is required");
    }
+  }

-    // Build configuration map
-    Map<String, String> config = new HashMap<>(additionalConfig);
-    config.put("header.x-lancedb-database", database);
-    config.put("header.x-api-key", apiKey);
-
-    // Determine base URL
-    String uri;
+  /** The custom endpoint when set, else the LanceDB Cloud URL for this database and region. */
+  private String resolveUri() {
    if (endpoint.isPresent()) {
-      uri = endpoint.get();
-    } else {
-      String effectiveRegion = region.orElse(DEFAULT_REGION);
-      uri = String.format(CLOUD_URL_PATTERN, database, effectiveRegion);
+      return endpoint.get();
    }
-    config.put("uri", uri);
-
-    return LanceNamespace.connect("rest", config, null);
+    return String.format(CLOUD_URL_PATTERN, database, region.orElse(DEFAULT_REGION));
  }
 }
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import org.apache.hc.client5.http.classic.methods.HttpPost;
+import org.apache.hc.client5.http.impl.classic.CloseableHttpClient;
+import org.apache.hc.client5.http.impl.classic.HttpClients;
+import org.apache.hc.core5.http.ContentType;
+import org.apache.hc.core5.http.io.entity.EntityUtils;
+import org.apache.hc.core5.http.io.entity.StringEntity;
+
+import java.io.Closeable;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.UncheckedIOException;
+
+/**
+ * Minimal HTTP client for LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise routes that the Lance Namespace
+ * specification does not cover.
+ *
+ * <p>Most table operations reach LanceDB through {@link org.lance.namespace.LanceNamespace}, which
+ * is generated from the namespace spec. A handful of routes — the MemWAL LSM write path in
+ * particular — are served by the same endpoint but are not part of that spec, so they are issued
+ * directly here. See {@link LanceDbTableLsm}.
+ *
+ * <p>Obtain one from {@link LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder#buildRestClient()}.
+ */
+public class LanceDbRestClient implements Closeable {
+  private static final ObjectMapper MAPPER = new ObjectMapper();
+
+  private final String baseUri;
+  private final String apiKey;
+  private final String database;
+  private final CloseableHttpClient http;
+
+  LanceDbRestClient(String baseUri, String apiKey, String database) {
+    this.baseUri = baseUri.endsWith("/") ? baseUri.substring(0, baseUri.length() - 1) : baseUri;
+    this.apiKey = apiKey;
+    this.database = database;
+    // Automatic retries off, deliberately. The default strategy retries 429 and 503 —
+    // exactly the two statuses LanceDbTableLsm.checkpointLsm() acts on — which would
+    // silently double its explicit retry budget and would also retry compact_lsm in
+    // place, where the loop is designed to fall through to a fresh stats poll instead.
+    // The checkpoint loop owns the 421/429/503 transitions; the transport must not.
+    this.http = HttpClients.custom().disableAutomaticRetries().build();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * POST {@code path}, sending {@code body} as JSON when it is non-null.
+   *
+   * @param path Absolute request path, beginning with {@code /}.
+   * @param body Object to serialize as the request body, or null to send no body.
+   * @return The parsed response body, or null when the response carried no content.
+   * @throws HttpException if the server returned a non-2xx status.
+   */
+  public JsonNode post(String path, Object body) {
+    HttpPost request = new HttpPost(baseUri + path);
+    request.setHeader("x-api-key", apiKey);
+    request.setHeader("x-lancedb-database", database);
+    try {
+      if (body != null) {
+        request.setEntity(
+            new StringEntity(MAPPER.writeValueAsString(body), ContentType.APPLICATION_JSON));
+      }
+      return http.execute(
+          request,
+          response -> {
+            String text =
+                response.getEntity() == null ? "" : EntityUtils.toString(response.getEntity());
+            int status = response.getCode();
+            if (status < 200 || status >= 300) {
+              throw new HttpException(status, "LanceDB request to " + path + " failed: " + text);
+            }
+            return text.isEmpty() ? null : MAPPER.readTree(text);
+          });
+    } catch (IOException e) {
+      throw new UncheckedIOException("LanceDB request to " + path + " failed", e);
+    }
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void close() throws IOException {
+    http.close();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * A non-2xx response.
+   *
+   * <p>The status is exposed because callers act on it: {@link LanceDbTableLsm#checkpointLsm()}
+   * treats 429 and 503 as retryable and 421 as a lost node claim.
+   */
+  public static class HttpException extends RuntimeException {
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+
+    private final int statusCode;
+
+    public HttpException(int statusCode, String message) {
+      super(message);
+      this.statusCode = statusCode;
+    }
+
+    /** The HTTP status the failed response carried. */
+    public int statusCode() {
+      return statusCode;
+    }
+  }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,394 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.OptionalLong;
+
+/**
+ * The MemWAL LSM write path for one LanceDB Cloud or Enterprise table.
+ *
+ * <p>Installing an {@link LsmWriteSpec} routes {@code mergeInsert} upserts through Lance's MemWAL —
+ * an LSM-style append — instead of the standard merge path. Rows land in an in-memory memtable,
+ * seal into L0 generations, and are merged into the base table by compaction.
+ *
+ * <p>These routes are not part of the Lance Namespace specification, so they are issued directly
+ * rather than through {@link org.lance.namespace.LanceNamespace}.
+ *
+ * <pre>{@code
+ * LanceDbRestClient client = LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder.newBuilder()
+ *     .apiKey("your_lancedb_cloud_api_key")
+ *     .database("your_database_name")
+ *     .buildRestClient();
+ *
+ * LanceDbTableLsm lsm = new LanceDbTableLsm(client, "my_table");
+ * lsm.setLsmWriteSpec(LsmWriteSpec.bucket("id", 16));
+ * // ... merge_insert traffic ...
+ * lsm.checkpointLsm();
+ * }</pre>
+ */
+public class LanceDbTableLsm {
+
+  /**
+   * Interval between {@code get_lsm_stats} polls during a checkpoint. One interval is roughly one
+   * compaction pass, the granularity at which the answer can change.
+   */
+  private static final long POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 5_000L;
+
+  /**
+   * Cap on re-issues from {@code flushLsm} after a 421, so a crash-looping node cannot turn flush →
+   * compact → 421 → flush into a spin.
+   *
+   * <p>Deliberately not shared with {@link #MAX_RETRIES}: a claim that keeps evaporating is a
+   * broken node, while contention is routine and wants a real budget.
+   */
+  private static final int MAX_REISSUES = 3;
+
+  /**
+   * Retryable faults tolerated on a <em>single</em> request, reset on every success — scattered
+   * contention across a long checkpoint must not accumulate toward a cap.
+   */
+  private static final int MAX_RETRIES = 8;
+
+  private static final long RETRY_BACKOFF_BASE_MS = 100L;
+  private static final long RETRY_BACKOFF_MAX_MS = 5_000L;
+
+  private final LanceDbRestClient client;
+  private final String tableIdentifier;
+
+  /**
+   * Bind the LSM routes for one table.
+   *
+   * @param client Transport for the LanceDB endpoint.
+   * @param tableIdentifier The table's full identifier, {@code $}-delimited when it sits inside a
+   *     namespace, such as {@code analytics$events}.
+   */
+  public LanceDbTableLsm(LanceDbRestClient client, String tableIdentifier) {
+    if (client == null) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Client cannot be null");
+    }
+    if (tableIdentifier == null || tableIdentifier.trim().isEmpty()) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Table identifier cannot be null or empty");
+    }
+    this.client = client;
+    this.tableIdentifier = tableIdentifier;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Install an {@link LsmWriteSpec} on this table, selecting the MemWAL LSM write path for future
+   * {@code mergeInsert} calls.
+   *
+   * <p>All variants require the table to have an unenforced primary key; bucket sharding
+   * additionally requires it to be the single column being bucketed.
+   */
+  public void setLsmWriteSpec(LsmWriteSpec spec) {
+    if (spec == null) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Spec cannot be null");
+    }
+    client.post(route("set_lsm_write_spec"), spec.toRequestBody());
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Remove the {@link LsmWriteSpec} from this table, reverting to the standard {@code mergeInsert}
+   * write path.
+   *
+   * <p>Errors if no spec is currently set.
+   */
+  public void unsetLsmWriteSpec() {
+    client.post(route("unset_lsm_write_spec"), null);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Read the {@link LsmWriteSpec} currently installed on this table.
+   *
+   * <p>Empty when the LSM write path is not enabled. The returned spec mirrors what was installed,
+   * except that {@link LsmWriteSpec#maintainedIndexes()} always reports the concrete list resolved
+   * when the spec was set — a null selection never round-trips.
+   */
+  public Optional<LsmWriteSpec> getLsmWriteSpec() {
+    JsonNode response = client.post(route("get_lsm_write_spec"), null);
+    if (response == null || !response.hasNonNull("lsm_write_spec")) {
+      return Optional.empty();
+    }
+    return Optional.of(LsmWriteSpec.fromJson(response.get("lsm_write_spec")));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Seal every bucket's active memtable into a new L0 generation.
+   *
+   * <p>Returns once the seal is committed. Sealing an empty memtable is a no-op, so this is safe to
+   * call repeatedly.
+   */
+  public void flushLsm() {
+    client.post(route("flush_lsm"), null);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Trigger a background L0 → base compaction pass per bucket.
+   *
+   * <p>Returns once the passes are <em>dispatched</em>, not once they finish — watch {@link
+   * #getLsmStats}, or use {@link #checkpointLsm} to wait for convergence.
+   */
+  public void compactLsm() {
+    client.post(route("compact_lsm"), null);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Read live per-bucket LSM state.
+   *
+   * <p>Answers "how far behind is my fresh tier", "which bucket is hot", and "why is my fresh-tier
+   * vector search brute-force". Mutates no table state.
+   *
+   * <p>Empty only when the LSM write path is not enabled — that is, when the server sends an absent
+   * or null {@code lsm_stats}. A stats object that is present is decoded strictly, and a malformed
+   * one throws rather than decoding to something empty, because {@link #checkpointLsm} reads
+   * convergence out of these numbers and cannot tell a defaulted array from a drained one.
+   *
+   * @param includeGenerationRows Also count rows per L0 generation. Off by default because each
+   *     count opens an uncached Lance dataset.
+   * @throws IllegalStateException if the response is absent or does not decode.
+   */
+  public Optional<LsmStats> getLsmStats(boolean includeGenerationRows) {
+    Map<String, Object> body = new LinkedHashMap<String, Object>();
+    body.put("include_generation_rows", includeGenerationRows);
+    JsonNode response = client.post(route("get_lsm_stats"), body);
+    if (response == null) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException("get_lsm_stats returned an empty response body");
+    }
+    JsonNode stats = response.get("lsm_stats");
+    if (stats == null || stats.isNull()) {
+      return Optional.empty();
+    }
+    return Optional.of(LsmStats.fromJson(stats));
+  }
+
+  /** Equivalent to {@code getLsmStats(false)}. */
+  public Optional<LsmStats> getLsmStats() {
+    return getLsmStats(false);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Converge this table's LSM write path into its base table.
+   *
+   * <p>Seals once, fixes a target watermark from the resulting L0, then triggers compaction and
+   * polls until that L0 is gone. The target set is fixed at the start, so generations created
+   * <em>during</em> the checkpoint are ignored — that is what lets it terminate under write load,
+   * and what makes it best-effort: it converges the fresh tier as of some instant. Idempotent,
+   * abandonable at any point, safe on a cadence.
+   *
+   * <p>The loop runs here, not on the server: {@link #compactLsm} dispatches a pass and returns, so
+   * nothing holds a socket and a client can vanish mid-operation with nothing to reconcile.
+   * Completion is read from generation numbers in the shard manifest — durable state, unlike a
+   * count in a compact response, which a concurrent write invalidates.
+   *
+   * <p>No liveness bound — the caller owns the deadline. The compactor pool is shared across
+   * tables, so a checkpoint queued behind unrelated work looks exactly like one that is merging.
+   */
+  public void checkpointLsm() {
+    for (int reissue = 0; reissue <= MAX_REISSUES; reissue++) {
+      // The seal turns everything written before this call into a generation, so the
+      // watermark has to be read after it. Idempotent: sealing an empty memtable is a
+      // no-op, so a re-issue does not churn empty generations.
+      if (issueVoid(this::flushLsm)) {
+        backoff(reissue);
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      Attempt<Optional<LsmStats>> stats = issue(() -> getLsmStats(false));
+      if (stats.lostClaim) {
+        backoff(reissue);
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (!stats.value.isPresent()) {
+        // Not WAL-backed; flushLsm would have errored first but for a race.
+        return;
+      }
+
+      Map<String, Long> targets = newestGenerations(stats.value.get());
+      if (targets.isEmpty()) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      if (drainToTargets(targets)) {
+        return;
+      }
+      backoff(reissue);
+    }
+    throw new IllegalStateException(
+        "checkpointLsm: the owning node kept losing its claim; re-issued from flush the maximum "
+            + "number of times");
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Trigger and poll until no bucket holds a generation at or below its target.
+   *
+   * @return true when the drain finished, false when the table needs re-claiming from flush.
+   */
+  private boolean drainToTargets(Map<String, Long> targets) {
+    while (true) {
+      Attempt<Optional<LsmStats>> stats = issue(() -> getLsmStats(false));
+      if (stats.lostClaim) {
+        return false;
+      }
+      if (!stats.value.isPresent()) {
+        return true;
+      }
+
+      // `compacting` is the bucket's compaction latch, held from dispatch until the pass
+      // ends — including while it waits on a pod-wide permit. So it answers one question
+      // only: do not pile on. Buckets with nothing outstanding are skipped, not counted
+      // as idle.
+      long outstanding = 0;
+      boolean allCompacting = true;
+      for (BucketStats bucket : stats.value.get().buckets()) {
+        Long target = targets.get(bucket.shardId());
+        if (target == null) {
+          continue;
+        }
+        long remaining = bucket.outstandingGenerations(target);
+        if (remaining > 0) {
+          outstanding += remaining;
+          allCompacting &= bucket.compacting();
+        }
+      }
+      if (outstanding == 0) {
+        return true;
+      }
+
+      if (!allCompacting) {
+        try {
+          compactLsm();
+        } catch (LanceDbRestClient.HttpException e) {
+          if (isLostClaim(e)) {
+            return false;
+          }
+          if (!isRetryable(e)) {
+            throw e;
+          }
+          // A 429 here means the server could latch no bucket at all, which the poll
+          // above already handles. Not retried in place: the latch it would contend for
+          // is the one doing the work, so fall through and re-read — POLL_INTERVAL_MS is
+          // the backoff.
+        }
+      }
+      sleep(POLL_INTERVAL_MS);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** The newest generation held by each bucket, skipping buckets holding none. */
+  private static Map<String, Long> newestGenerations(LsmStats stats) {
+    Map<String, Long> targets = new HashMap<String, Long>();
+    for (BucketStats bucket : stats.buckets()) {
+      OptionalLong newest = bucket.newestGeneration();
+      if (newest.isPresent()) {
+        targets.put(bucket.shardId(), newest.getAsLong());
+      }
+    }
+    return targets;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * 429 (latch held, pool saturated, or the pod replaying its WAL) and 503 (a draining node, or a
+   * proxy between here and it).
+   */
+  private static boolean isRetryable(LanceDbRestClient.HttpException e) {
+    return e.statusCode() == 429 || e.statusCode() == 503;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * 421: the owning node holds no claim. Only {@code flush} re-claims and replays, so this cannot
+   * be retried in place — the caller has to start over.
+   */
+  private static boolean isLostClaim(LanceDbRestClient.HttpException e) {
+    return e.statusCode() == 421;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Issue one LSM request, retrying in place while the fault is retryable.
+   *
+   * <p>The two recoverable faults have separate budgets: contention clears on its own and retries
+   * here against {@link #MAX_RETRIES}, while a 421 needs {@code flush} to re-claim, which only the
+   * caller can drive.
+   *
+   * <p>An exhausted budget propagates the last error as itself rather than a synthesized one — "429
+   * after nine tries" beats "checkpoint failed".
+   */
+  private static <T> Attempt<T> issue(Call<T> call) {
+    int retries = 0;
+    while (true) {
+      try {
+        return new Attempt<T>(call.run(), false);
+      } catch (LanceDbRestClient.HttpException e) {
+        if (isLostClaim(e)) {
+          return new Attempt<T>(null, true);
+        }
+        if (!isRetryable(e) || retries >= MAX_RETRIES) {
+          throw e;
+        }
+        backoff(retries);
+        retries++;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** {@link #issue} for a call with no return value. Returns true when the claim was lost. */
+  private static boolean issueVoid(Runnable call) {
+    return issue(
+            () -> {
+              call.run();
+              return Boolean.TRUE;
+            })
+        .lostClaim;
+  }
+
+  /** Sleep before re-issuing a retryable request. Doubles up to {@link #RETRY_BACKOFF_MAX_MS}. */
+  private static void backoff(int attempt) {
+    long delay = RETRY_BACKOFF_BASE_MS << Math.min(attempt, 8);
+    sleep(Math.min(delay, RETRY_BACKOFF_MAX_MS));
+  }
+
+  private static void sleep(long millis) {
+    try {
+      Thread.sleep(millis);
+    } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+      Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+      throw new IllegalStateException("Interrupted while waiting on the LSM checkpoint", e);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private String route(String operation) {
+    return "/v1/table/" + tableIdentifier + "/" + operation + "/";
+  }
+
+  /** What one LSM request produced: its value, or word that the owning node holds no claim. */
+  private static final class Attempt<T> {
+    private final T value;
+    private final boolean lostClaim;
+
+    private Attempt(T value, boolean lostClaim) {
+      this.value = value;
+      this.lostClaim = lostClaim;
+    }
+  }
+
+  @FunctionalInterface
+  private interface Call<T> {
+    T run();
+  }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * Live per-bucket LSM state, as returned by {@link LanceDbTableLsm#getLsmStats()}.
+ *
+ * <p>Nothing here is derived: sums and differences (total L0 bytes, WAL lag) are the caller's to
+ * compute. There is no "LSM is off" shape — that case is an empty {@link java.util.Optional},
+ * because a stats object of zeros would read as measurements.
+ */
+public class LsmStats {
+  private static final String CONTEXT = "lsm stats";
+
+  private final List<BucketStats> buckets;
+
+  LsmStats(List<BucketStats> buckets) {
+    this.buckets = Collections.unmodifiableList(buckets);
+  }
+
+  /** One entry per bucket. */
+  public List<BucketStats> buckets() {
+    return buckets;
+  }
+
+  static LsmStats fromJson(JsonNode node) {
+    JsonFields.requiredObject(node, CONTEXT);
+    List<BucketStats> buckets = new ArrayList<BucketStats>();
+    for (JsonNode bucket : JsonFields.requiredArray(node, "buckets", CONTEXT)) {
+      buckets.add(BucketStats.fromJson(bucket));
+    }
+    return new LsmStats(buckets);
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public String toString() {
+    return "LsmStats{buckets=" + buckets + "}";
+  }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,260 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/**
+ * Specification selecting Lance's MemWAL LSM-style write path for {@code mergeInsert}.
+ *
+ * <p>Construct via {@link #bucket}, {@link #identity}, or {@link #unsharded}, then optionally chain
+ * {@link #withMaintainedIndexes} and {@link #withWriterConfigDefaults}. Install it with {@link
+ * LanceDbTableLsm#setLsmWriteSpec} and remove it with {@link LanceDbTableLsm#unsetLsmWriteSpec}.
+ *
+ * <p>This is deliberately not {@code org.lance.memwal.InitializeMemWalParams}. That type is Lance's
+ * own, and its maintained-index default is the opposite of this one: it defaults to maintaining
+ * <em>nothing</em>, while a fresh spec here maintains <em>every</em> index. It also cannot express
+ * the null that asks the server to resolve the set.
+ */
+public class LsmWriteSpec {
+
+  /** How writes are routed to MemWAL shards. */
+  public enum Sharding {
+    /** Hash-bucket writes by a scalar column. */
+    BUCKET("bucket"),
+    /** Shard by the raw value of a scalar column. */
+    IDENTITY("identity"),
+    /** Route every write to a single shard. */
+    UNSHARDED("unsharded");
+
+    private final String wireName;
+
+    Sharding(String wireName) {
+      this.wireName = wireName;
+    }
+
+    String wireName() {
+      return wireName;
+    }
+
+    static Sharding fromWireName(String name) {
+      for (Sharding s : values()) {
+        if (s.wireName.equals(name)) {
+          return s;
+        }
+      }
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknown sharding mode: " + name);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private final Sharding sharding;
+  private final String column;
+  private final Integer numBuckets;
+  private final List<String> maintainedIndexes;
+  private final Map<String, String> writerConfigDefaults;
+
+  private LsmWriteSpec(
+      Sharding sharding,
+      String column,
+      Integer numBuckets,
+      List<String> maintainedIndexes,
+      Map<String, String> writerConfigDefaults) {
+    this.sharding = sharding;
+    this.column = column;
+    this.numBuckets = numBuckets;
+    this.maintainedIndexes = maintainedIndexes;
+    this.writerConfigDefaults = writerConfigDefaults;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Hash-bucket sharding by a scalar column, maintaining every index on the table.
+   *
+   * <p>Iceberg-compatible Murmur3-x86-32 (seed 0) is used, so each row's {@code bucket(column,
+   * numBuckets)} value is stable across processes.
+   *
+   * @param column A non-nested column with a supported scalar type.
+   * @param numBuckets The number of buckets, in {@code [1, 1024]}.
+   */
+  public static LsmWriteSpec bucket(String column, int numBuckets) {
+    if (column == null || column.trim().isEmpty()) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Column cannot be null or empty");
+    }
+    return new LsmWriteSpec(
+        Sharding.BUCKET, column, numBuckets, null, new HashMap<String, String>());
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Identity sharding — shard by the raw value of {@code column} — maintaining every index on the
+   * table.
+   *
+   * <p>{@code column} must be a deterministic function of the unenforced primary key: every row
+   * with a given primary key must always produce the same {@code column} value, or upserts of that
+   * key can land in different shards and a stale version can win.
+   */
+  public static LsmWriteSpec identity(String column) {
+    if (column == null || column.trim().isEmpty()) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Column cannot be null or empty");
+    }
+    return new LsmWriteSpec(Sharding.IDENTITY, column, null, null, new HashMap<String, String>());
+  }
+
+  /** No sharding — every write goes to a single MemWAL shard — maintaining every index. */
+  public static LsmWriteSpec unsharded() {
+    return new LsmWriteSpec(Sharding.UNSHARDED, null, null, null, new HashMap<String, String>());
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Set the indexes the MemWAL keeps up to date as rows are appended.
+   *
+   * <p>Pass {@code null} — the default for a fresh spec — to maintain every index the MemWAL can,
+   * resolved when the spec is installed. That is a snapshot: indexes created later are not
+   * maintained until the spec is unset and set again. Pass an empty list to maintain none.
+   *
+   * <p>Note that {@code null} and the empty list mean opposite things here.
+   */
+  public LsmWriteSpec withMaintainedIndexes(List<String> maintainedIndexes) {
+    return new LsmWriteSpec(
+        sharding,
+        column,
+        numBuckets,
+        maintainedIndexes == null ? null : new ArrayList<String>(maintainedIndexes),
+        writerConfigDefaults);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Set default {@code ShardWriter} configuration recorded in the MemWAL index.
+   *
+   * <p>A sparse override map — only the keys you set are recorded. Recognized keys include {@code
+   * durable_write}, {@code max_wal_buffer_size}, {@code max_memtable_size}, {@code
+   * max_memtable_rows}, {@code max_memtable_batches}, {@code manifest_scan_batch_size}, {@code
+   * max_unflushed_memtable_bytes}, and {@code enable_memtable}. Duration knobs carry an {@code _ms}
+   * suffix, such as {@code max_wal_flush_interval_ms}.
+   */
+  public LsmWriteSpec withWriterConfigDefaults(Map<String, String> writerConfigDefaults) {
+    if (writerConfigDefaults == null) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("writerConfigDefaults cannot be null");
+    }
+    return new LsmWriteSpec(
+        sharding,
+        column,
+        numBuckets,
+        maintainedIndexes,
+        new HashMap<String, String>(writerConfigDefaults));
+  }
+
+  /** How writes are routed to shards. */
+  public Sharding sharding() {
+    return sharding;
+  }
+
+  /** The sharding column for {@link Sharding#BUCKET} and {@link Sharding#IDENTITY}, else null. */
+  public String column() {
+    return column;
+  }
+
+  /** The bucket count for {@link Sharding#BUCKET}, else null. */
+  public Integer numBuckets() {
+    return numBuckets;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * The indexes the MemWAL maintains, or null to have the server resolve every maintainable index
+   * on install. An empty list means none.
+   */
+  public List<String> maintainedIndexes() {
+    return maintainedIndexes == null ? null : Collections.unmodifiableList(maintainedIndexes);
+  }
+
+  /** Default {@code ShardWriter} configuration recorded in the MemWAL index. */
+  public Map<String, String> writerConfigDefaults() {
+    return Collections.unmodifiableMap(writerConfigDefaults);
+  }
+
+  /** Render this spec as the {@code set_lsm_write_spec} request body. */
+  Map<String, Object> toRequestBody() {
+    Map<String, Object> shardingBody = new LinkedHashMap<String, Object>();
+    shardingBody.put("mode", sharding.wireName());
+    if (column != null) {
+      shardingBody.put("column", column);
+    }
+    if (numBuckets != null) {
+      shardingBody.put("num_buckets", numBuckets);
+    }
+
+    Map<String, Object> body = new LinkedHashMap<String, Object>();
+    body.put("sharding", shardingBody);
+    // Null is meaningful: it asks the server to resolve every maintainable index.
+    body.put("maintained_indexes", maintainedIndexes);
+    body.put("writer_config_defaults", writerConfigDefaults);
+    return body;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Rebuild a spec from a {@code get_lsm_write_spec} response body.
+   *
+   * <p>The server always reports a concrete maintained-index list, so a null selection never
+   * round-trips.
+   */
+  static LsmWriteSpec fromJson(JsonNode node) {
+    JsonNode shardingNode = node.get("sharding");
+    if (shardingNode == null || shardingNode.get("mode") == null) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException("get_lsm_write_spec response has no sharding mode");
+    }
+    Sharding sharding = Sharding.fromWireName(shardingNode.get("mode").asText());
+
+    String column = shardingNode.hasNonNull("column") ? shardingNode.get("column").asText() : null;
+    Integer numBuckets =
+        shardingNode.hasNonNull("num_buckets") ? shardingNode.get("num_buckets").asInt() : null;
+
+    List<String> maintainedIndexes = new ArrayList<String>();
+    JsonNode indexesNode = node.get("maintained_indexes");
+    if (indexesNode != null && indexesNode.isArray()) {
+      for (JsonNode index : indexesNode) {
+        maintainedIndexes.add(index.asText());
+      }
+    }
+
+    Map<String, String> defaults = new HashMap<String, String>();
+    JsonNode defaultsNode = node.get("writer_config_defaults");
+    if (defaultsNode != null && defaultsNode.isObject()) {
+      defaultsNode
+          .fieldNames()
+          .forEachRemaining(name -> defaults.put(name, defaultsNode.get(name).asText()));
+    }
+
+    return new LsmWriteSpec(sharding, column, numBuckets, maintainedIndexes, defaults);
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public String toString() {
+    return "LsmWriteSpec{sharding="
+        + sharding
+        + ", column="
+        + column
+        + ", numBuckets="
+        + numBuckets
+        + ", maintainedIndexes="
+        + maintainedIndexes
+        + ", writerConfigDefaults="
+        + writerConfigDefaults
+        + "}";
+  }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/** One in-memory memtable. */
+public class MemtableStats {
+  private static final String CONTEXT = "memtable stats";
+
+  private final long generation;
+  private final long rows;
+  private final long bytes;
+  private final long batches;
+  private final List<String> indexes;
+
+  MemtableStats(long generation, long rows, long bytes, long batches, List<String> indexes) {
+    this.generation = generation;
+    this.rows = rows;
+    this.bytes = bytes;
+    this.batches = batches;
+    this.indexes = Collections.unmodifiableList(indexes);
+  }
+
+  /** The generation this memtable will become once sealed. */
+  public long generation() {
+    return generation;
+  }
+
+  /** Rows currently buffered. */
+  public long rows() {
+    return rows;
+  }
+
+  /** Estimated in-memory size. */
+  public long bytes() {
+    return bytes;
+  }
+
+  /** Record batches currently buffered. */
+  public long batches() {
+    return batches;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Names of the indexes this memtable carries. An absent name is the whole answer to "why is my
+   * fresh-tier search on that column brute-force".
+   */
+  public List<String> indexes() {
+    return indexes;
+  }
+
+  static MemtableStats fromJson(JsonNode node) {
+    JsonFields.requiredObject(node, CONTEXT);
+    List<String> indexes = new ArrayList<String>();
+    for (JsonNode index : JsonFields.requiredArray(node, "indexes", CONTEXT)) {
+      if (!index.isTextual()) {
+        throw new IllegalStateException(CONTEXT + " has a non-string index name: " + index);
+      }
+      indexes.add(index.asText());
+    }
+    return new MemtableStats(
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "generation", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "rows", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "bytes", CONTEXT),
+        JsonFields.requiredLong(node, "batches", CONTEXT),
+        indexes);
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public String toString() {
+    return "MemtableStats{generation="
+        + generation
+        + ", rows="
+        + rows
+        + ", bytes="
+        + bytes
+        + ", batches="
+        + batches
+        + ", indexes="
+        + indexes
+        + "}";
+  }
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,570 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.lancedb;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import com.sun.net.httpserver.HttpServer;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.io.UncheckedIOException;
+import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.util.ArrayDeque;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Deque;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
+
+/**
+ * Unit tests for the MemWAL LSM routes, run against a scripted local HTTP server.
+ *
+ * <p>The wire assertions mirror the Rust mocked-endpoint tests in {@code
+ * rust/lancedb/src/remote/table.rs}, which are the contract these routes have to match.
+ */
+public class LanceDbTableLsmTest {
+  private static final ObjectMapper MAPPER = new ObjectMapper();
+
+  private HttpServer server;
+  private LanceDbRestClient client;
+  private LanceDbTableLsm lsm;
+
+  private final List<String> requestPaths = Collections.synchronizedList(new ArrayList<String>());
+  private final List<String> requestBodies = Collections.synchronizedList(new ArrayList<String>());
+  private final Map<String, Deque<Reply>> replies = new ConcurrentHashMap<String, Deque<Reply>>();
+
+  @BeforeEach
+  public void setUp() throws IOException {
+    start();
+  }
+
+  /** Tear down and restart the scripted server, for a test that scripts several exchanges. */
+  private void setUpFresh() {
+    try {
+      client.close();
+      server.stop(0);
+      requestPaths.clear();
+      requestBodies.clear();
+      replies.clear();
+      start();
+    } catch (IOException e) {
+      throw new UncheckedIOException(e);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private void start() throws IOException {
+    server = HttpServer.create(new InetSocketAddress("127.0.0.1", 0), 0);
+    server.createContext(
+        "/",
+        exchange -> {
+          String path = exchange.getRequestURI().getPath();
+          requestPaths.add(path);
+          requestBodies.add(readAll(exchange.getRequestBody()));
+
+          Reply reply = nextReply(path);
+          byte[] out = reply.body.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+          exchange.sendResponseHeaders(reply.status, out.length == 0 ? -1 : out.length);
+          if (out.length > 0) {
+            exchange.getResponseBody().write(out);
+          }
+          exchange.close();
+        });
+    server.start();
+
+    client =
+        LanceDbNamespaceClientBuilder.newBuilder()
+            .apiKey("test-key")
+            .database("test-db")
+            .endpoint("http://127.0.0.1:" + server.getAddress().getPort())
+            .buildRestClient();
+    lsm = new LanceDbTableLsm(client, "my_table");
+  }
+
+  @AfterEach
+  public void tearDown() throws IOException {
+    client.close();
+    server.stop(0);
+  }
+
+  // ===========================================================================
+  // set / unset / get spec
+  // ===========================================================================
+
+  @Test
+  public void testSetLsmWriteSpecUnsharded() throws Exception {
+    enqueue("set_lsm_write_spec", 200, "");
+
+    lsm.setLsmWriteSpec(LsmWriteSpec.unsharded());
+
+    assertEquals("/v1/table/my_table/set_lsm_write_spec/", requestPaths.get(0));
+    JsonNode body = MAPPER.readTree(requestBodies.get(0));
+    assertEquals("unsharded", body.get("sharding").get("mode").asText());
+    assertFalse(body.get("sharding").has("column"));
+    assertFalse(body.get("sharding").has("num_buckets"));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testSetLsmWriteSpecBucket() throws Exception {
+    enqueue("set_lsm_write_spec", 200, "");
+
+    lsm.setLsmWriteSpec(
+        LsmWriteSpec.bucket("id", 16).withMaintainedIndexes(Arrays.asList("id_idx")));
+
+    JsonNode body = MAPPER.readTree(requestBodies.get(0));
+    assertEquals("bucket", body.get("sharding").get("mode").asText());
+    assertEquals("id", body.get("sharding").get("column").asText());
+    assertEquals(16, body.get("sharding").get("num_buckets").asInt());
+    assertEquals(1, body.get("maintained_indexes").size());
+    assertEquals("id_idx", body.get("maintained_indexes").get(0).asText());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testSetLsmWriteSpecIdentity() throws Exception {
+    enqueue("set_lsm_write_spec", 200, "");
+
+    lsm.setLsmWriteSpec(LsmWriteSpec.identity("tenant"));
+
+    JsonNode body = MAPPER.readTree(requestBodies.get(0));
+    assertEquals("identity", body.get("sharding").get("mode").asText());
+    assertEquals("tenant", body.get("sharding").get("column").asText());
+    assertFalse(body.get("sharding").has("num_buckets"));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * The tri-state that motivated a LanceDB-owned spec type: a null selection asks the server to
+   * resolve every maintainable index, while an empty list asks for none. They must not collapse.
+   */
+  @Test
+  public void testMaintainedIndexesNullAndEmptyAreDistinctOnTheWire() throws Exception {
+    enqueue("set_lsm_write_spec", 200, "");
+
+    lsm.setLsmWriteSpec(LsmWriteSpec.unsharded());
+    JsonNode fresh = MAPPER.readTree(requestBodies.get(0));
+    assertTrue(fresh.has("maintained_indexes"), "the key must be present");
+    assertTrue(fresh.get("maintained_indexes").isNull(), "a fresh spec sends null, not []");
+
+    lsm.setLsmWriteSpec(
+        LsmWriteSpec.unsharded().withMaintainedIndexes(Collections.<String>emptyList()));
+    JsonNode none = MAPPER.readTree(requestBodies.get(1));
+    assertTrue(none.get("maintained_indexes").isArray());
+    assertEquals(0, none.get("maintained_indexes").size());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testSetLsmWriteSpecWriterConfigDefaults() throws Exception {
+    enqueue("set_lsm_write_spec", 200, "");
+
+    Map<String, String> defaults = new HashMap<String, String>();
+    defaults.put("max_memtable_rows", "50000");
+    lsm.setLsmWriteSpec(LsmWriteSpec.unsharded().withWriterConfigDefaults(defaults));
+
+    JsonNode body = MAPPER.readTree(requestBodies.get(0));
+    assertEquals("50000", body.get("writer_config_defaults").get("max_memtable_rows").asText());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testUnsetLsmWriteSpec() {
+    enqueue("unset_lsm_write_spec", 200, "");
+
+    lsm.unsetLsmWriteSpec();
+
+    assertEquals("/v1/table/my_table/unset_lsm_write_spec/", requestPaths.get(0));
+    assertEquals("", requestBodies.get(0));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testGetLsmWriteSpec() {
+    enqueue(
+        "get_lsm_write_spec",
+        200,
+        "{\"lsm_write_spec\":{\"sharding\":{\"mode\":\"bucket\",\"column\":\"id\","
+            + "\"num_buckets\":16},\"maintained_indexes\":[\"id_idx\"],"
+            + "\"writer_config_defaults\":{\"durable_write\":\"true\"}}}");
+
+    Optional<LsmWriteSpec> spec = lsm.getLsmWriteSpec();
+
+    assertTrue(spec.isPresent());
+    assertEquals(LsmWriteSpec.Sharding.BUCKET, spec.get().sharding());
+    assertEquals("id", spec.get().column());
+    assertEquals(Integer.valueOf(16), spec.get().numBuckets());
+    assertEquals(Arrays.asList("id_idx"), spec.get().maintainedIndexes());
+    assertEquals("true", spec.get().writerConfigDefaults().get("durable_write"));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testGetLsmWriteSpecAbsent() {
+    enqueue("get_lsm_write_spec", 200, "{\"lsm_write_spec\":null}");
+
+    assertFalse(lsm.getLsmWriteSpec().isPresent());
+  }
+
+  // ===========================================================================
+  // stats
+  // ===========================================================================
+
+  @Test
+  public void testGetLsmStats() throws Exception {
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", false, 7L, 8L)));
+
+    Optional<LsmStats> got = lsm.getLsmStats(true);
+
+    assertEquals("/v1/table/my_table/get_lsm_stats/", requestPaths.get(0));
+    assertTrue(MAPPER.readTree(requestBodies.get(0)).get("include_generation_rows").asBoolean());
+    assertTrue(got.isPresent());
+    BucketStats decoded = got.get().buckets().get(0);
+    assertEquals("shard-0", decoded.shardId());
+    assertEquals("Active", decoded.status());
+    assertEquals(1, decoded.writerEpoch());
+    assertEquals(2, decoded.manifestVersion());
+    assertEquals(9, decoded.currentGeneration());
+    assertFalse(decoded.compacting());
+    assertEquals(Arrays.asList(7L, 8L), generationNumbers(decoded));
+    assertEquals(1024, decoded.generations().get(0).bytes());
+    assertFalse(decoded.generations().get(0).rows().isPresent(), "rows absent unless requested");
+    assertFalse(decoded.memtables().isPresent(), "absent memtables stay absent");
+  }
+
+  /** The optional fields decode when the server does send them. */
+  @Test
+  public void testGetLsmStatsDecodesOptionalFields() {
+    enqueue(
+        "get_lsm_stats",
+        200,
+        "{\"lsm_stats\":{\"buckets\":[{\"shard_id\":\"shard-0\",\"status\":\"Active\","
+            + "\"writer_epoch\":1,\"manifest_version\":2,\"current_generation\":9,"
+            + "\"replay_after_wal_entry_position\":3,\"wal_entry_position_last_seen\":11,"
+            + "\"generations\":[{\"generation\":7,\"bytes\":1024,\"rows\":42}],"
+            + "\"compacting\":true,\"memtables\":[{\"generation\":8,\"rows\":5,"
+            + "\"bytes\":64,\"batches\":2,\"indexes\":[\"id_idx\"]}]}]}}");
+
+    BucketStats decoded = lsm.getLsmStats(true).get().buckets().get(0);
+
+    assertEquals(3, decoded.replayAfterWalEntryPosition());
+    assertEquals(11, decoded.walEntryPositionLastSeen());
+    assertTrue(decoded.compacting());
+    assertEquals(42, decoded.generations().get(0).rows().getAsLong());
+    assertTrue(decoded.memtables().isPresent());
+    MemtableStats memtable = decoded.memtables().get().get(0);
+    assertEquals(8, memtable.generation());
+    assertEquals(5, memtable.rows());
+    assertEquals(64, memtable.bytes());
+    assertEquals(2, memtable.batches());
+    assertEquals(Arrays.asList("id_idx"), memtable.indexes());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testGetLsmStatsAbsentWhenLsmDisabled() {
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, "{\"lsm_stats\":null}");
+
+    assertFalse(lsm.getLsmStats().isPresent());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testGetLsmStatsDefaultsToExcludingGenerationRows() throws Exception {
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats());
+
+    lsm.getLsmStats();
+
+    assertFalse(MAPPER.readTree(requestBodies.get(0)).get("include_generation_rows").asBoolean());
+  }
+
+  // ===========================================================================
+  // flush / compact
+  // ===========================================================================
+
+  @Test
+  public void testFlushAndCompactRoutes() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+    enqueue("compact_lsm", 200, "");
+
+    lsm.flushLsm();
+    lsm.compactLsm();
+
+    assertEquals("/v1/table/my_table/flush_lsm/", requestPaths.get(0));
+    assertEquals("/v1/table/my_table/compact_lsm/", requestPaths.get(1));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testHttpErrorCarriesStatus() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 404, "no such table");
+
+    LanceDbRestClient.HttpException e =
+        assertThrows(LanceDbRestClient.HttpException.class, () -> lsm.flushLsm());
+    assertEquals(404, e.statusCode());
+  }
+
+  // ===========================================================================
+  // checkpoint
+  // ===========================================================================
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointReturnsWhenLsmDisabled() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, "{\"lsm_stats\":null}");
+
+    lsm.checkpointLsm();
+
+    assertEquals(0, countCalls("compact_lsm"), "nothing to compact when the LSM path is off");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointReturnsWhenNoGenerationsOutstanding() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+    // A bucket with no L0 generations yields no target, so the drain never starts.
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", false)));
+
+    lsm.checkpointLsm();
+
+    assertEquals(0, countCalls("compact_lsm"));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointConvergesOnceTargetGenerationsAreGone() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+    // Watermark read: shard-0 holds generations 7 and 8, so target = 8.
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", false, 7L, 8L)));
+    // First drain poll: both still outstanding, nothing compacting -> dispatch a pass.
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", false, 7L, 8L)));
+    // Second drain poll: drained past the target -> done.
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", false, 9L)));
+    enqueue("compact_lsm", 200, "");
+
+    lsm.checkpointLsm();
+
+    assertEquals(1, countCalls("compact_lsm"), "one pass dispatched");
+    assertEquals(3, countCalls("get_lsm_stats"), "watermark read plus two drain polls");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointDoesNotPileOnWhileEveryTargetBucketIsCompacting() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", true, 4L)));
+    // Still compacting on the first poll, so no pass is dispatched; then it drains.
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", true, 4L)));
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", false, 5L)));
+
+    lsm.checkpointLsm();
+
+    assertEquals(0, countCalls("compact_lsm"), "a latched bucket is left alone");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointRetriesFromFlushAfterLostClaim() {
+    // 421 on the watermark read: the node lost its claim, so the whole thing restarts
+    // from flush rather than retrying the read in place.
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 421, "no claim");
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", false)));
+
+    lsm.checkpointLsm();
+
+    assertEquals(2, countCalls("flush_lsm"), "re-issued from flush");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointRetriesRetryableStatusInPlace() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 429, "latch held");
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, stats(bucket("shard-0", false)));
+
+    lsm.checkpointLsm();
+
+    assertEquals(2, countCalls("flush_lsm"), "429 retried in place, not re-issued");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointPropagatesTerminalStatus() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 400, "bad request");
+
+    LanceDbRestClient.HttpException e =
+        assertThrows(LanceDbRestClient.HttpException.class, () -> lsm.checkpointLsm());
+    assertEquals(400, e.statusCode());
+    assertEquals(1, countCalls("flush_lsm"), "a terminal status is not retried");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointGivesUpAfterRepeatedLostClaims() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 421, "no claim");
+
+    IllegalStateException e = assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class, () -> lsm.checkpointLsm());
+    assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("kept losing its claim"), e.getMessage());
+    assertEquals(4, countCalls("flush_lsm"), "the initial attempt plus MAX_REISSUES");
+  }
+
+  // ===========================================================================
+  // strict decoding
+  // ===========================================================================
+
+  /**
+   * A stats payload that does not decode must fail closed. Every one of these bodies used to be
+   * read as "no buckets", which is indistinguishable from a drained table, so {@code checkpointLsm}
+   * reported convergence for a checkpoint that never ran.
+   */
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointRejectsMalformedStats() {
+    Map<String, String> malformed = new LinkedHashMap<String, String>();
+    malformed.put("no response body at all", "");
+    malformed.put("stats object with no buckets", "{\"lsm_stats\":{}}");
+    malformed.put("bucket missing its required fields", "{\"lsm_stats\":{\"buckets\":[{}]}}");
+    malformed.put(
+        "bucket missing generations",
+        "{\"lsm_stats\":{\"buckets\":[{\"shard_id\":\"shard-0\",\"status\":\"Active\","
+            + "\"writer_epoch\":1,\"manifest_version\":2,\"current_generation\":9,"
+            + "\"replay_after_wal_entry_position\":0,\"wal_entry_position_last_seen\":0,"
+            + "\"compacting\":false}]}}");
+    malformed.put(
+        "generation with a non-numeric generation number",
+        "{\"lsm_stats\":{\"buckets\":[{\"shard_id\":\"shard-0\",\"status\":\"Active\","
+            + "\"writer_epoch\":1,\"manifest_version\":2,\"current_generation\":9,"
+            + "\"replay_after_wal_entry_position\":0,\"wal_entry_position_last_seen\":0,"
+            + "\"generations\":[{\"generation\":\"7\",\"bytes\":1024}],"
+            + "\"compacting\":false}]}}");
+
+    for (Map.Entry<String, String> each : malformed.entrySet()) {
+      setUpFresh();
+      enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+      enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, each.getValue());
+
+      assertThrows(
+          IllegalStateException.class,
+          () -> lsm.checkpointLsm(),
+          each.getKey() + " must not report convergence");
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** The one shape that legitimately means "this table has no LSM write path". */
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointTreatsNullStatsAsNotWalBacked() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 200, "");
+    enqueue("get_lsm_stats", 200, "{\"lsm_stats\":null}");
+
+    lsm.checkpointLsm();
+
+    assertEquals(1, countCalls("get_lsm_stats"));
+  }
+
+  // ===========================================================================
+  // retry budget
+  // ===========================================================================
+
+  /**
+   * The transport must not retry on the checkpoint loop's behalf. Apache HttpClient's default
+   * strategy retries exactly 429 and 503 — the two statuses {@code isRetryable} owns — which
+   * doubled every budget here and also retried {@code compact_lsm} in place, where the loop is
+   * built to fall through to a fresh stats poll instead.
+   */
+  @Test
+  public void testCheckpointRetryBudgetIsNotDoubledByTheTransport() {
+    enqueue("flush_lsm", 429, "latch held");
+
+    LanceDbRestClient.HttpException e =
+        assertThrows(LanceDbRestClient.HttpException.class, () -> lsm.checkpointLsm());
+
+    assertEquals(429, e.statusCode(), "the exhausted budget propagates the last error as itself");
+    assertEquals(9, countCalls("flush_lsm"), "the initial request plus MAX_RETRIES, and no more");
+  }
+
+  // ===========================================================================
+  // harness
+  // ===========================================================================
+
+  private static List<Long> generationNumbers(BucketStats bucket) {
+    List<Long> numbers = new ArrayList<Long>();
+    for (GenerationStats generation : bucket.generations()) {
+      numbers.add(generation.generation());
+    }
+    return numbers;
+  }
+
+  /** Build an {@code lsm_stats} response body from bucket fragments. */
+  private static String stats(String... buckets) {
+    return "{\"lsm_stats\":{\"buckets\":[" + String.join(",", buckets) + "]}}";
+  }
+
+  private static String bucket(String shardId, boolean compacting, Long... generations) {
+    StringBuilder gens = new StringBuilder();
+    for (Long generation : generations) {
+      if (gens.length() > 0) {
+        gens.append(",");
+      }
+      gens.append("{\"generation\":").append(generation).append(",\"bytes\":1024}");
+    }
+    return "{\"shard_id\":\""
+        + shardId
+        + "\",\"status\":\"Active\",\"writer_epoch\":1,\"manifest_version\":2,"
+        + "\"current_generation\":9,\"replay_after_wal_entry_position\":0,"
+        + "\"wal_entry_position_last_seen\":0,\"generations\":["
+        + gens
+        + "],\"compacting\":"
+        + compacting
+        + "}";
+  }
+
+  /** Queue a reply for an operation. The last queued reply repeats once the queue drains. */
+  private void enqueue(String operation, int status, String body) {
+    replies.computeIfAbsent(operation, key -> new ArrayDeque<Reply>()).add(new Reply(status, body));
+  }
+
+  private Reply nextReply(String path) {
+    String operation = operationOf(path);
+    Deque<Reply> queued = replies.get(operation);
+    if (queued == null || queued.isEmpty()) {
+      return new Reply(200, "");
+    }
+    return queued.size() > 1 ? queued.poll() : queued.peek();
+  }
+
+  private long countCalls(String operation) {
+    return requestPaths.stream().filter(path -> operationOf(path).equals(operation)).count();
+  }
+
+  /** {@code /v1/table/my_table/flush_lsm/} -> {@code flush_lsm}. */
+  private static String operationOf(String path) {
+    String[] segments = path.split("/");
+    return segments.length == 0 ? "" : segments[segments.length - 1];
+  }
+
+  private static String readAll(InputStream in) throws IOException {
+    ByteArrayOutputStream out = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
+    byte[] buffer = new byte[4096];
+    int read;
+    while ((read = in.read(buffer)) != -1) {
+      out.write(buffer, 0, read);
+    }
+    return new String(out.toByteArray(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+  }
+
+  private static final class Reply {
+    private final int status;
+    private final String body;
+
+    private Reply(int status, String body) {
+      this.status = status;
+      this.body = body;
+    }
+  }
+}
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@

