diff --git a/spec/joins_spec.lua b/spec/joins_spec.lua
index 1f53dc4..9698148 100644
--- a/spec/joins_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/joins_spec.lua
@@ -199,3 +199,38 @@ describe("M6d: tuple-stream group-by (the reduce half)", function()
     assert.are.equal("D1009", err.code)
   end)
 end)
+
+describe("M6e: nested tuple-stream detection (focus under sort/predicate)", function()
+  local EMP = dataset("employees")
+
+  -- ^(sort) nests the focus step into a sub-path; predicate nests Contact@$c.
+  -- The path's tuple steps are all nested, so detection must recurse.
+  it("sort-on-focus-step join: ^($e.Surname) (employee-map-reduce case7)", function()
+    assert.are.same({
+      { name = "Cruse", phone = { "3146458343", "315 782 9279" } },
+      { name = "Jones", phone = "0280 564 6543" },
+      { name = "Jones", phone = "0280 864 8643" },
+      { name = "Jones", phone = "07735 853535" },
+      { name = "Smith", phone = { "0203 544 1234", "01962 001234", "077 7700 1234" } },
+    }, run("Employee@$e^($e.Surname).Contact@$c[$e.SSN=$c.ssn].{ 'name': $e.Surname, 'phone': $c.Phone.number }", EMP))
+  end)
+
+  it("sort-on-focus-step join: ^($e.FirstName) (employee-map-reduce case8)", function()
+    assert.are.same({
+      { name = "Cruse", phone = { "3146458343", "315 782 9279" } },
+      { name = "Smith", phone = { "0203 544 1234", "01962 001234", "077 7700 1234" } },
+      { name = "Jones", phone = "0280 564 6543" },
+      { name = "Jones", phone = "0280 864 8643" },
+      { name = "Jones", phone = "07735 853535" },
+    }, run("Employee@$e^($e.FirstName).Contact@$c[$e.SSN=$c.ssn].{ 'name': $e.Surname, 'phone': $c.Phone.number }", EMP))
+  end)
+
+  it("index then sort then map carries $o (sorting case020)", function()
+    assert.are.same({
+      { Product = "Cloak", ["Order Index"] = 1 },
+      { Product = "Trilby hat", ["Order Index"] = 0 },
+      { Product = "Bowler Hat", ["Order Index"] = 0 },
+      { Product = "Bowler Hat", ["Order Index"] = 1 },
+    }, run("Account.Order#$o.Product^(ProductID).{ 'Product': `Product Name`, 'Order Index': $o }", dataset("dataset5")))
+  end)
+end)
diff --git a/spec/jsonata-suite/baseline.lua b/spec/jsonata-suite/baseline.lua
index 5c54f76..3a0bb41 100644
--- a/spec/jsonata-suite/baseline.lua
+++ b/spec/jsonata-suite/baseline.lua
@@ -829,6 +829,8 @@ return {
   ["joins/employee-map-reduce/4"] = true,
   ["joins/employee-map-reduce/5"] = true,
   ["joins/employee-map-reduce/6"] = true,
+  ["joins/employee-map-reduce/7"] = true,
+  ["joins/employee-map-reduce/8"] = true,
   ["joins/employee-map-reduce/9"] = true,
   ["joins/errors/0"] = true,
   ["joins/errors/1"] = true,
@@ -1089,6 +1091,7 @@ return {
   ["sorting/case017"] = true,
   ["sorting/case018"] = true,
   ["sorting/case019"] = true,
+  ["sorting/case020"] = true,
   ["string-concat/case000"] = true,
   ["string-concat/case001"] = true,
   ["string-concat/case002"] = true,
diff --git a/src/jsonata/evaluator.lua b/src/jsonata/evaluator.lua
index a607363..3cfff44 100644
--- a/src/jsonata/evaluator.lua
+++ b/src/jsonata/evaluator.lua
@@ -604,6 +604,9 @@ local function path_is_tuple(node)
     if s.tuple then
       return true
     end
+    if s.steps and path_is_tuple(s) then
+      return true
+    end
   end
   return false
 end
@@ -617,7 +620,15 @@ local function eval_path_tuple(node, input, env, want_tuples)
   local tuples
   local start = 1
   if step_is_self_contained(steps) then
-    local var_val = evaluate(steps[1], input, env)
+    -- a self-contained step-1 that is itself a tuple sub-path (e.g. a focus step
+    -- the parser nested under a sort) must yield its tuple stream so its bindings
+    -- survive — mirroring the per-step nested handling in the main loop below.
+    local var_val
+    if path_is_tuple(steps[1]) then
+      var_val = eval_path_tuple(steps[1], input, env, true)
+    else
+      var_val = evaluate(steps[1], input, env)
+    end
     if V.is_sequence(var_val) and V.get_flag(var_val, "tuple_stream") then
       tuples = {}
       for i = 1, #var_val do
@@ -865,14 +876,7 @@ local function _evaluate(node, input, env)
     return V.obj_get(input, node.value)
   elseif t == "path" then
     local keep = path_keeps_array(node)
-    local tuple_mode = false
-    for _, s in ipairs(node.steps) do
-      if s.tuple then
-        tuple_mode = true
-        break
-      end
-    end
-    if tuple_mode then
+    if path_is_tuple(node) then
       local seq = eval_path_tuple(node, input, env)
       if node.tuple then
         return seq -- tuple stream for an enclosing tuple step; no unwrap