diff --git a/crates/expr/src/host.rs b/crates/expr/src/host.rs
index f98b895a5..a25fbc4f0 100644
--- a/crates/expr/src/host.rs
+++ b/crates/expr/src/host.rs
@@ -313,6 +313,32 @@ impl<'a> Resolver<'a> {
         self.try_resolve(req).unwrap_or(Resp::Null)
     }
 
+    /// Resolve an ancestor from its UID path while preserving child indexing.
+    fn ancestor(&self, comp: u64, layer: u64, path: &str, up: i64) -> Option<Resp> {
+        let l = self.layer(comp, layer)?;
+        // The node's full `@uid/@uid/…` path from the layer: its ancestors are its prefixes.
+        let uid = match self.prop(comp, layer, path) {
+            Some((_, p)) => p.uid,
+            None => l.props.node(path)?.uid(),
+        };
+        let full = l.props.path_of(uid)?;
+        let segs: Vec<&str> = full.split('/').collect();
+        let up = usize::try_from(up).ok().filter(|u| *u >= 1 && *u <= segs.len())?;
+        if up == segs.len() {
+            return Some(Resp::Str("layer".into()));
+        }
+        let keep = segs.len() - up;
+        let group_path = segs.get(..keep)?.join("/");
+        let parent = match keep {
+            1 => &l.props,
+            _ => l.props.group(&segs.get(..keep - 1)?.join("/"))?,
+        };
+        let uid = segs.get(keep - 1)?.strip_prefix('@')?.parse::<u64>().ok()?;
+        let index = parent.children.iter().position(|c| c.uid() == uid)?;
+        let n = parent.children.get(index)?;
+        Some(node_resp(group_path, n, index + 1))
+    }
+
     fn try_resolve(&self, req: &Req) -> Option<Resp> {
         let project = self.ctx.project;
         Some(match req {
@@ -373,30 +399,7 @@ impl<'a> Resolver<'a> {
                 let path = if group.is_empty() { format!("@{}", n.uid()) } else { format!("{group}/@{}", n.uid()) };
                 node_resp(path, n, index)
             }
-            Req::Ancestor { comp, layer, path, up } => {
-                let l = self.layer(*comp, *layer)?;
-                // The node's full `@uid/@uid/…` path from the layer: its ancestors are its prefixes.
-                let uid = match self.prop(*comp, *layer, path) {
-                    Some((_, p)) => p.uid,
-                    None => l.props.node(path)?.uid(),
-                };
-                let full = l.props.path_of(uid)?;
-                let segs: Vec<&str> = full.split('/').collect();
-                let up = usize::try_from(*up).ok().filter(|u| *u >= 1 && *u <= segs.len())?;
-                if up == segs.len() {
-                    return Some(Resp::Str("layer".into()));
-                }
-                let keep = segs.len() - up;
-                let group_path = segs.get(..keep)?.join("/");
-                let parent = match keep {
-                    1 => &l.props,
-                    _ => l.props.group(&segs.get(..keep - 1)?.join("/"))?,
-                };
-                let uid = segs.get(keep - 1)?.strip_prefix('@')?.parse::<u64>().ok()?;
-                let index = parent.children.iter().position(|c| c.uid() == uid)?;
-                let n = parent.children.get(index)?;
-                node_resp(group_path, n, index + 1)
-            }
+            Req::Ancestor { comp, layer, path, up } => return self.ancestor(*comp, *layer, path, *up),
             Req::PropInfo { comp, layer, path } => {
                 let (l, p) = self.prop(*comp, *layer, path)?;
                 let dims = prop_dims(l, p);
diff --git a/crates/expr/src/lib.rs b/crates/expr/src/lib.rs
index 4963810c4..c77af5b37 100644
--- a/crates/expr/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/expr/src/lib.rs
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ impl ExprHost for Expressions {
             return Ok([v.first().copied().unwrap_or(100.0), v.get(1).copied().unwrap_or(100.0), v.get(2).copied().unwrap_or(100.0)]);
         };
         let value = prop.value_at(layer.layer_time(ctx.time));
-        let out = evaluate_out(self, ctx, layer, prop, &value, &e.text, [index as f64 + 1.0, total as f64], selector)?;
+        let out = evaluate_out(self, ctx, layer, prop, &value, &e.text, TextSelector { index_total: [index as f64 + 1.0, total as f64], value: selector })?;
         let num = |o: &runtime::Out| match o {
             runtime::Out::Num(x) => Some(*x),
             runtime::Out::Bool(b) => Some(if *b { 100.0 } else { 0.0 }),
@@ -124,13 +124,17 @@ impl Drop for FrameGuard {
 /// Evaluate `text` as the expression of `prop` on `layer` at `ctx.time`, given its keyframed
 /// `value`. Other properties' expressions are evaluated through `host`.
 pub fn evaluate(host: &dyn ExprHost, ctx: &EvalCtx, layer: &Layer, prop: &Property, value: &Value, text: &str) -> Result<Value, String> {
-    let out = evaluate_out(host, ctx, layer, prop, value, text, [1.0, 1.0], [100.0; 3])?;
+    let out = evaluate_out(host, ctx, layer, prop, value, text, TextSelector { index_total: [1.0, 1.0], value: [100.0; 3] })?;
     runtime::to_value(&out, value)
 }
 
-/// Run an expression and return the raw script result. `text_sel` / `selector` are the text
-/// Expression Selector's `[textIndex, textTotal]` and `selectorValue`.
-#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+/// Expression Selector state: `[textIndex, textTotal]` and `selectorValue`.
+struct TextSelector {
+    index_total: [f64; 2],
+    value: [f64; 3],
+}
+
+/// Run an expression and return the raw script result.
 fn evaluate_out(
     host: &dyn ExprHost,
     ctx: &EvalCtx,
@@ -138,9 +142,9 @@ fn evaluate_out(
     prop: &Property,
     value: &Value,
     text: &str,
-    text_sel: [f64; 2],
-    selector: [f64; 3],
+    text_selector: TextSelector,
 ) -> Result<runtime::Out, String> {
+    let TextSelector { index_total: text_sel, value: selector } = text_selector;
     let owner = Owner { comp: ctx.comp_id.0, layer: layer.id.0, uid: prop.uid, time: ctx.time, text: text.to_string() };
     let (depth, cycle) = FRAMES.with(|f| {
         let f = f.borrow();