    <groupId>com.lancedb</groupId>
    <artifactId>lancedb-parent</artifactId>
-    <version>0.37.1-beta.1</version>
+    <version>0.38.0-beta.2</version>
    <packaging>pom</packaging>
    <name>${project.artifactId}</name>
    <description>LanceDB Java SDK Parent POM</description>
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
    <properties>
        <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
        <arrow.version>15.0.0</arrow.version>
-        <lance-core.version>11.0.0-beta.3</lance-core.version>
+        <lance-core.version>11.0.0-beta.15</lance-core.version>
        <spotless.skip>false</spotless.skip>
        <spotless.version>2.30.0</spotless.version>
        <spotless.java.googlejavaformat.version>1.7</spotless.java.googlejavaformat.version>
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 [package]
 name = "lancedb-nodejs"
 edition.workspace = true
-version = "0.37.1-beta.1"
+version = "0.38.0-beta.2"
 publish = false
 license.workspace = true
 description.workspace = true
@@ -4,7 +4,13 @@
 import { readdirSync } from "fs";
 import { Field, Float64, Schema } from "apache-arrow";
 import * as tmp from "tmp";
-import { Connection, Table, connect, connectNamespace } from "../lancedb";
+import {
+  Connection,
+  ListTablesResponse,
+  Table,
+  connect,
+  connectNamespace,
+} from "../lancedb";
 import { LocalTable } from "../lancedb/table";

 describe("when connecting", () => {
@@ -89,6 +95,16 @@ describe("given a connection", () => {
    await db.createTable("test4", [{ id: 1 }, { id: 2 }]);
  });

+  it("should return a completed job when dropping a local table", async () => {
+    await db.createTable("async-drop", [{ id: 1 }]);
+
+    const job = await db.dropTableAsync("async-drop");
+    expect(job.id).toBeNull();
+    await expect(job.status()).resolves.toBe("finished");
+    await job.wait();
+    await expect(db.tableNames()).resolves.toEqual([]);
+  });
+
  it("should fail if creating table twice, unless overwrite is true", async () => {
    let tbl = await db.createTable("test", [{ id: 1 }, { id: 2 }]);
    await expect(tbl.countRows()).resolves.toBe(2);
@@ -119,6 +135,56 @@ describe("given a connection", () => {
    expect(tables).toEqual(["b", "c"]);
  });

+  it("should list tables with a page token", async () => {
+    const db = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+
+    await db.createTable("b", [{ id: 1 }]);
+    await db.createTable("a", [{ id: 1 }]);
+    await db.createTable("c", [{ id: 1 }]);
+
+    const all = await db.listTables();
+    expect(all.tables).toEqual(["a", "b", "c"]);
+    expect(all.pageToken).toBeUndefined();
+
+    const first = await db.listTables({ limit: 1 });
+    expect(first.tables).toEqual(["a"]);
+    expect(first.pageToken).toBeDefined();
+
+    const second = await db.listTables({
+      limit: 1,
+      pageToken: first.pageToken,
+    });
+    expect(second.tables).toEqual(["b"]);
+  });
+
+  it("should visit every table exactly once when paging", async () => {
+    const db = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+
+    const created = ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"];
+    for (const name of created) {
+      await db.createTable(name, [{ id: 1 }]);
+    }
+
+    const seen: string[] = [];
+    let pageToken: string | undefined = undefined;
+    do {
+      const page: ListTablesResponse = await db.listTables({
+        limit: 2,
+        pageToken,
+      });
+      seen.push(...page.tables);
+      pageToken = page.pageToken;
+    } while (pageToken);
+
+    expect(seen.sort()).toEqual(created);
+  });
+
+  it("should reject listTables on a closed connection", async () => {
+    const db = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+    db.close();
+    await expect(db.listTables()).rejects.toThrow("Connection is closed");
+  });
+
  it("should create tables in v2 mode", async () => {
    const db = await connect(tmpDir.name);
    const data = [...Array(10000).keys()].map((i) => ({ id: i }));
@@ -3340,3 +3340,120 @@ describe("LSM merge insert", () => {
    await expect(table.query().useLsm(true).toArray()).rejects.toThrow();
  });
 });
+
+describe("LSM convergence and stats", () => {
+  let tmpDir: tmp.DirResult;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    tmpDir = tmp.dirSync({ unsafeCleanup: true });
+  });
+  afterEach(() => tmpDir.removeCallback());
+
+  async function lsmTable(conn: Connection): Promise<Table> {
+    const table = await conn.createEmptyTable(
+      "t",
+      new arrow.Schema([new arrow.Field("id", new arrow.Utf8(), false)]),
+    );
+    await table.setUnenforcedPrimaryKey("id");
+    await table.setLsmWriteSpec({ specType: "unsharded" });
+    return table;
+  }
+
+  // These four route through the server that owns the MemWAL, so a local table
+  // rejects them rather than answering. What is asserted here is that the
+  // bindings reach the core at all; the behavior against a real endpoint is
+  // covered by the mocked endpoint tests in rust/lancedb/src/remote/table.rs.
+  it("rejects flushLsm on a local table", async () => {
+    const conn = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+    const table = await lsmTable(conn);
+
+    await expect(table.flushLsm()).rejects.toThrow(/not supported/i);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects compactLsm on a local table", async () => {
+    const conn = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+    const table = await lsmTable(conn);
+
+    await expect(table.compactLsm()).rejects.toThrow(/not supported/i);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects getLsmStats on a local table", async () => {
+    const conn = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+    const table = await lsmTable(conn);
+
+    await expect(table.getLsmStats()).rejects.toThrow(/not supported/i);
+    await expect(table.getLsmStats(true)).rejects.toThrow(/not supported/i);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects checkpointLsm on a local table", async () => {
+    const conn = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+    const table = await lsmTable(conn);
+
+    // checkpointLsm seals first, so it surfaces flushLsm's rejection.
+    await expect(table.checkpointLsm()).rejects.toThrow(/not supported/i);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("computed columns", () => {
+  let tmpDir: tmp.DirResult;
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    tmpDir = tmp.dirSync({ unsafeCleanup: true });
+  });
+  afterEach(() => tmpDir.removeCallback());
+
+  it("declares a column and fills it on refresh", async () => {
+    const db = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+    const table = await db.createTable("computed", [{ x: 1 }, { x: 2 }]);
+
+    await table.addColumns({
+      computed: [{ name: "doubled", valueSql: "x * 2" }],
+    });
+    let rows = await table.query().toArray();
+    expect(rows.map((r) => r.doubled)).toEqual([null, null]);
+
+    const result = await table.refreshColumn("doubled");
+    expect(result.rowsFilled).toBe(2);
+
+    rows = await table.query().toArray();
+    expect(rows.map((r) => r.doubled).sort()).toEqual([2, 4]);
+  });
+
+  it("returns a job handle from refreshColumnAsync", async () => {
+    const db = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+    const table = await db.createTable("computed_job", [{ x: 1 }, { x: 2 }]);
+
+    await table.addColumns({
+      computed: [{ name: "doubled", valueSql: "x * 2" }],
+    });
+
+    const job = await table.refreshColumnAsync("doubled");
+    expect(job.id).toBeNull();
+    await job.wait();
+    expect(await job.status()).toBe("finished");
+
+    const rows = await table.query().toArray();
+    expect(rows.map((r) => r.doubled).sort()).toEqual([2, 4]);
+
+    // Bad input rejects at the call, not through the job.
+    await expect(table.refreshColumnAsync("x")).rejects.toThrow(
+      "not a computed column",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("fills rows added since the last refresh", async () => {
+    const db = await connect(tmpDir.name);
+    const table = await db.createTable("computed_append", [{ x: 1 }]);
+
+    await table.addColumns({
+      computed: [{ name: "doubled", valueSql: "x * 2" }],
+    });
+    await table.refreshColumn("doubled");
+    await table.add([{ x: 5 }]);
+
+    const result = await table.refreshColumn("doubled");
+    expect(result.rowsFilled).toBe(1);
+
+    const rows = await table.query().toArray();
+    expect(rows.map((r) => r.doubled).sort()).toEqual([10, 2]);
+  });
+});
@@ -25,12 +25,14 @@ import type {
  JobDescription,
  JobInfo,
  ListNamespacesResponse,
+  ListTablesResponse,
 } from "./native";
 export type {
  CreateNamespaceResponse,
  DescribeNamespaceResponse,
  DropNamespaceResponse,
  ListNamespacesResponse,
+  ListTablesResponse,
 };
 import { sanitizeTable } from "./sanitize";
 import { LocalTable, Table } from "./table";
@@ -128,6 +130,10 @@ export interface OpenTableOptions {
  indexCacheSize?: number;
 }

+/**
+ * @deprecated Use {@link ListTablesOptions} with {@link Connection.listTables}
+ * instead.
+ */
 export interface TableNamesOptions {
  /**
   * If present, only return names that come lexicographically after the
@@ -141,6 +147,23 @@ export interface TableNamesOptions {
  limit?: number;
 }

+export interface ListTablesOptions {
+  /**
+   * Token from a previous response for pagination.
+   *
+   * The token is opaque: it carries whatever the database needs to resume, and
+   * callers should not construct or interpret one.
+   */
+  pageToken?: string;
+  /**
+   * An upper bound on how many tables to return.
+   *
+   * A page may hold fewer than this and still not be the last one, so continue
+   * while the response carries a page token rather than while pages are full.
+   */
+  limit?: number;
+}
+
 export interface ListNamespacesOptions {
  /** Token from a previous response for pagination. */
  pageToken?: string;
@@ -225,6 +248,7 @@ export abstract class Connection {
   * @param {Partial<TableNamesOptions>} options - options to control the
   * paging / start point (backwards compatibility)
   *
+   * @deprecated Use {@link Connection.listTables} instead.
   */
  abstract tableNames(options?: Partial<TableNamesOptions>): Promise<string[]>;
  /**
@@ -235,12 +259,54 @@ export abstract class Connection {
   * @param {Partial<TableNamesOptions>} options - options to control the
   * paging / start point
   *
+   * @deprecated Use {@link Connection.listTables} instead.
   */
  abstract tableNames(
    namespacePath?: string[],
    options?: Partial<TableNamesOptions>,
  ): Promise<string[]>;

+  /**
+   * List a page of tables in this database.
+   *
+   * Results may be paginated. To retrieve subsequent pages, pass the
+   * `pageToken` returned by a previous call. A page may be shorter than
+   * `limit` without being the last one, so walk until the response carries no
+   * page token:
+   *
+   * ```ts
+   * const names = [];
+   * let pageToken = undefined;
+   * do {
+   *   const page = await conn.listTables({ pageToken, limit: 100 });
+   *   names.push(...page.tables);
+   *   pageToken = page.pageToken;
+   * } while (pageToken);
+   * ```
+   *
+   * @param {Partial<ListTablesOptions>} options - Pagination options
+   *   (`pageToken`, `limit`).
+   * @returns {Promise<ListTablesResponse>} Table names and an optional token
+   *   for fetching the next page.
+   */
+  abstract listTables(
+    options?: Partial<ListTablesOptions>,
+  ): Promise<ListTablesResponse>;
+  /**
+   * List a page of tables in this database.
+   *
+   * @param {string[]} namespacePath - The namespace path to list tables from
+   *   (defaults to root namespace)
+   * @param {Partial<ListTablesOptions>} options - Pagination options
+   *   (`pageToken`, `limit`).
+   * @returns {Promise<ListTablesResponse>} Table names and an optional token
+   *   for fetching the next page.
+   */
+  abstract listTables(
+    namespacePath?: string[],
+    options?: Partial<ListTablesOptions>,
+  ): Promise<ListTablesResponse>;
+
  /**
   * Open a table in the database.
   * @param {string} name - The name of the table
@@ -327,6 +393,14 @@ export abstract class Connection {
   */
  abstract dropTable(name: string, namespacePath?: string[]): Promise<void>;

+  /**
+   * Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job.
+   *
+   * The table may become unavailable before its data files are removed. Wait
+   * on the returned job to know when cleanup has finished.
+   */
+  abstract dropTableAsync(name: string, namespacePath?: string[]): Promise<Job>;
+
  /**
   * Drop all tables in the database.
   * @param {string[]} namespacePath The namespace path to drop tables from (defaults to root namespace).
@@ -523,6 +597,29 @@ export class LocalConnection extends Connection {
    );
  }

+  async listTables(
+    namespacePathOrOptions?: string[] | Partial<ListTablesOptions>,
+    options?: Partial<ListTablesOptions>,
+  ): Promise<ListTablesResponse> {
+    // Detect if first argument is namespacePath array or options object
+    let namespacePath: string[] | undefined;
+    let listTablesOptions: Partial<ListTablesOptions> | undefined;
+
+    if (Array.isArray(namespacePathOrOptions)) {
+      namespacePath = namespacePathOrOptions;
+      listTablesOptions = options;
+    } else {
+      namespacePath = undefined;
+      listTablesOptions = namespacePathOrOptions;
+    }
+
+    return this.inner.listTables(
+      namespacePath ?? [],
+      listTablesOptions?.pageToken,
+      listTablesOptions?.limit,
+    );
+  }
+
  async openTable(
    name: string,
    namespacePath?: string[],
@@ -705,6 +802,10 @@ export class LocalConnection extends Connection {
    return this.inner.dropTable(name, namespacePath ?? []);
  }

+  async dropTableAsync(name: string, namespacePath?: string[]): Promise<Job> {
+    return this.inner.dropTableAsync(name, namespacePath ?? []);
+  }
+
  async dropAllTables(namespacePath?: string[]): Promise<void> {
    return this.inner.dropAllTables(namespacePath ?? []);
  }
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ export {
  MergeResult,
  AddResult,
  AddColumnsResult,
+  RefreshColumnResult,
  AlterColumnsResult,
  UpdateFieldMetadataResult,
  DeleteResult,
@@ -74,11 +75,13 @@ export {
  Connection,
  CreateTableOptions,
  TableNamesOptions,
+  ListTablesOptions,
  OpenTableOptions,
  ListNamespacesOptions,
  CreateNamespaceOptions,
  DropNamespaceOptions,
  ListNamespacesResponse,
+  ListTablesResponse,
  CreateNamespaceResponse,
  DropNamespaceResponse,
  DescribeNamespaceResponse,
@@ -146,6 +149,10 @@ export {
  FtsToken,
  TokenizeTableOptions,
  LsmWriteSpec,
+  LsmStats,
+  BucketStats,
+  GenerationStats,
+  MemtableStats,
  ColumnAlteration,
  FieldMetadataUpdate,
 } from "./table";
@@ -31,8 +31,10 @@ import {
  IndexConfig,
  IndexStatistics,
  Job,
+  LsmStats,
  Branches as NativeBranches,
  OptimizeStats,
+  RefreshColumnResult,
  TableStatistics,
  Tags,
  UpdateFieldMetadataResult,
@@ -49,6 +51,12 @@ import {
 import { sanitizeType } from "./sanitize";
 import { IntoSql, toSQL } from "./util";
 export { IndexConfig } from "./native";
+export {
+  BucketStats,
+  GenerationStats,
+  LsmStats,
+  MemtableStats,
+} from "./native";

 /**
 * Progress snapshot for a write operation, delivered to the `progress`
@@ -525,18 +533,75 @@ export abstract class Table {
  abstract vectorSearch(vector: IntoVector | MultiVector): VectorQuery;
  /**
   * Add new columns with defined values.
+   *
+   * The `{ computed }` form stores the expression rather than evaluating it
+   * now: the column is committed with no values, and rows get them from
+   * {@link Table#refreshColumn}. Declaring one therefore costs the same on a
+   * large table as on an empty one.
+   *
+   * A refresh does not revisit rows it has already filled, so mutating an
+   * input leaves the value computed at fill time; recomputing means dropping
+   * the column and declaring it again. While a declaration reads a column,
+   * that column cannot be renamed, retyped or dropped.
+   *
+   * On LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise the expression is planned by the
+   * server, and the refresh runs as a server job -- see
+   * {@link Table#refreshColumnAsync}.
   * @param {AddColumnsSql[] | Field | Field[] | Schema} newColumnTransforms Either:
   *   - An array of objects with column names and SQL expressions to calculate values
   *   - A single Arrow Field defining one column with its data type (column will be initialized with null values)
   *   - An array of Arrow Fields defining columns with their data types (columns will be initialized with null values)
   *   - An Arrow Schema defining columns with their data types (columns will be initialized with null values)
+   *   - `{ computed }`, declaring columns defined by a SQL expression whose type and inputs are derived from it
   * @returns {Promise<AddColumnsResult>} A promise that resolves to an object
   * containing the new version number of the table after adding the columns.
+   * @example
+   * ```ts
+   * await table.addColumns({ computed: [{ name: "doubled", valueSql: "x * 2" }] });
+   * const { rowsFilled } = await table.refreshColumn("doubled");
+   * ```
   */
  abstract addColumns(
-    newColumnTransforms: AddColumnsSql[] | Field | Field[] | Schema,
+    newColumnTransforms:
+      | AddColumnsSql[]
+      | Field
+      | Field[]
+      | Schema
+      | { computed: AddColumnsSql[] },
  ): Promise<AddColumnsResult>;

+  /**
+   * Fill the rows of a computed column that hold no value yet.
+   *
+   * Rows appended since the last refresh are filled by the next one; rows
+   * already filled are left as they are, so the call is idempotent and does
+   * not observe a mutated input. Local tables only: a remote refresh runs
+   * as a server job, through {@link Table#refreshColumnAsync}.
+   * @param {string} column The name of the computed column to fill.
+   * @returns {Promise<RefreshColumnResult>} A promise that resolves to the
+   * number of rows filled and the new version number of the table.
+   */
+  abstract refreshColumn(column: string): Promise<RefreshColumnResult>;
+
+  /**
+   * Like {@link Table#refreshColumn}, but returns a handle to the refresh
+   * job instead of blocking until it completes.
+   *
+   * The job may already be complete when returned; callers must not assume
+   * the column is filled until {@link Job.wait} resolves. Invalid input --
+   * an unknown column, or one that is not computed -- rejects here rather
+   * than failing the job. On local tables the job runs in-process; on
+   * LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise it is the server's backfill job.
+   * @param {string} column The name of the computed column to fill.
+   * @example
+   * ```ts
+   * const job = await table.refreshColumnAsync("doubled");
+   * await job.wait();
+   * console.log(await job.status()); // "finished"
+   * ```
+   */
+  abstract refreshColumnAsync(column: string): Promise<Job>;
+
  /**
   * Alter the name or nullability of columns.
   * @param {ColumnAlteration[]} columnAlterations One or more alterations to
@@ -648,6 +713,59 @@ export abstract class Table {
   * @returns {Promise<void>}
   */
  abstract closeLsmWriters(): Promise<void>;
+  /**
+   * Seal every bucket's active memtable into a new L0 generation.
+   *
+   * Returns once the seal is committed. Sealing an empty memtable is a no-op,
+   * so this is safe to call repeatedly.
+   * @returns {Promise<void>}
+   */
+  abstract flushLsm(): Promise<void>;
+  /**
+   * Trigger a background L0 → base compaction pass per bucket.
+   *
+   * Returns once the passes are *dispatched*, not once they finish — watch
+   * {@link Table#getLsmStats} for progress, or use
+   * {@link Table#checkpointLsm} to wait for convergence.
+   * @returns {Promise<void>}
+   */
+  abstract compactLsm(): Promise<void>;
+  /**
+   * Converge this table's LSM write path into its base table.
+   *
+   * Seals once, then triggers compaction and polls until the L0 that existed
+   * at the start is gone. The target set is fixed at the start, so
+   * generations created *during* the checkpoint are ignored — that is what
+   * lets it terminate under write load, and what makes it best-effort: it
+   * converges the fresh tier as of some instant. Idempotent, abandonable at
+   * any point, and safe to run on a cadence.
+   *
+   * There is no liveness bound — the compactor pool is shared across tables,
+   * so a checkpoint queued behind unrelated work looks exactly like one that
+   * is merging. The caller owns the deadline.
+   * @returns {Promise<void>}
+   * @example
+   * ```ts
+   * const before = await table.getLsmStats();
+   * await table.checkpointLsm();
+   * const after = await table.getLsmStats();
+   * ```
+   */
+  abstract checkpointLsm(): Promise<void>;
+  /**
+   * Read live per-bucket LSM state.
+   *
+   * Answers "how far behind is my fresh tier", "which bucket is hot", and
+   * "why is my fresh-tier vector search brute-force". Mutates no table state.
+   *
+   * Resolves to `undefined` only when the LSM write path is not enabled.
+   * @param {boolean} includeGenerationRows Also count rows per L0 generation.
+   *   Off by default because each count opens an uncached Lance dataset.
+   * @returns {Promise<LsmStats | undefined>}
+   */
+  abstract getLsmStats(
+    includeGenerationRows?: boolean,
+  ): Promise<LsmStats | undefined>;
  /** Retrieve the version of the table */

  abstract version(): Promise<number>;
@@ -1088,8 +1206,22 @@ export class LocalTable extends Table {
  // TODO: Support BatchUDF

  async addColumns(
-    newColumnTransforms: AddColumnsSql[] | Field | Field[] | Schema,
+    newColumnTransforms:
+      | AddColumnsSql[]
+      | Field
+      | Field[]
+      | Schema
+      | { computed: AddColumnsSql[] },
  ): Promise<AddColumnsResult> {
+    // Columns defined by an expression are declared, not materialized here.
+    if (
+      typeof newColumnTransforms === "object" &&
+      !Array.isArray(newColumnTransforms) &&
+      "computed" in newColumnTransforms
+    ) {
+      return await this.inner.addComputedColumns(newColumnTransforms.computed);
+    }
+
    // Handle single Field -> convert to array of Fields
    if (newColumnTransforms instanceof Field) {
      newColumnTransforms = [newColumnTransforms];
@@ -1124,6 +1256,14 @@ export class LocalTable extends Table {
    throw new Error("Invalid input type for addColumns");
  }

+  async refreshColumn(column: string): Promise<RefreshColumnResult> {
+    return await this.inner.refreshColumn(column);
+  }
+
+  async refreshColumnAsync(column: string): Promise<Job> {
+    return await this.inner.refreshColumnAsync(column);
+  }
+
  async alterColumns(
    columnAlterations: ColumnAlteration[],
  ): Promise<AlterColumnsResult> {
@@ -1186,6 +1326,24 @@ export class LocalTable extends Table {
    return await this.inner.closeLsmWriters();
  }

+  async flushLsm(): Promise<void> {
+    return await this.inner.flushLsm();
+  }
+
+  async compactLsm(): Promise<void> {
+    return await this.inner.compactLsm();
+  }
+
+  async checkpointLsm(): Promise<void> {
+    return await this.inner.checkpointLsm();
+  }
+
+  async getLsmStats(
+    includeGenerationRows: boolean = false,
+  ): Promise<LsmStats | undefined> {
+    return (await this.inner.getLsmStats(includeGenerationRows)) ?? undefined;
+  }
+
  async version(): Promise<number> {
    return await this.inner.version();
  }
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"name": "@lancedb/lancedb-darwin-arm64",
-	"version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+	"version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
 	"os": ["darwin"],
 	"cpu": ["arm64"],
 	"main": "lancedb.darwin-arm64.node",
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"name": "@lancedb/lancedb-linux-arm64-gnu",
-	"version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+	"version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
 	"os": ["linux"],
 	"cpu": ["arm64"],
 	"main": "lancedb.linux-arm64-gnu.node",
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"name": "@lancedb/lancedb-linux-arm64-musl",
-	"version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+	"version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
 	"os": ["linux"],
 	"cpu": ["arm64"],
 	"main": "lancedb.linux-arm64-musl.node",
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"name": "@lancedb/lancedb-linux-x64-gnu",
-	"version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+	"version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
 	"os": ["linux"],
 	"cpu": ["x64"],
 	"main": "lancedb.linux-x64-gnu.node",
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"name": "@lancedb/lancedb-linux-x64-musl",
-	"version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+	"version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
 	"os": ["linux"],
 	"cpu": ["x64"],
 	"main": "lancedb.linux-x64-musl.node",
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
  "name": "@lancedb/lancedb-win32-arm64-msvc",
-  "version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+  "version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
  "os": [
    "win32"
  ],
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"name": "@lancedb/lancedb-win32-x64-msvc",
-	"version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+	"version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
 	"os": ["win32"],
 	"cpu": ["x64"],
 	"main": "lancedb.win32-x64-msvc.node",
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
  "name": "@lancedb/lancedb",
-  "version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+  "version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
  "lockfileVersion": 3,
  "requires": true,
  "packages": {
    "": {
      "name": "@lancedb/lancedb",
-      "version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+      "version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
      "cpu": [
        "x64",
        "arm64"
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
    "ann"
  ],
  "private": false,
-  "version": "0.37.1-beta.1",
+  "version": "0.38.0-beta.2",
  "main": "dist/index.js",
  "exports": {
    ".": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ pub struct ListNamespacesResponse {
    pub page_token: Option<String>,
 }

+#[napi(object)]
+pub struct ListTablesResponse {
+    pub tables: Vec<String>,
+    pub page_token: Option<String>,
+}
+
 #[napi(object)]
 pub struct CreateNamespaceResponse {
    pub properties: Option<HashMap<String, String>>,
@@ -189,6 +195,8 @@ impl Connection {

    /// List all tables in the dataset.
    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    // Deprecated in favour of `list_tables`, but still exposed to JavaScript.
+    #[allow(deprecated)]
    pub async fn table_names(
        &self,
        namespace_path: Option<Vec<String>>,
@@ -206,6 +214,29 @@ impl Connection {
        op.execute().await.default_error()
    }

+    /// List a page of tables in the database.
+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn list_tables(
+        &self,
+        namespace_path: Option<Vec<String>>,
+        page_token: Option<String>,
+        limit: Option<u32>,
+    ) -> napi::Result<ListTablesResponse> {
+        let mut op = self.get_inner()?.list_tables();
+        op = op.namespace(namespace_path.unwrap_or_default());
+        if let Some(page_token) = page_token {
+            op = op.page_token(page_token);
+        }
+        if let Some(limit) = limit {
+            op = op.limit(limit);
+        }
+        let resp = op.execute().await.default_error()?;
+        Ok(ListTablesResponse {
+            tables: resp.tables,
+            page_token: resp.page_token,
+        })
+    }
+
    /// Create table from a Apache Arrow IPC (file) buffer.
    ///
    /// Parameters:
@@ -334,6 +365,22 @@ impl Connection {
            .default_error()
    }

+    /// Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job.
+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn drop_table_async(
+        &self,
+        name: String,
+        namespace_path: Option<Vec<String>>,
+    ) -> napi::Result<crate::job::Job> {
+        let ns = namespace_path.unwrap_or_default();
+        let job = self
+            .get_inner()?
+            .drop_table_async(&name, &ns)
+            .await
+            .default_error()?;
+        Ok(crate::job::Job::new(job))
+    }
+
    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
    pub async fn drop_all_tables(&self, namespace_path: Option<Vec<String>>) -> napi::Result<()> {
        let ns = namespace_path.unwrap_or_default();
@@ -347,6 +347,40 @@ impl Table {
        Ok(res.into())
    }

+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn add_computed_columns(
+        &self,
+        columns: Vec<AddColumnsSql>,
+    ) -> napi::Result<AddColumnsResult> {
+        let table = self.inner_ref()?;
+        let mut builder = table.add_columns();
+        for column in columns {
+            builder = builder.computed(column.name, column.value_sql);
+        }
+        let res = builder.execute().await.default_error()?;
+        Ok(res.into())
+    }
+
+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn refresh_column(&self, column: String) -> napi::Result<RefreshColumnResult> {
+        let res = self
+            .inner_ref()?
+            .refresh_column(column)
+            .await
+            .default_error()?;
+        Ok(res.into())
+    }
+
+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn refresh_column_async(&self, column: String) -> napi::Result<crate::job::Job> {
+        let job = self
+            .inner_ref()?
+            .refresh_column_async(column)
+            .await
+            .default_error()?;
+        Ok(crate::job::Job::new(job))
+    }
+
    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
    pub async fn add_columns_with_schema(
        &self,
@@ -463,6 +497,34 @@ impl Table {
        self.inner_ref()?.close_lsm_writers().await.default_error()
    }

+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn flush_lsm(&self) -> napi::Result<()> {
+        self.inner_ref()?.flush_lsm().await.default_error()
+    }
+
+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn compact_lsm(&self) -> napi::Result<()> {
+        self.inner_ref()?.compact_lsm().await.default_error()
+    }
+
+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn checkpoint_lsm(&self) -> napi::Result<()> {
+        self.inner_ref()?.checkpoint_lsm().await.default_error()
+    }
+
+    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
+    pub async fn get_lsm_stats(
+        &self,
+        include_generation_rows: bool,
+    ) -> napi::Result<Option<LsmStats>> {
+        let stats = self
+            .inner_ref()?
+            .get_lsm_stats(include_generation_rows)
+            .await
+            .default_error()?;
+        Ok(stats.map(LsmStats::from))
+    }
+
    #[napi(catch_unwind)]
    pub async fn version(&self) -> napi::Result<i64> {
        self.inner_ref()?
@@ -855,6 +917,129 @@ impl From<lancedb::table::LsmWriteSpec> for LsmWriteSpec {
    }
 }

