diff --git a/crates/omnigraph/src/exec/query.rs b/crates/omnigraph/src/exec/query.rs
index 5509b43..08400ec 100644
--- a/crates/omnigraph/src/exec/query.rs
+++ b/crates/omnigraph/src/exec/query.rs
@@ -893,16 +893,22 @@ async fn execute_expand_indexed(
 
     let max = max_hops.unwrap_or(min_hops.max(1));
 
-    // Per-source BFS state in string-id space (no dense interning needed).
+    // Per-source BFS state in DENSE id space: intern node ids to u32 once via a
+    // per-traversal interner so visited/seen/frontier/neighbor-map avoid string
+    // hashing + cloning in the hot loop (mirrors the CSR path's TypeIndex). The
+    // GraphIndex/CSR is NOT built — only a local id↔u32 dictionary. Strings
+    // survive at the substrate edges only: the per-hop IN-list to Lance, and the
+    // emitted dst ids handed to the string-keyed hydrate+align tail.
+    let mut interner = crate::graph_index::TypeIndex::new();
     let n = src_ids.len();
-    let mut frontiers: Vec<Vec<String>> = Vec::with_capacity(n);
-    let mut visited: Vec<HashSet<String>> = Vec::with_capacity(n);
-    let mut seen_dst: Vec<HashSet<String>> = Vec::with_capacity(n);
+    let mut frontiers: Vec<Vec<u32>> = Vec::with_capacity(n);
+    let mut visited: Vec<HashSet<u32>> = Vec::with_capacity(n);
+    let mut seen_dst: Vec<HashSet<u32>> = Vec::with_capacity(n);
     for i in 0..n {
-        let sid = src_ids.value(i).to_string();
+        let sid = interner.get_or_insert(src_ids.value(i));
         let mut v = HashSet::new();
         if same_type {
-            v.insert(sid.clone());
+            v.insert(sid);
         }
         frontiers.push(vec![sid]);
         visited.push(v);
@@ -910,32 +916,41 @@ async fn execute_expand_indexed(
     }
 
     let mut src_indices: Vec<u32> = Vec::new();
-    let mut dst_ids: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
+    let mut dst_dense: Vec<u32> = Vec::new();
 
     for hop in 1..=max {
-        // One batched indexed scan per hop over the union of all live frontiers.
-        let mut union: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
+        // Union of all live frontiers (dense), de-interned once for the IN-list.
+        let mut union_dense: Vec<u32> = Vec::new();
         {
-            let mut seen: HashSet<&str> = HashSet::new();
+            let mut seen: HashSet<u32> = HashSet::new();
             for f in &frontiers {
-                for node in f {
-                    if seen.insert(node.as_str()) {
-                        union.push(node.clone());
+                for &node in f {
+                    if seen.insert(node) {
+                        union_dense.push(node);
                     }
                 }
             }
         }
-        if union.is_empty() {
+        if union_dense.is_empty() {
             break;
         }
+        let union_keys: Vec<String> = union_dense
+            .iter()
+            .map(|&u| {
+                interner
+                    .to_id(u)
+                    .expect("interned frontier id must resolve")
+                    .to_string()
+            })
+            .collect();
 
         let batches = crate::table_store::TableStore::scan_edges_by_endpoint(
-            &edge_ds, key_col, opp_col, &union,
+            &edge_ds, key_col, opp_col, &union_keys,
         )
         .await?;
 
-        // key -> neighbors (scan order; duplicates preserved, like CSR multi-edges).
-        let mut neighbor_map: HashMap<String, Vec<String>> = HashMap::new();
+        // dense key -> dense neighbors (scan order; duplicates preserved, like CSR multi-edges).
+        let mut neighbor_map: HashMap<u32, Vec<u32>> = HashMap::new();
         for batch in &batches {
             let keys = batch
                 .column_by_name(key_col)
@@ -950,27 +965,26 @@ async fn execute_expand_indexed(
                 .downcast_ref::<StringArray>()
                 .ok_or_else(|| OmniError::manifest(format!("edge '{}' is not Utf8", opp_col)))?;
             for r in 0..batch.num_rows() {
-                neighbor_map
-                    .entry(keys.value(r).to_string())
-                    .or_default()
-                    .push(opps.value(r).to_string());
+                let k = interner.get_or_insert(keys.value(r));
+                let o = interner.get_or_insert(opps.value(r));
+                neighbor_map.entry(k).or_default().push(o);
             }
         }
 
-        // Advance each source row's frontier independently.
+        // Advance each source row's frontier independently (dense ids).
         for i in 0..n {
             let cur = std::mem::take(&mut frontiers[i]);
-            let mut next: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
-            for node in &cur {
-                let Some(neighbors) = neighbor_map.get(node) else {
+            let mut next: Vec<u32> = Vec::new();
+            for &node in &cur {
+                let Some(neighbors) = neighbor_map.get(&node) else {
                     continue;
                 };
-                for neighbor in neighbors {
-                    if !same_type || visited[i].insert(neighbor.clone()) {
-                        next.push(neighbor.clone());
-                        if hop >= min_hops && seen_dst[i].insert(neighbor.clone()) {
+                for &neighbor in neighbors {
+                    if !same_type || visited[i].insert(neighbor) {
+                        next.push(neighbor);
+                        if hop >= min_hops && seen_dst[i].insert(neighbor) {
                             src_indices.push(i as u32);
-                            dst_ids.push(neighbor.clone());
+                            dst_dense.push(neighbor);
                         }
                     }
                 }
@@ -979,6 +993,18 @@ async fn execute_expand_indexed(
         }
     }
 
+    // De-intern emitted destination ids (parallel to src_indices) for the
+    // string-keyed hydrate+align tail, exactly as the CSR path does.
+    let dst_ids: Vec<String> = dst_dense
+        .iter()
+        .map(|&d| {
+            interner
+                .to_id(d)
+                .expect("interned dst id must resolve")
+                .to_string()
+        })
+        .collect();
+
     expand_hydrate_and_align(
         wide, src_indices, dst_ids, snapshot, catalog, dst_type, dst_var, dst_filters, params,
     )