> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://helix-digitalocean.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Output Values

> What you can return from a query using RETURN.

HelixQL queries end with a `RETURN` clause. You can return bindings (variables),
projected properties, aggregations, literals, or choose to return nothing at all.

## Quick reference

| Return Type      | Syntax                          | Return Type        | Syntax                     |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------ | -------------------------- |
| Return a binding | `RETURN users`                  | Exclude fields     | `RETURN users::!{ email }` |
| Return multiple  | `RETURN user, posts`            | Aggregation/scalar | `RETURN count`             |
| Project fields   | `RETURN users::{ name, age }`   | Literal            | `RETURN "ok"`              |
| Only IDs         | `RETURN users::ID`              | No payload         | `RETURN NONE`              |

<Warning>
  When using the [Python SDK](../sdks/helix-py), the output values are wrapped in an array for multiple query calls, so you will need to access the first element of the array to get the result of the first call.
</Warning>

## Returning bindings

Return any previously bound value from your traversal.

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY GetAllUsers() =>
      users <- N<User>
      RETURN users
  ```

  ```rust Schema theme={null}
  N::User {
      name: String,
      age: U8,
      email: String
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {
    "users": [
      { "name": "Alice", "age": 25, "email": "alice@example.com" },
      { "name": "Bob", "age": 30, "email": "bob@example.com" },
      { "name": "Charlie", "age": 28, "email": "charlie@example.com" },
    ]
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Returning multiple values creates multiple top-level fields in the response, named
after the variables.

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY GetUserAndPosts(user_id: ID) =>
      user <- N<User>(user_id)
      posts <- user::Out<User_to_Post>
      RETURN user, posts
  ```

  ```rust Schema [expandable] theme={null}
  N::User {
      name: String,
      age: U8,
      email: String
  }

  N::Post {
      title: String,
      content: String
  }

  E::User_to_Post {
      From: User,
      To: Post
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {
    "user": {"name": "Alice", "age": 25, "email": "alice@example.com"},
    "posts": [ 
      {"title": "My First Post", "content": "This is my first blog post!"}, 
      ...,
    ]
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

***

## Returning projections and properties

Use property projection to shape the returned data.

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY FindUsers() =>
      users <- N<User>::RANGE(0, 10)
      RETURN users::{ name, age }
  ```

  ```rust Schema theme={null}
  N::User {
      name: String,
      age: U8,
      email: String
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {
    "users": [
      { "name": "Alice", "age": 25 },
      { "name": "Bob", "age": 30 },
      { "name": "Charlie", "age": 28 }
    ]
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Return just the `ID` of each element:

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY FindUserIDs() =>
      users <- N<User>::RANGE(0, 10)
      RETURN users::ID
  ```

  ```rust Schema theme={null}
  N::User {
      name: String,
      age: U8,
      email: String
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {
    "users": [
      "c2ca233f-0cd8-4fae-8136-b40593792071",
      "d3db344g-1de9-5gbf-9247-c51604803082",
      "e4ec455h-2ef0-6hcg-0358-d62715914193"
    ]
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Exclude specific properties:

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY FindUsersNoPII() =>
      users <- N<User>::RANGE(0, 10)
      RETURN users::!{ email, location }
  ```

  ```rust Schema theme={null}
  N::User {
      name: String,
      age: U8,
      email: String,
      location: String
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {
    "users": [
      { "name": "Alice", "age": 25 },
      { "name": "Bob", "age": 30 },
      { "name": "Charlie", "age": 28 }
    ]
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

You can also create nested or remapped shapes in `RETURN` using nested mappings:

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY FindFriends(user_id: ID) =>
      user <- N<User>(user_id)
      posts <- user::Out<User_to_Post>::RANGE(20)
      RETURN user::|u|{
          userID: u::ID,
          posts: posts::{
              postID: ID,
              creatorID: u::ID,
              ..
          }
      }
  ```

  ```rust Schema [expandable] theme={null}
  N::User {
      name: String,
      age: U8,
      email: String
  }

  N::Post {
      title: String,
      content: String
  }

  E::User_to_Post {
      From: User,
      To: Post
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {
    "user": {
      "userID": "c2ca233f-0cd8-4fae-8136-b40593792071",
      "posts": [
        {
          "postID": "d3db344g-1de9-5gbf-9247-c51604803082",
          "creatorID": "c2ca233f-0cd8-4fae-8136-b40593792071",
          "title": "My First Post",
          "content": "This is my first blog post!"
        },
        {
          "postID": "e4ec455h-2ef0-6hcg-0358-d62715914193",
          "creatorID": "c2ca233f-0cd8-4fae-8136-b40593792071",
          "title": "Weekend Plans",
          "content": "Planning to explore the city."
        }
      ]
    }
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

See [property access](../hql/properties/property-access), [remappings](../hql/properties/property-remappings), and [exclusion](../hql/properties/property-exclusion) for more details.

***

## Returning scalars and literals

Aggregations and scalar bindings can be returned directly:

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY CountUsers() =>
      user_count <- N<User>::COUNT
      RETURN user_count
  ```

  ```rust Schema theme={null}
  N::User {
      name: String,
      age: U8,
      email: String
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {
    "user_count": 42
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

You can also return literals (strings, numbers, booleans) when useful:

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY DeleteCity(city_id: ID) =>
      DROP N<City>(city_id)
      RETURN "success"
  ```

  ```rust Schema theme={null}
  N::City {
      name: String,
      population: U32
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {
    "result": "success"
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

***

## Returning nothing

For mutations or maintenance operations where you do not want a response payload,
use `RETURN NONE`.

<CodeGroup>
  ```rust Query theme={null}
  QUERY DeleteCityQuietly(city_id: ID) =>
      DROP N<City>(city_id)
      RETURN NONE
  ```

  ```rust Schema theme={null}
  N::City {
      name: String,
      population: U32
  }
  ```

  ```json Output theme={null}
  {}
  ```
</CodeGroup>

`RETURN NONE` signals that the query intentionally produces no output values. This is
handy to avoid sending placeholder strings like "success" when a silent acknowledgement
is preferred.