+/// One flushed L0 generation.
+#[napi(object)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct GenerationStats {
+    /// The generation number. Increases as memtables are sealed into L0.
+    pub generation: i64,
+    /// On-disk size of the generation.
+    pub bytes: i64,
+    /// Present only when `includeGenerationRows` was requested. Off by default
+    /// because each count opens an uncached Lance dataset.
+    pub rows: Option<i64>,
+}
+
+impl From<lancedb::table::GenerationStats> for GenerationStats {
+    fn from(g: lancedb::table::GenerationStats) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            generation: g.generation as i64,
+            bytes: g.bytes as i64,
+            rows: g.rows.map(|r| r as i64),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// One in-memory memtable.
+#[napi(object)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct MemtableStats {
+    /// The generation this memtable will become once sealed.
+    pub generation: i64,
+    /// Rows currently buffered.
+    pub rows: i64,
+    /// Estimated in-memory size.
+    pub bytes: i64,
+    /// Record batches currently buffered.
+    pub batches: i64,
+    /// Names of the indexes this memtable carries. An absent name is the whole
+    /// answer to "why is my fresh-tier search on that column brute-force".
+    pub indexes: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+impl From<lancedb::table::MemtableStats> for MemtableStats {
+    fn from(m: lancedb::table::MemtableStats) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            generation: m.generation as i64,
+            rows: m.rows as i64,
+            bytes: m.bytes as i64,
+            batches: m.batches as i64,
+            indexes: m.indexes,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Live state of one bucket. A table is N buckets on one node; flattening to a
+/// single number hides the one hot bucket that is usually why someone opened
+/// this endpoint.
+#[napi(object)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct BucketStats {
+    /// The shard this bucket writes.
+    pub shard_id: String,
+    /// `"Active"` or `"Sealed"` (drop-table 2PC in flight).
+    pub status: String,
+    /// Epoch of the writer that currently owns the shard.
+    pub writer_epoch: i64,
+    /// Version of the shard manifest these numbers were read from.
+    pub manifest_version: i64,
+    /// The generation the active memtable will become.
+    pub current_generation: i64,
+    /// WAL position replay resumes from.
+    pub replay_after_wal_entry_position: i64,
+    /// Highest WAL position the writer has seen. The difference against
+    /// `replayAfterWalEntryPosition` is the WAL lag.
+    pub wal_entry_position_last_seen: i64,
+    /// Flushed L0 generations not yet merged into the base table.
+    pub generations: Vec<GenerationStats>,
+    /// Whether a pass owns this bucket's compaction latch right now. Says *a*
+    /// driver is running, not *whose*, and the latch is held from dispatch —
+    /// including while the pass queues for a pod-wide compactor permit. Read it
+    /// as "do not pile on", never as "mine is progressing".
+    pub compacting: bool,
+    /// Oldest first, active last. Absent for a `"Sealed"` bucket, whose
+    /// in-memory state is torn down.
+    pub memtables: Option<Vec<MemtableStats>>,
+}
+
+impl From<lancedb::table::BucketStats> for BucketStats {
+    fn from(b: lancedb::table::BucketStats) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            shard_id: b.shard_id,
+            status: b.status,
+            writer_epoch: b.writer_epoch as i64,
+            manifest_version: b.manifest_version as i64,
+            current_generation: b.current_generation as i64,
+            replay_after_wal_entry_position: b.replay_after_wal_entry_position as i64,
+            wal_entry_position_last_seen: b.wal_entry_position_last_seen as i64,
+            generations: b.generations.into_iter().map(Into::into).collect(),
+            compacting: b.compacting,
+            memtables: b
+                .memtables
+                .map(|ms| ms.into_iter().map(Into::into).collect()),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Live per-bucket LSM state, as returned by `Table#getLsmStats`.
+///
+/// Nothing here is derived: sums and differences (total L0 bytes, WAL lag) are
+/// the caller's to compute.
+#[napi(object)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct LsmStats {
+    /// One entry per bucket backing this table.
+    pub buckets: Vec<BucketStats>,
+}
+
+impl From<lancedb::table::LsmStats> for LsmStats {
+    fn from(stats: lancedb::table::LsmStats) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            buckets: stats.buckets.into_iter().map(Into::into).collect(),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Statistics about a compaction operation.
 #[napi(object)]
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
@@ -1196,6 +1381,21 @@ pub struct AddColumnsResult {
    pub version: i64,
 }

+#[napi(object)]
+pub struct RefreshColumnResult {
+    pub rows_filled: i64,
+    pub version: i64,
+}
+
+impl From<lancedb::table::RefreshColumnResult> for RefreshColumnResult {
+    fn from(value: lancedb::table::RefreshColumnResult) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            rows_filled: value.rows_filled as i64,
+            version: value.version as i64,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 impl From<lancedb::table::AddColumnsResult> for AddColumnsResult {
    fn from(value: lancedb::table::AddColumnsResult) -> Self {
        Self {
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "lancedb-python"
-version = "0.37.1-beta.1"
+version = "0.38.0-beta.2"
 publish = false
 edition.workspace = true
 description = "Python bindings for LanceDB"
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ __version__ = importlib.metadata.version("lancedb")

 from ._lancedb import connect as lancedb_connect
 from ._lancedb import FtsToken
+from ._lancedb import LsmWriteSpec
 from ._lancedb import tokenize as _tokenize
 from .common import URI, sanitize_uri
 from urllib.parse import urlparse
@@ -518,6 +519,7 @@ __all__ = [
    "Job",
    "LanceDBConnection",
    "LanceNamespaceDBConnection",
+    "LsmWriteSpec",
    "RemoteDBConnection",
    "Session",
    "Table",
@@ -198,6 +198,9 @@ class Connection(object):
    async def drop_table(
        self, name: str, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None
    ) -> None: ...
+    async def drop_table_async(
+        self, name: str, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None
+    ) -> Job: ...
    async def drop_all_tables(
        self, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None
    ) -> None: ...
@@ -335,6 +338,11 @@ class Table:
    ) -> list[FtsToken]: ...
    async def delete(self, filter: Union[str, PyExpr]) -> DeleteResult: ...
    async def add_columns(self, columns: list[tuple[str, str]]) -> AddColumnsResult: ...
+    async def add_computed_columns(
+        self, columns: list[tuple[str, str]]
+    ) -> AddColumnsResult: ...
+    async def refresh_column(self, column: str) -> RefreshColumnResult: ...
+    async def refresh_column_async(self, column: str) -> Job: ...
    async def add_columns_with_schema(self, schema: pa.Schema) -> AddColumnsResult: ...
    async def alter_columns(
        self, columns: list[dict[str, Any]]
@@ -680,6 +688,10 @@ class LsmWriteSpec:
 class AddColumnsResult:
    version: int

+class RefreshColumnResult:
+    rows_filled: int
+    version: int
+
 class AlterColumnsResult:
    version: int

@@ -524,6 +524,12 @@ class DBConnection(EnforceOverrides):
            namespace_path = []
        raise NotImplementedError

+    def drop_table_async(
+        self, name: str, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None
+    ) -> Job:
+        """Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job."""
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
    def rename_table(
        self,
        cur_name: str,
@@ -1186,6 +1192,20 @@ class LanceDBConnection(DBConnection):
            )
        )

+    @override
+    def drop_table_async(
+        self, name: str, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None
+    ) -> Job:
+        """Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job.
+
+        The table may become unavailable before its data files are removed.
+        Call :meth:`Job.wait` to wait for cleanup to finish.
+        """
+        if namespace_path is None:
+            namespace_path = []
+        job = LOOP.run(self._conn.drop_table_async(name, namespace_path=namespace_path))
+        return Job(job if isinstance(job, AsyncJob) else AsyncJob(job))
+
    @override
    def drop_all_tables(self, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None):
        if namespace_path is None:
@@ -1963,6 +1983,23 @@ class AsyncConnection(object):
            if f"Table '{name}' was not found" not in str(e):
                raise e

+    async def drop_table_async(
+        self,
+        name: str,
+        *,
+        namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None,
+    ) -> AsyncJob:
+        """Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job.
+
+        The table may become unavailable before its data files are removed.
+        Await :meth:`AsyncJob.wait` to wait for cleanup to finish.
+        """
+        if namespace_path is None:
+            namespace_path = []
+        return AsyncJob(
+            await self._inner.drop_table_async(name, namespace_path=namespace_path)
+        )
+
    async def drop_all_tables(self, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None):
        """Drop all tables from the database.

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ from lancedb._lancedb import (
 )
 from lancedb.background_loop import LOOP
 from lancedb.db import AsyncConnection, DBConnection
+from lancedb.job import AsyncJob, Job
 from lance_namespace import (
    LanceNamespace,
    connect as namespace_connect,
@@ -624,6 +625,18 @@ class LanceNamespaceDBConnection(DBConnection):
            namespace_path = []
        LOOP.run(self._inner.drop_table(name, namespace_path=namespace_path))

+    @override
+    def drop_table_async(
+        self, name: str, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None
+    ) -> Job:
+        """Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job."""
+        if namespace_path is None:
+            namespace_path = []
+        job = LOOP.run(
+            self._inner.drop_table_async(name, namespace_path=namespace_path)
+        )
+        return Job(job if isinstance(job, AsyncJob) else AsyncJob(job))
+
    @override
    def rename_table(
        self,
@@ -1134,6 +1147,14 @@ class AsyncLanceNamespaceDBConnection:
            namespace_path = []
        await self._inner.drop_table(name, namespace_path=namespace_path)

+    async def drop_table_async(
+        self, name: str, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None
+    ) -> AsyncJob:
+        """Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job."""
+        if namespace_path is None:
+            namespace_path = []
+        return await self._inner.drop_table_async(name, namespace_path=namespace_path)
+
    async def rename_table(
        self,
        cur_name: str,
@@ -2235,6 +2235,7 @@ class LanceHybridQueryBuilder(LanceQueryBuilder):
            reranker=self._reranker,
            limit=self._limit,
            with_row_ids=True,
+            offset=self._offset,
        )
        return self._finish_hybrid_results(results)

@@ -2256,6 +2257,7 @@ class LanceHybridQueryBuilder(LanceQueryBuilder):
        reranker,
        limit: int,
        with_row_ids: bool,
+        offset: Optional[int] = None,
    ) -> pa.Table:
        if norm == "rank":
            vector_results = LanceHybridQueryBuilder._rank(vector_results, "_distance")
@@ -2332,7 +2334,7 @@ class LanceHybridQueryBuilder(LanceQueryBuilder):
            score_i = results.column_names.index("_score")
            results = results.set_column(score_i, "_score", original_scores)

-        results = results.slice(length=limit)
+        results = results.slice(offset=offset or 0, length=limit)

        if not with_row_ids:
            results = results.drop(["_rowid"])
@@ -2679,8 +2681,12 @@ class LanceHybridQueryBuilder(LanceQueryBuilder):

        # Apply common configurations
        if self._limit:
-            self._vector_query.limit(self._limit)
-            self._fts_query.limit(self._limit)
+            # The final offset/limit window is sliced out of the combined,
+            # reranked results, so each sub-query must fetch enough rows to
+            # cover the skipped prefix as well as the window itself.
+            sub_query_limit = self._limit + (self._offset or 0)
+            self._vector_query.limit(sub_query_limit)
+            self._fts_query.limit(sub_query_limit)
        if self._columns:
            self._vector_query.select(self._columns)
            self._fts_query.select(self._columns)
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import pyarrow as pa

 from ..common import DATA
 from ..db import DBConnection, LOOP
-from ..job import Job
+from ..job import AsyncJob, Job

 if TYPE_CHECKING:
    from .._lancedb import JobDescription, JobInfo
@@ -663,6 +663,16 @@ class RemoteDBConnection(DBConnection):
            namespace_path = []
        LOOP.run(self._conn.drop_table(name, namespace_path=namespace_path))

+    @override
+    def drop_table_async(
+        self, name: str, namespace_path: Optional[List[str]] = None
+    ) -> Job:
+        """Start dropping a table and return its cleanup job."""
+        if namespace_path is None:
+            namespace_path = []
+        job = LOOP.run(self._conn.drop_table_async(name, namespace_path=namespace_path))
+        return Job(job if isinstance(job, AsyncJob) else AsyncJob(job))
+
    @override
    def rename_table(
        self,
@@ -958,8 +958,19 @@ class RemoteTable(Table):
    def count_rows(self, filter: Optional[str] = None) -> int:
        return LOOP.run(self._table.count_rows(filter))

-    def add_columns(self, transforms: Dict[str, str]) -> AddColumnsResult:
-        return LOOP.run(self._table.add_columns(transforms))
+    def add_columns(
+        self,
+        transforms: Dict[str, str] | None = None,
+        *,
+        computed: Dict[str, str] | None = None,
+    ) -> AddColumnsResult:
+        return LOOP.run(self._table.add_columns(transforms, computed=computed))
+
+    def refresh_column(self, column: str):
+        return LOOP.run(self._table.refresh_column(column))
+
+    def refresh_column_async(self, column: str) -> Job:
+        return Job(LOOP.run(self._table.refresh_column_async(column)))

    def alter_columns(
        self, *alterations: Iterable[Dict[str, str]]
@@ -979,17 +990,39 @@ class RemoteTable(Table):
        return LOOP.run(self._table.set_unenforced_primary_key(columns))

    def set_lsm_write_spec(self, spec: "LsmWriteSpec") -> None:
-        """Not supported on LanceDB Cloud."""
+        """Install an LsmWriteSpec."""
        return LOOP.run(self._table.set_lsm_write_spec(spec))

    def unset_lsm_write_spec(self) -> None:
-        """Not supported on LanceDB Cloud."""
+        """Remove the LsmWriteSpec."""
        return LOOP.run(self._table.unset_lsm_write_spec())

    def get_lsm_write_spec(self) -> Optional["LsmWriteSpec"]:
        """Read the installed LsmWriteSpec, or ``None``."""
        return LOOP.run(self._table.get_lsm_write_spec())

+    def checkpoint_lsm(self) -> None:
+        """Synchronous version of
+        [`AsyncTable.checkpoint_lsm`][lancedb.AsyncTable.checkpoint_lsm]."""
+        return LOOP.run(self._table.checkpoint_lsm())
+
+    def flush_lsm(self) -> None:
+        """Synchronous version of
+        [`AsyncTable.flush_lsm`][lancedb.AsyncTable.flush_lsm]."""
+        return LOOP.run(self._table.flush_lsm())
+
+    def compact_lsm(self) -> None:
+        """Synchronous version of
+        [`AsyncTable.compact_lsm`][lancedb.AsyncTable.compact_lsm]."""
+        return LOOP.run(self._table.compact_lsm())
+
+    def get_lsm_stats(self, *, include_generation_rows: bool = False) -> Optional[dict]:
+        """Synchronous version of
+        [`AsyncTable.get_lsm_stats`][lancedb.AsyncTable.get_lsm_stats]."""
+        return LOOP.run(
+            self._table.get_lsm_stats(include_generation_rows=include_generation_rows)
+        )
+
    def close_lsm_writers(self) -> None:
        """No-op on LanceDB Cloud (no local shard writers)."""
        return LOOP.run(self._table.close_lsm_writers())
@@ -11,6 +11,11 @@ Provides StreamingDataset, a PyTorch IterableDataset that guarantees:
 - **Resumability**: state_dict / load_state_dict capture per-split consumption
  counts so training can resume from an exact mid-epoch position even when the
  distributed topology changes between runs.
+
+Transform failures on bad rows (e.g. nulls or NaNs from incomplete data) can
+be tolerated with ``on_transform_error="skip"``; see the parameter
+documentation on StreamingDataset for how this interacts with the guarantees
+above.
 """

 import ctypes
@@ -22,7 +27,7 @@ import time
 from collections import deque
 from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
 from multiprocessing import RawArray
-from typing import Any, Callable, Iterator, Optional
+from typing import Any, Callable, Iterator, Optional, Union

 from torch.utils.data import IterableDataset, get_worker_info

@@ -127,6 +132,49 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
        Maximum number of transforms to run concurrently.  Must be greater
        than zero.  When ``None`` (the default), uses ``os.cpu_count()`` or 1
        when the CPU count is unavailable.
+    on_transform_error:
+        What to do when the transform raises an exception:
+
+        - ``"raise"`` (the default): the exception propagates and iteration
+          aborts.
+        - ``"skip"``: the failing rows are dropped and iteration continues.
+        - ``"warn"``: like ``"skip"``, but a warning is logged for each
+          failing batch.
+        - a callable ``handler(exc) -> bool``: called with the exception;
+          return ``True`` to skip the failing rows or ``False`` to re-raise.
+          Useful to skip only expected error types (compatible with
+          ``webdataset.handlers`` style handlers).
+
+        When a batch fails, the transform is re-invoked on each single-row
+        slice of the batch so that only the rows that actually fail are
+        dropped.  Transforms should therefore be deterministic and accept
+        batches of any size (including one row).  Skipped rows are counted in
+        ``rows_skipped``.
+
+        Skipping weakens the elastic-determinism guarantee at the end of the
+        epoch: splits that lose more rows than others run dry earlier, and
+        each rank's iterator ends at the last cycle where every split *it
+        owns* still has a row.  Because bad rows are not distributed evenly
+        across splits, this means one rank's iterator can yield noticeably
+        fewer or more steps than another rank's *in the same run* — there is
+        no cross-rank coordination that stops every rank at the same global
+        step.  This is generally safe for asynchronous or single-rank use,
+        but synchronous distributed training (e.g. ranks that call
+        ``all_reduce`` every step) can hang or deadlock if one rank's
+        iterator is exhausted while others are still stepping; callers doing
+        synchronous multi-rank training with ``on_transform_error != "raise"``
+        are responsible for their own cross-rank stopping mechanism (e.g.
+        broadcasting a stop signal on ``StopIteration``).  The final few
+        global steps can also differ across topologies (bounded by the skew
+        in bad-row counts across splits).  The sequence of samples yielded
+        from each split remains deterministic.  Mid-epoch
+        checkpoints remain exact provided the transform fails
+        deterministically; in multi-rank training each rank must save its
+        own ``state_dict`` and the states must be combined with
+        ``merge_state_dicts`` before resuming on a different topology.
+        Prefer the ``filter`` parameter when bad rows can be expressed as a
+        SQL predicate (e.g. ``"col IS NOT NULL"``) — filtering happens before
+        splits are built, so every guarantee is fully preserved.
    worker_info_override:
        If set, used in place of ``torch.utils.data.get_worker_info()`` to
        determine the DataLoader worker assignment.  Intended for unit tests
@@ -152,6 +200,7 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
        filter: Optional[str] = None,
        transform: Optional[Callable] = None,
        transform_parallelism: Optional[int] = None,
+        on_transform_error: Union[str, Callable[[Exception], bool]] = "raise",
        connection_factory: Optional[Callable[[str], Any]] = None,
        worker_info_override=None,
    ):
@@ -167,6 +216,13 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
            )
        if transform_parallelism is not None and transform_parallelism <= 0:
            raise ValueError("transform_parallelism must be greater than 0")
+        if on_transform_error not in ("raise", "skip", "warn") and not callable(
+            on_transform_error
+        ):
+            raise ValueError(
+                "on_transform_error must be 'raise', 'skip', 'warn', or a "
+                f"callable, got {on_transform_error!r}"
+            )

        self._table = table
        self._num_splits = num_splits
@@ -182,6 +238,7 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
        self._filter = filter
        self._transform = transform
        self._transform_parallelism = transform_parallelism
+        self._on_transform_error = on_transform_error
        self._connection_factory = connection_factory
        self._worker_info_override = worker_info_override

@@ -199,19 +256,28 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
        # in the main process.  RawArray is picklable via the forkserver
        # reduction protocol so it survives the dataset pickle round-trip.
        # Layout: [unscanned_rows, raw_rows, cooked_rows, consumed_rows,
-        #          bytes_loaded, fetch_time_us, transform_time_us]
-        self._worker_stats: RawArray = RawArray(ctypes.c_int64, 7)
+        #          bytes_loaded, fetch_time_us, transform_time_us,
+        #          rows_skipped]
+        self._worker_stats: RawArray = RawArray(ctypes.c_int64, 8)

        # Cumulative bytes of Arrow buffer data fetched across all iterations.
        self._bytes_loaded: int = 0
        # Cumulative seconds spent in LanceDB I/O and in transform functions.
        self._fetch_time: float = 0.0
        self._transform_time: float = 0.0
+        # Cumulative rows dropped by on_transform_error across all iterations.
+        self._rows_skipped: int = 0

        # Number of samples each split has already been consumed.  At global
        # step boundaries all splits have consumed this many samples, so a
        # single scalar captures the topology-independent checkpoint state.
        self._resume_offset: int = 0
+        # Permutation position each split has consumed through, keyed by
+        # global split index.  Equal to _resume_offset for every split unless
+        # on_transform_error skipped rows, in which case skipped positions
+        # push the watermark of the affected splits further ahead.  Splits
+        # this instance has never iterated have no entry.
+        self._resume_positions: dict[int, int] = {}

        # Build the permutation table once, deterministically.
        builder = permutation_builder(table)
@@ -275,6 +341,7 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
        # Set identity transform on each Permutation so __getitems__ returns
        # the raw RecordBatch.  Stage 2 applies the real transform.
        permutations: list[Permutation] = []
+        initial_positions: list[int] = []
        for split_idx in my_splits:
            perm = Permutation.from_tables(
                self._table, self._perm_table, split=split_idx
@@ -282,14 +349,20 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
            if self._columns is not None:
                perm = perm.select_columns(self._columns)
            perm = perm.with_transform(lambda batch: batch)
-            if self._resume_offset > 0:
-                perm = perm.with_skip(self._resume_offset)
+            start_pos = self._resume_positions.get(split_idx, self._resume_offset)
+            if start_pos > 0:
+                perm = perm.with_skip(start_pos)
+            initial_positions.append(start_pos)
            permutations.append(perm)

        n = len(permutations)
        split_sizes = [perm.num_rows for perm in permutations]
        initial_offset = self._resume_offset
        local_consumed = [0] * n
+        # Permutation position each split has consumed through (absolute,
+        # i.e. counted from the start of the unskipped split).  Runs ahead of
+        # initial + local_consumed when rows are skipped.
+        pos_consumed = list(initial_positions)

        batch_size = self._read_batch_size
        max_prefetch = self._prefetch_batches
@@ -302,12 +375,14 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
            self._transform if self._transform is not None else Transforms.arrow2python
        )

-        # Per-split pipeline state.
+        # Per-split pipeline state.  Batches are paired with the absolute
+        # permutation position of their first row so that skipped rows can be
+        # accounted for in pos_consumed.
        fetch_head = [0] * n
-        io_pending = [deque() for _ in range(n)]  # Future[RecordBatch]
-        raw_batches = [deque() for _ in range(n)]  # RecordBatch — fetched, awaiting tx
-        tx_pending = [deque() for _ in range(n)]  # Future[list[Any]]
-        cooked = [deque() for _ in range(n)]  # rows ready to yield
+        io_pending = [deque() for _ in range(n)]  # (abs_start, Future[RecordBatch])
+        raw_batches = [deque() for _ in range(n)]  # (abs_start, RecordBatch)
+        tx_pending = [deque() for _ in range(n)]  # Future[list[(abs_pos, row)]]
+        cooked = [deque() for _ in range(n)]  # (abs_pos, row) ready to yield

        # Limit simultaneous transforms to transform_workers across all splits.
        tx_semaphore = threading.Semaphore(transform_workers)
@@ -330,7 +405,8 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
            fetch_head[i] += fetch
            perm_i = permutations[i]
            indices = list(range(start, start + fetch))
-            io_pending[i].append(io_pool.submit(_io_call, perm_i, indices))
+            abs_start = initial_positions[i] + start
+            io_pending[i].append((abs_start, io_pool.submit(_io_call, perm_i, indices)))

        def _fill_io(i: int) -> None:
            while len(io_pending[i]) < max_prefetch and fetch_head[i] < split_sizes[i]:
@@ -338,15 +414,72 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):

        def _drain_io(i: int) -> None:
            """Move completed I/O futures into raw_batches non-blockingly."""
-            while io_pending[i] and io_pending[i][0].done():
-                raw_batches[i].append(io_pending[i].popleft().result())
+            while io_pending[i] and io_pending[i][0][1].done():
+                abs_start, fut = io_pending[i].popleft()
+                raw_batches[i].append((abs_start, fut.result()))

        # ── Stage 2 helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────

-        def _tx_call_guarded(batch):
+        on_error = self._on_transform_error
+
+        def _should_skip(exc: Exception) -> bool:
+            if on_error == "raise":
+                return False
+            if callable(on_error):
+                return bool(on_error(exc))
+            return True  # "skip" or "warn"
+
+        def _check_row_count(rows: list, num_rows: int) -> None:
+            if len(rows) != num_rows:
+                raise ValueError(
+                    f"transform returned {len(rows)} rows for a batch of "
+                    f"{num_rows}; transforms must return exactly one output "
+                    "row per input row.  To drop bad rows, raise inside the "
+                    "transform and pass on_transform_error='skip'."
+                )
+
+        def _transform_isolated(abs_start, batch, batch_exc):
+            """Re-run the transform on single-row slices, dropping failures."""
+            out = []
+            skipped = 0
+            first_exc = None
+            for j in range(batch.num_rows):
+                try:
+                    rows = list(final_transform(batch.slice(j, 1)))
+                except Exception as exc:
+                    if not _should_skip(exc):
+                        raise
+                    skipped += 1
+                    if first_exc is None:
+                        first_exc = exc
+                    continue
+                _check_row_count(rows, 1)
+                out.append((abs_start + j, rows[0]))
+            self._rows_skipped += skipped
+            if skipped and on_error == "warn":
+                logger.warning(
+                    "Skipped %d of %d rows whose transform failed (first error: %r)",
+                    skipped,
+                    batch.num_rows,
+                    first_exc if first_exc is not None else batch_exc,
+                )
+            return out
+
+        def _transform_batch(abs_start, batch):
+            """Apply the transform, returning [(abs_pos, row), ...]."""
+            try:
+                rows = list(final_transform(batch))
+            except Exception as exc:
+                if not _should_skip(exc):
+                    raise
+                return _transform_isolated(abs_start, batch, exc)
+            _check_row_count(rows, batch.num_rows)
+            return [(abs_start + j, row) for j, row in enumerate(rows)]
+
+        def _tx_call_guarded(abs_start, batch):
            try:
                t0 = time.perf_counter()
-                result = final_transform(batch)
+                result = _transform_batch(abs_start, batch)
                self._transform_time += time.perf_counter() - t0
                return result
            finally:
@@ -355,8 +488,8 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
        def _try_submit_tx(i: int) -> None:
            """Submit transforms for raw_batches[i] up to available capacity."""
            while raw_batches[i] and tx_semaphore.acquire(blocking=False):
-                batch = raw_batches[i].popleft()
-                tx_pending[i].append(tx_pool.submit(_tx_call_guarded, batch))
+                abs_start, batch = raw_batches[i].popleft()
+                tx_pending[i].append(tx_pool.submit(_tx_call_guarded, abs_start, batch))

        def _drain_tx(i: int) -> None:
            """Move completed transform futures into cooked non-blockingly."""
@@ -384,11 +517,14 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
                    # Acquire a transform slot (may block briefly if all
                    # transform_workers are busy with other splits).
                    tx_semaphore.acquire()
-                    batch = raw_batches[i].popleft()
-                    tx_pending[i].append(tx_pool.submit(_tx_call_guarded, batch))
+                    abs_start, batch = raw_batches[i].popleft()
+                    tx_pending[i].append(
+                        tx_pool.submit(_tx_call_guarded, abs_start, batch)
+                    )
                elif io_pending[i]:
                    # Block on the oldest in-flight I/O fetch.
-                    raw_batches[i].append(io_pending[i].popleft().result())
+                    abs_start, fut = io_pending[i].popleft()
+                    raw_batches[i].append((abs_start, fut.result()))
                    _advance(i)
                else:
                    break  # split exhausted
@@ -407,15 +543,28 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
                        _fill_io(i)

                    while True:
-                        # Stop when any split is exhausted (all exhaust
-                        # simultaneously: equal split sizes + round-robin).
-                        if any(local_consumed[i] >= split_sizes[i] for i in range(n)):
+                        # A cycle only runs if every split can still produce a
+                        # row.  Without skips all splits exhaust simultaneously
+                        # (equal split sizes + round-robin); when
+                        # on_transform_error drops rows a split can run dry
+                        # early, ending the epoch at the last complete cycle.
+                        # This check only sees splits owned by this rank/worker
+                        # (my_splits) — there is no cross-rank coordination, so
+                        # a different rank with fewer skipped rows keeps going;
+                        # see the on_transform_error docstring.
+                        exhausted = False
+                        for i in range(n):
+                            _ensure_cooked(i)
+                            if not cooked[i]:
+                                exhausted = True
+                                break
+                        if exhausted:
                            break

                        for i in range(n):
-                            _ensure_cooked(i)
-                            row = cooked[i].popleft()
+                            pos, row = cooked[i].popleft()
                            local_consumed[i] += 1
+                            pos_consumed[i] = pos + 1
                            _advance(i)

                            # After the last split in each cycle: update the
@@ -424,21 +573,39 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
                            # even when __iter__ runs in a worker process.
                            if i == n - 1:
                                self._resume_offset = initial_offset + local_consumed[i]
+                                for j, split_idx in enumerate(my_splits):
+                                    self._resume_positions[split_idx] = pos_consumed[j]
                                ws = self._worker_stats
                                ws[0] = sum(
                                    split_sizes[j] - fetch_head[j] for j in range(n)
                                )
                                ws[1] = sum(
-                                    batch.num_rows for q in raw_batches for batch in q
+                                    batch.num_rows
+                                    for q in raw_batches
+                                    for _, batch in q
                                )
                                ws[2] = sum(len(q) for q in cooked)
                                ws[3] = sum(local_consumed)
                                ws[4] = self._bytes_loaded
                                ws[5] = int(self._fetch_time * 1_000_000)
                                ws[6] = int(self._transform_time * 1_000_000)
+                                ws[7] = self._rows_skipped

                            yield row
                finally:
+                    # Final stats flush: the per-cycle write above never runs
+                    # when iteration ends mid-cycle (e.g. a split whose rows
+                    # were all skipped before completing a single cycle), so
+                    # counters like rows_skipped would otherwise be stale.
+                    ws = self._worker_stats
+                    ws[0] = sum(split_sizes[j] - fetch_head[j] for j in range(n))
+                    ws[1] = 0  # queue-depth properties document 0 when idle
+                    ws[2] = 0
+                    ws[3] = sum(local_consumed)
+                    ws[4] = self._bytes_loaded
+                    ws[5] = int(self._fetch_time * 1_000_000)
+                    ws[6] = int(self._transform_time * 1_000_000)
+                    ws[7] = self._rows_skipped
                    self._raw_batches_ref = None
                    self._cooked_ref = None
                    self._fetch_head_ref = None
@@ -492,7 +659,7 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
        batches.  Returns 0 when not iterating.
        """
        if self._raw_batches_ref is not None:
-            return sum(batch.num_rows for q in self._raw_batches_ref for batch in q)
+            return sum(batch.num_rows for q in self._raw_batches_ref for _, batch in q)
        return int(self._worker_stats[1])

    @property
@@ -522,6 +689,19 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
            )
        return int(self._worker_stats[0])

+    @property
+    def rows_skipped(self) -> int:
+        """Number of rows dropped because their transform raised an exception.
+
+        Only ever non-zero when ``on_transform_error`` is set to ``"skip"``,
+        ``"warn"``, or a callable that returned ``True``.  Accumulates across
+        multiple iterations of the same dataset instance and is never reset
+        automatically.
+        """
+        if self._raw_batches_ref is not None:
+            return self._rows_skipped
+        return int(self._worker_stats[7])
+
    @property
    def consumed_rows(self) -> int:
        """Number of rows already yielded to the caller across all splits.
@@ -587,12 +767,27 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
        every split has been consumed the same number of times (by the
        round-robin design), so the per-split count is a single uniform value
        that is identical across all ranks and DataLoader workers.
+
+        ``positions_consumed_per_split`` records how far into each split's
+        permutation iteration has advanced.  It only differs from
+        ``samples_consumed_per_split`` when ``on_transform_error`` skipped
+        rows, in which case entries are exact for the splits this instance
+        iterated and a lower bound (the sample count) for splits owned by
+        other ranks or workers.  Combine the state dicts from all ranks with
+        [merge_state_dicts][lancedb.streaming.StreamingDataset.merge_state_dicts]
+        to recover the exact value for every split before resuming on a
+        different topology.
        """
+        positions = [
+            self._resume_positions.get(split, self._resume_offset)
+            for split in range(self._num_splits)
+        ]
        return {
            "shuffle_seed": self._shuffle_seed,
            "num_splits": self._num_splits,
            "epoch": self._epoch,
            "samples_consumed_per_split": [self._resume_offset] * self._num_splits,
+            "positions_consumed_per_split": positions,
        }

    def load_state_dict(self, state: dict) -> None:
@@ -618,3 +813,96 @@ class StreamingDataset(IterableDataset):
            self._resume_offset = consumed[0] if consumed else 0
        else:
            self._resume_offset = int(consumed)
+        # Older checkpoints predate positions_consumed_per_split; without
+        # skipped rows positions equal sample counts, so falling back to
+        # _resume_offset (the .get default in __iter__) is exact.
+        positions = state.get("positions_consumed_per_split")
+        if positions is None:
+            self._resume_positions = {}
+        else:
+            self._resume_positions = {
+                split: int(pos) for split, pos in enumerate(positions)
+            }
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def merge_state_dicts(states: list[dict]) -> dict:
+        """Merge state dicts saved by different ranks into one exact state.
+
+        Only needed when ``on_transform_error`` skips rows in multi-rank
+        training: each rank then knows the exact permutation position only for
+        its own splits, and records a lower bound for the rest.  Because
+        exactly one rank owns each split, the elementwise maximum across all
+        ranks' ``positions_consumed_per_split`` recovers the exact position of
+        every split.  Without skipped rows every rank's state is already
+        identical and merging is a no-op.
+
+        Raises ``ValueError`` if the states are empty or were not produced by
+        the same run (mismatched seed, split count, epoch, or sample counts).
+
+        The merge is always all-to-all and topology-agnostic: collect the
+        ``state_dict()`` from every rank of the *previous* run into one list,
+        merge that whole list, and hand the identical merged result to every
+        rank of the *next* run — regardless of whether the rank count grew,
+        shrank, or stayed the same. There is no pairwise or subset merging
+        step, because each split's exact position is only known to whichever
+        rank owned that split, and the elementwise maximum needs every rank's
+        contribution to be correct.
+
+        For example, checkpointing 8 ranks and resuming on 4 (the same
+        pattern applies when growing, e.g. 4 ranks resuming on 8)::
+
+            states = [ds.state_dict() for ds in previous_run_datasets]  # 8
+            merged = StreamingDataset.merge_state_dicts(states)
+            for ds in resumed_datasets:  # now only 4 ranks
+                ds.load_state_dict(merged)  # same dict on every rank
+
+        The rank count on either side never affects the merge itself, since
+        ``merge_state_dicts`` only cares about the list of states it is
+        given.  Each split's position is recovered by elementwise maximum;
+        here rank 0 owned split 0 (and skipped two rows there) while rank 1
+        owned split 1 (and skipped one row):
+
+        >>> rank0 = {
+        ...     "shuffle_seed": 0, "num_splits": 2, "epoch": 0,
+        ...     "samples_consumed_per_split": [3, 3],
+        ...     "positions_consumed_per_split": [5, 3],
+        ... }
+        >>> rank1 = {
+        ...     "shuffle_seed": 0, "num_splits": 2, "epoch": 0,
+        ...     "samples_consumed_per_split": [3, 3],
+        ...     "positions_consumed_per_split": [3, 4],
+        ... }
+        >>> merged = StreamingDataset.merge_state_dicts([rank0, rank1])
+        >>> merged["positions_consumed_per_split"]
+        [5, 4]
+        """
+        if not states:
+            raise ValueError("merge_state_dicts requires at least one state dict")
+        first = states[0]
+        for state in states[1:]:
+            for key in ("shuffle_seed", "num_splits", "epoch"):
+                if state[key] != first[key]:
+                    raise ValueError(
+                        f"{key} mismatch across state dicts: "
+                        f"{state[key]} != {first[key]}"
+                    )
+            if (
+                state["samples_consumed_per_split"]
+                != first["samples_consumed_per_split"]
+            ):
+                raise ValueError(
+                    "samples_consumed_per_split mismatch across state dicts; "
+                    "state_dict() must be called at the same global step "
+                    "boundary on every rank"
+                )
+        merged = dict(first)
+        all_positions = [
+            state.get(
+                "positions_consumed_per_split", state["samples_consumed_per_split"]
+            )
+            for state in states
+        ]
+        merged["positions_consumed_per_split"] = [
+            max(per_split) for per_split in zip(*all_positions)
+        ]
+        return merged
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
        CompactionStats,
        Tag,
        AddColumnsResult,
+        RefreshColumnResult,
        AddResult,
        AlterColumnsResult,
        UpdateFieldMetadataResult,
@@ -1916,7 +1917,14 @@ class Table(ABC):

    @abstractmethod
    def add_columns(
-        self, transforms: Dict[str, str] | pa.Field | List[pa.Field] | pa.Schema
+        self,
+        transforms: Dict[str, str]
+        | pa.Field
+        | List[pa.Field]
+        | pa.Schema
+        | None = None,
+        *,
+        computed: Dict[str, str] | None = None,
    ):
        """
        Add new columns with defined values.
@@ -1930,11 +1938,95 @@ class Table(ABC):
            Alternatively, a pyarrow Field or Schema can be provided to add
            new columns with the specified data types. The new columns will
            be initialized with null values.
+        computed: Dict[str, str], optional
+            A map of column name to a SQL expression defining the column. The
+            column's type and inputs are derived from the expression, so no
+            data type is supplied.
+
+            Unlike ``transforms``, the expression is stored rather than
+            evaluated now: the column is committed with no values, and rows get
+            them from [`refresh_column`][lancedb.table.Table.refresh_column].
+            Declaring one therefore costs the same on a large table as on an
+            empty one.
+
+            A refresh does not revisit rows it has already filled, so mutating
+            an input leaves the value computed at fill time; recomputing means
+            dropping the column and declaring it again. While a declaration
+            reads a column, that column cannot be renamed, retyped or dropped.
+
+            On LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise the expression is planned by the
+            server, and the refresh runs as a server job -- see
+            [`refresh_column_async`][lancedb.table.Table.refresh_column_async].
+            Cannot be combined with ``transforms``.

