diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/operator_add.go b/pkg/yqlib/operator_add.go
index 37be8f81..2d7fa8de 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/operator_add.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/operator_add.go
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ func toNodes(candidate *CandidateNode, lhs *CandidateNode) []*CandidateNode {
 
 func addOperator(d *dataTreeNavigator, context Context, expressionNode *ExpressionNode) (Context, error) {
 	log.Debugf("Add operator")
-	// if we don't have any matching nodes, but we were piped into (have a parent exp?) then we
-	// shouldn't calcWhenEmpt
-	calcWhenEmpty := expressionNode.Parent == nil
+	// only calculate when empty IF we are the root expression; OR
+	// calcWhenEmpty := expressionNode.Parent == nil || expressionNode.Parent.LHS == expressionNode
+	calcWhenEmpty := context.MatchingNodes.Len() > 0
 
 	return crossFunction(d, context.ReadOnlyClone(), expressionNode, add, calcWhenEmpty)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/operator_add_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/operator_add_test.go
index 92ed3d96..9d4d6e7b 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/operator_add_test.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/operator_add_test.go
@@ -50,6 +50,62 @@ var addOperatorScenarios = []expressionScenario{
 		expression: `select(.) | "cat" + .`,
 		expected:   []string{},
 	},
+	{
+		skipDoc:    true,
+		document:   `[]`,
+		expression: `.[] | (.a + "|" + .b)`,
+		expected:   []string{},
+	},
+	{
+		skipDoc:    true,
+		document:   `[]`,
+		expression: `.[] | (.a + "|")`,
+		expected:   []string{},
+	},
+	{
+		skipDoc:    true,
+		document:   `[]`,
+		expression: `.[] | ("|" + .a)`,
+		expected:   []string{},
+	},
+	{
+		skipDoc:    true,
+		document:   `resources: [foo, bar, baz]`,
+		expression: `.missing + .resources | .[]`,
+		expected: []string{
+			"D0, P[resources 0], (!!str)::foo\n",
+			"D0, P[resources 1], (!!str)::bar\n",
+			"D0, P[resources 2], (!!str)::baz\n",
+		},
+	},
+	{
+		skipDoc:    true,
+		document:   `resources: [foo, bar, baz]`,
+		expression: `. | .missing + .resources | .[]`,
+		expected: []string{
+			"D0, P[resources 0], (!!str)::foo\n",
+			"D0, P[resources 1], (!!str)::bar\n",
+			"D0, P[resources 2], (!!str)::baz\n",
+		},
+	},
+	{
+		skipDoc:    true,
+		document:   `resources: [foo, bar, baz]`,
+		expression: `. | .missing + .resources`,
+		expected: []string{
+			"D0, P[resources], (!!seq)::[foo, bar, baz]\n",
+		},
+	},
+	{
+		skipDoc:    true,
+		document:   `resources: [foo, bar, baz]`,
+		expression: `. | .missing + .resources | .[]`,
+		expected: []string{
+			"D0, P[resources 0], (!!str)::foo\n",
+			"D0, P[resources 1], (!!str)::bar\n",
+			"D0, P[resources 2], (!!str)::baz\n",
+		},
+	},
 	{
 		skipDoc:    true,
 		document:   `[{a: foo, b: bar}, {a: 1, b: 2}]`,
diff --git a/scripts/compare-jq.sh b/scripts/compare-jq.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..1412db73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/compare-jq.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+exp=$1
+file=$2
+
+if [ "$2" == "" ]; then
+    echo "yq"
+    ./yq -oj -n "$1"
+    echo "jq"
+    jq -n "$1"
+    
+else
+
+    echo "yq"
+    ./yq -oj "$1" $2
+    echo "jq"
+    ./yq $2 -oj | jq "$1"
+fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/compare-versions-output.sh b/scripts/compare-versions-output.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..081663b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/compare-versions-output.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+test_data='
+- foo: false
+'
+
+for version in 4.45.1 4.45.2 4.45.3; do
+  for command in '.[] | (select(.foo) | {"foo": .foo} // {})' '.[] | (select(.foo) | {.foo} // {})'; do
+    echo ${version} "${command}"
+    echo -------
+    echo "${test_data}" | podman run -i --rm  mikefarah/yq:${version} -o json "${command}"
+    echo -------
+    echo
+  done
+done
\ No newline at end of file