diff --git a/crates/omnigraph/tests/composite_flow.rs b/crates/omnigraph/tests/composite_flow.rs
index e7a70d9..a87187f 100644
--- a/crates/omnigraph/tests/composite_flow.rs
+++ b/crates/omnigraph/tests/composite_flow.rs
@@ -11,15 +11,41 @@
 
 mod helpers;
 
+use arrow_array::{Array, Int64Array};
 use omnigraph::db::{Omnigraph, ReadTarget};
 use omnigraph::loader::{LoadMode, load_jsonl};
 use omnigraph_compiler::ir::ParamMap;
+use omnigraph_compiler::result::QueryResult;
 
 use helpers::{
     MUTATION_QUERIES, count_rows, count_rows_branch, mixed_params, mutate_branch, mutate_main,
     query_branch, query_main, snapshot_main, version_branch, version_main,
 };
 
+/// Extract the `total` value from a `total_people` query result and
+/// assert it equals `expected`. The query returns one row with one
+/// `Int64` column named `total`; asserting only `num_rows() == 1`
+/// would not catch a regression that returns a stale or wrong count.
+fn assert_total(result: &QueryResult, expected: i64, context: &str) {
+    let batch = result.concat_batches().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        batch.num_rows(),
+        1,
+        "total_people must return exactly one summary row ({context})"
+    );
+    let total_col = batch
+        .column_by_name("total")
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("missing `total` column ({context})"))
+        .as_any()
+        .downcast_ref::<Int64Array>()
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("`total` column is not Int64 ({context})"));
+    assert_eq!(
+        total_col.value(0),
+        expected,
+        "total_people count mismatch ({context})"
+    );
+}
+
 const TEST_SCHEMA: &str = include_str!("fixtures/test.pg");
 const TEST_DATA: &str = include_str!("fixtures/test.jsonl");
 const TEST_QUERIES: &str = include_str!("fixtures/test.gq");
@@ -672,11 +698,7 @@ async fn composite_flow_multi_branch_sequential_merges() {
     )
     .await
     .unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(
-        total_post_merges.num_rows(),
-        1,
-        "total_people aggregation must return exactly one summary row"
-    );
+    assert_total(&total_post_merges, 10, "post both merges, main must total 10 Persons");
 
     // ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     // Step 14: time-travel to pre-merge-a-version. Reads must return
@@ -714,7 +736,9 @@ async fn composite_flow_multi_branch_sequential_merges() {
     );
     // `.gq` query against the captured SnapshotId — the planner must
     // resolve `total_people` against the historical Person snapshot,
-    // not main's current head.
+    // not main's current head. Asserts the actual count value (not just
+    // row count) so a planner regression that resolves to current state
+    // would surface here as a count mismatch (10 instead of 6).
     let pre_a_total_via_query = db
         .query(
             ReadTarget::Snapshot(pre_merge_a_snap_id.clone()),
@@ -724,10 +748,10 @@ async fn composite_flow_multi_branch_sequential_merges() {
         )
         .await
         .unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(
-        pre_a_total_via_query.num_rows(),
-        1,
-        "time-travel total_people via query engine returns exactly one summary row"
+    assert_total(
+        &pre_a_total_via_query,
+        6,
+        "time-travel to pre-merge-a must report 6 Persons via the query engine",
     );
     // Edge-traversal time-travel: Grace and her Knows(Grace → Eve) edge
     // do not exist at pre_merge_a, so `friends_of(Grace)` must return 0
@@ -874,10 +898,10 @@ async fn composite_flow_multi_branch_sequential_merges() {
     )
     .await
     .unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(
-        post_reopen_total.num_rows(),
-        1,
-        "total_people aggregation must work via the query engine after reopen"
+    assert_total(
+        &post_reopen_total,
+        10,
+        "post-reopen total_people must still report 10 Persons",
     );
     // Edge-traversal post-reopen: Grace's Knows(Grace → Eve) survived
     // both the merge and the reopen as a queryable graph edge.