diff --git a/packages/mosaic/core/src/SelectionClause.ts b/packages/mosaic/core/src/SelectionClause.ts
index 1c3dafa1f..754c95929 100644
--- a/packages/mosaic/core/src/SelectionClause.ts
+++ b/packages/mosaic/core/src/SelectionClause.ts
@@ -431,7 +431,12 @@ export function clauseList(
 ): SelectionClause {
   field = asNode(field);
   const listFn = listMatch === 'all' ? listHasAll : listHasAny;
-  const predicate = value !== undefined ? listFn(field, literal(value)) : null;
+  // arrays pass through directly so they are quoted as a list, not stringified
+  const predicate = value === undefined || (Array.isArray(value) && value.length === 0)
+    ? null
+    : Array.isArray(value)
+      ? listFn(field, value as ExprValue[])
+      : listFn(field, literal(value));
   return { source, clients, fields: [field], value, predicate };
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/mosaic/core/test/selection-clause.test.ts b/packages/mosaic/core/test/selection-clause.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7d6a528b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/mosaic/core/test/selection-clause.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import { clauseList } from '../src/index.js';
+
+describe('clauseList', () => {
+  const source = {};
+
+  // Regression tests for https://github.com/uwdata/mosaic/issues/977.
+
+  it('quotes list values that contain spaces', () => {
+    // previously unquoted, which triggered a DuckDB Parser Error at the space
+    const clause = clauseList('tags', ['Drafting Lines'], { source });
+    expect(String(clause.predicate)).toBe(
+      `list_has_any("tags", ['Drafting Lines'])`
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('quotes single-word list values as literals, not identifiers', () => {
+    // previously produced a bare word, which DuckDB read as a Binder Error
+    const clause = clauseList('tags', ['Markers'], { source });
+    expect(String(clause.predicate)).toBe(`list_has_any("tags", ['Markers'])`);
+  });
+
+  it('supports multiple values', () => {
+    const clause = clauseList('tags', ['Roads', 'Lakes'], { source });
+    expect(String(clause.predicate)).toBe(
+      `list_has_any("tags", ['Roads', 'Lakes'])`
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('supports listMatch "all"', () => {
+    const clause = clauseList('tags', ['Roads', 'Lakes'], {
+      source,
+      listMatch: 'all'
+    });
+    expect(String(clause.predicate)).toBe(
+      `list_has_all("tags", ['Roads', 'Lakes'])`
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('produces a null predicate for undefined values', () => {
+    expect(clauseList('tags', undefined, { source }).predicate).toBe(null);
+  });
+
+  it('produces a null predicate for an empty array (clears selection)', () => {
+    // an empty list must clear the selection, not filter out every row
+    expect(clauseList('tags', [], { source }).predicate).toBe(null);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/vgplot/plot/src/interactors/Nearest.js b/packages/vgplot/plot/src/interactors/Nearest.js
index 78cfbd74b..0880d3f2b 100644
--- a/packages/vgplot/plot/src/interactors/Nearest.js
+++ b/packages/vgplot/plot/src/interactors/Nearest.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /** @import { ClauseSource } from '@uwdata/mosaic-core' */
-import { clausePoint, clausePoints, isSelection } from '@uwdata/mosaic-core';
+import { clauseList, clausePoint, clausePoints, isSelection } from '@uwdata/mosaic-core';
 import { select, pointer, min } from 'd3';
 import { getField } from './util/get-field.js';
 
@@ -13,12 +13,14 @@ export class Nearest {
     pointer,
     channels,
     fields,
-    maxRadius = 40
+    maxRadius = 40,
+    listMatch
   }) {
     this.mark = mark;
     this.selection = selection;
     this.clients = new Set().add(mark);
     this.pointer = pointer;
+    this.listMatch = listMatch;
     this.channels = channels || (
       pointer === 'x' ? ['x'] : pointer === 'y' ? ['y'] : ['x', 'y']
     );
@@ -28,13 +30,19 @@ export class Nearest {
   }
 
   clause(value) {
-    const { clients, fields } = this;
+    const { clients, fields, mark } = this;
     const opt = { source: /** @type {ClauseSource} */(this), clients };
-    // if only one field, use a simpler clause that passes the value
-    // this allows a single field selection value to act like a param
-    return fields.length > 1
-      ? clausePoints(fields, value ? [value] : value, opt)
-      : clausePoint(fields[0], value?.[0], opt);
+    if (fields.length === 1) {
+      // unnested field: use a list-membership predicate instead of point equality
+      if (mark.isUnnested(fields[0])) {
+        const list = value != null ? [value[0]] : undefined;
+        return clauseList(fields[0], list, { ...opt, listMatch: this.listMatch });
+      }
+      // if only one field, use a simpler clause that passes the value
+      // this allows a single field selection value to act like a param
+      return clausePoint(fields[0], value?.[0], opt);
+    }
+    return clausePoints(fields, value ? [value] : value, opt);
   }
 
   init(svg) {
diff --git a/packages/vgplot/plot/src/interactors/Toggle.js b/packages/vgplot/plot/src/interactors/Toggle.js
index fa407fe3f..911654a78 100644
--- a/packages/vgplot/plot/src/interactors/Toggle.js
+++ b/packages/vgplot/plot/src/interactors/Toggle.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /** @import { ClauseSource } from '@uwdata/mosaic-core' */
-import { clausePoints } from '@uwdata/mosaic-core';
+import { clauseList, clausePoints } from '@uwdata/mosaic-core';
 import { getDatum } from './util/get-datum.js';
 import { neq, neqSome } from './util/neq.js';
 