        Returns
        -------
        AddColumnsResult
            version: the new version number of the table after adding columns.
+
+        Examples
+        --------
+        >>> import lancedb
+        >>> db = lancedb.connect("./.lancedb")
+        >>> table = db.create_table("computed_demo", [{"x": 1}, {"x": 2}])
+        >>> table.add_columns(computed={"doubled": "x * 2"})
+        AddColumnsResult(version=2)
+        >>> table.refresh_column("doubled")
+        RefreshColumnResult(rows_filled=2, version=3)
+        >>> table.to_arrow().sort_by("x").to_pandas()
+           x  doubled
+        0  1        2
+        1  2        4
+        """
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def refresh_column(self, column: str) -> "RefreshColumnResult":
+        """
+        Fill the rows of a computed column that hold no value yet.
+
+        Declared with ``add_columns(computed=...)``, a column starts empty and
+        gets its values here. Rows appended since the last refresh are filled
+        by the next one; rows already filled are left as they are, so the call
+        is idempotent and does not observe a mutated input.
+
+        Local tables only: a remote refresh runs as a server job, through
+        [`refresh_column_async`][lancedb.table.Table.refresh_column_async].
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        column: str
+            The name of the computed column to fill.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        RefreshColumnResult
+            rows_filled: the number of rows given a value.
+            version: the new version number of the table.
+        """
+
+    @abstractmethod
+    def refresh_column_async(self, column: str) -> Job:
+        """
+        Like :meth:`refresh_column`, but returns a handle to the refresh job
+        instead of blocking until it completes.
+
+        The job may already be complete when returned; callers must not assume
+        the column is filled until :meth:`Job.wait` returns. Invalid input --
+        an unknown column, or one that is not computed -- raises here rather
+        than failing the job. On local tables the job runs in-process; on
+        LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise it is the server's backfill job.
+
+        Examples
+        --------
+        >>> import lancedb
+        >>> db = lancedb.connect("./.lancedb")
+        >>> table = db.create_table("computed_job_demo", [{"x": 1}, {"x": 2}])
+        >>> table.add_columns(computed={"doubled": "x * 2"})
+        AddColumnsResult(version=2)
+        >>> job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled")
+        >>> job.wait()
+        >>> job.status()
+        'finished'
        """

    @abstractmethod
@@ -3939,9 +4031,28 @@ class LanceTable(Table):
        return LOOP.run(self._table.index_stats(index_name))

    def add_columns(
-        self, transforms: Dict[str, str] | pa.field | List[pa.field] | pa.Schema
+        self,
+        transforms: Dict[str, str]
+        | pa.field
+        | List[pa.field]
+        | pa.Schema
+        | None = None,
+        *,
+        computed: Dict[str, str] | None = None,
    ) -> AddColumnsResult:
-        return LOOP.run(self._table.add_columns(transforms))
+        return LOOP.run(self._table.add_columns(transforms, computed=computed))
+
+    def refresh_column(self, column: str) -> "RefreshColumnResult":
+        """Fill a computed column's unfilled rows. See
+        [`AsyncTable.refresh_column`][lancedb.AsyncTable.refresh_column]."""
+        return LOOP.run(self._table.refresh_column(column))
+
+    def refresh_column_async(self, column: str) -> Job:
+        """Fill a computed column's unfilled rows, returning a handle to the
+        refresh job. See
+        [`Table.refresh_column_async`][lancedb.table.Table.refresh_column_async].
+        """
+        return Job(LOOP.run(self._table.refresh_column_async(column)))

    def alter_columns(
        self, *alterations: Iterable[Dict[str, str]]
@@ -4690,7 +4801,7 @@ class AsyncTable:

        Examples
        --------
-        >>> from lancedb._lancedb import LsmWriteSpec
+        >>> from lancedb import LsmWriteSpec
        >>> # table.set_unenforced_primary_key("id")
        >>> # table.set_lsm_write_spec(LsmWriteSpec.bucket("id", 16))
        """
@@ -4735,7 +4846,7 @@ class AsyncTable:
        ``asyncio.wait_for`` for a wall-clock bound; abandoning it partway
        costs nothing.
        """
-        return await self._inner.checkpoint_lsm()
+        await self._inner.checkpoint_lsm()

    async def flush_lsm(self) -> None:
        """Seal every bucket's active memtable into L0.
@@ -4744,7 +4855,7 @@ class AsyncTable:
        `compact_lsm`. On a node that has not claimed this table, this claims
        it and replays its WAL log first.
        """
-        return await self._inner.flush_lsm()
+        await self._inner.flush_lsm()

    async def compact_lsm(self) -> None:
        """Trigger a background L0 to base compaction pass per bucket.
@@ -4753,7 +4864,7 @@ class AsyncTable:
        ``get_lsm_stats`` for progress, or use ``checkpoint_lsm`` to loop
        until the current L0 has reached base.
        """
-        return await self._inner.compact_lsm()
+        await self._inner.compact_lsm()

    async def get_lsm_stats(
        self, *, include_generation_rows: bool = False
@@ -5856,7 +5967,14 @@ class AsyncTable:
        return await self._inner.update(updates_sql, where)

    async def add_columns(
-        self, transforms: dict[str, str] | pa.field | List[pa.field] | pa.Schema
+        self,
+        transforms: dict[str, str]
+        | pa.field
+        | List[pa.field]
+        | pa.Schema
+        | None = None,
+        *,
+        computed: dict[str, str] | None = None,
    ) -> AddColumnsResult:
        """
        Add new columns with defined values.
@@ -5869,6 +5987,22 @@ class AsyncTable:
            each row in the table, and can reference existing columns.
            Alternatively, you can pass a pyarrow field or schema to add
            new columns with NULLs.
+        computed: Dict[str, str], optional
+            A map of column name to a SQL expression defining the column. The
+            column's type and inputs are derived from the expression.
+
+            Unlike ``transforms``, the expression is stored rather than
+            evaluated now: the column is committed with no values, and rows get
+            them from
+            [`refresh_column`][lancedb.table.AsyncTable.refresh_column].
+
+            A refresh does not revisit rows it has already filled, so mutating
+            an input leaves the value computed at fill time. While a
+            declaration reads a column, that column cannot be renamed, retyped
+            or dropped.
+
+            On LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise the expression is planned by
+            the server. Cannot be combined with ``transforms``.

        Returns
        -------
@@ -5882,11 +6016,71 @@ class AsyncTable:
            {isinstance(f, pa.Field) for f in transforms}
        ):
            transforms = pa.schema(transforms)
+        if computed:
+            if transforms:
+                raise ValueError(
+                    "add_columns cannot take both transforms and computed columns"
+                )
+            return await self._inner.add_computed_columns(list(computed.items()))
+        if transforms is None:
+            raise ValueError("add_columns requires transforms or computed columns")
        if isinstance(transforms, pa.Schema):
            return await self._inner.add_columns_with_schema(transforms)
        else:
            return await self._inner.add_columns(list(transforms.items()))

+    async def refresh_column(self, column: str) -> RefreshColumnResult:
+        """
+        Fill the rows of a computed column that hold no value yet.
+
+        Declared with ``add_columns(computed=...)``, a column starts empty and
+        gets its values here. Rows appended since the last refresh are filled
+        by the next one; rows already filled are left as they are, so the call
+        is idempotent and does not observe a mutated input.
+
+        Local tables only: a remote refresh runs as a server job, through
+        [`refresh_column_async`][lancedb.table.Table.refresh_column_async].
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        column: str
+            The name of the computed column to fill.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        RefreshColumnResult
+            The number of rows filled and the new version of the table.
+        """
+        return await self._inner.refresh_column(column)
+
+    async def refresh_column_async(self, column: str) -> AsyncJob:
+        """
+        Like :meth:`refresh_column`, but returns a handle to the refresh job
+        instead of blocking until it completes.
+
+        The job may already be complete when returned; callers must not assume
+        the column is filled until :meth:`AsyncJob.wait` resolves. Invalid
+        input -- an unknown column, or one that is not computed -- raises here
+        rather than failing the job. On local tables the job runs
+        in-process; on LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise it is the server's
+        backfill job.
+
+        Examples
+        --------
+        >>> import asyncio
+        >>> import lancedb
+        >>> async def refresh_in_background():
+        ...     db = await lancedb.connect_async("./.lancedb")
+        ...     table = await db.create_table("computed_job_async_demo", [{"x": 1}])
+        ...     await table.add_columns(computed={"doubled": "x * 2"})
+        ...     job = await table.refresh_column_async("doubled")
+        ...     await job.wait()
+        ...     return await job.status()
+        >>> asyncio.run(refresh_in_background())
+        'finished'
+        """
+        return AsyncJob(await self._inner.refresh_column_async(column))
+
    async def alter_columns(
        self, *alterations: Iterable[dict[str, Any]]
    ) -> AlterColumnsResult:
@@ -755,8 +755,7 @@ def test_delete_table(tmp_db: lancedb.DBConnection):
    assert tmp_db.table_names() == []


-@pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_delete_table_async(tmp_db: lancedb.DBConnection):
+def test_drop_table_async(tmp_db: lancedb.DBConnection):
    data = pd.DataFrame(
        {
            "vector": [[3.1, 4.1], [5.9, 26.5]],
@@ -772,7 +771,10 @@ async def test_delete_table_async(tmp_db: lancedb.DBConnection):

    assert tmp_db.table_names() == ["test"]

-    tmp_db.drop_table("test")
+    job = tmp_db.drop_table_async("test")
+    assert job.id is None
+    assert job.status() == "finished"
+    job.wait()
    assert tmp_db.table_names() == []

    tmp_db.create_table("test", data=data)
@@ -781,6 +783,17 @@ async def test_delete_table_async(tmp_db: lancedb.DBConnection):
    tmp_db.drop_table("does_not_exist", ignore_missing=True)


+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_drop_table_async_connection(tmp_db_async: lancedb.AsyncConnection):
+    await tmp_db_async.create_table("test", data=pa.table({"id": [1, 2]}))
+
+    job = await tmp_db_async.drop_table_async("test")
+    assert job.id is None
+    assert await job.status() == "finished"
+    await job.wait()
+    assert await tmp_db_async.table_names() == []
+
+
 def test_drop_database(tmp_db: lancedb.DBConnection):
    data = pd.DataFrame(
        {
@@ -1456,6 +1456,408 @@ def test_shuffle_clump_size_yields_all_rows(lance_table):
    )


+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# on_transform_error tests
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class BadRowError(ValueError):
+    """Raised by the failing transforms below when a batch contains a bad id."""
+
+
+def _failing_transform(bad_ids: set):
+    """A transform that raises BadRowError whenever the batch has a bad id.
+
+    Raises on the full batch and on any single-row slice containing a bad id,
+    so per-row isolation drops exactly the bad rows.
+    """
+
+    def transform(batch: pa.RecordBatch) -> list:
+        ids = batch.column("id").to_pylist()
+        bad = sorted(set(ids) & bad_ids)
+        if bad:
+            raise BadRowError(f"bad ids in batch: {bad}")
+        return [{"id": i} for i in ids]
+
+    return transform
+
+
+def _sequential_split_members(table) -> list[list[int]]:
+    """Return each split's ids in yield order for shuffle=False.
+
+    With a single rank and no workers the round-robin yields one row per split
+    per cycle, so item k of a clean run belongs to split k % NUM_SPLITS.
+    """
+    ds = StreamingDataset(table, num_splits=NUM_SPLITS, shuffle=False)
+    members: list[list[int]] = [[] for _ in range(NUM_SPLITS)]
+    for k, row in enumerate(ds):
+        members[k % NUM_SPLITS].append(row["id"])
+    return members
+
+
+def test_on_transform_error_default_raises(lance_table):
+    """By default a transform exception propagates and aborts iteration."""
+    ds = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table,
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle_seed=SHUFFLE_SEED,
+        transform=_failing_transform({7}),
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(BadRowError):
+        list(ds)
+
+
+def test_on_transform_error_invalid_value(lance_table):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="on_transform_error"):
+        StreamingDataset(lance_table, num_splits=NUM_SPLITS, on_transform_error="bogus")
+
+
+def test_on_transform_error_skip_drops_bad_rows(lance_table):
+    """With one bad row per split, 'skip' yields every good row exactly once
+    and counts the dropped rows in rows_skipped."""
+    members = _sequential_split_members(lance_table)
+    bad_ids = {members[i][4] for i in range(NUM_SPLITS)}
+
+    ds = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table,
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle=False,
+        transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+        on_transform_error="skip",
+    )
+    assert ds.rows_skipped == 0
+
+    ids = [row["id"] for row in ds]
+
+    assert sorted(ids) == sorted(set(range(NUM_ROWS)) - bad_ids)
+    assert ds.rows_skipped == NUM_SPLITS
+
+
+def test_on_transform_error_skip_uneven_ends_at_last_complete_cycle(lance_table):
+    """When one split loses more rows than the others, the epoch ends at the
+    last cycle where every split still has a row — no crash, no bad rows, and
+    every step remains one sample per split."""
+    members = _sequential_split_members(lance_table)
+    bad_ids = set(members[0][:3])  # all 3 bad rows in split 0
+
+    ds = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table,
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle=False,
+        transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+        on_transform_error="skip",
+    )
+    items = [row["id"] for row in ds]
+
+    rows_per_split = NUM_ROWS // NUM_SPLITS
+    expected_cycles = rows_per_split - len(bad_ids)
+    assert len(items) == expected_cycles * NUM_SPLITS
+    assert len(set(items)) == len(items), "duplicate samples yielded"
+    assert not set(items) & bad_ids, "a bad row was yielded"
+    # Split 0 contributed exactly its surviving rows, in order, one per cycle.
+    survivors = [i for i in members[0] if i not in bad_ids]
+    assert items[0::NUM_SPLITS] == survivors[:expected_cycles]
+
+
+def test_on_transform_error_warn_logs(lance_table, caplog):
+    """'warn' skips like 'skip' but logs a warning for the failing batch."""
+    members = _sequential_split_members(lance_table)
+    bad_ids = {members[i][3] for i in range(NUM_SPLITS)}
+
+    ds = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table,
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle=False,
+        transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+        on_transform_error="warn",
+    )
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.WARNING, logger="lancedb.streaming"):
+        items = list(ds)
+
+    assert len(items) == NUM_ROWS - NUM_SPLITS
+    assert ds.rows_skipped == NUM_SPLITS
+    assert "Skipped" in caplog.text
+    assert "BadRowError" in caplog.text
+
+
+def test_on_transform_error_callable_selective(lance_table):
+    """A callable handler can skip expected errors and re-raise the rest."""
+    members = _sequential_split_members(lance_table)
+    bad_ids = {members[i][0] for i in range(NUM_SPLITS)}
+
+    handled: list[Exception] = []
+
+    def handler(exc: Exception) -> bool:
+        handled.append(exc)
+        return isinstance(exc, BadRowError)
+
+    ds = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table,
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle=False,
+        transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+        on_transform_error=handler,
+    )
+    items = list(ds)
+    assert len(items) == NUM_ROWS - NUM_SPLITS
+    assert handled and all(isinstance(exc, BadRowError) for exc in handled)
+
+    def broken_transform(batch: pa.RecordBatch) -> list:
+        raise TypeError("boom")
+
+    ds2 = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table,
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle=False,
+        transform=broken_transform,
+        on_transform_error=handler,
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError, match="boom"):
+        list(ds2)
+
+
+def test_transform_wrong_row_count_raises(lance_table):
+    """A transform that returns the wrong number of rows is an error even with
+    on_transform_error='skip' — silent shrinkage would corrupt accounting."""
+
+    def drops_rows(batch: pa.RecordBatch) -> list:
+        return batch.column("id").to_pylist()[:-1]
+
+    ds = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table,
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle_seed=SHUFFLE_SEED,
+        transform=drops_rows,
+        on_transform_error="skip",
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="one output row per input row"):
+        list(ds)
+
+
+def test_skip_deterministic_across_runs(lance_table):
+    """With a fixed seed, skipping produces the identical sample sequence on
+    every run — skips are data-dependent, not run-dependent."""
+    bad_ids = {5, 17, 46}
+
+    def run() -> tuple[list[int], int]:
+        ds = StreamingDataset(
+            lance_table,
+            num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+            shuffle_seed=SHUFFLE_SEED,
+            transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+            on_transform_error="skip",
+        )
+        return [row["id"] for row in ds], ds.rows_skipped
+
+    ids_a, skipped_a = run()
+    ids_b, skipped_b = run()
+    assert ids_a == ids_b
+    assert skipped_a == skipped_b
+    assert not set(ids_a) & bad_ids
+
+
+def test_skip_elastic_det_across_world_sizes(lance_table):
+    """With equal bad-row counts per split, skipping preserves the full
+    elastic-determinism guarantee: identical global batches at every step for
+    every compatible world_size."""
+    members = _sequential_split_members(lance_table)
+    bad_ids = {members[i][6] for i in range(NUM_SPLITS)}
+
+    def collect(world_size: int) -> list[frozenset[int]]:
+        micro = GLOBAL_BATCH_SIZE // world_size
+        iters = [
+            iter(
+                StreamingDataset(
+                    lance_table,
+                    num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+                    shuffle=False,
+                    rank=rank,
+                    world_size=world_size,
+                    transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+                    on_transform_error="skip",
+                )
+            )
+            for rank in range(world_size)
+        ]
+        _STOP = object()
+        batches: list[frozenset[int]] = []
+        while True:
+            step_samples: set[int] = set()
+            exhausted = 0
+            for it in iters:
+                for _ in range(micro):
+                    val = next(it, _STOP)
+                    if val is _STOP:
+                        exhausted += 1
+                        break
+                    step_samples.add(val["id"])
+            if exhausted == len(iters):
+                break
+            assert exhausted == 0, (
+                "Rank iterators exhausted at different steps despite equal "
+                "bad-row counts per split"
+            )
+            batches.append(frozenset(step_samples))
+        return batches
+
+    reference = collect(1)
+    assert len(reference) == NUM_ROWS // NUM_SPLITS - 1
+    for ws in (2, 3, 4):
+        assert collect(ws) == reference, f"world_size={ws} diverged"
+
+
+def test_resumability_with_skips_same_topology(lance_table):
+    """Checkpointing mid-epoch with skipped rows resumes exactly: no sample
+    repeated, no sample lost, skipped rows stay skipped."""
+    members = _sequential_split_members(lance_table)
+    # Uneven skips: positions diverge across splits (2 bad in split 0, 1 in
+    # split 5), which only a position-based checkpoint can resume exactly.
+    bad_ids = {members[0][2], members[0][3], members[5][7]}
+    kwargs = dict(
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle=False,
+        transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+        on_transform_error="skip",
+    )
+
+    reference = [row["id"] for row in StreamingDataset(lance_table, **kwargs)]
+    rows_per_split = NUM_ROWS // NUM_SPLITS
+    assert len(reference) == (rows_per_split - 2) * NUM_SPLITS
+
+    steps = 3
+    ds = StreamingDataset(lance_table, **kwargs)
+    it = iter(ds)
+    consumed = [next(it)["id"] for _ in range(steps * NUM_SPLITS)]
+    checkpoint = ds.state_dict()
+    it.close()
+
+    # Split 0 skipped positions 2 and 3 within its first 3 yields; split 5's
+    # bad row is beyond the checkpoint.  Everything else is at 3 = the sample
+    # count.
+    positions = checkpoint["positions_consumed_per_split"]
+    assert positions[0] == 5
+    assert positions[1:] == [3] * (NUM_SPLITS - 1)
+    assert checkpoint["samples_consumed_per_split"] == [3] * NUM_SPLITS
+
+    ds2 = StreamingDataset(lance_table, **kwargs)
+    ds2.load_state_dict(checkpoint)
+    resumed = [row["id"] for row in ds2]
+
+    assert consumed == reference[: steps * NUM_SPLITS]
+    assert resumed == reference[steps * NUM_SPLITS :]
+
+
+def test_resumability_with_skips_elastic_merge(lance_table):
+    """Elastic resume with skips: each rank's checkpoint knows exact positions
+    only for its own splits; merge_state_dicts recovers the global state, and
+    a run on a different world_size continues exactly."""
+    members = _sequential_split_members(lance_table)
+    # Bad rows early in split 0 (rank 0) and split 6 (rank 1 of a ws=2 run) so
+    # both ranks' position vectors diverge before the checkpoint.
+    bad_ids = {members[0][0], members[0][2], members[6][1]}
+    kwargs = dict(
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle=False,
+        transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+        on_transform_error="skip",
+    )
+
+    reference = [row["id"] for row in StreamingDataset(lance_table, **kwargs)]
+
+    steps = 3
+    world_size = 2
+    micro = GLOBAL_BATCH_SIZE // world_size
+    datasets = [
+        StreamingDataset(lance_table, rank=rank, world_size=world_size, **kwargs)
+        for rank in range(world_size)
+    ]
+    iters = [iter(ds) for ds in datasets]
+    seen: list[frozenset[int]] = []
+    for _ in range(steps):
+        step_samples = set()
+        for it in iters:
+            for _ in range(micro):
+                step_samples.add(next(it)["id"])
+        seen.append(frozenset(step_samples))
+    states = [ds.state_dict() for ds in datasets]
+    for it in iters:
+        it.close()
+
+    merged = StreamingDataset.merge_state_dicts(states)
+    expected_positions = [3] * NUM_SPLITS
+    expected_positions[0] = 5  # skipped positions 0 and 2
+    expected_positions[6] = 4  # skipped position 1
+    assert merged["positions_consumed_per_split"] == expected_positions
+
+    # The first 3 global batches match the world_size=1 reference.
+    ref_batches = [
+        frozenset(reference[s * NUM_SPLITS : (s + 1) * NUM_SPLITS])
+        for s in range(len(reference) // NUM_SPLITS)
+    ]
+    assert seen == ref_batches[:steps]
+
+    # Resume on world_size=1 from the merged state.
+    ds_resume = StreamingDataset(lance_table, **kwargs)
+    ds_resume.load_state_dict(merged)
+    resumed = [row["id"] for row in ds_resume]
+    assert resumed == reference[steps * NUM_SPLITS :]
+
+
+def test_rows_skipped_flushed_when_split_entirely_bad(lance_table):
+    """A split whose rows all fail never completes a cycle, so the epoch ends
+    immediately — but rows_skipped must still report the drops after the
+    iterator exits (the shared-memory counter is flushed on exhaustion)."""
+    members = _sequential_split_members(lance_table)
+    bad_ids = set(members[0])  # every row of split 0 is bad
+
+    ds = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table,
+        num_splits=NUM_SPLITS,
+        shuffle=False,
+        transform=_failing_transform(bad_ids),
+        on_transform_error="skip",
+    )
+    assert list(ds) == []
+    assert ds.rows_skipped == len(bad_ids)
+
+
+def test_merge_state_dicts_validates_consistency(lance_table):
+    ds = StreamingDataset(lance_table, num_splits=NUM_SPLITS, shuffle_seed=SHUFFLE_SEED)
+    state = ds.state_dict()
+    other = dict(state, shuffle_seed=SHUFFLE_SEED + 1)
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="shuffle_seed mismatch"):
+        StreamingDataset.merge_state_dicts([state, other])
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="at least one"):
+        StreamingDataset.merge_state_dicts([])
+
+
+def test_load_state_dict_without_positions_key(lance_table):
+    """Checkpoints from before positions_consumed_per_split existed still
+    resume exactly (positions equal sample counts when nothing is skipped)."""
+    reference = [
+        row["id"]
+        for row in StreamingDataset(
+            lance_table, num_splits=NUM_SPLITS, shuffle_seed=SHUFFLE_SEED
+        )
+    ]
+
+    steps = 4
+    ds = StreamingDataset(lance_table, num_splits=NUM_SPLITS, shuffle_seed=SHUFFLE_SEED)
+    it = iter(ds)
+    for _ in range(steps * NUM_SPLITS):
+        next(it)
+    checkpoint = ds.state_dict()
+    it.close()
+    del checkpoint["positions_consumed_per_split"]
+
+    ds2 = StreamingDataset(
+        lance_table, num_splits=NUM_SPLITS, shuffle_seed=SHUFFLE_SEED
+    )
+    ds2.load_state_dict(checkpoint)
+    resumed = [row["id"] for row in ds2]
+    assert resumed == reference[steps * NUM_SPLITS :]
+
+
 def test_num_splits_defaults_to_world_size(lance_table):
    """Omitting num_splits gives world_size splits (one per rank)."""
    ds = StreamingDataset(
@@ -632,3 +632,101 @@ class TestExprBytesIntegration:
            .to_arrow()
        )
        assert result.num_rows == 2
+
+
+# ── datetime / timezone integration for lit() (issue #3262) ──────────────────
+
+
+class TestExprDatetimeTimezoneIntegration:
+    """Integration coverage for lit(datetime) against table timestamp columns.
+
+    PyArrow stores naive timestamps as UTC wall-clock microseconds. Python's
+    datetime.timestamp() treats naive values as *local* time, which used to
+    shift lit(naive) by the host UTC offset and break equality filters on
+    non-UTC machines. These cases lock the expected semantics.
+    """
+
+    def test_both_naive_match(self, tmp_path):
+        """Table naive + lit naive with the same wall clock must match."""
+        db = lancedb.connect(str(tmp_path / "naive"))
+        ts = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 10, 0, 0)
+        table = db.create_table(
+            "t", [{"id": 1, "ts": ts}, {"id": 2, "ts": datetime(2024, 7, 2, 10, 0, 0)}]
+        )
+        result = table.search().where(col("ts") == lit(ts)).to_list()
+        assert len(result) == 1
+        assert result[0]["id"] == 1
+
+    def test_both_same_timezone_match(self, tmp_path):
+        """Table UTC + lit UTC for the same instant must match."""
+        db = lancedb.connect(str(tmp_path / "utc"))
+        ts = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 10, 0, 0, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        table = db.create_table(
+            "t",
+            pa.table(
+                {
+                    "id": [1, 2],
+                    "ts": pa.array(
+                        [ts, datetime(2024, 7, 2, 10, 0, 0, tzinfo=timezone.utc)],
+                        type=pa.timestamp("us", tz="UTC"),
+                    ),
+                }
+            ),
+        )
+        result = table.search().where(col("ts") == lit(ts)).to_list()
+        assert len(result) == 1
+        assert result[0]["id"] == 1
+
+    def test_different_timezones_same_instant(self, tmp_path):
+        """UTC table row equals lit of the same instant in a different zone."""
+        db = lancedb.connect(str(tmp_path / "diff_tz"))
+        ts_utc = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 10, 0, 0, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        # Same instant as 06:00 in UTC-4
+        ts_est = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 6, 0, 0, tzinfo=timezone(timedelta(hours=-4)))
+        table = db.create_table(
+            "t",
+            pa.table(
+                {
+                    "id": [1],
+                    "ts": pa.array([ts_utc], type=pa.timestamp("us", tz="UTC")),
+                }
+            ),
+        )
+        result = table.search().where(col("ts") == lit(ts_est)).to_list()
+        assert len(result) == 1
+        assert result[0]["id"] == 1
+
+    def test_table_tz_literal_naive(self, tmp_path):
+        """UTC table + naive lit uses wall-clock equality (10:00 == 10:00 UTC)."""
+        db = lancedb.connect(str(tmp_path / "tz_naive"))
+        ts_utc = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 10, 0, 0, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        ts_naive = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 10, 0, 0)
+        table = db.create_table(
+            "t",
+            pa.table(
+                {
+                    "id": [1],
+                    "ts": pa.array([ts_utc], type=pa.timestamp("us", tz="UTC")),
+                }
+            ),
+        )
+        result = table.search().where(col("ts") == lit(ts_naive)).to_list()
+        assert len(result) == 1
+        assert result[0]["id"] == 1
+
+    def test_table_naive_literal_aware(self, tmp_path):
+        """Naive table + UTC lit with the same wall clock must match."""
+        db = lancedb.connect(str(tmp_path / "naive_aware"))
+        ts_naive = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 10, 0, 0)
+        ts_utc = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 10, 0, 0, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        table = db.create_table("t", [{"id": 1, "ts": ts_naive}])
+        result = table.search().where(col("ts") == lit(ts_utc)).to_list()
+        assert len(result) == 1
+        assert result[0]["id"] == 1
+
+    def test_naive_lit_sql_is_wall_clock_not_local_shifted(self):
+        """Regression: naive lit must not apply the host local UTC offset."""
+        ts = datetime(2024, 7, 1, 10, 0, 0)
+        sql = lit(ts).to_sql()
+        # Must encode 10:00 wall clock, not 10:00+local_offset.
+        assert "2024-07-01 10:00:00" in sql
@@ -203,6 +203,31 @@ async def test_async_hybrid_query_default_limit(table: AsyncTable):
    assert texts.count("a") == 1


+def test_hybrid_query_offset(sync_table: Table):
+    # The offset window of a hybrid query must be a suffix of the same query
+    # run without an offset -- it must not be silently ignored.
+    full = (
+        sync_table.search(query_type="hybrid")
+        .vector([0.0, 0.4])
+        .text("dog")
+        .limit(4)
+        .with_row_id(True)
+        .to_arrow()
+    )
+    assert len(full) == 4
+
+    offset_result = (
+        sync_table.search(query_type="hybrid")
+        .vector([0.0, 0.4])
+        .text("dog")
+        .offset(2)
+        .limit(2)
+        .with_row_id(True)
+        .to_arrow()
+    )
+    assert offset_result["_rowid"].to_pylist() == full["_rowid"].to_pylist()[2:]
+
+
 def test_hybrid_query_minimum_nprobes_zero_raises(sync_table: Table):
    # minimum_nprobes(0) must raise the same validation error a plain vector
    # query raises, not silently no-op because 0 is falsy.
@@ -1133,6 +1133,131 @@ def test_stats():
        assert res == stats


+@contextlib.contextmanager
+def lsm_test_table(lsm_handler):
+    """A remote table whose LSM routes are served by ``lsm_handler``.
+
+    ``lsm_handler(request, route)`` is called for ``/v1/table/test/<route>/``
+    where route is one of flush_lsm, compact_lsm, get_lsm_stats, and is
+    responsible for writing the response.
+    """
+    routes = ("flush_lsm", "compact_lsm", "get_lsm_stats")
+
+    def handler(request):
+        match = re.fullmatch(r"/v1/table/test/(\w+)/", request.path)
+        route = match.group(1) if match else None
+        if route in routes:
+            lsm_handler(request, route)
+        elif route == "describe":
+            request.send_response(200)
+            request.send_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+            request.end_headers()
+            request.wfile.write(b'{"version": 1, "schema": {"fields": []}}')
+        else:
+            request.send_response(404)
+            request.end_headers()
+
+    with mock_lancedb_connection(handler) as db:
+        yield db.open_table("test")
+
+
+def read_json_body(request):
+    content_len = int(request.headers.get("Content-Length"))
+    return json.loads(request.rfile.read(content_len))
+
+
+def send_json(request, payload, status=200):
+    request.send_response(status)
+    request.send_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+    request.end_headers()
+    request.wfile.write(json.dumps(payload).encode())
+
+
+def test_get_lsm_stats_sync():
+    """The sync wrapper round-trips the server payload into a dict."""
+    bucket = {
+        "shard_id": "b0",
+        "status": "Active",
+        "writer_epoch": 3,
+        "manifest_version": 12,
+        "current_generation": 6,
+        "replay_after_wal_entry_position": 40,
+        "wal_entry_position_last_seen": 42,
+        "generations": [{"generation": 5, "bytes": 1024, "rows": 7}],
+        "compacting": False,
+        "memtables": [
+            {
+                "generation": 6,
+                "rows": 2,
+                "bytes": 64,
+                "batches": 1,
+                "indexes": ["vec_idx"],
+            }
+        ],
+    }
+    seen_bodies = []
+
+    def lsm_handler(request, route):
+        assert route == "get_lsm_stats"
+        seen_bodies.append(read_json_body(request))
+        send_json(request, {"lsm_stats": {"buckets": [bucket]}})
+
+    with lsm_test_table(lsm_handler) as table:
+        assert table.get_lsm_stats() == {"buckets": [bucket]}
+        # Off by default, and forwarded when asked for.
+        assert seen_bodies == [{"include_generation_rows": False}]
+        table.get_lsm_stats(include_generation_rows=True)
+        assert seen_bodies[-1] == {"include_generation_rows": True}
+
+
+def test_get_lsm_stats_sync_returns_none_when_lsm_disabled():
+    """A null envelope means the LSM write path is not enabled, not an error."""
+
+    def lsm_handler(request, route):
+        send_json(request, {"lsm_stats": None})
+
+    with lsm_test_table(lsm_handler) as table:
+        assert table.get_lsm_stats() is None
+
+
+def test_flush_and_compact_lsm_sync():
+    """Both are one-shot POSTs answered 202 with no body."""
+    called = []
+
+    def lsm_handler(request, route):
+        called.append(route)
+        request.send_response(202)
+        request.end_headers()
+
+    with lsm_test_table(lsm_handler) as table:
+        assert table.flush_lsm() is None
+        assert table.compact_lsm() is None
+        assert called == ["flush_lsm", "compact_lsm"]
+
+
+def test_checkpoint_lsm_sync():
+    """Seal, read the watermark, and return once L0 holds nothing.
+
+    The convergence loop itself is covered in Rust; this pins the sync
+    binding to the endpoints it drives.
+    """
+    called = []
+
+    def lsm_handler(request, route):
+        called.append(route)
+        if route == "get_lsm_stats":
+            # An empty L0 yields no target watermark, so the loop is done
+            # after the seal without ever polling compaction.
+            send_json(request, {"lsm_stats": {"buckets": []}})
+        else:
+            request.send_response(202)
+            request.end_headers()
+
+    with lsm_test_table(lsm_handler) as table:
+        assert table.checkpoint_lsm() is None
+        assert called == ["flush_lsm", "get_lsm_stats"]
+
+
@contextlib.contextmanager
 def query_test_table(query_handler, *, server_version=Version("0.1.0")):
    def handler(request):
@@ -3854,3 +3854,65 @@ async def test_async_search_runs_embedding_on_dedicated_executor(
    assert all(name.startswith("lancedb-embedding") for name in captured_threads), (
        f"embedding ran off the dedicated executor: {captured_threads}"
    )
+
+
+def test_computed_column_declare_and_refresh(tmp_path):
+    db = lancedb.connect(tmp_path)
+    table = db.create_table("computed", [{"x": 1}, {"x": 2}])
+
+    table.add_columns(computed={"doubled": "x * 2"})
+    assert table.to_arrow()["doubled"].to_pylist() == [None, None]
+
+    result = table.refresh_column("doubled")
+    assert result.rows_filled == 2
+    assert sorted(table.to_arrow()["doubled"].to_pylist()) == [2, 4]
+
+    table.add([{"x": 5}])
+    assert table.refresh_column("doubled").rows_filled == 1
+    assert sorted(table.to_arrow()["doubled"].to_pylist()) == [2, 4, 10]
+
+
+def test_computed_column_rejects_transforms_and_computed_together(tmp_path):
+    db = lancedb.connect(tmp_path)
+    table = db.create_table("computed_mixed", [{"x": 1}])
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        table.add_columns({"a": "x + 1"}, computed={"b": "x * 2"})
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_computed_column_async(tmp_path):
+    db = await lancedb.connect_async(tmp_path)
+    table = await db.create_table("computed_async", [{"x": 3}])
+
+    await table.add_columns(computed={"tripled": "x * 3"})
+    await table.refresh_column("tripled")
+
+    assert (await table.to_arrow())["tripled"].to_pylist() == [9]
+
+
+def test_refresh_column_async_returns_job(tmp_path):
+    db = lancedb.connect(tmp_path)
+    table = db.create_table("computed_job", [{"x": 1}, {"x": 2}])
+    table.add_columns(computed={"doubled": "x * 2"})
+
+    job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled")
+    assert job.id is None  # in-process jobs have no server id
+    job.wait()
+    assert job.status() == "finished"
+    assert sorted(table.to_arrow()["doubled"].to_pylist()) == [2, 4]
+
+    # Bad input raises at the call, not through the job.
+    with pytest.raises(Exception, match="not a computed column"):
+        table.refresh_column_async("x")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_refresh_column_async_job_async_table(tmp_path):
+    db = await lancedb.connect_async(tmp_path)
+    table = await db.create_table("computed_job_async", [{"x": 3}])
+    await table.add_columns(computed={"tripled": "x * 3"})
+
+    job = await table.refresh_column_async("tripled")
+    await job.wait()
+    assert await job.status() == "finished"
+    assert (await table.to_arrow())["tripled"].to_pylist() == [9]
@@ -121,6 +121,8 @@ impl Connection {
    }

    #[pyo3(signature = (namespace_path=None, start_after=None, limit=None))]
+    // Deprecated in favour of `list_tables`, but still exposed to Python.
+    #[allow(deprecated)]
    pub fn table_names(
        self_: PyRef<'_, Self>,
        namespace_path: Option<Vec<String>>,
@@ -346,6 +348,23 @@ impl Connection {
        })
    }

+    #[pyo3(signature = (name, namespace_path=None))]
+    pub fn drop_table_async(
+        self_: PyRef<'_, Self>,
+        name: String,
+        namespace_path: Option<Vec<String>>,
+    ) -> PyResult<Bound<'_, PyAny>> {
+        let inner = self_.get_inner()?.clone();
+        let ns_path = namespace_path.unwrap_or_default();
+        future_into_py(self_.py(), async move {
+            inner
+                .drop_table_async(name, &ns_path)
+                .await
+                .infer_error()
+                .map(crate::job::Job::new)
+        })
+    }
+
    #[pyo3(signature = (namespace_path=None,))]
    pub fn drop_all_tables(
        self_: PyRef<'_, Self>,
@@ -505,14 +524,17 @@ impl Connection {
        let inner = self_.get_inner()?.clone();
        let py = self_.py();
        future_into_py(py, async move {
-            use lance_namespace::models::ListTablesRequest;
-            let request = ListTablesRequest {
-                id: namespace_path,
-                page_token,
-                limit: limit.map(|l| l as i32),
-                ..Default::default()
-            };
-            let response = inner.list_tables(request).await.infer_error()?;
+            let mut request = inner.list_tables();
+            if let Some(namespace_path) = namespace_path {
+                request = request.namespace(namespace_path);
+            }
+            if let Some(page_token) = page_token {
+                request = request.page_token(page_token);
+            }
+            if let Some(limit) = limit {
+                request = request.limit(limit);
+            }
+            let response = request.execute().await.infer_error()?;
            Python::attach(|py| -> PyResult<Py<PyDict>> {
                let dict = PyDict::new(py);
                dict.set_item("tables", response.tables)?;
@@ -191,8 +191,27 @@ pub fn expr_lit(value: Bound<'_, PyAny>) -> PyResult<PyExpr> {
    }

    // datetime.datetime is a subclass of datetime.date, so it must be checked first.
+    //
+    // Python's datetime.timestamp() treats *naive* datetimes as local wall time.
+    // PyArrow (and therefore Lance table storage) encodes naive timestamps as
+    // UTC wall-clock microseconds. Using .timestamp() for naive values therefore
+    // shifts the literal by the local UTC offset on non-UTC machines, so
+    // `col("ts") == lit(naive_dt)` fails against a table that holds the same
+    // naive value. Fix: treat naive datetimes as UTC wall clock (match Arrow);
+    // keep aware datetimes on the real .timestamp() path (correct epoch).
    if let Ok(dt) = value.cast::<PyDateTime>() {
-        let ts: f64 = dt.call_method0("timestamp")?.extract()?;
+        let ts: f64 = if dt.getattr("tzinfo")?.is_none() {
+            // Force UTC interpretation of the naive wall clock.
+            let utc = pyo3::types::PyModule::import(value.py(), "datetime")?
+                .getattr("timezone")?
+                .getattr("utc")?;
+            let kwargs = pyo3::types::PyDict::new(value.py());
+            kwargs.set_item("tzinfo", utc)?;
+            let aware = dt.call_method("replace", (), Some(&kwargs))?;
+            aware.call_method0("timestamp")?.extract()?
+        } else {
+            dt.call_method0("timestamp")?.extract()?
+        };
        let micros = (ts * 1_000_000.0).round() as i64;
        return Ok(PyExpr(df_lit(ScalarValue::TimestampMicrosecond(
            Some(micros),
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ struct IvfHnswFlatParams {
    target_partition_size: Option<u32>,
 }

-#[pyclass(get_all)]
+#[pyclass(module = "lancedb._lancedb", get_all)]
 /// A description of an index currently configured on a column
 pub struct IndexConfig {
    /// The type of the index
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ use query::{FTSQuery, HybridQuery, Query, VectorQuery};
 use session::Session;
 use table::{
    AddColumnsResult, AddResult, AlterColumnsResult, DeleteResult, DropColumnsResult, FtsToken,
-    LsmWriteSpec, MergeResult, PyBlobFile, Table, UpdateFieldMetadataResult, UpdateResult,
+    LsmWriteSpec, MergeResult, PyBlobFile, RefreshColumnResult, Table, UpdateFieldMetadataResult,
+    UpdateResult,
 };

 pub mod arrow;
@@ -57,6 +58,7 @@ pub fn _lancedb(_py: Python, m: &Bound<'_, PyModule>) -> PyResult<()> {
    m.add_class::<VectorQuery>()?;
    m.add_class::<RecordBatchStream>()?;
    m.add_class::<AddColumnsResult>()?;
+    m.add_class::<RefreshColumnResult>()?;
    m.add_class::<AlterColumnsResult>()?;
    m.add_class::<UpdateFieldMetadataResult>()?;
    m.add_class::<AddResult>()?;
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use pyo3::{PyResult, pyclass, pymethods};
 /// Sessions allow you to configure cache sizes for index and metadata caches,
 /// which can significantly impact memory use and performance. They can
 /// also be re-used across multiple connections to share the same cache state.
-#[pyclass(from_py_object)]
+#[pyclass(module = "lancedb._lancedb", from_py_object)]
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct Session {
    pub(crate) inner: Arc<LanceSession>,
@@ -415,6 +415,32 @@ pub struct AddColumnsResult {
    pub version: u64,
 }

