diff --git a/src/commands/db/auth.ts b/src/commands/db/auth.ts
index a07260c..9f0e264 100644
--- a/src/commands/db/auth.ts
+++ b/src/commands/db/auth.ts
@@ -158,8 +158,8 @@ const roleSub = async (
   }
   const auth = await reg.getAuth();
   try {
-    if (op === "assign") auth.assignRole(targetUser, role);
-    else if (op === "remove") auth.removeRole(targetUser, role);
+    if (op === "assign") await auth.assignRole(targetUser, role);
+    else if (op === "remove") await auth.removeRole(targetUser, role);
     else throw new CommandError(EXIT.USAGE, `unknown role op: ${op}`);
   } catch (err) {
     if (err instanceof CommandError) throw err;
diff --git a/src/commands/db/crud.ts b/src/commands/db/crud.ts
index bd51b5f..5c8a48a 100644
--- a/src/commands/db/crud.ts
+++ b/src/commands/db/crud.ts
@@ -250,9 +250,11 @@ export const aggregateHandler = async (
       case "$project":
         pipe = pipe.project(arg as Record<string, unknown>);
         break;
-      case "$unwind":
-        pipe = pipe.unwind(arg as string);
+      case "$unwind": {
+        const unwindField = typeof arg === "string" && arg.startsWith("$") ? arg.slice(1) : arg;
+        pipe = pipe.unwind(unwindField as string);
         break;
+      }
       default:
         throw new CommandError(EXIT.USAGE, `unknown aggregation operator: ${op}`);
     }
diff --git a/src/commands/db/meta.ts b/src/commands/db/meta.ts
index e5de8f8..eee422e 100644
--- a/src/commands/db/meta.ts
+++ b/src/commands/db/meta.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export const indexHandler = async (
       const sorted = flagBool(parsed.flags, "sorted");
       const unique = flagBool(parsed.flags, "unique");
       try {
-        c.createIndex(field, { sorted, unique });
+        c.createIndex(field, { type: sorted ? "sorted" : "hash", unique });
       } catch (err) {
         const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
         if (msg.includes("Unique constraint")) {
diff --git a/src/commands/vec/ops.ts b/src/commands/vec/ops.ts
index 56a03ec..494da14 100644
--- a/src/commands/vec/ops.ts
+++ b/src/commands/vec/ops.ts
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ export const storeBatchOp = async (
       throw new CommandError(EXIT.VALIDATION, `validation: id collision: ${check.id}`);
     }
     const rec = parsedRec as Record<string, unknown>;
-    const recMeta = rec["meta"];
+    const recMeta = rec["metadata"] ?? rec["meta"];
     const meta = recMeta && typeof recMeta === "object" && !Array.isArray(recMeta)
       ? (recMeta as Record<string, unknown>)
       : {};
@@ -473,7 +473,11 @@ export const importOp = async (
     throw new CommandError(EXIT.VALIDATION, "validation: invalid JSON for import");
   }
   if (!Array.isArray(parsedInput)) {
-    throw new CommandError(EXIT.VALIDATION, "validation: import expects an array of records");
+    if (parsedInput && typeof parsedInput === "object" && Array.isArray((parsedInput as Record<string, unknown>)["records"])) {
+      parsedInput = (parsedInput as Record<string, unknown>)["records"];
+    } else {
+      throw new CommandError(EXIT.VALIDATION, "validation: import expects an array of records");
+    }
   }
   // Validate every record before handing off to upstream — surface clear
   // errors with the offending index instead of letting upstream throw an