diff --git a/src/test/kotlin/kestrel/LateralJoinTest.kt b/src/test/kotlin/kestrel/LateralJoinTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b56e87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/kotlin/kestrel/LateralJoinTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,201 @@
+package kestrel
+
+import kestrel.catalog.Catalog
+import kestrel.engine.ExplainResult
+import kestrel.engine.Executor
+import kestrel.engine.SelectResult
+import kestrel.engine.StatementResult
+import kestrel.sql.lexer.Lexer
+import kestrel.sql.parser.Parser
+import kestrel.storage.Value
+import kotlin.test.Test
+import kotlin.test.assertEquals
+import kotlin.test.assertFailsWith
+import kotlin.test.assertTrue
+
+class LateralJoinTest {
+    private val catalog = Catalog()
+    private val executor = Executor(catalog)
+
+    private fun run(sql: String): List<StatementResult> =
+        Parser(Lexer(sql).tokenize()).parseProgram().map { executor.execute(it) }
+
+    private fun select(sql: String): SelectResult = run(sql).single() as SelectResult
+
+    private fun explain(sql: String): List<String> = (run(sql).single() as ExplainResult).plan
+
+    private fun text(value: String) = Value.TextValue(value)
+    private fun int(value: Long) = Value.IntegerValue(value)
+
+    private fun seed() {
+        run("CREATE TABLE departments (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL)")
+        run("CREATE TABLE employees (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, deptId INTEGER, name TEXT, salary INTEGER)")
+        run("INSERT INTO departments VALUES (1, 'eng'), (2, 'sales')")
+        run(
+            "INSERT INTO employees VALUES " +
+                "(1, 1, 'ada', 300), (2, 1, 'linus', 250), (3, 1, 'grace', 400), " +
+                "(4, 2, 'sam', 150), (5, 2, 'kay', 200)"
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun lateralJoinComputesTopOnePerGroupWhichAPlainJoinCannotExpress() {
+        seed()
+        val result = select(
+            "SELECT d.name, top.name, top.salary FROM departments d " +
+                "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name, e.salary FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id " +
+                "ORDER BY e.salary DESC LIMIT 1) AS top ON TRUE " +
+                "ORDER BY d.name ASC"
+        )
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(
+                listOf(text("eng"), text("grace"), int(400)),
+                listOf(text("sales"), text("kay"), int(200))
+            ),
+            result.rows
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun lateralJoinWithLimitGreaterThanOneReturnsMultipleRowsPerLeftRow() {
+        seed()
+        val result = select(
+            "SELECT d.name, top.name FROM departments d " +
+                "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id " +
+                "ORDER BY e.salary DESC LIMIT 2) AS top ON TRUE " +
+                "ORDER BY d.name ASC, top.name ASC"
+        )
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(
+                listOf(text("eng"), text("ada")),
+                listOf(text("eng"), text("grace")),
+                listOf(text("sales"), text("kay")),
+                listOf(text("sales"), text("sam"))
+            ),
+            result.rows
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun innerJoinLateralDropsGroupsWithNoMatchingRows() {
+        seed()
+        run("INSERT INTO departments VALUES (3, 'empty')")
+        val result = select(
+            "SELECT d.name FROM departments d " +
+                "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id LIMIT 1) AS top ON TRUE"
+        )
+        assertTrue(result.rows.none { it == listOf(text("empty")) })
+        assertEquals(2, result.rows.size)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun leftJoinLateralKeepsGroupsWithNoMatchingRowsAsNull() {
+        seed()
+        run("INSERT INTO departments VALUES (3, 'empty')")
+        val result = select(
+            "SELECT d.name, top.name FROM departments d " +
+                "LEFT JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id " +
+                "ORDER BY e.salary DESC LIMIT 1) AS top ON TRUE " +
+                "ORDER BY d.name ASC"
+        )
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(
+                listOf(text("empty"), Value.NullValue),
+                listOf(text("eng"), text("grace")),
+                listOf(text("sales"), text("kay"))
+            ),
+            result.rows
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun leftJoinLateralOverAnEmptyBaseTableProducesNoRowsWithoutRunningTheSubquery() {
+        run("CREATE TABLE departments (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT NOT NULL)")
+        run("CREATE TABLE employees (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, deptId INTEGER, name TEXT)")
+        val result = select(
+            "SELECT d.name, top.name FROM departments d " +
+                "LEFT JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id) AS top ON TRUE"
+        )
+        assertEquals(emptyList(), result.rows)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun chainedLateralJoinsSeeEarlierLateralAliases() {
+        seed()
+        run("CREATE TABLE dual (x INTEGER)")
+        run("INSERT INTO dual VALUES (1)")
+        val result = select(
+            "SELECT d.name, bonus.amount FROM departments d " +
+                "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.salary FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id " +
+                "ORDER BY e.salary DESC LIMIT 1) AS top ON TRUE " +
+                "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT top.salary / 10 AS amount FROM dual) AS bonus ON TRUE " +
+                "ORDER BY d.name ASC"
+        )
+        assertEquals(listOf(listOf(text("eng"), int(40)), listOf(text("sales"), int(20))), result.rows)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun lateralSubqueryCannotReferenceATableJoinedLater() {
+        seed()
+        assertFailsWith<KestrelException> {
+            select(
+                "SELECT * FROM departments d " +
+                    "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name FROM employees e WHERE e.salary = later.salary) AS top ON TRUE " +
+                    "JOIN employees later ON later.deptId = d.id"
+            )
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun lateralKeywordBeforeAPlainTableIsRejected() {
+        seed()
+        assertFailsWith<ParseException> {
+            select("SELECT * FROM departments d JOIN LATERAL employees ON TRUE")
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun lateralSubqueryWithStarProjectionResolvesColumnsStructurallyFromItsBaseTable() {
+        seed()
+        // The lateral subquery itself uses `SELECT *`, so its output column names come from
+        // [kestrel.engine.SelectRunner.structuralColumnNames] walking the base table's schema in
+        // the catalog, not from an executed row - exercised here before any left row exists yet.
+        val result = select(
+            "SELECT d.name, top.name, top.salary FROM departments d " +
+                "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT * FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id " +
+                "ORDER BY e.salary DESC LIMIT 1) AS top ON TRUE " +
+                "ORDER BY d.name ASC"
+        )
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(listOf(text("eng"), text("grace"), int(400)), listOf(text("sales"), text("kay"), int(200))),
+            result.rows
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun explainAnnotatesTheJoinAsLateralAndNeverUsesHashJoin() {
+        seed()
+        val plan = explain(
+            "EXPLAIN SELECT d.name, top.name FROM departments d " +
+                "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id) AS top ON top.name = d.name"
+        )
+        assertTrue(plan.any { it.contains("Lateral") }, "got $plan")
+        assertTrue(plan.none { it.contains("Hash Join") }, "got $plan")
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun crossJoinLateralIsEquivalentToPlainJoinLateralOnTrue() {
+        seed()
+        val cross = select(
+            "SELECT d.name, top.name, top.salary FROM departments d " +
+                "CROSS JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name, e.salary FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id " +
+                "ORDER BY e.salary DESC LIMIT 1) AS top ORDER BY d.name ASC"
+        )
+        val onTrue = select(
+            "SELECT d.name, top.name, top.salary FROM departments d " +
+                "JOIN LATERAL (SELECT e.name, e.salary FROM employees e WHERE e.deptId = d.id " +
+                "ORDER BY e.salary DESC LIMIT 1) AS top ON TRUE ORDER BY d.name ASC"
+        )
+        assertEquals(onTrue.rows, cross.rows)
+    }
+}