+#[pyclass(get_all, from_py_object)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct RefreshColumnResult {
+    pub rows_filled: u64,
+    pub version: u64,
+}
+
+#[pymethods]
+impl RefreshColumnResult {
+    pub fn __repr__(&self) -> String {
+        format!(
+            "RefreshColumnResult(rows_filled={}, version={})",
+            self.rows_filled, self.version
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<lancedb::table::RefreshColumnResult> for RefreshColumnResult {
+    fn from(result: lancedb::table::RefreshColumnResult) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            rows_filled: result.rows_filled,
+            version: result.version,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[pymethods]
 impl AddColumnsResult {
    pub fn __repr__(&self) -> String {
@@ -579,7 +605,7 @@ impl PyBlobFile {
    }
 }

-#[pyclass(get_all, from_py_object)]
+#[pyclass(module = "lancedb._lancedb", get_all, from_py_object)]
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct FtsToken {
    pub text: String,
@@ -1510,6 +1536,40 @@ impl Table {
        })
    }

+    pub fn add_computed_columns(
+        self_: PyRef<'_, Self>,
+        columns: Vec<(String, String)>,
+    ) -> PyResult<Bound<'_, PyAny>> {
+        let inner = self_.inner_ref()?.clone();
+        future_into_py(self_.py(), async move {
+            let mut builder = inner.add_columns();
+            for (name, expression) in columns {
+                builder = builder.computed(name, expression);
+            }
+            let result = builder.execute().await.infer_error()?;
+            Ok(AddColumnsResult::from(result))
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn refresh_column(self_: PyRef<'_, Self>, column: String) -> PyResult<Bound<'_, PyAny>> {
+        let inner = self_.inner_ref()?.clone();
+        future_into_py(self_.py(), async move {
+            let result = inner.refresh_column(column).await.infer_error()?;
+            Ok(RefreshColumnResult::from(result))
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn refresh_column_async(
+        self_: PyRef<'_, Self>,
+        column: String,
+    ) -> PyResult<Bound<'_, PyAny>> {
+        let inner = self_.inner_ref()?.clone();
+        future_into_py(self_.py(), async move {
+            let job = inner.refresh_column_async(column).await.infer_error()?;
+            Ok(crate::job::Job::new(job))
+        })
+    }
+
    pub fn add_columns_with_schema(
        self_: PyRef<'_, Self>,
        schema: PyArrowType<Schema>,
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "lancedb"
-version = "0.37.1-beta.1"
+version = "0.38.0-beta.2"
 edition.workspace = true
 description = "LanceDB: A serverless, low-latency vector database for AI applications"
 license.workspace = true
@@ -188,6 +188,9 @@ required-features = ["bedrock"]
 [[example]]
 name = "bench_streaming_dataloader"

+[[example]]
+name = "bench_open_missing_table"
+
 [[example]]
 name = "simple"

@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright The LanceDB Authors
+
+// Release benchmark for opening a missing table as sibling-table cardinality grows.
+//
+// The fixture uses real `.lance` directories and marker files. Fixture creation is
+// outside the timed section. Defaults intentionally cover 1k, 10k, and 100k siblings
+// with 10 warmups and 100 distinct missing-table opens per scale:
+//
+// ```text
+// cargo run --release -p lancedb --example bench_open_missing_table
+// ```
+//
+// `BENCH_SIBLINGS`, `BENCH_WARMUPS`, and `BENCH_TRIALS` override those defaults.
+// Reduced settings are useful only as a smoke test. Performance comparisons require
+// the same machine, filesystem, fixture sizes, settings, lockfile, and alternating
+// baseline/candidate execution order.
+
+use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
+
+use anyhow::{Context, Result, bail};
+use lancedb::connection::Connection;
+use lancedb::{Error, connect};
+use object_store::ObjectStoreExt as _;
+use object_store::path::Path;
+
+const MAX_SIBLINGS: usize = 1_000_000;
+const MAX_WARMUPS: usize = 10_000;
+const MAX_TRIALS: usize = 100_000;
+
+fn env_usize(key: &str, default: usize, max: usize) -> Result<usize> {
+    let value = match std::env::var(key) {
+        Ok(value) => value
+            .parse()
+            .with_context(|| format!("invalid {key} value: {value}"))?,
+        Err(std::env::VarError::NotPresent) => default,
+        Err(error) => return Err(error).with_context(|| format!("reading {key}")),
+    };
+    if value == 0 || value > max {
+        bail!("{key} must be between 1 and {max}");
+    }
+    Ok(value)
+}
+
+fn sibling_counts() -> Result<Vec<usize>> {
+    let raw = std::env::var("BENCH_SIBLINGS").unwrap_or_else(|_| "1000,10000,100000".into());
+    let mut counts = raw
+        .split(',')
+        .map(|value| {
+            value
+                .trim()
+                .parse::<usize>()
+                .with_context(|| format!("invalid BENCH_SIBLINGS value: {value}"))
+        })
+        .collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>()?;
+    counts.sort_unstable();
+    counts.dedup();
+    if counts.is_empty() || counts[0] == 0 || counts[counts.len() - 1] > MAX_SIBLINGS {
+        bail!("BENCH_SIBLINGS values must be between 1 and {MAX_SIBLINGS}");
+    }
+    Ok(counts)
+}
+
+async fn add_siblings(
+    store: &object_store::local::LocalFileSystem,
+    start: usize,
+    end: usize,
+) -> Result<()> {
+    for index in start..end {
+        let marker = Path::from(format!("sibling_{index:06}.lance/_marker"));
+        store
+            .put(&marker, bytes::Bytes::new().into())
+            .await
+            .with_context(|| format!("creating benchmark marker {marker}"))?;
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+async fn time_missing_open(db: &Connection, name: &str) -> Result<Duration> {
+    let started = Instant::now();
+    let result = db.open_table(name).execute().await;
+    let elapsed = started.elapsed();
+    match result {
+        Err(Error::TableNotFound { .. }) => Ok(elapsed),
+        Err(error) => bail!("expected TableNotFound for {name}, got {error:?}"),
+        Ok(_) => bail!("benchmark missing-table name unexpectedly exists: {name}"),
+    }
+}
+
+fn percentile(sorted: &[Duration], percentile: usize) -> Duration {
+    let rank = (sorted.len() * percentile).div_ceil(100).saturating_sub(1);
+    sorted[rank]
+}
+
+#[tokio::main]
+async fn main() -> Result<()> {
+    let counts = sibling_counts()?;
+    let warmups = env_usize("BENCH_WARMUPS", 10, MAX_WARMUPS)?;
+    let trials = env_usize("BENCH_TRIALS", 100, MAX_TRIALS)?;
+
+    let fixture = tempfile::tempdir().context("creating benchmark fixture")?;
+    let database_path = fixture.path();
+    let fixture_store = object_store::local::LocalFileSystem::new_with_prefix(database_path)
+        .context("creating benchmark object store")?;
+    let db = connect(database_path.to_str().context("non-UTF-8 fixture path")?)
+        .execute()
+        .await?;
+
+    println!(
+        "config: siblings={counts:?} warmups={warmups} trials={trials} profile={} os={} arch={}",
+        if cfg!(debug_assertions) {
+            "debug"
+        } else {
+            "release"
+        },
+        std::env::consts::OS,
+        std::env::consts::ARCH,
+    );
+    println!("lower is better; fixture setup and teardown are excluded");
+    println!("| siblings | samples | p50 | p95 | max |");
+    println!("| ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |");
+
+    let mut created = 0;
+    for sibling_count in counts {
+        add_siblings(&fixture_store, created, sibling_count).await?;
+        created = sibling_count;
+
+        for index in 0..warmups {
+            let name = format!("__missing_warmup_{sibling_count}_{index}");
+            let _ = time_missing_open(&db, &name).await?;
+        }
+
+        let mut samples = Vec::with_capacity(trials);
+        for index in 0..trials {
+            let name = format!("__missing_trial_{sibling_count}_{index}");
+            samples.push(time_missing_open(&db, &name).await?);
+        }
+        samples.sort_unstable();
+
+        println!(
+            "| {sibling_count} | {} | {:?} | {:?} | {:?} |",
+            samples.len(),
+            percentile(&samples, 50),
+            percentile(&samples, 95),
+            samples[samples.len() - 1],
+        );
+    }
+
+    Ok(())
+}
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
    // --8<-- [end:connect]

    // --8<-- [start:list_names]
-    println!("{:?}", db.table_names().execute().await?);
+    println!("{:?}", db.list_tables().execute().await?.tables);
    // --8<-- [end:list_names]
    let tbl = create_table(&db).await?;
    create_index(&tbl).await?;
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ use arrow_array::builder::LargeBinaryBuilder;
 use arrow_schema::{DataType, Field, Schema};
 use lance::dataset::{BlobRangeRequest as LanceBlobRangeRequest, Dataset, WriteParams};
 use lance_arrow::FieldExt;
-use lance_file::version::LanceFileVersion;
+use lance_file::version::{ConcreteFileVersion, LanceFileVersion};
 use lance_io::object_store::ObjectStore;
 use object_store::path::Path;

@@ -333,7 +333,10 @@ pub(crate) fn ensure_blob_storage_version(schema: &Schema, params: &mut WritePar
        .data_storage_version
        .unwrap_or(LanceFileVersion::Stable)
        .resolve();
-    if resolved < LanceFileVersion::V2_2 {
+    if matches!(
+        resolved,
+        ConcreteFileVersion::V1 | ConcreteFileVersion::V2_0 | ConcreteFileVersion::V2_1
+    ) {
        params.data_storage_version = Some(LanceFileVersion::V2_2);
    }
 }
@@ -499,7 +502,7 @@ mod tests {
        ensure_blob_storage_version(&blob_schema(), &mut params);
        assert_eq!(
            params.data_storage_version.unwrap().resolve(),
-            LanceFileVersion::V2_2
+            ConcreteFileVersion::V2_2
        );
    }

@@ -512,7 +515,7 @@ mod tests {
        ensure_blob_storage_version(&blob_schema(), &mut params);
        assert_eq!(
            params.data_storage_version.unwrap().resolve(),
-            LanceFileVersion::V2_2
+            ConcreteFileVersion::V2_2
        );
    }

@@ -73,11 +73,13 @@ fn set_storage_options_provider(
 }

 /// A builder for configuring a [`Connection::table_names`] operation
+#[deprecated(note = "Use Connection::list_tables instead")]
 pub struct TableNamesBuilder {
    parent: Arc<dyn Database>,
    request: TableNamesRequest,
 }

+#[allow(deprecated)]
 impl TableNamesBuilder {
    fn new(parent: Arc<dyn Database>) -> Self {
        Self {
@@ -115,6 +117,57 @@ impl TableNamesBuilder {
    }
 }

+/// A builder for configuring a [`Connection::list_tables`] operation
+pub struct ListTablesBuilder {
+    parent: Arc<dyn Database>,
+    request: ListTablesRequest,
+}
+
+impl ListTablesBuilder {
+    fn new(parent: Arc<dyn Database>) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            parent,
+            request: ListTablesRequest {
+                // The root namespace is an empty path, not an absent one: a
+                // namespace-backed database rejects a request that names no namespace.
+                id: Some(Vec::new()),
+                ..Default::default()
+            },
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Resume listing from a previous page.
+    ///
+    /// Pass the `page_token` from the previous [`ListTablesResponse`]. The token is
+    /// opaque: it carries whatever the database needs to resume, and callers should
+    /// not construct or interpret one. A response whose token is `None` or empty is
+    /// the end of the listing.
+    pub fn page_token(mut self, page_token: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
+        self.request.page_token = Some(page_token.into());
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// An upper bound on how many tables to return.
+    ///
+    /// A page may hold fewer than this and still not be the last one, so continue
+    /// while the response carries a page token rather than while pages are full.
+    pub fn limit(mut self, limit: u32) -> Self {
+        self.request.limit = Some(i32::try_from(limit).unwrap_or(i32::MAX));
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Set the namespace path to list tables from. Defaults to the root namespace.
+    pub fn namespace(mut self, namespace_path: Vec<String>) -> Self {
+        self.request.id = Some(namespace_path);
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Execute the list tables operation
+    pub async fn execute(self) -> Result<ListTablesResponse> {
+        self.parent.clone().list_tables(self.request).await
+    }
+}
+
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct OpenTableBuilder {
    parent: Arc<dyn Database>,
@@ -409,7 +462,14 @@ impl Connection {
    ///
    /// The names will be returned in lexicographical order (ascending)
    ///
-    /// The parameters `page_token` and `limit` can be used to paginate the results
+    /// Listing databases discover physical `*.lance` entries without opening every
+    /// dataset. The result is a point-in-time discovery snapshot: an entry may still be
+    /// under creation, may contain only uncommitted storage, or may be concurrently
+    /// dropped before it is opened.
+    ///
+    /// The parameters `start_after` and `limit` can be used to paginate the results
+    #[deprecated(note = "Use Connection::list_tables instead")]
+    #[allow(deprecated)]
    pub fn table_names(&self) -> TableNamesBuilder {
        TableNamesBuilder::new(self.internal.clone())
    }
@@ -456,10 +516,9 @@ impl Connection {
    ///
    /// # Returns
    /// Created [`TableRef`], or [`Error::TableNotFound`] if the table does not exist.
-    /// If the table's storage is present but holds no readable dataset (for example a
-    /// `<name>.lance` directory left behind by an interrupted drop and re-create, which
-    /// [`Self::table_names`] still lists) this returns [`Error::TableCorrupted`]
-    /// instead.
+    /// On listing databases, a committed Lance manifest is authoritative for table
+    /// existence. Uncommitted files or a physical `<name>.lance` directory alone do not
+    /// make a table openable.
    pub fn open_table(&self, name: impl Into<String>) -> OpenTableBuilder {
        OpenTableBuilder::new(
            self.internal.clone(),
@@ -561,6 +620,21 @@ impl Connection {
            .await
    }

+    /// Start dropping a table and return a handle to the cleanup job.
+    ///
+    /// The table may become unavailable before its physical data is removed.
+    /// Call [`crate::job::Job::wait`] to wait for cleanup to finish. Local
+    /// backends may complete the drop before returning the handle.
+    pub async fn drop_table_async(
+        &self,
+        name: impl AsRef<str>,
+        namespace_path: &[String],
+    ) -> Result<crate::job::Job> {
+        self.internal
+            .drop_table_async(name.as_ref(), namespace_path)
+            .await
+    }
+
    /// Drop the database
    ///
    /// This is the same as dropping all of the tables
@@ -633,9 +707,32 @@ impl Connection {
        self.internal.namespace_client_config().await
    }

-    /// List tables with pagination support
-    pub async fn list_tables(&self, request: ListTablesRequest) -> Result<ListTablesResponse> {
-        self.internal.list_tables(request).await
+    /// List the tables in the database, a page at a time
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// # use lancedb::Connection;
+    /// # async fn list_all(conn: &Connection) -> Result<Vec<String>, lancedb::Error> {
+    /// let mut names = Vec::new();
+    /// let mut token = None;
+    /// loop {
+    ///     let mut request = conn.list_tables().limit(100);
+    ///     if let Some(token) = token {
+    ///         request = request.page_token(token);
+    ///     }
+    ///     let page = request.execute().await?;
+    ///     names.extend(page.tables);
+    ///     // A page may be short without being the last one, so the token is what ends
+    ///     // the walk.
+    ///     token = page.page_token.filter(|token| !token.is_empty());
+    ///     if token.is_none() {
+    ///         break;
+    ///     }
+    /// }
+    /// # Ok(names)
+    /// # }
+    /// ```
+    pub fn list_tables(&self) -> ListTablesBuilder {
+        ListTablesBuilder::new(self.internal.clone())
    }

    /// Get the in-memory embedding registry.
@@ -1291,6 +1388,8 @@ mod test_utils {
 }

 #[cfg(test)]
+// `table_names` is deprecated but still supported, so its tests still call it.
+#[allow(deprecated)]
 mod tests {
    use arrow_schema::{DataType, Field, Schema};
    use lance_testing::datagen::{BatchGenerator, IncrementingInt32};
@@ -1633,6 +1732,75 @@ mod tests {
        assert_eq!(tables, names[..7]);
    }

+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_list_tables_paginates() {
+        let tc = new_test_connection().await.unwrap();
+        if tc.is_remote {
+            // What resumes a page is the server's to decide, and asserting it here would be
+            // asserting the server's contract rather than this one.
+            return;
+        }
+        let db = tc.connection;
+        let schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![Field::new("x", DataType::Int32, false)]));
+        let mut names = Vec::with_capacity(25);
+        for _ in 0..25 {
+            let name = uuid::Uuid::new_v4().to_string();
+            names.push(name.clone());
+            db.create_empty_table(name, schema.clone())
+                .execute()
+                .await
+                .unwrap();
+        }
+        names.sort();
+
+        let page = db.list_tables().limit(10).execute().await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(page.tables, names[..10]);
+        // The token is opaque and is not a table name: it is whatever resumes the store
+        // the database sits on, so a caller checks that there is one, not what it says.
+        assert!(page.page_token.is_some());
+
+        // Walking in pages has to reach every table exactly once, with nothing lost
+        // at a page boundary.
+        let mut seen = Vec::with_capacity(names.len());
+        let mut page_token = None;
+        loop {
+            let mut request = db.list_tables().limit(10);
+            if let Some(token) = page_token {
+                request = request.page_token(token);
+            }
+            let page = request.execute().await.unwrap();
+            seen.extend(page.tables);
+            page_token = page.page_token.filter(|token| !token.is_empty());
+            if page_token.is_none() {
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        assert_eq!(seen, names);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_list_tables_exhausted_has_no_token() {
+        let tc = new_test_connection().await.unwrap();
+        let db = tc.connection;
+        let schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![Field::new("x", DataType::Int32, false)]));
+        for i in 0..3 {
+            db.create_empty_table(format!("table{i}"), schema.clone())
+                .execute()
+                .await
+                .unwrap();
+        }
+
+        // A limit the listing does not fill leaves no token behind.
+        let page = db.list_tables().limit(10).execute().await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(page.tables.len(), 3);
+        assert_eq!(page.page_token, None);
+
+        // Neither does one that exactly exhausts it.
+        let page = db.list_tables().limit(3).execute().await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(page.tables.len(), 3);
+        assert_eq!(page.page_token, None);
+    }
+
    #[tokio::test]
    async fn test_open_table() {
        let tc = new_test_connection().await.unwrap();
@@ -438,10 +438,9 @@ mod tests {
            .await
            .unwrap()
            .data_storage_format
-            .lance_file_version()
-            .unwrap();
+            .lance_file_format();
        // Compare resolved versions since Stable/Next are aliases that resolve at storage time
-        assert_eq!(storage_format.resolve(), data_storage_version.resolve());
+        assert_eq!(storage_format, data_storage_version.resolve());
    }

    #[tokio::test]
@@ -323,6 +323,18 @@ pub trait Database:
    ) -> Result<()>;
    /// Drop a table in the database
    async fn drop_table(&self, name: &str, namespace_path: &[String]) -> Result<()>;
+    /// Start dropping a table and return a handle to the cleanup job.
+    ///
+    /// Backends without asynchronous cleanup complete the drop before
+    /// returning an already-finished job.
+    async fn drop_table_async(
+        &self,
+        name: &str,
+        namespace_path: &[String],
+    ) -> Result<crate::job::Job> {
+        self.drop_table(name, namespace_path).await?;
+        Ok(crate::job::Job::new_done())
+    }
    /// Drop all tables in the database
    async fn drop_all_tables(&self, namespace_path: &[String]) -> Result<()>;
    fn as_any(&self) -> &dyn std::any::Any;
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ use lance::dataset::{ReadParams, WriteMode, builder::DatasetBuilder};
 use lance::io::{ObjectStore, ObjectStoreParams, WrappingObjectStore};
 use lance_datafusion::utils::StreamingWriteSource;
 use lance_file::version::LanceFileVersion;
-use lance_io::object_store::{StorageOptionsAccessor, StorageOptionsProvider};
+use lance_io::object_store::{ReadDirOptions, StorageOptionsAccessor, StorageOptionsProvider};
 use lance_table::io::commit::commit_handler_from_url;
 use object_store::local::LocalFileSystem;
 use snafu::ResultExt;
@@ -281,6 +281,21 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for ListingDatabase {
 }

 const LANCE_EXTENSION: &str = "lance";
+
+/// The table a listed child of the database names, or `None` if the child is not a table.
+///
+/// A table is the directory `<name>.lance`; a loose file or any other directory under the
+/// database prefix belongs to something else. `dir_suffix` is `.lance`, built once by the
+/// caller rather than per child.
+/// The table a listed child directory holds, or `None` if it is not a table at all.
+///
+/// Only directories are considered, so a loose object named like a table is not one.
+fn table_name(location: &object_store::path::Path, dir_suffix: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    location
+        .filename()?
+        .strip_suffix(dir_suffix)
+        .map(String::from)
+}
 const ENGINE: &str = "engine";
 const MIRRORED_STORE: &str = "mirroredStore";

@@ -988,52 +1003,75 @@ impl Database for ListingDatabase {
        Ok(f)
    }

+    /// List the tables in the database, a page at a time.
+    ///
+    /// The page token and the page size go into the object store's list request rather than
+    /// being applied to a full listing, so a page costs what the page holds and not what the
+    /// database holds. Stores with no paginated list API list the level in full and page it
+    /// locally, which is what every store did before.
+    ///
+    /// The token is opaque and is only meaningful to the store that issued it: it carries a
+    /// continuation token where the store has one. It is not a table name, and a caller must
+    /// not construct one. A page can be shorter than `limit` and still be followed by more, so
+    /// the token is what ends a walk.
+    ///
+    /// Tables come back in the order the store lists directories, which is by key. That
+    /// differs from sorting by name only between a name and one that extends it:
+    /// `users-archive` precedes `users`, because the `-` of `users-archive.lance` sorts below
+    /// the `.` of `users.lance`.
    async fn list_tables(&self, request: ListTablesRequest) -> Result<ListTablesResponse> {
        if request.id.as_ref().map(|v| !v.is_empty()).unwrap_or(false) {
            return self.namespace_database().list_tables(request).await;
        }
-        let mut f = self
-            .object_store
-            .read_dir(self.base_path.clone())
-            .await?
-            .iter()
-            .map(Path::new)
-            .filter(|path| {
-                let is_lance = path
-                    .extension()
-                    .and_then(|e| e.to_str())
-                    .map(|e| e == LANCE_EXTENSION);
-                is_lance.unwrap_or(false)
-            })
-            .filter_map(|p| p.file_stem().and_then(|s| s.to_str().map(String::from)))
-            .collect::<Vec<String>>();
-        f.sort();
+        let limit = request.limit.map(|limit| limit.max(0) as usize);
+        let dir_suffix = format!(".{LANCE_EXTENSION}");
+        let mut tables = Vec::new();
+        let mut page_token = request.page_token.filter(|token| !token.is_empty());

-        // Handle pagination with page_token
-        if let Some(ref page_token) = request.page_token {
-            let index = f
-                .iter()
-                .position(|name| name.as_str() > page_token.as_str())
-                .unwrap_or(f.len());
-            f.drain(0..index);
+        // A page of nothing: the store rejects a limit of zero, and no table was handed over
+        // for a token to resume after.
+        if limit == Some(0) {
+            return Ok(ListTablesResponse {
+                context: None,
+                tables,
+                page_token: None,
+            });
        }

-        // Determine if there's a next page
-        let next_page_token = if let Some(limit) = request.limit {
-            if f.len() > limit as usize {
-                let token = f[limit as usize].clone();
-                f.truncate(limit as usize);
-                Some(token)
-            } else {
-                None
+        loop {
+            // Ask only for what the page still has room for, so a database holding more
+            // than one page costs one request per page rather than one per table.
+            let listing = self
+                .object_store
+                .read_dir_page(
+                    self.base_path.clone(),
+                    ReadDirOptions {
+                        page_token: page_token.take(),
+                        limit: limit.map(|limit| limit - tables.len()),
+                    },
+                )
+                .await?;
+            page_token = listing.page_token;
+            // Only child directories can be tables, and the store already separates them
+            // out, so the objects in the page are not looked at.
+            tables.extend(
+                listing
+                    .result
+                    .common_prefixes
+                    .iter()
+                    .filter_map(|location| table_name(location, &dir_suffix)),
+            );
+            // Children that are not tables leave the page short of the limit, so keep
+            // going until the page is full or the database runs out.
+            if page_token.is_none() || limit.is_none_or(|limit| tables.len() >= limit) {
+                break;
            }
-        } else {
-            None
-        };
+        }

        Ok(ListTablesResponse {
-            tables: f,
-            page_token: next_page_token,
+            context: None,
+            tables,
+            page_token,
        })
    }

@@ -1291,16 +1329,186 @@ impl Database for ListingDatabase {
 mod tests {
    use super::*;
    use crate::Table;
+    use crate::arrow::{SendableRecordBatchStream, SimpleRecordBatchStream};
    use crate::connection::ConnectRequest;
    use crate::data::scannable::Scannable;
    use crate::database::{CreateTableMode, CreateTableRequest};
    use crate::query::QueryRequest;
    use crate::table::{AnyQuery, WriteOptions};
    use arrow_array::{Int32Array, RecordBatch, StringArray};
-    use arrow_schema::{DataType, Field, Schema};
-    use futures::TryStreamExt;
+    use arrow_schema::{DataType, Field, Schema, SchemaRef};
+    use futures::{TryStreamExt, stream::once};
    use std::path::PathBuf;
+    use std::sync::Arc;
+    use std::time::Duration;
    use tempfile::tempdir;
+    use tokio::sync::Barrier;
+    use tokio::time::timeout;
+
+    async fn create_tables(db: &ListingDatabase, names: &[&str]) {
+        let schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![Field::new("id", DataType::Int32, false)]));
+        for name in names {
+            db.create_table(CreateTableRequest {
+                name: name.to_string(),
+                namespace_path: vec![],
+                data: Box::new(RecordBatch::new_empty(schema.clone())) as Box<dyn Scannable>,
+                mode: CreateTableMode::Create,
+                write_options: Default::default(),
+                location: None,
+                namespace_client: None,
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Every table in the database, taken `limit` at a time, which is how a caller walks a
+    /// listing: the token ends the walk, never a short page.
+    async fn walk(db: &ListingDatabase, limit: Option<i32>) -> Vec<String> {
+        let mut seen = Vec::new();
+        let mut page_token = None;
+        loop {
+            let page = db
+                .list_tables(ListTablesRequest {
+                    limit,
+                    page_token,
+                    ..Default::default()
+                })
+                .await
+                .unwrap();
+            seen.extend(page.tables);
+            page_token = page.page_token;
+            if page_token.is_none() {
+                return seen;
+            }
+            assert!(
+                seen.len() < 100,
+                "the walk is serving tables more than once"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Paging with the returned token has to visit every table exactly once, whatever the
+    /// page size, with nothing lost or repeated at a boundary.
+    #[rstest::rstest]
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_list_tables_pages_over_every_table_once(#[values(1, 2, 3, 5, 10)] limit: i32) {
+        let (_tempdir, db) = setup_database().await;
+        create_tables(&db, &["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"]).await;
+
+        assert_eq!(walk(&db, Some(limit)).await, vec!["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"]);
+    }
+
+    /// The token is opaque: it is whatever resumes the store the database sits on, not a
+    /// table name. Callers hand it back and nothing else.
+    ///
+    /// Nothing validates a token, so one invented by a caller is read as a position rather
+    /// than refused — which is why the token has to come back from a previous page.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_the_page_token_is_not_a_table_name() {
+        let (_tempdir, db) = setup_database().await;
+        create_tables(&db, &["a", "b", "c"]).await;
+
+        let page = db
+            .list_tables(ListTablesRequest {
+                limit: Some(1),
+                ..Default::default()
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(page.tables, vec!["a"]);
+        let token = page.page_token.expect("two tables are still to come");
+        assert_ne!(token, "a");
+
+        // Handing it back is the only thing a caller does with it, and it resumes.
+        let rest = db
+            .list_tables(ListTablesRequest {
+                page_token: Some(token),
+                ..Default::default()
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(rest.tables, vec!["b", "c"]);
+    }
+
+    /// A limit the listing does not fill leaves no token behind, so a caller paging by token
+    /// stops without asking for an empty page.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_a_listing_that_runs_out_has_no_token() {
+        let (_tempdir, db) = setup_database().await;
+        create_tables(&db, &["a", "b"]).await;
+
+        let page = db
+            .list_tables(ListTablesRequest {
+                limit: Some(10),
+                ..Default::default()
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(page.tables, vec!["a", "b"]);
+        assert_eq!(page.page_token, None);
+    }
+
+    /// An empty page token means "from the start", which is how a client looping on a token
+    /// spells its first request.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_an_empty_page_token_lists_from_the_start() {
+        let (_tempdir, db) = setup_database().await;
+        create_tables(&db, &["a", "b"]).await;
+
+        let page = db
+            .list_tables(ListTablesRequest {
+                page_token: Some(String::new()),
+                ..Default::default()
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(page.tables, vec!["a", "b"]);
+    }
+
+    /// Listing follows the order the object store lists directories in, so a name that
+    /// extends another comes first: the `-` of `users-archive.lance` sorts below the `.` of
+    /// `users.lance`. Pagination pushes its cursor into the list request, so it cannot report
+    /// an order other than the one it resumes in.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_listing_order_follows_the_store_not_the_table_name() {
+        let (_tempdir, db) = setup_database().await;
+        create_tables(&db, &["users", "users-archive", "users.old"]).await;
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            walk(&db, None).await,
+            vec!["users-archive", "users", "users.old"]
+        );
+        // And paging reports the same order, so a walk sees each table once.
+        assert_eq!(
+            walk(&db, Some(1)).await,
+            vec!["users-archive", "users", "users.old"]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Only directories named `<name>.lance` are tables; loose files and other directories
+    /// under the database prefix are not. A page spent on them is filled from the next one,
+    /// so a page holding only non-tables does not read as an empty database.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_listing_ignores_non_table_children() {
+        let (tempdir, db) = setup_database().await;
+        create_tables(&db, &["real"]).await;
+        std::fs::write(tempdir.path().join("aaa-loose.lance"), b"not a table").unwrap();
+        create_dir_all(tempdir.path().join("aaa-scratch")).unwrap();
+
+        let page = db
+            .list_tables(ListTablesRequest {
+                limit: Some(1),
+                ..Default::default()
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(page.tables, vec!["real"]);
+    }

    async fn setup_database() -> (tempfile::TempDir, ListingDatabase) {
        let tempdir = tempdir().unwrap();
@@ -1324,6 +1532,114 @@ mod tests {
        (tempdir, db)
    }

+    struct BarrierScannable {
+        batch: RecordBatch,
+        barrier: Arc<Barrier>,
+    }
+
+    impl Scannable for BarrierScannable {
+        fn schema(&self) -> SchemaRef {
+            self.batch.schema()
+        }
+
+        fn scan_as_stream(&mut self) -> SendableRecordBatchStream {
+            let batch = self.batch.clone();
+            let schema = batch.schema();
+            let barrier = self.barrier.clone();
+            Box::pin(SimpleRecordBatchStream {
+                schema,
+                stream: once(async move {
+                    barrier.wait().await;
+                    Ok(batch)
+                }),
+            })
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn create_request(name: &str, data: Box<dyn Scannable>) -> CreateTableRequest {
+        CreateTableRequest {
+            name: name.to_string(),
+            namespace_path: vec![],
+            data,
+            mode: CreateTableMode::Create,
+            write_options: Default::default(),
+            location: None,
+            namespace_client: None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_create_ignores_uncommitted_storage_without_manifest() {
+        let (tmp_dir, db) = setup_database().await;
+        let data_dir = tmp_dir.path().join("test.lance/data");
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&data_dir).unwrap();
+        std::fs::write(data_dir.join("orphan.lance"), b"uncommitted").unwrap();
+
+        let schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![Field::new("id", DataType::Int32, false)]));
+        let batch =
+            RecordBatch::try_new(schema, vec![Arc::new(Int32Array::from(vec![1]))]).unwrap();
+
+        let table = db
+            .create_table(create_request("test", Box::new(batch)))
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(table.count_rows(None).await.unwrap(), 1);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_concurrent_create_is_arbitrated_by_manifest_commit() {
+        let uri = format!("memory:///concurrent-create-{}", uuid::Uuid::new_v4());
+        let db = crate::connect(&uri).execute().await.unwrap();
+        let store: Arc<dyn object_store::ObjectStore> =
+            Arc::new(object_store::memory::InMemory::new());
+        let table_url = url::Url::parse("memory:///database/test.lance").unwrap();
+        let schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![Field::new("id", DataType::Int32, false)]));
+        let batch =
+            RecordBatch::try_new(schema, vec![Arc::new(Int32Array::from(vec![1]))]).unwrap();
+        let barrier = Arc::new(Barrier::new(2));
+
+        #[allow(deprecated)]
+        let request = |batch, barrier| {
+            let mut request = create_request("test", Box::new(BarrierScannable { batch, barrier }));
+            request.write_options = WriteOptions {
+                lance_write_params: Some(lance::dataset::WriteParams {
+                    store_params: Some(ObjectStoreParams {
+                        object_store: Some((store.clone(), table_url.clone())),
+                        ..Default::default()
+                    }),
+                    commit_handler: Some(Arc::new(
+                        lance_table::io::commit::ConditionalPutCommitHandler,
+                    )),
+                    ..Default::default()
+                }),
+            };
+            request
+        };
+
+        let left = db
+            .database()
+            .create_table(request(batch.clone(), barrier.clone()));
+        let right = db.database().create_table(request(batch, barrier));
+        let (left, right) = timeout(Duration::from_secs(30), async { tokio::join!(left, right) })
+            .await
+            .expect("concurrent creates deadlocked");
+
+        let results = [left, right];
+        assert_eq!(
+            results.iter().filter(|result| result.is_ok()).count(),
+            1,
+            "expected one successful create, got {results:?}"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            results
+                .iter()
+                .filter(|result| matches!(result, Err(Error::TableAlreadyExists { .. })))
+                .count(),
+            1,
+            "expected one manifest conflict, got {results:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
    #[tokio::test]
    async fn test_listing_database_root_ops_do_not_create_manifest() {
        let tempdir = tempdir().unwrap();
@@ -621,7 +621,10 @@ impl Database for LanceNamespaceDatabase {
 }

 #[cfg(test)]
-#[cfg(not(windows))] // TODO: support windows for lance-namespace
+#[cfg(not(windows))]
+// TODO: support windows for lance-namespace
+// `table_names` is deprecated but still supported, so its tests still call it.
+#[allow(deprecated)]
 mod tests {
    use super::*;
    use crate::connect_namespace;
@@ -71,6 +71,14 @@ pub enum Error {
    IndexNotFound { name: String },
    #[snafu(display("Embedding function '{name}' was not found. : {reason}"))]
    EmbeddingFunctionNotFound { name: String, reason: String },
+    #[snafu(display("Column '{name}' was not found"))]
+    ColumnNotFound { name: String },
+    #[snafu(display("Column '{name}' already exists"))]
+    ColumnAlreadyExists { name: String },
+    #[snafu(display("Column '{name}' is not a computed column"))]
+    NotAComputedColumn { name: String },
+    #[snafu(display("Invalid expression for column '{column}': {message}"))]
+    InvalidExpression { column: String, message: String },

    #[snafu(display("Table '{name}' already exists"))]
    TableAlreadyExists { name: String },
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ use std::{fmt::Formatter, sync::Arc};

 use futures::{StreamExt, TryFutureExt, stream::BoxStream};
 use lance::io::WrappingObjectStore;
+use object_store::list::PaginatedListStore;
 use object_store::{
    CopyOptions, Error, GetOptions, GetResult, ListResult, MultipartUpload, ObjectMeta,
    ObjectStore, ObjectStoreExt, PutMultipartOptions, PutOptions, PutPayload, PutResult, Result,
@@ -187,6 +188,16 @@ impl WrappingObjectStore for MirroringObjectStoreWrapper {
            secondary: self.secondary.clone(),
        })
    }
+
+    // Only writes are mirrored, and a listing reads, so a pushed-down listing sees the same
+    // primary this wrapper would have read from.
+    fn wrap_paginated(
+        &self,
+        _store_prefix: &str,
+        original: Arc<dyn PaginatedListStore>,
+    ) -> Option<Arc<dyn PaginatedListStore>> {
+        Some(original)
+    }
 }

 // windows pathing can't be simply concatenated
@@ -57,6 +57,16 @@ impl WrappingObjectStore for IoStatsHolder {
            stats: self.0.clone(),
        })
    }
+
+    // This exists to count requests, so it gives up the pushdown rather than let a listing
+    // go around the counter.
+    fn wrap_paginated(
+        &self,
+        _store_prefix: &str,
+        _original: Arc<dyn object_store::list::PaginatedListStore>,
+    ) -> Option<Arc<dyn object_store::list::PaginatedListStore>> {
+        None
+    }
 }

 impl IoTrackingStore {
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ impl SpawnedJob {
                Ok(Err(err)) => Outcome::Failed(Arc::new(err)),
                Err(err) if err.is_cancelled() => Outcome::Cancelled,
                Err(err) => Outcome::Failed(Arc::new(Error::Runtime {
-                    message: format!("index job task failed: {err}"),
+                    message: format!("job task failed: {err}"),
                })),
            };
            let _ = tx.send(Some(outcome));
@@ -19,6 +19,15 @@ const ARROW_FILE_CONTENT_TYPE: &str = "application/vnd.apache.arrow.file";
 #[cfg(test)]
 const JSON_CONTENT_TYPE: &str = "application/json";

+fn extract_job_id(body: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    serde_json::from_str::<serde_json::Value>(body)
+        .ok()?
+        .get("job_id")?
+        .as_str()
+        .filter(|job_id| !job_id.is_empty())
+        .map(str::to_string)
+}
+
 pub use client::{ClientConfig, HeaderProvider, RetryConfig, TimeoutConfig, TlsConfig};
 pub use db::{RemoteDatabaseOptions, RemoteDatabaseOptionsBuilder};
 pub use oauth::{OAuthConfig, OAuthFlow, OAuthHeaderProvider};
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ use http::StatusCode;
 use lance_io::object_store::StorageOptions;
 use lance_namespace_impls::{DynamicContextProvider, OperationInfo};
 use moka::future::Cache;
+use reqwest::Response;
 use reqwest::header::CONTENT_TYPE;

 use lance_namespace::models::{
@@ -23,15 +24,17 @@ use crate::database::{
    JobDescription, JobInfo, OpenTableRequest, ReadConsistency, TableNamesRequest,
 };
 use crate::error::Result;
+use crate::job::Job;
+use crate::remote::job::RemoteJob;
 use crate::remote::util::stream_as_body;
 use crate::table::BaseTable;

-use super::ARROW_STREAM_CONTENT_TYPE;
 use super::client::{
    ClientConfig, HeaderProvider, HttpSend, RequestResultExt, RestfulLanceDbClient, Sender,
 };
 use super::table::RemoteTable;
-use super::util::parse_server_version;
+use super::util::{SERVER_VERSION_HEADER, parse_server_version};
+use super::{ARROW_STREAM_CONTENT_TYPE, extract_job_id};

