Why an answer is empty

An empty answer is still an answer document: the funnel names the clause after which no rows were left. The query below matches nothing, and the funnel says exactly where the rows ran out.

LawQL

from n in nodes
where n.kind == "nobody"
select n.id as id

Three different empties must not be confused. The funnel with a named clause means the question ran and matched nothing. A scope warning means the question never reached the packages: the scope matched no package of the slice. A refusal before execution means the question was too wide to run: the estimate of the source product passed the limit, and nothing was executed.