@@ -15,12 +15,14 @@ export class Toggle {
   constructor(mark, {
     selection,
     channels,
-    peers = true
+    peers = true,
+    listMatch
   }) {
     this.mark = mark;
     this.value = null;
     this.selection = selection;
     this.peers = peers;
+    this.listMatch = listMatch;
     const fields = this.fields = [];
     const as = this.as = [];
     channels.forEach(c => {
@@ -42,10 +44,16 @@ export class Toggle {
 
   clause(value) {
     const { fields, mark } = this;
-    return clausePoints(fields, value, {
-      source: /** @type {ClauseSource} */(this),
-      clients: this.peers ? mark.plot.markSet : new Set().add(mark)
-    });
+    const clients = this.peers ? mark.plot.markSet : new Set().add(mark);
+    const opt = { source: /** @type {ClauseSource} */(this), clients };
+
+    // unnested fields use a list-membership predicate instead of point equality
+    if (fields.length === 1 && mark.isUnnested(fields[0])) {
+      const list = value?.length ? value.map(v => v[0]) : undefined;
+      return clauseList(fields[0], list, { ...opt, listMatch: this.listMatch });
+    }
+
+    return clausePoints(fields, value, opt);
   }
 
   init(svg, selector, accessor) {
diff --git a/packages/vgplot/plot/src/marks/Mark.js b/packages/vgplot/plot/src/marks/Mark.js
index 75809b6b0..25212f58a 100644
--- a/packages/vgplot/plot/src/marks/Mark.js
+++ b/packages/vgplot/plot/src/marks/Mark.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /** @import { SelectQuery } from '@uwdata/mosaic-sql' */
 import { isParam, MosaicClient, queryFieldInfo, toDataColumns } from '@uwdata/mosaic-core';
-import { Query, collectParams, column, isAggregateExpression, isColumnParam, isColumnRef, isNode, isParamLike } from '@uwdata/mosaic-sql';
+import { Query, collectParams, column, isAggregateExpression, isColumnParam, isColumnRef, isNode, isParamLike, unnest } from '@uwdata/mosaic-sql';
 import { isColor } from './util/is-color.js';
 import { isConstantOption } from './util/is-constant-option.js';
 import { isSymbol } from './util/is-symbol.js';
@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@ import { Transform } from '../symbols.js';
 const isColorChannel = channel => channel === 'stroke' || channel === 'fill';
 const isOpacityChannel = channel => /opacity$/i.test(channel);
 const isSymbolChannel = channel => channel === 'symbol';
+
+// column name for a plain column reference or name string, else null
+const unnestableColumn = field =>
+  isColumnRef(field) ? field.column
+    : typeof field === 'string' ? field
+    : null;
 const isFieldObject = (channel, field) => {
   return channel !== 'sort' && channel !== 'tip'
     && field != null && !Array.isArray(field);
@@ -104,6 +110,25 @@ export class Mark extends MosaicClient {
     return table ? (isParam(table) ? table.value : table) : null;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * The source field names to unnest, as declared by the `unnest` option.
+   * @returns {string[]}
+   */
+  get unnestFields() {
+    const { unnest } = this.source?.options ?? {};
+    return unnest == null ? [] : [unnest].flat();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Check if the given field is unnested by this mark's source.
+   * @param {*} field A field reference or column name.
+   * @returns {boolean}
+   */
+  isUnnested(field) {
+    const name = unnestableColumn(field);
+    return name != null && this.unnestFields.includes(name);
+  }
+
   hasOwnData() {
     return this.source == null || isDataArray(this.source);
   }
@@ -160,7 +185,17 @@ export class Mark extends MosaicClient {
    */
   query(filter = []) {
     if (this.hasOwnData()) return null;
-    return markQuery(this.channels, this.sourceTable()).where(filter);
+    const { unnestFields } = this;
+    // wrap unnested column fields in UNNEST() so arrays expand into rows
+    const channels = unnestFields.length === 0
+      ? this.channels
+      : this.channels.map(c => {
+          const name = unnestableColumn(c.field);
+          return name != null && unnestFields.includes(name)
+            ? { ...c, field: unnest(c.field) }
+            : c;
+        });
+    return markQuery(channels, this.sourceTable()).where(filter);
   }
 
   queryPending() {