 // Request structure for the remote clone table API
 #[derive(serde::Serialize)]
@@ -83,6 +86,10 @@ impl ServerVersion {
    pub fn support_blobs(&self) -> bool {
        self.0 >= semver::Version::new(0, 5, 0)
    }
+
+    pub fn support_paginated_list_tables(&self) -> bool {
+        self.0 >= semver::Version::new(0, 6, 0)
+    }
 }

 pub const OPT_REMOTE_PREFIX: &str = "remote_database_";
@@ -204,6 +211,14 @@ pub struct RemoteDatabase<S: HttpSend = Sender> {
    namespace_context_provider: Option<Arc<dyn DynamicContextProvider>>,
    /// TLS configuration for mTLS support
    tls_config: Option<super::client::TlsConfig>,
+    /// Whether this server serves the `/v2` table listing, learned once per connection.
+    ///
+    /// This holds the one answer it is asked for rather than the server version it was
+    /// derived from. A server that sends no version header is indistinguishable from one
+    /// running the oldest version we know of, and caching that as a version would let a
+    /// stripped header switch off multivector, structural FTS, multipart write and blobs for
+    /// the life of the connection. A missing header can only cost a listing its pushdown.
+    serves_paginated_list: tokio::sync::OnceCell<bool>,
 }

 #[derive(Clone)]
@@ -322,10 +337,60 @@ impl RemoteDatabase {
            namespace_headers,
            namespace_context_provider,
            tls_config: client_config.tls_config,
+            serves_paginated_list: tokio::sync::OnceCell::new(),
        })
    }
 }

+impl<S: HttpSend> RemoteDatabase<S> {
+    /// Whether this server serves the `/v2` table listing, asking it once per connection.
+    ///
+    /// The answer has to be known before the first listing rather than learned from it. The
+    /// two listing routes resume from different things, so a walk that started on one cannot
+    /// finish on the other, and a walk that learned the answer from its own first page would
+    /// do exactly that: page one goes to `/v1` for want of an answer, and page two, now
+    /// holding one, hands `/v2` a token `/v1` minted.
+    ///
+    /// `/v1/version` is the question. A server too old to serve it still answers, because the
+    /// version header is on its 404 as well, and a server that is not Phalanx sends no header
+    /// at all, which is the answer for every implementation of the namespace spec: they serve
+    /// `/v1` only.
+    async fn serves_paginated_list(&self) -> Result<bool> {
+        self.serves_paginated_list
+            .get_or_try_init(|| async {
+                let req = self.client.get("/v1/version");
+                // Deliberately not `check_response`: a 404 is a useful answer here, and its
+                // headers carry the version just as a 200's do.
+                let (request_id, rsp) = self.client.send(req).await?;
+                let Some(version) = rsp.headers().get(SERVER_VERSION_HEADER) else {
+                    return Ok(false);
+                };
+                let version = version.to_str().map_err(|e| Error::Http {
+                    source: e.into(),
+                    request_id,
+                    status_code: Some(rsp.status()),
+                })?;
+                Ok(ServerVersion::parse(version)?.support_paginated_list_tables())
+            })
+            .await
+            .copied()
+    }
+
+    async fn submit_drop_table(
+        &self,
+        name: &str,
+        namespace_path: &[String],
+    ) -> Result<(String, Response)> {
+        let identifier = build_table_identifier(name, namespace_path, &self.client.id_delimiter);
+        let cache_key = build_cache_key(name, namespace_path);
+        let req = self.client.post(&format!("/v1/table/{}/drop/", identifier));
+        let (request_id, resp) = self.client.send(req).await?;
+        let resp = self.client.check_response(&request_id, resp).await?;
+        self.table_cache.remove(&cache_key).await;
+        Ok((request_id, resp))
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(all(test, feature = "remote"))]
 mod test_utils {
    use super::*;
@@ -347,6 +412,7 @@ mod test_utils {
                namespace_headers: HashMap::new(),
                namespace_context_provider: None,
                tls_config: None,
+                serves_paginated_list: tokio::sync::OnceCell::new(),
            }
        }

@@ -369,6 +435,7 @@ mod test_utils {
                namespace_headers: config.extra_headers.clone(),
                namespace_context_provider,
                tls_config: config.tls_config.clone(),
+                serves_paginated_list: tokio::sync::OnceCell::new(),
            }
        }
    }
@@ -657,9 +724,17 @@ impl<S: HttpSend> Database for RemoteDatabase<S> {
    async fn list_tables(&self, request: ListTablesRequest) -> Result<ListTablesResponse> {
        let namespace_parts = request.id.as_deref().unwrap_or(&[]);
        let namespace_id = build_namespace_identifier(namespace_parts, &self.client.id_delimiter);
-        let mut req = self
-            .client
-            .get(&format!("/v1/namespace/{}/table/list", namespace_id));
+        // v1 takes a table name in `page_token` to resume after, which `table_names` callers
+        // build themselves from the last name they saw, so its meaning cannot change. Only a
+        // token the server minted can resume a listing in the store, and that contract needs a
+        // route no name-passing caller reaches. Servers that do not serve it keep the listing
+        // they have always served, which is correct and merely slower.
+        let path = if self.serves_paginated_list().await? {
+            format!("/v2/namespace/{}/table/list", namespace_id)
+        } else {
+            format!("/v1/namespace/{}/table/list", namespace_id)
+        };
+        let mut req = self.client.get(&path);

        if let Some(limit) = request.limit {
            req = req.query(&[("limit", limit)]);
@@ -894,13 +969,28 @@ impl<S: HttpSend> Database for RemoteDatabase<S> {
    }

    async fn drop_table(&self, name: &str, namespace_path: &[String]) -> Result<()> {
-        let identifier = build_table_identifier(name, namespace_path, &self.client.id_delimiter);
-        let cache_key = build_cache_key(name, namespace_path);
-        let req = self.client.post(&format!("/v1/table/{}/drop/", identifier));
-        let (request_id, resp) = self.client.send(req).await?;
-        self.client.check_response(&request_id, resp).await?;
-        self.table_cache.remove(&cache_key).await;
-        Ok(())
+        self.submit_drop_table(name, namespace_path)
+            .await
+            .map(|_| ())
+    }
+
+    async fn drop_table_async(&self, name: &str, namespace_path: &[String]) -> Result<Job> {
+        let (request_id, response) = self.submit_drop_table(name, namespace_path).await?;
+        let status = response.status();
+        let body = response.text().await.err_to_http(request_id.clone())?;
+        let job_id = extract_job_id(&body);
+        Ok(match job_id {
+            Some(job_id) => Job::new(Box::new(RemoteJob::new(self.client.clone(), job_id))),
+            None if status == StatusCode::ACCEPTED => {
+                return Err(Error::Http {
+                    source: "asynchronous drop-table response did not contain a valid job_id"
+                        .into(),
+                    request_id,
+                    status_code: Some(status),
+                });
+            }
+            None => Job::new_done(),
+        })
    }

    async fn drop_all_tables(&self, namespace_path: &[String]) -> Result<()> {
@@ -1100,8 +1190,10 @@ impl From<StorageOptions> for RemoteOptions {
 }

 #[cfg(test)]
+// `table_names` is deprecated but still supported, so its tests still call it.
+#[allow(deprecated)]
 mod tests {
-    use super::{NamespaceHeaderProviderContext, build_cache_key};
+    use super::{NamespaceHeaderProviderContext, SERVER_VERSION_HEADER, build_cache_key};
    use std::collections::HashMap;
    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
    use std::sync::{Arc, OnceLock};
@@ -1492,6 +1584,67 @@ mod tests {
        // NOTE: the API will return 200 even if the table does not exist. So we shouldn't expect 404.
    }

+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_drop_table_does_not_read_response_body() {
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|_| {
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(200)
+                .body(vec![0xff])
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+
+        conn.drop_table("table1", &[]).await.unwrap();
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_drop_table_async_returns_job() {
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|request| {
+            assert_eq!(request.method(), &reqwest::Method::POST);
+            assert_eq!(request.url().path(), "/v1/table/table1/drop/");
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(202)
+                .body(r#"{"job_id":"drop-job-123"}"#)
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+
+        let job = conn.drop_table_async("table1", &[]).await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(job.id(), Some("drop-job-123"));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_drop_table_async_old_server_returns_done_job() {
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|_| {
+            http::Response::builder().status(200).body("").unwrap()
+        });
+
+        let job = conn.drop_table_async("table1", &[]).await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(job.id(), None);
+        assert_eq!(job.status().await.unwrap(), "finished");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_drop_table_async_rejects_accepted_response_without_job_id() {
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|_| {
+            http::Response::builder().status(202).body("{}").unwrap()
+        });
+
+        let error = conn.drop_table_async("table1", &[]).await.err().unwrap();
+        assert!(error.to_string().contains("valid job_id"));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_drop_table_async_rejects_empty_job_id() {
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|_| {
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(202)
+                .body(r#"{"job_id":""}"#)
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+
+        let error = conn.drop_table_async("table1", &[]).await.err().unwrap();
+        assert!(error.to_string().contains("valid job_id"));
+    }
+
    #[tokio::test]
    async fn test_rename_table() {
        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|request| {
@@ -1569,6 +1722,125 @@ mod tests {
        assert_eq!(names, vec!["table1", "table2"]);
    }

+    /// Answer the capability probe with a version, or with no header at all for `None`.
+    fn version_probe(version: Option<&str>) -> http::Response<String> {
+        let builder = http::Response::builder().status(if version.is_some() { 200 } else { 404 });
+        match version {
+            Some(version) => builder
+                .header(SERVER_VERSION_HEADER, version)
+                .body(format!(r#"{{"version": "{version}"}}"#))
+                .unwrap(),
+            None => builder.body(String::new()).unwrap(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_list_tables_uses_the_opaque_token_route() {
+        // `table_names` keeps /v1, where `page_token` is a table name to resume after. Only
+        // /v2 round-trips a server-minted token, so that is where this API has to go.
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|request| {
+            if request.url().path() == "/v1/version" {
+                return version_probe(Some("0.6.0"));
+            }
+            assert_eq!(request.url().path(), "/v2/namespace/$/table/list");
+            assert_eq!(request.url().query(), None);
+
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(200)
+                .body(r#"{"tables": ["table1"], "page_token": "opaque=="}"#.to_string())
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+        let page = conn.list_tables().execute().await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(page.tables, vec!["table1"]);
+        assert_eq!(page.page_token.as_deref(), Some("opaque=="));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_list_tables_resumes_with_the_server_token() {
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|request| {
+            if request.url().path() == "/v1/version" {
+                return version_probe(Some("0.6.0"));
+            }
+            assert_eq!(request.url().path(), "/v2/namespace/ns1$ns2/table/list");
+            assert_eq!(request.url().query(), Some("page_token=opaque%3D%3D"));
+
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(200)
+                .body(r#"{"tables": ["table2"]}"#.to_string())
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+        let page = conn
+            .list_tables()
+            .namespace(vec!["ns1".to_string(), "ns2".to_string()])
+            .page_token("opaque==")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(page.tables, vec!["table2"]);
+        assert_eq!(page.page_token, None);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_a_server_without_the_route_keeps_the_v1_listing() {
+        // Every implementation of the namespace spec is this case: no version header, and only
+        // /v1 to serve. Asking it for /v2 would 404 a listing that /v1 can answer.
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|request| {
+            if request.url().path() == "/v1/version" {
+                return version_probe(None);
+            }
+            assert_eq!(request.url().path(), "/v1/namespace/$/table/list");
+
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(200)
+                .body(r#"{"tables": ["table1"]}"#.to_string())
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+        let page = conn.list_tables().execute().await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(page.tables, vec!["table1"]);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_a_server_older_than_the_route_keeps_the_v1_listing() {
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(|request| {
+            if request.url().path() == "/v1/version" {
+                return version_probe(Some("0.5.0"));
+            }
+            assert_eq!(request.url().path(), "/v1/namespace/$/table/list");
+
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(200)
+                .body(r#"{"tables": ["table1"]}"#.to_string())
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+        assert_eq!(
+            conn.list_tables().execute().await.unwrap().tables,
+            vec!["table1"]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_the_probe_is_asked_once_per_connection() {
+        // A walk resumes from what its first page returned, so every page of it has to reach
+        // the same route. Re-asking per request would let a rolling deploy answer differently
+        // mid-walk and hand /v2 a token /v1 minted.
+        let probes = Arc::new(AtomicUsize::new(0));
+        let counted = probes.clone();
+        let conn = Connection::new_with_handler(move |request| {
+            if request.url().path() == "/v1/version" {
+                counted.fetch_add(1, Ordering::SeqCst);
+                return version_probe(Some("0.6.0"));
+            }
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(200)
+                .body(r#"{"tables": ["table1"]}"#.to_string())
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+        for _ in 0..3 {
+            conn.list_tables().execute().await.unwrap();
+        }
+        assert_eq!(probes.load(Ordering::SeqCst), 1);
+    }
+
    #[tokio::test]
    async fn test_table_names_with_nested_namespace() {
        // When namespace is vec!["ns1", "ns2"], should use /v1/namespace/ns1$ns2/table/list
@@ -2177,10 +2449,9 @@ mod tests {

            // List tables in the child namespace
            let list_response = conn
-                .list_tables(ListTablesRequest {
-                    id: Some(namespace.clone()),
-                    ..Default::default()
-                })
+                .list_tables()
+                .namespace(namespace.clone())
+                .execute()
                .await
                .expect("Failed to list tables");
            assert_eq!(list_response.tables, vec!["test_table"]);
@@ -2251,10 +2522,9 @@ mod tests {

            // List tables in the child namespace
            let list_response = conn
-                .list_tables(ListTablesRequest {
-                    id: Some(namespace.clone()),
-                    ..Default::default()
-                })
+                .list_tables()
+                .namespace(namespace.clone())
+                .execute()
                .await
                .unwrap();
            assert_eq!(list_response.tables.len(), 3);
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use self::insert::{RemoteWriteExec, WriteOp};
 use super::client::RequestResultExt;
 use super::client::{HttpSend, RestfulLanceDbClient, Sender};
 use super::db::ServerVersion;
-use super::{ARROW_FILE_CONTENT_TYPE, ARROW_STREAM_CONTENT_TYPE};
+use super::{ARROW_FILE_CONTENT_TYPE, ARROW_STREAM_CONTENT_TYPE, extract_job_id};
 use crate::blob::BlobFile;
 use crate::data::scannable::{PeekedScannable, Scannable, estimate_write_partitions};
 use crate::expr::expr_to_sql_string;
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@ use crate::table::lsm_stats::GetLsmStatsResponse;
 use crate::table::merge::MergeFilter;
 use crate::table::query::create_multi_vector_plan;
 use crate::table::write_progress::FinishOnDrop;
-use crate::table::{AlterColumnsResult, FieldMetadataUpdate, UpdateFieldMetadataResult};
+use crate::table::{
+    AlterColumnsResult, FieldMetadataUpdate, RefreshColumnResult, UpdateFieldMetadataResult,
+};
 use crate::table::{AnyQuery, Filter, Predicate, PreprocessingOutput, TableStatistics};
 use crate::utils::background_cache::BackgroundCache;
 use crate::utils::{
@@ -140,6 +142,40 @@ impl FreshnessHeaders {
    }
 }

+/// A backfill job whose successful wait establishes a read-freshness
+/// baseline on the submitting handle, so a later read cannot be served
+/// from a cache older than the completed fill. A handle pinned by checkout
+/// at completion keeps its time-travel view instead.
+struct FreshnessJob<S: HttpSend> {
+    inner: RemoteJob<S>,
+    freshness: Arc<Mutex<FreshnessState>>,
+    version: Arc<RwLock<Option<u64>>>,
+}
+
+#[async_trait]
+impl<S: HttpSend> crate::job::JobHandle for FreshnessJob<S> {
+    fn id(&self) -> Option<&str> {
+        crate::job::JobHandle::id(&self.inner)
+    }
+
+    async fn status(&self) -> Result<String> {
+        crate::job::JobHandle::status(&self.inner).await
+    }
+
+    async fn wait(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        crate::job::JobHandle::wait(&self.inner).await?;
+        let version = self.version.read().await;
+        if version.is_none() {
+            self.freshness.lock().unwrap().checkout_baseline = Some(SystemTime::now());
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    async fn cancel(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        crate::job::JobHandle::cancel(&self.inner).await
+    }
+}
+
 fn compute_min_timestamp(
    state: &FreshnessState,
    interval: Option<Duration>,
@@ -274,10 +310,10 @@ pub struct RemoteTable<S: HttpSend = Sender> {
    identifier: String,
    server_version: ServerVersion,

-    version: RwLock<Option<u64>>,
+    version: Arc<RwLock<Option<u64>>>,
    location: RwLock<Option<String>>,
    schema_cache: BackgroundCache<SchemaRef, Error>,
-    freshness: Mutex<FreshnessState>,
+    freshness: Arc<Mutex<FreshnessState>>,
    /// The branch this handle is scoped to, or `None` for the main branch.
    /// Stamped onto every branch-accepting request so reads and writes resolve
    /// on the branch's own version chain rather than main's.
@@ -392,13 +428,7 @@ impl<S: HttpSend> RemoteTable<S> {
            .text()
            .await
            .ok()
-            .and_then(|body| serde_json::from_str::<serde_json::Value>(&body).ok())
-            .and_then(|value| {
-                value
-                    .get("job_id")
-                    .and_then(|id| id.as_str())
-                    .map(str::to_string)
-            });
+            .and_then(|body| extract_job_id(&body));

        if let Some(wait_timeout) = index.wait_timeout {
            let index_name = index.name.unwrap_or_else(|| format!("{}_idx", column));
@@ -421,10 +451,10 @@ impl<S: HttpSend> RemoteTable<S> {
            namespace,
            identifier,
            server_version,
-            version: RwLock::new(None),
+            version: Arc::new(RwLock::new(None)),
            location: RwLock::new(None),
            schema_cache: BackgroundCache::new(SCHEMA_CACHE_TTL, SCHEMA_CACHE_REFRESH_WINDOW),
-            freshness: Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default()),
+            freshness: Arc::new(Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default())),
            branch: None,
        }
    }
@@ -453,10 +483,10 @@ impl<S: HttpSend> RemoteTable<S> {
            namespace: self.namespace.clone(),
            identifier: self.identifier.clone(),
            server_version: self.server_version.clone(),
-            version: RwLock::new(None),
+            version: Arc::new(RwLock::new(None)),
            location: RwLock::new(None),
            schema_cache: BackgroundCache::new(SCHEMA_CACHE_TTL, SCHEMA_CACHE_REFRESH_WINDOW),
-            freshness: Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default()),
+            freshness: Arc::new(Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default())),
            branch,
        }
    }
@@ -1274,10 +1304,10 @@ mod test_utils {
                namespace: vec![],
                identifier: name,
                server_version: version.map(ServerVersion).unwrap_or_default(),
-                version: RwLock::new(None),
+                version: Arc::new(RwLock::new(None)),
                location: RwLock::new(None),
                schema_cache: BackgroundCache::new(SCHEMA_CACHE_TTL, SCHEMA_CACHE_REFRESH_WINDOW),
-                freshness: Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default()),
+                freshness: Arc::new(Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default())),
                branch: None,
            }
        }
@@ -1298,10 +1328,10 @@ mod test_utils {
                namespace: vec![],
                identifier: name,
                server_version: ServerVersion::default(),
-                version: RwLock::new(None),
+                version: Arc::new(RwLock::new(None)),
                location: RwLock::new(None),
                schema_cache: BackgroundCache::new(SCHEMA_CACHE_TTL, SCHEMA_CACHE_REFRESH_WINDOW),
-                freshness: Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default()),
+                freshness: Arc::new(Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default())),
                branch: None,
            }
        }
@@ -1331,10 +1361,10 @@ mod test_utils {
                namespace: vec![],
                identifier: name,
                server_version: version.map(ServerVersion).unwrap_or_default(),
-                version: RwLock::new(None),
+                version: Arc::new(RwLock::new(None)),
                location: RwLock::new(None),
                schema_cache: BackgroundCache::new(SCHEMA_CACHE_TTL, SCHEMA_CACHE_REFRESH_WINDOW),
-                freshness: Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default()),
+                freshness: Arc::new(Mutex::new(FreshnessState::default())),
                branch: None,
            }
        }
@@ -2714,6 +2744,86 @@ impl<S: HttpSend> BaseTable for RemoteTable<S> {
        }
    }

+    async fn add_computed_columns(&self, columns: &[(String, String)]) -> Result<AddColumnsResult> {
+        self.check_mutable().await?;
+        // The server plans the declaration: expression validation, type
+        // inference and the persisted binding all happen there.
+        let entries = columns
+            .iter()
+            .map(
+                |(name, expression)| lance_namespace::models::AddColumnsEntry {
+                    name: name.clone(),
+                    computed: Some(Some(expression.clone())),
+                    ..Default::default()
+                },
+            )
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+        let mut body = serde_json::json!({ "new_columns": entries });
+        self.apply_branch_body(&mut body);
+        let request = self
+            .client
+            .post(&format!("/v1/table/{}/add_columns/", self.identifier))
+            .json(&body);
+        let (request_id, response) = self.send(request, true).await?;
+        let response = self.check_table_response(&request_id, response).await?;
+        let body = response.text().await.err_to_http(request_id.clone())?;
+
+        if body.trim().is_empty() {
+            // Backward compatible with old servers
+            return Ok(AddColumnsResult { version: 0 });
+        }
+
+        let result: AddColumnsResult = serde_json::from_str(&body).map_err(|e| Error::Http {
+            source: format!("Failed to parse add_columns response: {}", e).into(),
+            request_id,
+            status_code: None,
+        })?;
+
+        self.invalidate_schema_cache();
+        self.track_write_version(result.version);
+
+        Ok(result)
+    }
+
+    async fn refresh_column(&self, _column: &str) -> Result<RefreshColumnResult> {
+        // The server runs a refresh as a job and does not report a fill
+        // count, so the blocking form has no honest result to return.
+        Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: "a remote refresh runs as a server job; use refresh_column_async and \
+                      wait on the returned handle"
+                .into(),
+        })
+    }
+
+    async fn refresh_column_async(&self, column: &str) -> Result<Job> {
+        self.check_mutable().await?;
+        let mut body = serde_json::json!({ "column": column });
+        self.apply_branch_body(&mut body);
+        let request = self
+            .client
+            .post(&format!("/v1/table/{}/backfill_column", self.identifier))
+            .json(&body);
+        let (request_id, response) = self.send(request, true).await?;
+        let response = self.check_table_response(&request_id, response).await?;
+        let body = response.text().await.err_to_http(request_id.clone())?;
+
+        #[derive(serde::Deserialize)]
+        struct BackfillResponse {
+            job_id: String,
+        }
+        let response: BackfillResponse = serde_json::from_str(&body).map_err(|e| Error::Http {
+            source: format!("Failed to parse backfill_column response: {}", e).into(),
+            request_id,
+            status_code: None,
+        })?;
+
+        Ok(Job::new(Box::new(FreshnessJob {
+            inner: RemoteJob::new(self.client.clone(), response.job_id),
+            freshness: self.freshness.clone(),
+            version: self.version.clone(),
+        })))
+    }
+
    async fn alter_columns(&self, alterations: &[ColumnAlteration]) -> Result<AlterColumnsResult> {
        self.check_mutable().await?;
        let body = alterations
@@ -6455,6 +6565,346 @@ mod tests {
        assert_eq!(result.version, if old_server { 0 } else { 43 });
    }

+    /// A declaration is sent as `{name, computed}` entries for the server to
+    /// plan; the client never types the expression itself.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_add_computed_columns_sends_the_expression() {
+        let table = Table::new_with_handler("my_table", |request| {
+            assert_eq!(request.method(), "POST");
+            assert_eq!(request.url().path(), "/v1/table/my_table/add_columns/");
+            let body = request.body().unwrap().as_bytes().unwrap();
+            let value: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(body).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(
+                value["new_columns"],
+                serde_json::json!([{"name": "doubled", "computed": "x * 2"}])
+            );
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(200)
+                .body(r#"{"version": 7}"#)
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+
+        let result = table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("doubled", "x * 2")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.version, 7);
+    }
+
+    /// A remote refresh is a server job: the async form returns its handle,
+    /// and the blocking form refuses rather than invent a fill count.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_column_async_submits_a_backfill_job() {
+        let table = Table::new_with_handler("my_table", |request| {
+            assert_eq!(request.method(), "POST");
+            assert_eq!(request.url().path(), "/v1/table/my_table/backfill_column");
+            let body = request.body().unwrap().as_bytes().unwrap();
+            let value: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(body).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(value["column"], "doubled");
+            http::Response::builder()
+                .status(202)
+                .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-42"}"#)
+                .unwrap()
+        });
+
+        let job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(job.id(), Some("j-42"));
+
+        let err = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(
+            matches!(&err, Error::NotSupported { message }
+                if message.contains("refresh_column_async")),
+            "{err:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// The gate's reproducer: after a successful wait, a same-handle read
+    /// must carry a freshness baseline so a stale server cache cannot serve
+    /// the pre-backfill snapshot.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_backfill_wait_establishes_read_freshness() {
+        let saw_min_timestamp = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+        let saw = saw_min_timestamp.clone();
+        let table =
+            Table::new_with_handler("my_table", move |request| match request.url().path() {
+                "/v1/table/my_table/backfill_column" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(202)
+                    .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-7"}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/jobs/describe" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(200)
+                    .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-7", "job_state": "DONE"}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/table/my_table/count_rows/" => {
+                    saw.store(
+                        request.headers().contains_key("x-lancedb-min-timestamp"),
+                        std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst,
+                    );
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(200)
+                        .body("1".to_string())
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                path => panic!("unexpected request: {path}"),
+            });
+
+        let job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        job.wait().await.unwrap();
+        table.count_rows(None).await.unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            saw_min_timestamp.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst),
+            "read after wait carried no freshness baseline"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A checkout after submission wins over the completion fence: the
+    /// pinned view must not regain a timestamp floor from the job.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_checkout_after_submit_beats_the_completion_fence() {
+        let saw_min_timestamp = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+        let saw = saw_min_timestamp.clone();
+        let table =
+            Table::new_with_handler("my_table", move |request| match request.url().path() {
+                "/v1/table/my_table/backfill_column" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(202)
+                    .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-8"}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/jobs/describe" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(200)
+                    .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-8", "job_state": "DONE"}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/table/my_table/describe/" => {
+                    let schema = Schema::new(vec![Field::new("x", DataType::Int32, true)]);
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(200)
+                        .body(describe_response(&schema))
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                "/v1/table/my_table/count_rows/" => {
+                    saw.store(
+                        request.headers().contains_key("x-lancedb-min-timestamp"),
+                        std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst,
+                    );
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(200)
+                        .body("1".to_string())
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                path => panic!("unexpected request: {path}"),
+            });
+
+        let job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        table.checkout(3).await.unwrap();
+        job.wait().await.unwrap();
+        table.count_rows(None).await.unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            !saw_min_timestamp.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst),
+            "completion fence overrode an explicit checkout"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Tag checkout resets freshness state wholesale; the fence must not
+    /// survive it.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_tag_checkout_after_submit_beats_the_completion_fence() {
+        let saw_min_timestamp = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+        let saw = saw_min_timestamp.clone();
+        let table =
+            Table::new_with_handler("my_table", move |request| match request.url().path() {
+                "/v1/table/my_table/backfill_column" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(202)
+                    .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-9"}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/jobs/describe" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(200)
+                    .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-9", "job_state": "DONE"}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/table/my_table/tags/version/" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(200)
+                    .body(r#"{"version": 5}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/table/my_table/describe/" => {
+                    let schema = Schema::new(vec![Field::new("x", DataType::Int32, true)]);
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(200)
+                        .body(describe_response(&schema))
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                "/v1/table/my_table/count_rows/" => {
+                    saw.store(
+                        request.headers().contains_key("x-lancedb-min-timestamp"),
+                        std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst,
+                    );
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(200)
+                        .body("1".to_string())
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                path => panic!("unexpected request: {path}"),
+            });
+
+        let job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        table.checkout_tag("v1").await.unwrap();
+        job.wait().await.unwrap();
+        table.count_rows(None).await.unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            !saw_min_timestamp.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst),
+            "completion fence overrode a tag checkout"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A checkout landing while the submission request is in flight advances
+    /// the epoch past the token captured at submit.
+    #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 2)]
+    async fn test_checkout_during_submission_beats_the_completion_fence() {
+        let saw_min_timestamp = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+        let saw = saw_min_timestamp.clone();
+        let (release_tx, release_rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel::<()>();
+        let release_rx = Arc::new(std::sync::Mutex::new(release_rx));
+        let (arrived_tx, arrived_rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel::<()>();
+        let arrived_tx = Arc::new(std::sync::Mutex::new(arrived_tx));
+        let table = Table::new_with_handler("my_table", move |request| {
+            match request.url().path() {
+                "/v1/table/my_table/backfill_column" => {
+                    // Signal arrival, then hold the response until the
+                    // test's checkout completes.
+                    arrived_tx.lock().unwrap().send(()).unwrap();
+                    release_rx
+                        .lock()
+                        .unwrap()
+                        .recv_timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(10))
+                        .unwrap();
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(202)
+                        .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-10"}"#.to_string())
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                "/v1/jobs/describe" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(200)
+                    .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-10", "job_state": "DONE"}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/table/my_table/describe/" => {
+                    let schema = Schema::new(vec![Field::new("x", DataType::Int32, true)]);
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(200)
+                        .body(describe_response(&schema))
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                "/v1/table/my_table/count_rows/" => {
+                    saw.store(
+                        request.headers().contains_key("x-lancedb-min-timestamp"),
+                        std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst,
+                    );
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(200)
+                        .body("1".to_string())
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                path => panic!("unexpected request: {path}"),
+            }
+        });
+
+        let submit = tokio::spawn({
+            let table = table.clone();
+            async move { table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await }
+        });
+        tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
+            arrived_rx
+                .recv_timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(10))
+                .unwrap()
+        })
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+        table.checkout(7).await.unwrap();
+        release_tx.send(()).unwrap();
+
+        let job = submit.await.unwrap().unwrap();
+        job.wait().await.unwrap();
+        table.count_rows(None).await.unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            !saw_min_timestamp.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst),
+            "completion fence overrode a checkout that landed mid-submission"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// checkout_latest keeps the handle on latest, so a completed backfill
+    /// must still establish its post-fill baseline -- strictly later than the
+    /// checkout's own, or a pre-fill cache could still serve.
+    #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 2)]
+    async fn test_checkout_latest_during_submission_keeps_the_fence() {
+        let seen_min_timestamp = Arc::new(std::sync::Mutex::new(None::<String>));
+        let saw = seen_min_timestamp.clone();
+        let (release_tx, release_rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel::<()>();
+        let release_rx = Arc::new(std::sync::Mutex::new(release_rx));
+        let (arrived_tx, arrived_rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel::<()>();
+        let arrived_tx = Arc::new(std::sync::Mutex::new(arrived_tx));
+        let table =
+            Table::new_with_handler("my_table", move |request| match request.url().path() {
+                "/v1/table/my_table/backfill_column" => {
+                    arrived_tx.lock().unwrap().send(()).unwrap();
+                    release_rx
+                        .lock()
+                        .unwrap()
+                        .recv_timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(10))
+                        .unwrap();
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(202)
+                        .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-11"}"#.to_string())
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                "/v1/jobs/describe" => http::Response::builder()
+                    .status(200)
+                    .body(r#"{"job_id": "j-11", "job_state": "DONE"}"#.to_string())
+                    .unwrap(),
+                "/v1/table/my_table/count_rows/" => {
+                    *saw.lock().unwrap() = request
+                        .headers()
+                        .get("x-lancedb-min-timestamp")
+                        .map(|v| v.to_str().unwrap().to_string());
+                    http::Response::builder()
+                        .status(200)
+                        .body("1".to_string())
+                        .unwrap()
+                }
+                path => panic!("unexpected request: {path}"),
+            });
+
+        let submit = tokio::spawn({
+            let table = table.clone();
+            async move { table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await }
+        });
+        tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
+            arrived_rx
+                .recv_timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(10))
+                .unwrap()
+        })
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+        table.checkout_latest().await.unwrap();
+        let after_checkout = SystemTime::now();
+        // Real separation between the checkout baseline and completion.
+        tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(50)).await;
+        release_tx.send(()).unwrap();
+
+        let job = submit.await.unwrap().unwrap();
+        job.wait().await.unwrap();
+        table.count_rows(None).await.unwrap();
+        let header = seen_min_timestamp
+            .lock()
+            .unwrap()
+            .clone()
+            .expect("no baseline");
+        let sent: SystemTime = chrono::DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339(&header)
+            .unwrap()
+            .into();
+        assert!(
+            sent > after_checkout,
+            "baseline {header} did not advance past the checkout"
+        );
+    }
+
    #[tokio::test]
    async fn test_prewarm_index() {
        let table = Table::new_with_handler("my_table", |request| {
@@ -47,10 +47,15 @@ pub fn stream_as_body(data: SendableRecordBatchStream) -> Result<reqwest::Body>
    Ok(reqwest::Body::wrap_stream(stream))
 }

+/// The response header a Phalanx server stamps its version onto.
+///
+/// A global layer adds it, so it is on error responses as well as successful ones.
+pub const SERVER_VERSION_HEADER: &str = "phalanx-version";
+
 pub fn parse_server_version(req_id: &str, rsp: &Response) -> Result<ServerVersion> {
    let version = rsp
        .headers()
-        .get("phalanx-version")
+        .get(SERVER_VERSION_HEADER)
        .map(|v| {
            let v = v.to_str().map_err(|e| crate::Error::Http {
                source: e.into(),
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ use crate::DistanceType;
 use crate::blob::BlobRangeRequest;
 use crate::data::scannable::{PeekedScannable, Scannable, estimate_write_partitions};
 use crate::database::Database;
-use crate::database::listing::LANCE_FILE_EXTENSION;
 use crate::database::read_freshness::TableFreshness;
 use crate::embeddings::{EmbeddingDefinition, EmbeddingRegistry, MemoryRegistry};
 use crate::error::{Error, Result};
@@ -69,6 +68,7 @@ pub mod add_columns;
 mod add_data;
 pub mod branch_merge;
 pub mod checkpoint;
+pub mod computed_columns;
 mod create_index;
 pub mod datafusion;
 pub(crate) mod dataset;
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ pub mod merge;
 pub mod optimize;
 mod primary_key;
 pub mod query;
+pub mod refresh;
 pub mod schema_evolution;
 pub mod update;
 pub mod write_progress;
@@ -91,6 +92,9 @@ pub use branch_merge::{
    MergeBranchResult, MergeBranchStatus, MergePreview, RowCountSummary,
 };
 pub use chrono::Duration;
+pub use computed_columns::{
+    ComputedColumn, ComputedColumnKind, computed_column_from_field, computed_columns,
+};
 pub use delete::DeleteResult;
 use futures::future::join_all;
 pub use lance::dataset::refs::{BranchContents, Ref, TagContents, Tags as LanceTags};
@@ -98,6 +102,7 @@ pub use lance::dataset::scanner::DatasetRecordBatchStream;
 pub use lance_index::optimize::OptimizeOptions;
 pub use lsm_stats::{BucketStats, GenerationStats, LsmStats, MemtableStats};
 pub use optimize::{CompactionOptions, OptimizeAction, OptimizeStats};
+pub use refresh::RefreshColumnResult;
 pub use schema_evolution::{
    AddColumnsResult, AlterColumnsResult, DropColumnsResult, FieldMetadataUpdate,
    UpdateFieldMetadataResult,
@@ -152,55 +157,6 @@ pub(crate) fn map_namespace_lance_error(err: lance::Error, table_name: &str) ->
    }
 }

-/// Map a `lance::Error::DatasetNotFound` for the table at `uri` into a `lancedb::Error`.
-///
-/// Lance reports "there is nothing at this location" and "there is a table directory
-/// here but nothing loadable inside it" with the same error. Only the first is a
-/// `TableNotFound`: a `<name>.lance` directory left behind by an interrupted drop and
-/// re-create is still reported by `Connection::table_names`, so callers need to be able
-/// to tell "never existed" from "exists but is broken".
-///
-/// See <https://github.com/lancedb/lancedb/issues/3127>.
-async fn map_dataset_not_found(
-    uri: &str,
-    name: &str,
-    params: ReadParams,
-    err: lance::Error,
-) -> Error {
-    let name = name.to_string();
-    let source = Box::new(err);
-    if table_dir_exists(uri, params).await.unwrap_or(false) {
-        Error::TableCorrupted { name, source }
-    } else {
-        Error::TableNotFound { name, source }
-    }
-}
-
-/// Whether a table directory is present at `uri`, even though no dataset could be
-/// loaded from it.
-///
-/// This looks for a `<name>.lance` entry in the parent directory, which is exactly what
-/// `ListingDatabase::table_names` lists, so the two APIs agree on whether a table is
-/// present. Probing `uri` itself would not work: object stores have no empty
-/// directories to probe, and on a local filesystem the interesting case is precisely an
-/// empty directory.
-async fn table_dir_exists(uri: &str, params: ReadParams) -> Result<bool> {
-    let (object_store, path, _) = DatasetBuilder::from_uri(uri)
-        .with_read_params(params)
-        .build_object_store()
-        .await?;
-    // Only `*.lance` entries are ever reported as tables, so nothing else can produce
-    // the list-then-open mismatch this guards against.
-    if path.extension() != Some(LANCE_FILE_EXTENSION) {
-        return Ok(false);
-    }
-    let (Some(parent), Some(dir_name)) = (path.parent(), path.filename()) else {
-        return Ok(false);
-    };
-    let entries = object_store.read_dir(parent).await?;
-    Ok(entries.iter().any(|entry| entry.as_str() == dir_name))
-}
-
 /// Defines the type of column
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub enum ColumnKind {
@@ -687,6 +643,15 @@ pub trait BaseTable: std::fmt::Display + std::fmt::Debug + Send + Sync {
            message: "set_lsm_write_spec is not supported on this table type".into(),
        })
    }
+    /// Switch this table to required index catch-up, one way.
+    ///
+    /// The default implementation returns `NotSupported`. Implementations
+    /// that support the MemWAL LSM write path must override this.
+    async fn require_mem_wal_index_catchup(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: "require_mem_wal_index_catchup is not supported on this table type".into(),
+        })
+    }
    /// Remove the [`LsmWriteSpec`] from this table.
    ///
    /// This is a no-op if no spec is currently set.
@@ -782,6 +747,34 @@ pub trait BaseTable: std::fmt::Display + std::fmt::Debug + Send + Sync {
        transforms: NewColumnTransform,
        read_columns: Option<Vec<String>>,
    ) -> Result<AddColumnsResult>;
+    /// Declare computed columns, each defined by a SQL expression.
+    ///
+    /// Where the declaration is planned depends on the backend: a local table
+    /// validates and types the expression itself, a remote one sends the text
+    /// for the server to plan.
+    async fn add_computed_columns(
+        &self,
+        _columns: &[(String, String)],
+    ) -> Result<AddColumnsResult> {
+        Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: "computed columns are not supported on this table type".into(),
+        })
+    }
+    /// Fill a computed column's unfilled rows.
+    ///
+    /// The default returns `NotSupported`; Lance-backed tables override it.
+    async fn refresh_column(&self, _column: &str) -> Result<RefreshColumnResult> {
+        Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: "computed columns are supported only on local tables".into(),
+        })
+    }
+    /// Fill a computed column's unfilled rows, returning a [`Job`] tracking
+    /// the operation.
+    async fn refresh_column_async(&self, _column: &str) -> Result<Job> {
+        Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: "computed columns are supported only on local tables".into(),
+        })
+    }
    /// Alter columns in the table.
    async fn alter_columns(&self, alterations: &[ColumnAlteration]) -> Result<AlterColumnsResult>;
    /// Drop columns from the table.
@@ -1674,6 +1667,53 @@ impl Table {
        AddColumnsBuilder::new(self.inner.clone())
    }

