diff --git a/.changeset/lazy-join-resolved-collection.md b/.changeset/lazy-join-resolved-collection.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..de05927abe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/lazy-join-resolved-collection.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@tanstack/db': patch
+---
+
+fix(query): drive lazy-join loading through the collection the join key resolves to
+
+When a subquery used in a JOIN clause selects its join key from a _joined_ source rather than from its own `from` clause, the lazy-join loader subscribed to the wrong inner source: it used the subquery's `from` alias while computing the index requirement against the collection the key actually resolves to. This produced a misleading `Join requires an index` warning naming an already-indexed collection and an unnecessary full-load fallback. `followRef` now reports the resolved source alias, so lazy loading subscribes to the correct collection and loads through its index.
diff --git a/packages/db/src/query/compiler/lazy-targets.ts b/packages/db/src/query/compiler/lazy-targets.ts
index ee37c144f8..f8affd1e63 100644
--- a/packages/db/src/query/compiler/lazy-targets.ts
+++ b/packages/db/src/query/compiler/lazy-targets.ts
@@ -49,9 +49,15 @@ export function getLazyLoadTargets(
     return []
   }
 
+  // The subscription we drive lazy loading through must be the one for the
+  // collection the join key actually resolves to. When the key traces through a
+  // subquery's select into a *joined* source, that collection differs from the
+  // subquery's from clause (which is what `aliasRemapping[lazyAlias]` yields),
+  // so prefer the alias reported by `followRef`. Fall back to the from-clause
+  // remapping when the key resolves directly to the from source.
   return [
     {
-      alias: aliasRemapping[lazyAlias] || lazyAlias,
+      alias: followRefResult.alias || aliasRemapping[lazyAlias] || lazyAlias,
       collection: followRefResult.collection,
       path: followRefResult.path,
     },
diff --git a/packages/db/src/query/ir.ts b/packages/db/src/query/ir.ts
index 48019a23b2..0cfb15ea50 100644
--- a/packages/db/src/query/ir.ts
+++ b/packages/db/src/query/ir.ts
@@ -323,13 +323,17 @@ function getRefFromAlias(
 /**
  * Follows the given reference in a query
  * until its finds the root field the reference points to.
- * @returns The collection, its alias, and the path to the root field in this collection
+ * @returns The collection, its alias, and the path to the root field in this collection.
+ * `alias` is the alias under which the resolved collection is referenced in the
+ * query it was reached from (when the ref crosses into a joined source). It is
+ * left undefined when the ref simply resolves to a field on the passed-in
+ * `collection`, in which case the caller already knows the alias.
  */
 export function followRef(
   query: QueryIR,
   ref: PropRef<any>,
   collection: Collection,
-): { collection: Collection; path: Array<string> } | void {
+): { collection: Collection; path: Array<string>; alias?: string } | void {
   if (ref.path.length === 0) {
     return
   }
@@ -365,8 +369,10 @@ export function followRef(
     } else {
       // This is a reference to a collection
       // we can't follow it further
-      // so the field must be on the collection itself
-      return { collection: aliasRef.collection, path: rest }
+      // so the field must be on the collection itself.
+      // Report the alias too: when the ref crossed a join, this is the source
+      // that actually holds the field (which may differ from the from clause).
+      return { collection: aliasRef.collection, path: rest, alias }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/db/tests/query/join-subquery.test.ts b/packages/db/tests/query/join-subquery.test.ts
index 093d6e62ae..eac49d6491 100644
--- a/packages/db/tests/query/join-subquery.test.ts
+++ b/packages/db/tests/query/join-subquery.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-import { beforeEach, describe, expect, test } from 'vitest'
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, test, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { createLiveQueryCollection, eq, gt } from '../../src/query/index.js'
 import { createCollection } from '../../src/collection/index.js'
+import { BTreeIndex } from '../../src/indexes/btree-index.js'
 import { mockSyncCollectionOptions, stripVirtualProps } from '../utils.js'
 
 // Sample data types for join-subquery testing
@@ -873,3 +874,82 @@ describe(`Join with Subqueries`, () => {
   createJoinSubqueryTests(`off`)
   createJoinSubqueryTests(`eager`)
 })
+
+describe(`Lazy join: subquery whose join key resolves to an indexed collection`, () => {
+  type Team = { id: string }
+  type Member = { id: string; teamId: string }
+
+  // `teams.id` is indexed; `members` has no index.
+  const makeTeamsCollection = () =>
+    createCollection(
+      mockSyncCollectionOptions<Team>({
+        id: `lazy-join-teams`,
+        getKey: (r) => r.id,
+        autoIndex: `eager`,
+        defaultIndexType: BTreeIndex,
+        initialData: [{ id: `t1` }],
+      }),
+    )
+  const makeMembersCollection = () =>
+    createCollection(
+      mockSyncCollectionOptions<Member>({
+        id: `lazy-join-members`,
+        getKey: (r) => r.id,
+        autoIndex: `off`,
+        initialData: [{ id: `m1`, teamId: `t1` }],
+      }),
+    )
+
+  let teams: ReturnType<typeof makeTeamsCollection>
+  let members: ReturnType<typeof makeMembersCollection>
+  let warnSpy: ReturnType<typeof vi.spyOn>
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    teams = makeTeamsCollection()
+    members = makeMembersCollection()
+    warnSpy = vi.spyOn(console, `warn`).mockImplementation(() => {})
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    warnSpy.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  // When a subquery used in a JOIN clause selects its join key from the
+  // *joined* side of the subquery (here `team.id`) rather than from its own
+  // FROM side (`member`), the outer join key resolves to `teams.id`, which is
+  // indexed. The lazy-join loader should therefore load through that index and
+  // must not emit a "Join requires an index" warning that points at the
+  // already-indexed `teams` collection.
+  test(`does not warn about an index that the resolved collection already has`, () => {
+    const joinQuery = createLiveQueryCollection({
+      startSync: true,
+      query: (q) => {
+        const teamByMember = q
+          .from({ member: members })
+          .leftJoin({ team: teams }, ({ team, member }) =>
+            eq(team.id, member.teamId),
+          )
+          .select(({ team }) => ({ teamId: team.id }))
+
+        return q
+          .from({ m: members })
+          .leftJoin({ memberTeam: teamByMember }, ({ m, memberTeam }) =>
+            eq(memberTeam.teamId, m.teamId),
+          )
+          .select(({ m }) => ({ id: m.id }))
+      },
+    })
+
+    // Data flows correctly regardless (via fallback full-load today).
+    expect(joinQuery.toArray.map((r) => r.id)).toEqual([`m1`])
+
+    const indexWarnings = warnSpy.mock.calls
+      .map((c) => String(c[0]))
+      .filter((m) => m.includes(`Join requires an index`))
+
+    // `teams.id` is already indexed, so no warning should advise indexing it.
+    expect(indexWarnings.filter((m) => m.includes(`lazy-join-teams`))).toEqual(
+      [],
+    )
+  })
+})