+    /// Fill the fragments of a computed column that hold no values yet.
+    ///
+    /// Declared with
+    /// [`AddColumnsBuilder::computed`](add_columns::AddColumnsBuilder::computed),
+    /// a column starts empty and gets its values here. Fragments appended
+    /// since the last refresh are filled by the next one; fragments already
+    /// filled are left as they are, so the call is idempotent and does not
+    /// observe a mutated input.
+    ///
+    /// Local tables only: a remote refresh runs as a server job, through
+    /// [`Table::refresh_column_async`].
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// # use lancedb::Table;
+    /// # async fn refresh(table: &Table) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+    /// let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await?;
+    /// println!("filled {} rows at version {}", result.rows_filled, result.version);
+    /// # Ok(())
+    /// # }
+    /// ```
+    pub async fn refresh_column(&self, column: impl AsRef<str>) -> Result<RefreshColumnResult> {
+        self.inner.refresh_column(column.as_ref()).await
+    }
+
+    /// Like [`Table::refresh_column`], but returns a [`Job`] tracking the
+    /// operation instead of blocking until it completes.
+    ///
+    /// The job may already be complete when returned, and callers must not
+    /// assume the column is filled until [`Job::wait`] returns. Invalid input
+    /// -- an unknown column, or one that is not computed -- is reported by
+    /// this call rather than by the job. On local tables the job runs as an
+    /// in-process task; on LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise it is the server's
+    /// backfill job.
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// # use lancedb::Table;
+    /// # async fn refresh_in_background(table: &Table) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+    /// let job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await?;
+    /// println!("refresh running: {:?}", job.status().await?);
+    /// job.wait().await?;
+    /// # Ok(())
+    /// # }
+    /// ```
+    pub async fn refresh_column_async(&self, column: impl AsRef<str>) -> Result<Job> {
+        self.inner.refresh_column_async(column.as_ref()).await
+    }
+
    /// Change a column's name or nullability.
    pub async fn alter_columns(
        &self,
@@ -1743,6 +1783,20 @@ impl Table {
        self.inner.set_lsm_write_spec(spec).await
    }

+    /// Switch this table to required index catch-up, one way.
+    ///
+    /// Separate from [`Self::set_lsm_write_spec`] on purpose: a table carrying
+    /// the bit retains its SSTables until an index records that it holds the
+    /// compacted rows, so turn it on only once something can repair coverage.
+    /// A writer that already holds the dataset can call the equivalent on
+    /// `DatasetMemWalExt` instead; this is the table-level entry point.
+    ///
+    /// Errors if no spec is set, or if the table already records SSTable
+    /// compaction progress from before this protocol.
+    pub async fn require_mem_wal_index_catchup(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        self.inner.require_mem_wal_index_catchup().await
+    }
+
    /// Remove the [`LsmWriteSpec`] from this table, reverting to the standard
    /// `merge_insert` write path.
    ///
@@ -2420,8 +2474,6 @@ impl NativeTable {
            None => false,
        };

-        // Kept so that a `DatasetNotFound` can be re-checked against storage below.
-        let recovery_params = params.clone();
        let mut builder = DatasetBuilder::from_uri(uri).with_read_params(params);

        // Set up commit handler when managed_versioning is enabled
@@ -2440,7 +2492,12 @@ impl NativeTable {
        let dataset = match builder.load().await {
            Ok(dataset) => dataset,
            Err(e @ lance::Error::DatasetNotFound { .. }) => {
-                return Err(map_dataset_not_found(uri, name, recovery_params, e).await);
+                // The manifest load is the existence check. A physical prefix may be
+                // from a concurrent or abandoned create, so it cannot refine this error.
+                return Err(Error::TableNotFound {
+                    name: name.to_string(),
+                    source: Box::new(e),
+                });
            }
            Err(e) => return Err(e.into()),
        };
@@ -2652,6 +2709,7 @@ impl NativeTable {
        namespace_client: Option<Arc<dyn LanceNamespace>>,
        pushdown_operations: HashSet<NamespaceClientPushdownOperation>,
    ) -> Result<Self> {
+        computed_columns::ensure_no_foreign_declarations(batches.arrow_schema().fields())?;
        // Default params uses format v1.
        let params = params.unwrap_or(WriteParams {
            ..Default::default()
@@ -3100,6 +3158,13 @@ impl BaseTable for NativeTable {
        let ds = self.dataset.get().await?;

        let table_schema = Schema::from(&ds.schema().clone());
+        computed_columns::ensure_not_written(
+            &table_schema,
+            add.data.schema().fields().iter().map(|f| f.name().as_str()),
+        )?;
+        if matches!(add.mode, AddDataMode::Overwrite) {
+            computed_columns::ensure_no_foreign_declarations(add.data.schema().fields())?;
+        }

        let num_partitions = if let Some(parallelism) = add.write_parallelism {
            parallelism
@@ -3260,6 +3325,11 @@ impl BaseTable for NativeTable {
        params: MergeInsertBuilder,
        new_data: Box<dyn RecordBatchReader + Send>,
    ) -> Result<MergeResult> {
+        let source_schema = arrow_array::RecordBatchReader::schema(&new_data);
+        computed_columns::ensure_not_written(
+            &Schema::from(self.dataset.get().await?.schema()),
+            source_schema.fields().iter().map(|f| f.name().as_str()),
+        )?;
        let result = merge::execute_merge_insert(self, params, new_data).await?;
        self.bump_freshness();
        Ok(result)
@@ -3273,6 +3343,10 @@ impl BaseTable for NativeTable {
        merge::lsm::set_lsm_write_spec(self, spec).await
    }

+    async fn require_mem_wal_index_catchup(&self) -> Result<()> {
+        merge::lsm::require_mem_wal_index_catchup(self).await
+    }
+
    async fn unset_lsm_write_spec(&self) -> Result<()> {
        merge::lsm::unset_lsm_write_spec(self).await
    }
@@ -3341,6 +3415,22 @@ impl BaseTable for NativeTable {
        Ok(result)
    }

+    async fn add_computed_columns(&self, columns: &[(String, String)]) -> Result<AddColumnsResult> {
+        let result = schema_evolution::execute_declare(self, columns).await?;
+        self.bump_freshness();
+        Ok(result)
+    }
+
+    async fn refresh_column(&self, column: &str) -> Result<RefreshColumnResult> {
+        let result = refresh::execute_refresh_column(self, column).await?;
+        self.bump_freshness();
+        Ok(result)
+    }
+
+    async fn refresh_column_async(&self, column: &str) -> Result<Job> {
+        refresh::execute_refresh_column_async(self, column).await
+    }
+
    async fn alter_columns(&self, alterations: &[ColumnAlteration]) -> Result<AlterColumnsResult> {
        let result = schema_evolution::execute_alter_columns(self, alterations).await?;
        self.bump_freshness();
@@ -3708,7 +3798,7 @@ pub struct FragmentSummaryStats {
 #[allow(deprecated)]
 mod tests {
    use std::sync::Arc;
-    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, AtomicUsize, Ordering};
    use std::time::Duration;

    use arrow_array::{
@@ -3790,73 +3880,50 @@ mod tests {
        );
    }

-    /// Write a table and then break it, leaving the `<name>.lance` directory in place.
-    ///
-    /// `remove_all` reproduces an interrupted drop + re-create (the directory is left
-    /// empty); otherwise only the manifests are removed, leaving the data files behind.
-    async fn write_then_corrupt_table(dir: &std::path::Path, remove_all: bool) -> String {
-        let dataset_path = dir.join("test.lance");
-        let uri = dataset_path.to_str().unwrap().to_string();
-
-        let batch = make_test_batches();
-        let reader = RecordBatchIterator::new(vec![Ok(batch.clone())], batch.schema());
-        Dataset::write(reader, &uri, None).await.unwrap();
-
-        if remove_all {
-            for entry in std::fs::read_dir(&dataset_path).unwrap() {
-                let entry = entry.unwrap();
-                if entry.file_type().unwrap().is_dir() {
-                    std::fs::remove_dir_all(entry.path()).unwrap();
-                } else {
-                    std::fs::remove_file(entry.path()).unwrap();
-                }
-            }
-            assert_eq!(std::fs::read_dir(&dataset_path).unwrap().count(), 0);
-        } else {
-            let versions = dataset_path.join("_versions");
-            assert!(versions.is_dir(), "expected manifests under {versions:?}");
-            std::fs::remove_dir_all(&versions).unwrap();
-            assert!(std::fs::read_dir(&dataset_path).unwrap().count() > 0);
-        }
-
-        uri
-    }
-
    #[tokio::test]
-    async fn test_open_corrupt_empty_dir() {
+    async fn test_open_not_found_when_empty_directory_exists() {
        let tmp_dir = tempdir().unwrap();
-        let uri = write_then_corrupt_table(tmp_dir.path(), true).await;
+        let dataset_path = tmp_dir.path().join("test.lance");
+        std::fs::create_dir(&dataset_path).unwrap();

-        let err = NativeTable::open(&uri).await.unwrap_err();
+        let err = NativeTable::open(dataset_path.to_str().unwrap())
+            .await
+            .unwrap_err();
        assert!(
-            matches!(&err, Error::TableCorrupted { name, .. } if name == "test"),
+            matches!(&err, Error::TableNotFound { name, .. } if name == "test"),
            "got {err:?}"
        );
    }

    #[tokio::test]
-    async fn test_open_corrupt_missing_manifest() {
+    async fn test_open_not_found_when_only_uncommitted_storage_exists() {
        let tmp_dir = tempdir().unwrap();
-        let uri = write_then_corrupt_table(tmp_dir.path(), false).await;
+        let dataset_path = tmp_dir.path().join("test.lance");
+        let data_dir = dataset_path.join("data");
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&data_dir).unwrap();
+        std::fs::write(data_dir.join("orphan.lance"), b"uncommitted").unwrap();

-        let err = NativeTable::open(&uri).await.unwrap_err();
+        let err = NativeTable::open(dataset_path.to_str().unwrap())
+            .await
+            .unwrap_err();
        assert!(
-            matches!(&err, Error::TableCorrupted { name, .. } if name == "test"),
+            matches!(&err, Error::TableNotFound { name, .. } if name == "test"),
            "got {err:?}"
        );
    }

-    /// A table listed by `table_names()` must not be reported as missing by
-    /// `open_table()`. See <https://github.com/lancedb/lancedb/issues/3127>.
+    /// Listing databases discover physical `*.lance` entries. That snapshot is not an
+    /// authoritative table-existence check: only a committed manifest makes a table
+    /// openable, and the entry could also be concurrently created or dropped.
    #[tokio::test]
-    async fn test_open_table_corrupt_is_still_listed() {
+    async fn test_table_names_may_include_uncommitted_storage() {
        let tmp_dir = tempdir().unwrap();
        let db = connect(tmp_dir.path().to_str().unwrap())
            .execute()
            .await
            .unwrap();

-        write_then_corrupt_table(tmp_dir.path(), true).await;
+        std::fs::create_dir(tmp_dir.path().join("test.lance")).unwrap();

        assert_eq!(
            db.table_names().execute().await.unwrap(),
@@ -3864,12 +3931,187 @@ mod tests {
        );
        let err = db.open_table("test").execute().await.unwrap_err();
        assert!(
-            matches!(&err, Error::TableCorrupted { name, .. } if name == "test"),
+            matches!(&err, Error::TableNotFound { name, .. } if name == "test"),
+            "physical storage without a committed manifest is not a table: {err:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[derive(Debug)]
+    struct ParentListGuardStore {
+        inner: Arc<dyn object_store::ObjectStore>,
+        parent: object_store::path::Path,
+        parent_list_calls: Arc<AtomicUsize>,
+    }
+
+    impl std::fmt::Display for ParentListGuardStore {
+        fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+            f.write_str("ParentListGuardStore")
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[async_trait::async_trait]
+    #[deny(clippy::missing_trait_methods)]
+    impl object_store::ObjectStore for ParentListGuardStore {
+        async fn put_opts(
+            &self,
+            location: &object_store::path::Path,
+            payload: object_store::PutPayload,
+            opts: object_store::PutOptions,
+        ) -> object_store::Result<object_store::PutResult> {
+            self.inner.put_opts(location, payload, opts).await
+        }
+
+        async fn put_multipart_opts(
+            &self,
+            location: &object_store::path::Path,
+            opts: object_store::PutMultipartOptions,
+        ) -> object_store::Result<Box<dyn object_store::MultipartUpload>> {
+            self.inner.put_multipart_opts(location, opts).await
+        }
+
+        async fn get_opts(
+            &self,
+            location: &object_store::path::Path,
+            options: object_store::GetOptions,
+        ) -> object_store::Result<object_store::GetResult> {
+            self.inner.get_opts(location, options).await
+        }
+
+        async fn get_ranges(
+            &self,
+            location: &object_store::path::Path,
+            ranges: &[std::ops::Range<u64>],
+        ) -> object_store::Result<Vec<bytes::Bytes>> {
+            self.inner.get_ranges(location, ranges).await
+        }
+
+        fn delete_stream(
+            &self,
+            locations: futures::stream::BoxStream<
+                'static,
+                object_store::Result<object_store::path::Path>,
+            >,
+        ) -> futures::stream::BoxStream<'static, object_store::Result<object_store::path::Path>>
+        {
+            self.inner.delete_stream(locations)
+        }
+
+        fn list(
+            &self,
+            prefix: Option<&object_store::path::Path>,
+        ) -> futures::stream::BoxStream<'static, object_store::Result<object_store::ObjectMeta>>
+        {
+            if prefix == Some(&self.parent) {
+                self.parent_list_calls.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+            }
+            self.inner.list(prefix)
+        }
+
+        fn list_with_offset(
+            &self,
+            prefix: Option<&object_store::path::Path>,
+            offset: &object_store::path::Path,
+        ) -> futures::stream::BoxStream<'static, object_store::Result<object_store::ObjectMeta>>
+        {
+            if prefix == Some(&self.parent) {
+                self.parent_list_calls.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+            }
+            self.inner.list_with_offset(prefix, offset)
+        }
+
+        async fn list_with_delimiter(
+            &self,
+            prefix: Option<&object_store::path::Path>,
+        ) -> object_store::Result<object_store::ListResult> {
+            if prefix == Some(&self.parent) {
+                self.parent_list_calls.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+            }
+            self.inner.list_with_delimiter(prefix).await
+        }
+
+        async fn copy_opts(
+            &self,
+            from: &object_store::path::Path,
+            to: &object_store::path::Path,
+            options: object_store::CopyOptions,
+        ) -> object_store::Result<()> {
+            self.inner.copy_opts(from, to, options).await
+        }
+
+        async fn rename_opts(
+            &self,
+            from: &object_store::path::Path,
+            to: &object_store::path::Path,
+            options: object_store::RenameOptions,
+        ) -> object_store::Result<()> {
+            self.inner.rename_opts(from, to, options).await
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[derive(Debug)]
+    struct ParentListGuardWrapper {
+        parent_list_calls: Arc<AtomicUsize>,
+    }
+
+    impl WrappingObjectStore for ParentListGuardWrapper {
+        fn wrap(
+            &self,
+            _store_prefix: &str,
+            inner: Arc<dyn object_store::ObjectStore>,
+        ) -> Arc<dyn object_store::ObjectStore> {
+            Arc::new(ParentListGuardStore {
+                inner,
+                parent: object_store::path::Path::from("database"),
+                parent_list_calls: self.parent_list_calls.clone(),
+            })
+        }
+
+        // The guard counts listings through `wrap`, so a pushed-down listing would slip
+        // past it.
+        fn wrap_paginated(
+            &self,
+            _store_prefix: &str,
+            _original: Arc<dyn object_store::list::PaginatedListStore>,
+        ) -> Option<Arc<dyn object_store::list::PaginatedListStore>> {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_open_missing_never_lists_database_parent() {
+        let parent_list_calls = Arc::new(AtomicUsize::new(0));
+        let params = ReadParams {
+            store_options: Some(ObjectStoreParams {
+                object_store_wrapper: Some(Arc::new(ParentListGuardWrapper {
+                    parent_list_calls: parent_list_calls.clone(),
+                })),
+                ..Default::default()
+            }),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+
+        let err = NativeTable::open_with_params(
+            "memory:///database/missing.lance",
+            "missing",
+            Vec::new(),
+            None,
+            Some(params),
+            None,
+            None,
+            HashSet::new(),
+            None,
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap_err();
+
+        assert!(
+            matches!(&err, Error::TableNotFound { name, .. } if name == "missing"),
            "got {err:?}"
        );
-        assert!(
-            err.to_string().contains("exists but could not be loaded"),
-            "got {err}"
+        assert_eq!(
+            parent_list_calls.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
+            0,
+            "opening one missing table must not enumerate sibling tables"
        );
    }

@@ -3936,6 +4178,15 @@ mod tests {
            self.called.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed);
            original
        }
+
+        // Hands the store back untouched, so a listing has nothing to go around.
+        fn wrap_paginated(
+            &self,
+            _store_prefix: &str,
+            original: Arc<dyn object_store::list::PaginatedListStore>,
+        ) -> Option<Arc<dyn object_store::list::PaginatedListStore>> {
+            Some(original)
+        }
    }

    #[tokio::test]
@@ -5339,7 +5590,7 @@ mod tests {
    pub async fn test_stats_includes_index_and_overlay_files() {
        use lance::dataset::WriteDestination;
        use lance::dataset::transaction::{DataOverlayGroup, Operation};
-        use lance_file::version::{ConcreteFileVersion, LanceFileVersion};
+        use lance_file::version::stable_file_version;
        use lance_file::writer::FileWriterOptions;
        use lance_io::utils::CachedFileSize;
        use lance_table::format::DataFile;
@@ -5405,7 +5656,7 @@ mod tests {
        let fragment_id = dataset.get_fragments()[0].id() as u64;
        let foo_field_id = dataset.schema().field("foo").unwrap().id;
        let overlay_schema = dataset.schema().project_by_ids(&[foo_field_id], true);
-        let file_version = ConcreteFileVersion::from(LanceFileVersion::Stable);
+        let file_version = stable_file_version();

        let filename = "overlay.lance".to_string();
        let store = dataset.object_store(None).await.unwrap();
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ use crate::{Error, Result};
 pub struct AddColumnsBuilder {
    parent: Arc<dyn BaseTable>,
    transform: Option<NewColumnTransform>,
+    computed: Vec<(String, String)>,
    read_columns: Option<Vec<String>>,
 }

@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ impl std::fmt::Debug for AddColumnsBuilder {
        f.debug_struct("AddColumnsBuilder")
            .field("parent", &self.parent)
            .field("has_transform", &self.transform.is_some())
+            .field("computed", &self.computed)
            .field("read_columns", &self.read_columns)
            .finish()
    }
@@ -33,19 +35,58 @@ impl AddColumnsBuilder {
        Self {
            parent,
            transform: None,
+            computed: Vec::new(),
            read_columns: None,
        }
    }

-    /// Set how the new columns' values are produced. Required.
+    /// Set how the new columns' values are produced.
    pub fn transform(mut self, transform: NewColumnTransform) -> Self {
        self.transform = Some(transform);
        self
    }

+    /// Add a column defined by `expression`, evaluated by a later refresh
+    /// rather than by this commit. Its type and inputs are derived from the
+    /// expression.
+    ///
+    /// The column is committed with no values, so declaring one costs the same
+    /// on an empty table as on a large one. Rows get values from
+    /// [`Table::refresh_column`](super::Table::refresh_column), which fills
+    /// every fragment that has none -- including fragments appended since the
+    /// last refresh.
+    ///
+    /// Refresh does not revisit a fragment it has filled, so mutating an input
+    /// leaves the value computed at fill time; recomputing means dropping the
+    /// column and declaring it again. An input cannot be renamed, retyped or
+    /// dropped while a declaration reads it, since the expression names it.
+    ///
+    /// On LanceDB Cloud and Enterprise the expression is planned by the
+    /// server, and the refresh runs as a server job -- see
+    /// [`Table::refresh_column_async`](super::Table::refresh_column_async).
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// # use lancedb::Table;
+    /// # async fn declare(table: &Table) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+    /// table
+    ///     .add_columns()
+    ///     .computed("doubled", "x * 2")
+    ///     .execute()
+    ///     .await?;
+    /// let filled = table.refresh_column("doubled").await?;
+    /// println!("filled {} rows", filled.rows_filled);
+    /// # Ok(())
+    /// # }
+    /// ```
+    pub fn computed(mut self, name: impl Into<String>, expression: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
+        self.computed.push((name.into(), expression.into()));
+        self
+    }
+
    /// Limit which existing columns a [`NewColumnTransform::BatchUDF`] mapper
-    /// receives. Every other transform determines what it reads, so setting
-    /// this alongside one is an error rather than a silent no-op.
+    /// receives. Every other transform, and a computed column, determines what
+    /// it reads, so setting this alongside one is an error rather than a silent
+    /// no-op.
    pub fn read_columns(mut self, columns: impl IntoIterator<Item = impl Into<String>>) -> Self {
        self.read_columns = Some(columns.into_iter().map(Into::into).collect());
        self
@@ -56,24 +97,42 @@ impl AddColumnsBuilder {
        let Self {
            parent,
            transform,
+            computed,
            read_columns,
        } = self;

-        let Some(transform) = transform else {
-            return Err(Error::InvalidInput {
-                message: "add_columns requires a transform".into(),
-            });
-        };
-
-        if read_columns.is_some() && !matches!(transform, NewColumnTransform::BatchUDF(_)) {
-            return Err(Error::InvalidInput {
-                message: "read_columns applies only to a BatchUDF transform; \
-                          every other transform determines what it reads"
+        match (transform, computed.is_empty()) {
+            (None, true) => Err(Error::InvalidInput {
+                message: "add_columns requires a transform or a computed column".into(),
+            }),
+            // The two commit through different transforms, so one call covering
+            // both would be two commits and could half-apply.
+            (Some(_), false) => Err(Error::InvalidInput {
+                message: "add_columns cannot mix a transform with computed columns; \
+                          they cannot be added atomically in one call"
                    .into(),
-            });
+            }),
+            (Some(transform), true) => {
+                if read_columns.is_some() && !matches!(transform, NewColumnTransform::BatchUDF(_)) {
+                    return Err(Error::InvalidInput {
+                        message: "read_columns applies only to a BatchUDF transform; \
+                                  every other transform determines what it reads"
+                            .into(),
+                    });
+                }
+                parent.add_columns(transform, read_columns).await
+            }
+            (None, false) => {
+                if read_columns.is_some() {
+                    return Err(Error::InvalidInput {
+                        message: "read_columns applies only to a BatchUDF transform; \
+                                  a computed column's inputs come from its expression"
+                            .into(),
+                    });
+                }
+                parent.add_computed_columns(&computed).await
+            }
        }
-
-        parent.add_columns(transform, read_columns).await
    }
 }

@@ -85,8 +144,8 @@ mod tests {
    use arrow_schema::{DataType, Field, Schema};
    use lance::dataset::{BatchUDF, NewColumnTransform};

-    use crate::Table;
    use crate::connect;
+    use crate::{Error, Table};

    async fn table_with_two_columns(name: &str) -> Table {
        let conn = connect("memory://").execute().await.unwrap();
@@ -98,10 +157,7 @@ mod tests {
    async fn test_requires_a_transform() {
        let table = table_with_two_columns("no_transform").await;
        let err = table.add_columns().execute().await.unwrap_err();
-        assert!(
-            err.to_string().contains("requires a transform"),
-            "got: {err}"
-        );
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::InvalidInput { .. }));
    }

    #[tokio::test]
@@ -117,7 +173,7 @@ mod tests {
            .execute()
            .await
            .unwrap_err();
-        assert!(err.to_string().contains("BatchUDF"), "got: {err}");
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::InvalidInput { .. }));

        let schema = table.schema().await.unwrap();
        assert!(
@@ -126,6 +182,47 @@ mod tests {
        );
    }

+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_mixing_transform_and_computed_is_rejected() {
+        let table = table_with_two_columns("mixed_add").await;
+        let err = table
+            .add_columns()
+            .transform(NewColumnTransform::SqlExpressions(vec![(
+                "eager".into(),
+                "x * 2".into(),
+            )]))
+            .computed("lazy", "x * 3")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::InvalidInput { .. }));
+
+        let schema = table.schema().await.unwrap();
+        assert!(schema.field_with_name("eager").is_err());
+        assert!(schema.field_with_name("lazy").is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_read_columns_with_computed_is_rejected() {
+        let table = table_with_two_columns("read_cols_computed").await;
+        let err = table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("doubled", "x * 2")
+            .read_columns(["x"])
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::InvalidInput { .. }));
+        assert!(
+            table
+                .schema()
+                .await
+                .unwrap()
+                .field_with_name("doubled")
+                .is_err()
+        );
+    }
+
    #[tokio::test]
    async fn test_read_columns_limits_what_a_batch_udf_sees() {
        let table = table_with_two_columns("read_cols_udf").await;
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ use datafusion_physical_plan::stream::RecordBatchStreamAdapter;
 use datafusion_physical_plan::{
    DisplayAs, DisplayFormatType, ExecutionPlan, ExecutionPlanProperties, PlanProperties,
 };
-use futures::TryStreamExt;
+use futures::StreamExt;
 use lance::Dataset;
 use lance::dataset::transaction::{Operation, Transaction};
 use lance::dataset::{CommitBuilder, InsertBuilder, WriteParams, WriteProgressFn};
@@ -194,12 +194,23 @@ impl ExecutionPlan for InsertExec {

        let output_bytes = MetricBuilder::new(&self.metrics).output_bytes(partition);
        let input_schema = input_stream.schema();
+        let declared: Vec<String> = crate::table::computed_columns::computed_columns(
+            &arrow_schema::Schema::from(self.dataset.schema()),
+        )
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|declaration| declaration.name)
+        .collect();
        let input_stream: SendableRecordBatchStream =
            Box::pin(InstrumentedRecordBatchStreamAdapter::new(
                input_schema,
-                input_stream.map_ok(move |batch| {
+                input_stream.map(move |batch| {
+                    let batch = batch?;
+                    crate::table::computed_columns::ensure_batch_writes_no_computed_values(
+                        &declared, &batch,
+                    )
+                    .map_err(|e| datafusion::error::DataFusionError::External(Box::new(e)))?;
                    output_bytes.add(batch.get_array_memory_size());
-                    batch
+                    Ok(batch)
                }),
                partition,
                &self.metrics,
@@ -94,7 +94,16 @@ pub(crate) async fn set_lsm_write_spec(table: &NativeTable, spec: LsmWriteSpec)
        .await?
    };

+    table.checkout_latest().await?;
    let mut dataset = (*table.dataset.get().await?).clone();
+    let schema = arrow_schema::Schema::from(dataset.schema());
+    if !crate::table::computed_columns::computed_columns(&schema).is_empty() {
+        return Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: "an LSM write spec cannot be installed on a table with computed \
+                      columns: rows in un-compacted tiers are invisible to refresh"
+                .into(),
+        });
+    }
    let mut builder = dataset.initialize_mem_wal();
    let writer_config_defaults = match spec {
        LsmWriteSpec::Bucket {
@@ -183,6 +192,36 @@ fn index_name_list(indices: &[IndexConfig]) -> String {
    format!("[{}]", names.join(", "))
 }

+// =============================================================================
+// require_mem_wal_index_catchup
+// =============================================================================
+
+/// Switch this table to required index catch-up, one way.
+///
+/// Deliberately **not** part of installing the write spec. Until something can
+/// actually repair coverage, a table carrying the bit reports every index as
+/// not known to hold the compacted rows, so its SSTables are retained
+/// indefinitely -- and the WAL pod trims on the legacy rule meanwhile, leaving
+/// readers pointed at files that are gone. Turn this on only once remote
+/// maintenance owns the merge and the repair for the table.
+///
+/// Lance refuses the activation if the table already records SSTable
+/// compaction progress: those numbers predate this protocol and cannot be
+/// validated, so such a table must be drained rather than activated.
+#[allow(clippy::redundant_pub_crate)]
+pub(crate) async fn require_mem_wal_index_catchup(table: &NativeTable) -> Result<()> {
+    table.dataset.ensure_mutable()?;
+    let mut dataset = (*table.dataset.get().await?).clone();
+    if dataset.mem_wal_index_details().await?.is_none() {
+        return Err(Error::InvalidInput {
+            message: "require_mem_wal_index_catchup: no LSM write spec is set on this table".into(),
+        });
+    }
+    dataset.require_mem_wal_index_catchup().await?;
+    table.dataset.update(dataset);
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 // =============================================================================
 // unset_lsm_write_spec
 // =============================================================================
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ use lance::dataset::mem_wal::{
    DatasetMemWalExt, LsmScanner, ShardManifestStore, ShardSnapshot, ShardWriterConfig,
 };
 use lance_index::mem_wal::{MemWalIndexDetails, ShardManifest};
+use lance_table::feature_flags::FLAG_MEM_WAL_INDEX_CATCHUP;
 use uuid::Uuid;

 use super::NativeTable;
@@ -84,9 +85,8 @@ pub(super) async fn create_lsm_plan(
    let pk_columns = pk_columns(&ds_ref)?;
    // The base index an indexed arm relies on may lag compaction; resolve it so the
    // snapshot retains SSTables the index has not yet caught up to.
-    let arm_index = arm_maintained_index_name(&ds_ref, &query, &details).await?;
-    let (snapshots, in_memory) =
-        build_read_context(table, &ds_ref, &details, arm_index.as_deref()).await?;
+    let arm_indexes = arm_maintained_index_names(&ds_ref, &query, &details).await?;
+    let (snapshots, in_memory) = build_read_context(table, &ds_ref, &details, &arm_indexes).await?;

    let limit = query.base.limit;
    let offset = query.base.offset;
@@ -232,28 +232,44 @@ fn pk_columns(dataset: &Dataset) -> Result<Vec<String>> {
    Ok(pk)
 }

-/// Per-shard SSTable exclusion watermark: the generation at or below which SSTables
-/// are safe to drop for this arm. A generation is droppable only once it is
-/// compacted into the base table AND covered by `index_name`'s catch-up (for an
-/// indexed arm); a plain scan (`index_name == None`) uses the compaction watermark
-/// alone. Capping at the index catch-up keeps rows the base index has not yet
-/// indexed visible through their SSTable. First occurrence per shard mirrors Lance's
-/// `compacted_generation_for_shard`.
+/// Per-shard SSTable exclusion watermark: the generation at or below which
+/// SSTables are safe to drop for this query.
+///
+/// A generation is droppable only once it is compacted into the base table AND
+/// covered by the catch-up of every index the query relies on, so the watermark
+/// is the minimum across `index_names`. Gating on fewer than all of them would
+/// drop SSTables holding rows an uncounted index has not yet indexed, and that
+/// arm would silently return fewer rows.
+///
+/// See [`arm_maintained_index_names`] for which indexes are collected today: a
+/// vector search with a scalar prefilter is not yet among them.
+///
+/// An empty `index_names` (a plain scan) uses the compaction watermark alone.
+/// First occurrence per shard mirrors Lance's `compacted_generation_for_shard`.
 fn exclusion_watermarks(
    details: &MemWalIndexDetails,
-    index_name: Option<&str>,
+    index_names: &[String],
+    catchup_required: bool,
 ) -> HashMap<Uuid, u64> {
    let mut exclude: HashMap<Uuid, u64> = HashMap::new();
    for entry in &details.compacted_sstables {
        let mut watermark = entry.generation;
-        if let Some(name) = index_name
-            && let Some(caught_up) = details
+        for name in index_names {
+            match details
                .index_catchup
                .iter()
-                .find(|icp| icp.index_name == name)
+                .find(|icp| icp.index_name == *name)
                .and_then(|icp| icp.caught_up_generation_for_shard(&entry.shard_id))
-        {
-            watermark = watermark.min(caught_up);
+            {
+                Some(caught_up) => watermark = watermark.min(caught_up),
+                // No entry. On a table that requires catch-up this means the
+                // index is *not* known to hold these rows, and the base arm is
+                // index-only -- so every generation stays readable from its
+                // SSTable. Without the bit the field is not maintained at all,
+                // and absence carries no information.
+                None if catchup_required => watermark = 0,
+                None => {}
+            }
        }
        exclude.entry(entry.shard_id).or_insert(watermark);
    }
@@ -267,13 +283,26 @@ fn exclusion_watermarks(
 /// with a live cached `ShardWriter` (this session's in-flight writes) the
 /// writer's authoritative in-memory manifest and memtables override the
 /// on-disk view so a read sees data not yet flushed.
+/// Whether this table reads a missing `index_catchup` entry as "not caught up".
+///
+/// Both words must be set. A reader honouring the bit while a writer does not
+/// would retain SSTables the writer had already trimmed, and the reverse would
+/// serve rows from files the writer still expects to be excluded -- so a
+/// half-set manifest is treated as legacy, which is the conservative side.
+fn requires_index_catchup(dataset: &Dataset) -> bool {
+    let manifest = dataset.manifest();
+    manifest.reader_feature_flags & FLAG_MEM_WAL_INDEX_CATCHUP != 0
+        && manifest.writer_feature_flags & FLAG_MEM_WAL_INDEX_CATCHUP != 0
+}
+
 async fn build_read_context(
    table: &NativeTable,
    dataset: &Dataset,
    details: &MemWalIndexDetails,
-    index_name: Option<&str>,
+    index_names: &[String],
 ) -> Result<(Vec<ShardSnapshot>, HashMap<Uuid, InMemoryMemTables>)> {
-    let exclude = exclusion_watermarks(details, index_name);
+    let catchup_required = requires_index_catchup(dataset);
+    let exclude = exclusion_watermarks(details, index_names, catchup_required);

    let shard_ids = dataset.list_mem_wal_latest_shard_ids().await?;
    // Use the dataset's own object store (not `ObjectStore::from_uri`, which
@@ -487,19 +516,33 @@ async fn index_maintained(
    }))
 }

-/// The maintained base index the query's arm relies on (vector index for ANN, FTS
-/// index for full-text), used to gate SSTable compaction exclusion by index catch-up.
-/// `None` for a plain scan or when no maintained index covers the searched column.
-async fn arm_maintained_index_name(
+/// Every maintained base index this query relies on, used to gate SSTable
+/// exclusion by index catch-up.
+///
+/// Returns a list because the watermark must be the lowest across every index a
+/// query relies on. Today it never holds more than one: `reject_unsupported`
+/// refuses hybrid search, so the vector and full-text arms are mutually
+/// exclusive.
+///
+/// The case that is genuinely multi-index -- a vector search with a scalar or
+/// bitmap prefilter -- is **not collected yet**. Identifying those needs the
+/// planner's chosen indexes, not the columns the filter names, and no Lance API
+/// exposes them. Until it does, such a query is gated on its vector index alone.
+///
+/// Empty for a plain scan, or when no maintained index covers the searched
+/// column.
+async fn arm_maintained_index_names(
    dataset: &Dataset,
    query: &VectorQueryRequest,
    details: &MemWalIndexDetails,
-) -> Result<Option<String>> {
+) -> Result<Vec<String>> {
    use lance::index::DatasetIndexExt;
-    // Resolve the arm's searched column, the index-detail type it relies on, and a
+
+    // Each arm's searched column, the index-detail type it relies on, and a
    // label for diagnostics — catch-up is taken from the vector/FTS index
    // specifically, not a BTree on the same column.
-    let (column, type_url_suffix, arm) = if !query.query_vector.is_empty() {
+    let mut arms: Vec<(String, &str, &str)> = Vec::new();
+    if !query.query_vector.is_empty() {
        let arrow_schema = ArrowSchema::from(dataset.schema());
        let column = match &query.column {
            Some(column) => column.clone(),
@@ -508,31 +551,43 @@ async fn arm_maintained_index_name(
                default_vector_column(&arrow_schema, dim)?
            }
        };
-        (column, "VectorIndexDetails", "vector")
-    } else if let Some(fts) = &query.base.full_text_search {
-        match fts.columns().into_iter().next() {
-            Some(column) => (column, "InvertedIndexDetails", "full-text"),
-            None => return Ok(None),
-        }
-    } else {
-        return Ok(None);
-    };
-    let Some(field) = dataset.schema().field(&column) else {
-        return Ok(None);
-    };
+        arms.push((column, "VectorIndexDetails", "vector"));
+    }
+    if let Some(fts) = &query.base.full_text_search
+        && let Some(column) = fts.columns().into_iter().next()
+    {
+        arms.push((column, "InvertedIndexDetails", "full-text"));
+    }
+    if arms.is_empty() {
+        return Ok(Vec::new());
+    }
+
    let indices = dataset.load_indices().await?;
-    let segment_names: Vec<String> = indices
-        .iter()
-        .filter(|idx| {
-            idx.fields.contains(&field.id)
-                && idx
-                    .index_details
-                    .as_ref()
-                    .is_some_and(|d| d.type_url.ends_with(type_url_suffix))
-        })
-        .map(|idx| idx.name.clone())
-        .collect();
-    resolve_single_index(segment_names, &details.maintained_indexes, arm, &column)
+    let mut names = Vec::with_capacity(arms.len());
+    for (column, type_url_suffix, arm) in arms {
+        let Some(field) = dataset.schema().field(&column) else {
+            continue;
+        };
+        let segment_names: Vec<String> = indices
+            .iter()
+            .filter(|idx| {
+                idx.fields.contains(&field.id)
+                    && idx
+                        .index_details
+                        .as_ref()
+                        .is_some_and(|d| d.type_url.ends_with(type_url_suffix))
+            })
+            .map(|idx| idx.name.clone())
+            .collect();
+        if let Some(name) =
+            resolve_single_index(segment_names, &details.maintained_indexes, arm, &column)?
+        {
+            names.push(name);
+        }
+    }
+    names.sort();
+    names.dedup();
+    Ok(names)
 }

 /// Resolve the single logical index from the names of its matching physical
@@ -734,22 +789,117 @@ mod tests {
        };

        // Plain scan: drop every compacted generation (through 5).
-        assert_eq!(exclusion_watermarks(&details, None).get(&shard), Some(&5));
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &[], false).get(&shard),
+            Some(&5)
+        );

        // FTS arm with a lagging index: exclusion is capped at the index catch-up
        // (2), so SSTable generations 3..=5 are retained until the index covers
        // them — otherwise those documents would silently vanish from FTS results.
        assert_eq!(
-            exclusion_watermarks(&details, Some("fts_idx")).get(&shard),
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &["fts_idx".to_string()], false).get(&shard),
            Some(&2)
        );

        // A caught-up index — or one untracked in index_catchup — falls back to the
        // compaction watermark.
        assert_eq!(
-            exclusion_watermarks(&details, Some("caught_up_idx")).get(&shard),
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &["caught_up_idx".to_string()], false).get(&shard),
            Some(&5)
        );
+
+        // The same missing entry, once the table requires catch-up: absence now
+        // means "not known to hold these rows", so nothing may be excluded and
+        // every generation stays readable from its SSTable. This is the whole
+        // point of the protocol -- an indexed query against a table whose index
+        // has not caught up must not silently lose rows.
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &["untracked_idx".to_string()], true).get(&shard),
+            Some(&0)
+        );
+
+        // A tracked index is unaffected by the mode: the recorded position is
+        // information either way, and it still caps the exclusion.
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &["fts_idx".to_string()], true).get(&shard),
+            Some(&2)
+        );
+
+        // One missing entry is enough to hold everything back, even alongside an
+        // index that has caught up.
+        let mixed = vec!["fts_idx".to_string(), "untracked_idx".to_string()];
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &mixed, true).get(&shard),
+            Some(&0)
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A hybrid search reads a vector and a full-text index, and either may lag.
+    /// Retaining to the lower of the two is what keeps both arms complete;
+    /// gating on one alone would drop SSTables the other has not indexed.
+    #[test]
+    fn exclusion_watermark_takes_the_minimum_across_every_index_used() {
+        let shard = Uuid::from_u128(1);
+        let details = MemWalIndexDetails {
+            compacted_sstables: vec![CompactedSsTable::new(shard, 9)],
+            index_catchup: vec![
+                IndexCatchupProgress::new(
+                    "vec_idx".to_string(),
+                    vec![CompactedSsTable::new(shard, 7)],
+                ),
+                IndexCatchupProgress::new(
+                    "fts_idx".to_string(),
+                    vec![CompactedSsTable::new(shard, 4)],
+                ),
+            ],
+            maintained_indexes: vec!["vec_idx".to_string(), "fts_idx".to_string()],
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+
+        // Each index alone stops at its own catch-up.
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &["vec_idx".to_string()], false).get(&shard),
+            Some(&7)
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &["fts_idx".to_string()], false).get(&shard),
+            Some(&4)
+        );
+
+        // Used together, the lower one governs regardless of order.
+        let both = ["vec_idx".to_string(), "fts_idx".to_string()];
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &both, false).get(&shard),
+            Some(&4)
+        );
+        let reversed = ["fts_idx".to_string(), "vec_idx".to_string()];
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &reversed, false).get(&shard),
+            Some(&4)
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// An index with no catch-up entry contributes no cap today, so a lagging
+    /// sibling must still govern rather than being widened by the untracked one.
+    #[test]
+    fn an_untracked_index_does_not_widen_a_lagging_sibling() {
+        let shard = Uuid::from_u128(1);
+        let details = MemWalIndexDetails {
+            compacted_sstables: vec![CompactedSsTable::new(shard, 9)],
+            index_catchup: vec![IndexCatchupProgress::new(
+                "fts_idx".to_string(),
+                vec![CompactedSsTable::new(shard, 4)],
+            )],
+            maintained_indexes: vec!["fts_idx".to_string(), "untracked_idx".to_string()],
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+
+        let both = ["fts_idx".to_string(), "untracked_idx".to_string()];
+        assert_eq!(
+            exclusion_watermarks(&details, &both, false).get(&shard),
+            Some(&4)
+        );
    }

    #[test]
@@ -0,0 +1,954 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright The LanceDB Authors
+
+//! Filling computed columns.
+//!
+//! A row without a value gets one; a row that has one keeps it. Refresh is
+//! therefore idempotent and does not observe input mutation -- once a row is
+//! filled, changing what the expression reads leaves the stored result alone.
+//!
+//! Two passes per fragment. The first scans only the unfilled live rows and
+//! evaluates the expression over them, which yields the exact fill count and
+//! decides whether the fragment is staged at all -- a fragment where nothing
+//! would change stages nothing, which is what lets an expression yielding
+//! null settle instead of restaging forever. The second streams the
+//! fragment's physical rows into `write_columns` a batch at a time, so peak
+//! memory is bounded by a scan batch. The expression is evaluated by this
+//! module, never through a projection alias, and only over rows being
+//! filled: every other row -- deleted, or already holding a value -- has its
+//! inputs masked to null first, so a poison value in a row nobody is filling
+//! cannot fail the refresh.
+
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use arrow_array::{ArrayRef, BooleanArray, RecordBatch, RecordBatchOptions};
+use arrow_schema::Schema as ArrowSchema;
+use datafusion_expr::ColumnarValue;
+use futures::{Stream, StreamExt, TryStreamExt};
+use lance::Dataset;
+use lance::dataset::WriteDestination;
+use lance::dataset::fragment::FileFragment;
+use lance::dataset::transaction::Operation;
+use lance_core::ROW_ID;
+use lance_core::datatypes::Schema as LanceSchema;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+use super::computed_columns::{BoundExpression, ComputedColumnKind, computed_column_from_field};
+use super::{BaseTable, NativeTable};
+use crate::job::Job;
+use crate::{Error, Result};
+
+/// The result of refreshing a computed column.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+pub struct RefreshColumnResult {
+    /// Rows that had a value computed.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub rows_filled: u64,
+    /// The commit version associated with the operation.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub version: u64,
+}
+
+/// Internal implementation of the refresh logic.
+pub(crate) async fn execute_refresh_column(
+    table: &NativeTable,
+    column: &str,
+) -> Result<RefreshColumnResult> {
+    table.dataset.ensure_mutable()?;
+    ensure_no_lsm_write_spec(table).await?;
+    let dataset = table.dataset.get().await?;
+
+    let expression = declared_expression(&dataset, column)?;
+    let schema = Arc::new(ArrowSchema::from(dataset.schema()));
+    let bound = Arc::new(super::computed_columns::bind(schema, column, &expression)?);
+    let field = dataset
+        .schema()
+        .field(column)
+        .ok_or_else(|| Error::ColumnNotFound {
+            name: column.to_string(),
+        })?;
+    // The dataset's own field, so the identity write_columns checks against the
+    // manifest holds by construction.
+    let column_schema = LanceSchema {
+        fields: vec![field.clone()],
+        metadata: Default::default(),
+    };
+
+    let mut rows_filled = 0u64;
+    let mut replacements = Vec::new();
+    for fragment in dataset.get_fragments() {
+        let gained = count_fragment_gains(&dataset, &fragment, &bound, column).await?;
+        if gained == 0 {
+            continue;
+        }
+        rows_filled += gained;
+        let values = fill_stream(&dataset, &fragment, bound.clone(), column).await?;
+        replacements.push(fragment.write_columns(values, &column_schema).await?);
+    }
+
+    if replacements.is_empty() {
+        return Ok(RefreshColumnResult {
+            rows_filled: 0,
+            version: dataset.version().version,
+        });
+    }
+
+    let read_version = dataset.version().version;
+    // The dataset's own session, so registrations and caches survive the
+    // commit being installed on the handle.
+    let session = dataset.session();
+    let new_dataset = Dataset::commit(
+        WriteDestination::Dataset(dataset.clone()),
+        Operation::DataReplacement { replacements },
+        Some(read_version),
+        None,
+        None,
+        session,
+        false,
+    )
+    .await?;
+
+    let version = new_dataset.version().version;
+    table.dataset.update(new_dataset);
+    Ok(RefreshColumnResult {
+        rows_filled,
+        version,
+    })
+}
+
+/// Run the refresh as a [`Job`] in this process.
+pub(crate) async fn execute_refresh_column_async(table: &NativeTable, column: &str) -> Result<Job> {
+    // Validate before spawning so bad input is reported by this call rather
+    // than only by the job.
+    table.dataset.ensure_mutable()?;
+    ensure_no_lsm_write_spec(table).await?;
+    let dataset = table.dataset.get().await?;
+    declared_expression(&dataset, column)?;
+    drop(dataset);
+
+    let table = table.clone();
+    let column = column.to_string();
+    Ok(Job::spawned(tokio::spawn(async move {
+        execute_refresh_column(&table, &column).await?;
+        table.bump_freshness();
+        Ok(())
+    })))
+}
+
+/// Refuse to refresh under an LSM write spec.
+///
+/// Refresh enumerates base fragments, and a write spec keeps visible rows in
+/// un-compacted MemWAL tiers it cannot reach -- success would silently omit
+/// readable rows.
+async fn ensure_no_lsm_write_spec(table: &NativeTable) -> Result<()> {
+    // The catch-up flag outlives unset and marks retained SSTable rows.
+    let catchup = table.dataset.get().await?.manifest().reader_feature_flags
+        & lance_table::feature_flags::FLAG_MEM_WAL_INDEX_CATCHUP
+        != 0;
+    if catchup || table.get_lsm_write_spec().await?.is_some() {
+        return Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: "refresh_column is not supported on a table with an LSM write \
+                      spec: rows in un-compacted tiers are invisible to refresh"
+                .into(),
+        });
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// The SQL expression `column` is declared with.
+fn declared_expression(dataset: &Dataset, column: &str) -> Result<String> {
+    let schema = ArrowSchema::from(dataset.schema());
+    let field = schema
+        .field_with_name(column)
+        .map_err(|_| Error::ColumnNotFound {
+            name: column.to_string(),
+        })?;
+    let declaration =
+        computed_column_from_field(field).ok_or_else(|| Error::NotAComputedColumn {
+            name: column.to_string(),
+        })?;
+    match declaration.kind {
+        ComputedColumnKind::Sql { expression } => Ok(expression),
+        ComputedColumnKind::Unrecognized { kind } => Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: format!(
+                "computed column '{column}' is defined by '{kind}', which this version of \
+                 lancedb cannot evaluate"
+            ),
+        }),
+    }
+}
+
+/// Quote `name` as a lance SQL identifier.
+///
+/// Lance's dialect delimits with backticks, so a double-quoted name would
+/// parse as a string literal rather than a column.
+fn quote_identifier(name: &str) -> String {
+    format!("`{}`", name.replace('`', "``"))
+}
+
+/// Assemble the batch evaluation runs against: the bound roots, in read-schema
+/// order. Built by name so scan-side column order never matters.
+fn evaluation_batch(
+    batch: &RecordBatch,
+    bound: &BoundExpression,
+    mask_out: Option<&BooleanArray>,
+) -> lance_core::Result<RecordBatch> {
+    let mut columns = Vec::with_capacity(bound.roots.len());
+    for name in &bound.roots {
+        let column = batch.column_by_name(name).ok_or_else(|| {
+            lance_core::Error::invalid_input(format!(
+                "refreshing a computed column read no {name} column"
+            ))
+        })?;
+        // Rows outside the mask must not reach the expression: a value in a
+        // deleted or already-filled row can be one it would choke on.
+        columns.push(match mask_out {
+            Some(mask) => arrow::compute::nullif(column, mask)?,
+            None => column.clone(),
+        });
+    }
+    Ok(RecordBatch::try_new_with_options(
+        bound.read_schema.clone(),
+        columns,
+        &RecordBatchOptions::new().with_row_count(Some(batch.num_rows())),
+    )?)
+}
+
+/// Evaluate the expression over `batch`, materializing a constant result to
+/// the batch's length.
+fn evaluate(bound: &BoundExpression, batch: &RecordBatch) -> lance_core::Result<ArrayRef> {
+    let value = bound
+        .physical
+        .evaluate(batch)
+        .map_err(lance_core::Error::from)?;
+    match value {
+        ColumnarValue::Array(array) => Ok(array),
+        scalar => scalar
+            .into_array(batch.num_rows())
+            .map_err(lance_core::Error::from),
+    }
+}
+
+/// How many rows of one fragment would gain a value.
+///
+/// Scans only the unfilled live rows -- deleted rows never reach the
+/// expression here, the filter having already excluded them -- and counts the
+/// non-null results. Exact, so it is both the staging decision and the
+/// fragment's contribution to `rows_filled`.
+async fn count_fragment_gains(
+    dataset: &Dataset,
+    fragment: &FileFragment,
+    bound: &BoundExpression,
+    column: &str,
+) -> Result<u64> {
+    let mut scanner = dataset.scan();
+    scanner
+        .with_fragments(vec![fragment.metadata().clone()])
+        .with_row_id()
+        .filter(&format!("{} IS NULL", quote_identifier(column)))?
+        .project(&bound.roots)?;
+
+    let mut gained = 0u64;
+    let mut batches = scanner.try_into_stream().await?;
+    while let Some(batch) = batches.try_next().await? {
+        let evaluated = evaluate(bound, &evaluation_batch(&batch, bound, None)?)?;
+        gained += (batch.num_rows() - evaluated.null_count()) as u64;
+    }
+    Ok(gained)
+}
+
+/// Stream one fragment's column in physical order, filling the unfilled live
+/// rows and keeping every other value.
+///
+/// Deleted rows are carried through so the values line up positionally with
+/// the fragment's data files; they are never read back, but the column file
+/// has to cover them.
+async fn fill_stream(
+    dataset: &Dataset,
+    fragment: &FileFragment,
+    bound: Arc<BoundExpression>,
+    column: &str,
+) -> Result<impl Stream<Item = lance_core::Result<RecordBatch>> + Send + use<>> {
+    let mut projection: Vec<String> = bound.roots.clone();
+    projection.push(column.to_string());
+    let mut scanner = dataset.scan();
+    scanner
+        .with_fragments(vec![fragment.metadata().clone()])
+        .with_row_id()
+        .include_deleted_rows()
+        .project(&projection)?;
+
+    let projected = Arc::new(ArrowSchema::new(vec![
+        ArrowSchema::from(dataset.schema())
+            .field_with_name(column)
+            .map_err(|_| Error::ColumnNotFound {
+                name: column.to_string(),
+            })?
+            .clone(),
+    ]));
+
+    let column = column.to_string();
+    let batches = scanner.try_into_stream().await?;
+    Ok(batches.map(move |batch| {
+        let batch = batch?;
+        let missing = |name: &str| {
+            lance_core::Error::invalid_input(format!(
+                "refreshing a computed column read no {name} column"
+            ))
+        };
+        let existing = batch
+            .column_by_name(&column)
+            .ok_or_else(|| missing(&column))?;
+        let row_ids = batch
+            .column_by_name(ROW_ID)
+            .ok_or_else(|| missing(ROW_ID))?;
+
+        // Only an unfilled live row gains a value; a deleted row has a null
+        // row id and keeps its (null) slot.
+        let unfilled = arrow::compute::is_null(existing.as_ref())?;
+        let live = arrow::compute::is_not_null(row_ids.as_ref())?;
+        let fill = arrow::compute::and(&unfilled, &live)?;
+        let keep = arrow::compute::not(&fill)?;
+
+        let computed = evaluate(&bound, &evaluation_batch(&batch, &bound, Some(&keep))?)?;
+        let merged = arrow_select::zip::zip(&fill, &computed, existing)?;
+        Ok(RecordBatch::try_new(projected.clone(), vec![merged])?)
+    }))
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use std::sync::Arc;
+
+    use arrow_array::{Int32Array, record_batch};
+    use futures::TryStreamExt;
+
+    use crate::connect;
+    use crate::query::{ExecutableQuery, QueryBase, Select};
+    use crate::{Error, Result, Table};
+
+    async fn table_with(name: &str, values: Vec<i32>) -> Table {
+        let conn = connect("memory://").execute().await.unwrap();
+        let batch = record_batch!(("x", Int32, values)).unwrap();
+        conn.create_table(name, batch).execute().await.unwrap()
+    }
+
+    async fn declare_doubled(table: &Table) -> Result<u64> {
+        Ok(table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("doubled", "x * 2")
+            .execute()
+            .await?
+            .version)
+    }
+
+    async fn read(table: &Table, column: &str) -> Vec<Option<i32>> {
+        let batches = table
+            .query()
+            .select(Select::columns(&[column]))
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
+            .try_collect::<Vec<_>>()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let mut values: Vec<Option<i32>> = batches
+            .iter()
+            .flat_map(|batch| {
+                batch[column]
+                    .as_any()
+                    .downcast_ref::<Int32Array>()
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .iter()
+                    .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+            })
+            .collect();
+        values.sort();
+        values
+    }
+
+    async fn append(table: &Table, values: Vec<i32>) {
+        let batch = record_batch!(("x", Int32, values)).unwrap();
+        table.add(batch).execute().await.unwrap();
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_fills_a_declared_column() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_fills", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        let declared = declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(read(&table, "doubled").await, vec![None, None, None]);
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert!(result.version > declared);
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 3);
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "doubled").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(4), Some(6)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Values written after the last refresh must be reachable by another one.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_fills_rows_appended_since_the_last_refresh() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_appended", vec![1, 2]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+
+        append(&table, vec![5, 6]).await;
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "doubled").await,
+            vec![None, None, Some(2), Some(4)]
+        );
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 2);
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "doubled").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(4), Some(10), Some(12)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_with_nothing_to_fill() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_noop", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+
+        let again = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(again.rows_filled, 0);
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "doubled").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(4), Some(6)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A row is filled only by gaining a value, so an expression yielding null
+    /// settles at once instead of re-selecting the same rows forever. Nothing
+    /// is staged, so the version does not move either.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_converges_on_a_null_result() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_null_result", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        let declared = table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("maybe", "nullif(x, x)")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
+            .version;
+
+        let first = table.refresh_column("maybe").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(first.rows_filled, 0);
+        assert_eq!(first.version, declared);
+        assert_eq!(read(&table, "maybe").await, vec![None, None, None]);
+
+        let again = table.refresh_column("maybe").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(again.rows_filled, 0);
+        assert_eq!(again.version, declared);
+    }
+
+    /// The contract's boundary: a filled fragment is not revisited, so
+    /// mutating an input leaves the value computed at fill time.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_does_not_observe_input_mutation() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_mutation", vec![1]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(read(&table, "doubled").await, vec![Some(2)]);
+
+        table.update().column("x", "3").execute().await.unwrap();
+
+        let again = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(again.rows_filled, 0);
+        assert_eq!(read(&table, "doubled").await, vec![Some(2)]);
+    }
+
+    /// A row rewrite before the first refresh materializes the declared
+    /// column as null behind a covering data file. Those rows are still
+    /// unfilled and a later refresh has to reach them.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_update_before_the_first_refresh() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_update_first", vec![1]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+
+        table.update().column("x", "3").execute().await.unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 1);
+        assert_eq!(read(&table, "doubled").await, vec![Some(6)]);
+    }
+
+    /// The contract holds row by row, not fragment by fragment: revisiting a
+    /// fragment to fill one row must not recompute a filled row sitting beside
+    /// it, even where the input behind it has since changed.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_does_not_recompute_a_filled_row_beside_an_unfilled_one() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_mixed", vec![1, 2]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+
+        append(&table, vec![5]).await;
+        table
+            .update()
+            .column("x", "100")
+            .only_if("x = 1")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        table
+            .optimize(crate::table::OptimizeAction::Compact {
+                options: crate::table::CompactionOptions::default(),
+                remap_options: None,
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 1);
+        // 2 is the mutated row keeping the value it was filled with, not 200.
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "doubled").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(4), Some(10)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Filling a fragment must not disturb the values it already holds, which
+    /// is what makes a compaction-mixed fragment safe to revisit.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_preserves_already_filled_rows() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_preserves", vec![1, 2]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+
+        append(&table, vec![5]).await;
+        table
+            .optimize(crate::table::OptimizeAction::Compact {
+                options: crate::table::CompactionOptions::default(),
+                remap_options: None,
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 1);
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "doubled").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(4), Some(10)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_leaves_deleted_rows_alone() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_deleted", vec![1, 2, 3, 4]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        table.delete("x = 2").await.unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 3);
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "doubled").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(6), Some(8)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_a_constant_expression() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_constant", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("answer", "42")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("answer").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 3);
+    }
+
+    /// A name needing quotes reaches the evaluator intact: it is carried as a
+    /// projection alias, never spliced into SQL text.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_a_column_whose_name_needs_quoting() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_quoted", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("double value", "x * 2")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("double value").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 3);
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "double value").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(4), Some(6)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A fragment spanning several scan batches exercises the streamed fill:
+    /// the probe buffers only until the first gained value and the rest flows
+    /// through write_column a batch at a time.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_streams_a_multi_batch_fragment() {
+        let values: Vec<i32> = (0..20_000).collect();
+        let table = table_with("refresh_multi_batch", values.clone()).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 20_000);
+
+        let read_back = read(&table, "doubled").await;
+        assert_eq!(read_back.len(), 20_000);
+        let mut expected: Vec<Option<i32>> = values.iter().map(|v| Some(v * 2)).collect();
+        expected.sort();
+        assert_eq!(read_back, expected);
+    }
+
+    /// The gate's reproducer: the commit must reuse the configured session,
+    /// or registrations and caches vanish from the handle after a refresh.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_preserves_the_configured_session() {
+        let session = Arc::new(lance::session::Session::default());
+        let conn = crate::connect("memory://")
+            .session(session.clone())
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let batch = record_batch!(("x", Int32, [1, 2])).unwrap();
+        let table = conn
+            .create_table("session_kept", batch)
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+
+        let dataset = table.as_native().unwrap().dataset.get().await.unwrap();
+        assert!(Arc::ptr_eq(&dataset.session(), &session));
+    }
+
+    /// The async form's job settles with the fill visible, like
+    /// create_index's execute_async.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_async_job_waits_for_the_fill() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_async", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+
+        let job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert!(job.id().is_none(), "in-process jobs have no server id");
+        job.wait().await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(job.status().await.unwrap(), "finished");
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "doubled").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(4), Some(6)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Bad input is reported by the call, not by the job.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_async_rejects_bad_input_before_spawning() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_async_bad", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+
+        let err = table.refresh_column_async("x").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::NotAComputedColumn { name } if name == "x"));
+
+        let err = table.refresh_column_async("nope").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::ColumnNotFound { name } if name == "nope"));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_async_job_reports_success_to_every_waiter() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_async_waiters", vec![1, 2]).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+
+        let job = table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        job.wait().await.unwrap();
+        // A second wait after completion observes the same outcome.
+        job.wait().await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(job.status().await.unwrap(), "finished");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_rejects_a_plain_column() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_plain", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        let err = table.refresh_column("x").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::NotAComputedColumn { name } if name == "x"));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_rejects_an_unknown_column() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_missing", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        let err = table.refresh_column("nope").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::ColumnNotFound { name } if name == "nope"));
+    }
+
+    /// The gate's reproducer: a poison value in a deleted row must not
+    /// abort filling the live rows, since nobody can read it.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_a_deleted_rows_value_is_never_evaluated() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_deleted_poison", vec![1, 0]).await;
+        table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("quotient", "10 / x")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        table.delete("x = 0").await.unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("quotient").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 1);
+        assert_eq!(read(&table, "quotient").await, vec![Some(10)]);
+    }
+
+    /// The gate's reproducer: an already-filled row's value must not be
+    /// re-evaluated either -- its input may have mutated into one the
+    /// expression chokes on.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_a_filled_rows_value_is_never_evaluated() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_filled_poison", vec![1, 2]).await;
+        table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("quotient", "10 / x")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        table.refresh_column("quotient").await.unwrap();
+
+        table
+            .update()
+            .column("x", "0")
+            .only_if("x = 1")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        append(&table, vec![5]).await;
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("quotient").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 1);
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "quotient").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(5), Some(10)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// The gate's reproducer: the old internal projection alias is an
+    /// ordinary column name; a computed column may use it.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_a_column_named_like_the_old_alias() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_alias_name", vec![1, 2]).await;
+        table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("__lancedb_computed", "x * 2")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("__lancedb_computed").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 2);
+        assert_eq!(
+            read(&table, "__lancedb_computed").await,
+            vec![Some(2), Some(4)]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// The gate's reproducer: a late-gain fragment (filled, then one null row
+    /// compacted onto the end) fills without the old probe's buffering, which
+    /// this pins behaviorally; the memory bound is structural -- the fill
+    /// stream retains no batches at all.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_fills_a_late_gain_fragment() {
+        let values: Vec<i32> = (0..20_000).collect();
+        let table = table_with("refresh_late_gain", values).await;
+        declare_doubled(&table).await.unwrap();
+        table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+
+        append(&table, vec![2_000_000]).await;
+        table
+            .optimize(crate::table::OptimizeAction::Compact {
+                options: crate::table::CompactionOptions::default(),
+                remap_options: None,
+            })
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 1);
+        let read_back = read(&table, "doubled").await;
+        assert_eq!(read_back.len(), 20_001);
+        assert_eq!(read_back.last().unwrap(), &Some(4_000_000));
+    }
+
+    /// The gate's reproducer: a nested input declares, refreshes, and guards
+    /// its root against invalidating schema changes.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_a_nested_input_declares_and_refreshes() {
+        use arrow_array::{Int32Array, StructArray};
+        use arrow_schema::{DataType, Field, Fields};
+
+        let conn = connect("memory://").execute().await.unwrap();
+        let age = Arc::new(Int32Array::from(vec![30, 40]));
+        let fields = Fields::from(vec![Field::new("age", DataType::Int32, true)]);
+        let metadata = StructArray::new(fields.clone(), vec![age as _], None);
+        let schema = Arc::new(arrow_schema::Schema::new(vec![Field::new(
+            "metadata",
+            DataType::Struct(fields),
+            true,
+        )]));
+        let batch =
+            arrow_array::RecordBatch::try_new(schema, vec![Arc::new(metadata) as _]).unwrap();
+        let table = conn
+            .create_table("refresh_nested", batch)
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        table
+            .add_columns()
+            .computed("next_age", "metadata.age + 1")
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let declaration =
+            &crate::table::computed_columns(table.schema().await.unwrap().as_ref())[0];
+        assert_eq!(declaration.inputs, vec!["metadata.age".to_string()]);
+
+        let result = table.refresh_column("next_age").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 2);
+        assert_eq!(read(&table, "next_age").await, vec![Some(31), Some(41)]);
+
+        // The dotted input guards its root.
+        let err = table.drop_columns(&["metadata"]).await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(
+            matches!(&err, Error::InvalidInput { message } if message.contains("next_age")),
+            "{err:?}"
+        );
+
+        // Masking a struct input for a deleted row goes through the same
+        // nullif path as a primitive; a nested input plus deletions must not
+        // be the combination that breaks it.
+        table.delete("next_age = 31").await.unwrap();
+        append_struct_row(&table, 50).await;
+        let result = table.refresh_column("next_age").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(result.rows_filled, 1);
+        assert_eq!(read(&table, "next_age").await, vec![Some(41), Some(51)]);
+    }
+
+    /// Append one `metadata: {age}` row to the nested-input table.
+    async fn append_struct_row(table: &Table, age: i32) {
+        use arrow_array::{Int32Array, StructArray};
+        use arrow_schema::{DataType, Field, Fields};
+
+        let ages = Arc::new(Int32Array::from(vec![age]));
+        let fields = Fields::from(vec![Field::new("age", DataType::Int32, true)]);
+        let metadata = StructArray::new(fields.clone(), vec![ages as _], None);
+        let schema = Arc::new(arrow_schema::Schema::new(vec![Field::new(
+            "metadata",
+            DataType::Struct(fields),
+            true,
+        )]));
+        let batch =
+            arrow_array::RecordBatch::try_new(schema, vec![Arc::new(metadata) as _]).unwrap();
+        table.add(batch).execute().await.unwrap();
+    }
+
+    /// Both orders of declare+spec are refused at the source (see the
+    /// schema_evolution tests); refresh's own check covers a dataset another
+    /// writer left in that state.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_refuses_a_foreign_lsm_state() {
+        use crate::table::LsmWriteSpec;
+
+        let tmp_dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let conn = connect(tmp_dir.path().to_str().unwrap())
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let schema = Arc::new(arrow_schema::Schema::new(vec![arrow_schema::Field::new(
+            "x",
+            arrow_schema::DataType::Int32,
+            false,
+        )]));
+        let batch =
+            arrow_array::RecordBatch::try_new(schema, vec![Arc::new(Int32Array::from(vec![1]))])
+                .unwrap();
+        let table = conn.create_table("lsm", batch).execute().await.unwrap();
+        table.set_unenforced_primary_key(["x"]).await.unwrap();
+        table
+            .set_lsm_write_spec(LsmWriteSpec::unsharded())
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        super::super::computed_columns::add_foreign_kind(&table, "doubled", "sql").await;
+
+        let err = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(
+            matches!(&err, Error::NotSupported { message } if message.contains("LSM")),
+            "{err:?}"
+        );
+        let err = table.refresh_column_async("doubled").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::NotSupported { .. }));
+    }
+
+    /// After catch-up activation and unset, no spec remains but the catch-up
+    /// flag still marks retained SSTable rows; refresh refuses on the flag.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_refuses_retained_catchup_state() {
+        use crate::table::LsmWriteSpec;
+
+        let tmp_dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let conn = connect(tmp_dir.path().to_str().unwrap())
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let schema = Arc::new(arrow_schema::Schema::new(vec![arrow_schema::Field::new(
+            "x",
+            arrow_schema::DataType::Int32,
+            false,
+        )]));
+        let batch = arrow_array::RecordBatch::try_new(
+            schema.clone(),
+            vec![Arc::new(Int32Array::from(vec![1]))],
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        let table = conn
+            .create_table("catchup", batch.clone())
+            .execute()
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        table.set_unenforced_primary_key(["x"]).await.unwrap();
+        table
+            .set_lsm_write_spec(LsmWriteSpec::unsharded())
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        table.require_mem_wal_index_catchup().await.unwrap();
+        let mut merge = table.merge_insert(&["x"]);
+        merge
+            .when_matched_update_all(None)
+            .when_not_matched_insert_all()
+            .use_lsm(true);
+        merge
+            .execute(Box::new(arrow_array::RecordBatchIterator::new(
+                vec![Ok(batch)],
+                schema,
+            )))
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        table.unset_lsm_write_spec().await.unwrap();
+        super::super::computed_columns::add_foreign_kind(&table, "doubled", "sql").await;
+
+        let err = table.refresh_column("doubled").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(
+            matches!(&err, Error::NotSupported { message } if message.contains("LSM")),
+            "{err:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A declaration of a kind this version cannot evaluate is refused by
+    /// name, rather than mistaken for a plain column or fed to the SQL path.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_refresh_rejects_a_kind_it_cannot_evaluate() {
+        let table = table_with("refresh_foreign", vec![1, 2, 3]).await;
+        super::super::computed_columns::add_foreign_kind(&table, "embedding", "udf").await;
+
+        let err = table.refresh_column("embedding").await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(matches!(err, Error::NotSupported { message } if message.contains("udf")));
+    }
+}
@@ -8,12 +8,14 @@
 //! - [`alter_columns`](execute_alter_columns): Rename columns, change types, or modify nullability
 //! - [`drop_columns`](execute_drop_columns): Remove columns from the table

+use arrow_schema::Schema as ArrowSchema;
 use lance::dataset::{ColumnAlteration, NewColumnTransform};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::collections::HashMap;

-use super::NativeTable;
-use crate::Result;
+use super::computed_columns;
+use super::{BaseTable, NativeTable};
+use crate::{Error, Result};

 /// The result of an add columns operation.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
@@ -98,6 +100,48 @@ pub(crate) async fn execute_add_columns(
    table: &NativeTable,
    transforms: NewColumnTransform,
    read_columns: Option<Vec<String>>,
+) -> Result<AddColumnsResult> {
+    // Declarations are admitted only through [`execute_declare`].
+    match &transforms {
+        NewColumnTransform::AllNulls(schema) => {
+            computed_columns::ensure_no_foreign_declarations(schema.fields())?
+        }
+        NewColumnTransform::BatchUDF(udf) => {
+            computed_columns::ensure_no_foreign_declarations(udf.output_schema.fields())?
+        }
+        _ => {}
+    }
+    commit_add_columns(table, transforms, read_columns).await
+}
+
+/// Declare validated computed columns. The only admission path for
+/// declaration metadata.
+pub(crate) async fn execute_declare(
+    table: &NativeTable,
+    columns: &[(String, String)],
+) -> Result<AddColumnsResult> {
+    // An LSM write spec keeps visible rows in tiers refresh cannot reach;
+    // checked against latest committed state, not this handle's snapshot.
+    // The catch-up flag outlives unset and marks retained SSTable rows.
+    table.checkout_latest().await?;
+    let catchup = table.dataset.get().await?.manifest().reader_feature_flags
+        & lance_table::feature_flags::FLAG_MEM_WAL_INDEX_CATCHUP
+        != 0;
+    if catchup || table.get_lsm_write_spec().await?.is_some() {
+        return Err(Error::NotSupported {
+            message: "computed columns are not supported on a table with an LSM write \
+                      spec: rows in un-compacted tiers are invisible to refresh"
+                .into(),
+        });
+    }
+    let transform = computed_columns::declare(table.schema().await?, columns)?;
+    commit_add_columns(table, transform, None).await
+}
+
+pub(crate) async fn commit_add_columns(
+    table: &NativeTable,
+    transforms: NewColumnTransform,
+    read_columns: Option<Vec<String>>,
 ) -> Result<AddColumnsResult> {
    table.dataset.ensure_mutable()?;
    let mut dataset = (*table.dataset.get().await?).clone();
@@ -116,6 +160,21 @@ pub(crate) async fn execute_alter_columns(
 ) -> Result<AlterColumnsResult> {
    table.dataset.ensure_mutable()?;
    let mut dataset = (*table.dataset.get().await?).clone();
+    // Nullability is not part of what an expression resolves against, so only
+    // a rename or a retype can invalidate a binding.
+    let schema = std::sync::Arc::new(ArrowSchema::from(dataset.schema()));
+    let rebinding = alterations
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|alteration| alteration.rename.is_some() || alteration.data_type.is_some())
+        .map(|alteration| alteration.path.as_str())
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+    computed_columns::ensure_not_an_input(&schema, &rebinding)?;
+    let retyped = alterations
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|alteration| alteration.data_type.is_some())
+        .map(|alteration| alteration.path.as_str())
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+    computed_columns::ensure_not_retyped(schema.as_ref(), &retyped)?;
    dataset.alter_columns(alterations).await?;
    let version = dataset.version().version;
    table.dataset.update(dataset);
@@ -131,6 +190,10 @@ pub(crate) async fn execute_drop_columns(
 ) -> Result<DropColumnsResult> {
    table.dataset.ensure_mutable()?;
    let mut dataset = (*table.dataset.get().await?).clone();
+    computed_columns::ensure_not_an_input(
+        &std::sync::Arc::new(ArrowSchema::from(dataset.schema())),
+        columns,
+    )?;
    dataset.drop_columns(columns).await?;
    let version = dataset.version().version;
    table.dataset.update(dataset);
@@ -147,6 +210,44 @@ pub(crate) async fn execute_update_field_metadata(
    table.dataset.ensure_mutable()?;
    let mut dataset = (*table.dataset.get().await?).clone();

+    // A declaration is validated as a whole at declare time; editing its keys
+    // here would bypass that, fabricate one on a plain column, or move a
+    // binding out from under a refresh. A replace on a declared column would
+    // silently erase it.
+    let schema = ArrowSchema::from(dataset.schema());
+    let declared: Vec<String> = computed_columns::computed_columns(&schema)
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|declaration| declaration.name)
+        .collect();
+    for update in updates {
+        if update
+            .metadata
+            .keys()
+            .any(|key| computed_columns::is_declaration_key(key))
+        {
+            return Err(Error::InvalidInput {
+                message: format!(
+                    "metadata keys of a computed-column declaration cannot be edited \
+                     (path '{}'); drop the column and declare it again",
+                    update.path
+                ),
+            });
+        }
+        if update.replace
+            && declared
+                .iter()
+                .any(|name| name == computed_columns::root(&update.path))
+        {
+            return Err(Error::InvalidInput {
+                message: format!(
+                    "replacing all metadata of computed column '{}' would erase its \
+                     declaration; drop the column and declare it again",
+                    update.path
+                ),
+            });
+        }
+    }
+
    let mut builder = dataset.update_field_metadata();
    for update in updates {
        let entries = update.metadata.iter().map(|(k, v)| (k.clone(), v.clone()));
@@ -82,6 +82,10 @@ pub(crate) async fn execute_update(

    // 1. Snapshot the current dataset
    let dataset = table.dataset.get().await?;
+    super::computed_columns::ensure_not_written(
+        &arrow_schema::Schema::from(dataset.schema()),
+        update.columns.iter().map(|(name, _)| name.as_str()),
+    )?;

    // 2. Initialize the Lance Core builder
    let mut builder = LanceUpdateBuilder::new(dataset);
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ use arrow_array::{
 use arrow_schema::{DataType, Field, Fields, Schema};
 use futures::TryStreamExt;
 use lance::Dataset;
-use lance_file::version::LanceFileVersion;
+use lance_file::version::{ConcreteFileVersion, LanceFileVersion};
 use lancedb::{
    Connection, Error, Result, Table,
    blob::{BlobRangeRequest, blob},
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ async fn create_inline_blob_table(
    Ok(table)
 }

-async fn storage_format_version(table: &Table) -> LanceFileVersion {
+async fn storage_format_version(table: &Table) -> ConcreteFileVersion {
    table
        .as_native()
        .unwrap()
@@ -69,9 +69,14 @@ async fn storage_format_version(table: &Table) -> LanceFileVersion {
        .await
        .unwrap()
        .data_storage_format
-        .lance_file_version()
-        .unwrap()
-        .resolve()
+        .lance_file_format()
+}
+
+fn supports_blob_v2(version: ConcreteFileVersion) -> bool {
+    matches!(
+        version,
+        ConcreteFileVersion::V2_2 | ConcreteFileVersion::V2_3
+    )
 }

 async fn uses_stable_row_ids(table: &Table) -> bool {
@@ -112,7 +117,7 @@ async fn declaring_blob_column_bumps_format_and_enables_stable_row_ids() -> Resu
        .execute()
        .await?;

-    assert!(storage_format_version(&table).await >= LanceFileVersion::V2_2);
+    assert!(supports_blob_v2(storage_format_version(&table).await));
    assert!(uses_stable_row_ids(&table).await);
    Ok(())
 }
@@ -127,7 +132,7 @@ async fn explicit_stable_row_id_setting_wins_over_blob_default() -> Result<()> {
        .execute()
        .await?;

-    assert!(storage_format_version(&table).await >= LanceFileVersion::V2_2);
+    assert!(supports_blob_v2(storage_format_version(&table).await));
    assert!(!uses_stable_row_ids(&table).await);
    Ok(())
 }
@@ -139,7 +144,7 @@ async fn non_blob_table_keeps_default_format_and_row_id_setting() -> Result<()>
    let schema = Arc::new(Schema::new(vec![Field::new("id", DataType::Int64, false)]));
    let table = db.create_empty_table("t", schema).execute().await?;

-    assert!(storage_format_version(&table).await < LanceFileVersion::V2_2);
+    assert!(!supports_blob_v2(storage_format_version(&table).await));
    assert!(!uses_stable_row_ids(&table).await);
    Ok(())
 }
@@ -171,7 +176,7 @@ async fn creating_with_blob_data_bumps_format() -> Result<()> {
    .unwrap();
    let table = db.create_table("t", batch).execute().await?;

-    assert!(storage_format_version(&table).await >= LanceFileVersion::V2_2);
+    assert!(supports_blob_v2(storage_format_version(&table).await));
    assert!(uses_stable_row_ids(&table).await);
    assert_eq!(table.count_rows(None).await?, 1);
    Ok(())
@@ -281,7 +286,7 @@ async fn connection_level_stable_row_id_setting_wins_over_blob_default() -> Resu
        .execute()
        .await?;

-    assert!(storage_format_version(&table).await >= LanceFileVersion::V2_2);
+    assert!(supports_blob_v2(storage_format_version(&table).await));
    assert!(!uses_stable_row_ids(&table).await);
    Ok(())
 }
@@ -297,7 +302,7 @@ async fn namespace_create_applies_blob_defaults() -> Result<()> {
        .execute()
        .await?;

-    assert!(storage_format_version(&table).await >= LanceFileVersion::V2_2);
+    assert!(supports_blob_v2(storage_format_version(&table).await));
    assert!(uses_stable_row_ids(&table).await);
    Ok(())
 }
@@ -474,7 +479,7 @@ async fn fetch_blobs_round_trips_nested_blob_column() -> Result<()> {
    let batch = RecordBatch::try_new(schema, vec![Arc::new(info_array) as ArrayRef]).unwrap();
    let table = db.create_table("t", batch).execute().await?;

-    assert!(storage_format_version(&table).await >= LanceFileVersion::V2_2);
+    assert!(supports_blob_v2(storage_format_version(&table).await));
    assert!(uses_stable_row_ids(&table).await);

    let ids = collect_row_ids(&table).await?;
@@ -1305,7 +1310,7 @@ async fn optimize_preserves_blob_v2_null_and_empty_distinction() -> Result<()> {
        .await?;
    table.add(null_empty_input_batch()).execute().await?;
    assert!(
-        storage_format_version(&table).await >= LanceFileVersion::V2_2,
+        supports_blob_v2(storage_format_version(&table).await),
        "blob v2 columns require storage >= 2.2"
    );

@@ -117,8 +117,8 @@ async fn test_minio_lifecycle() -> Result<()> {
    let row_count = table.count_rows(None).await?;
    assert_eq!(row_count, 3);

-    let table_names = db.table_names().execute().await?;
-    assert_eq!(table_names, vec!["test_table"]);
+    let tables = db.list_tables().execute().await?.tables;
+    assert_eq!(tables, vec!["test_table"]);

    // Re-open the table
    let table = db.open_table("test_table").execute().await?;