diff --git a/lib/store/path_ref_store.dart b/lib/store/path_ref_store.dart
index d03e9fe..32aaa6a 100644
--- a/lib/store/path_ref_store.dart
+++ b/lib/store/path_ref_store.dart
@@ -109,12 +109,11 @@ class PathRefStore {
         node[segment]--;
       }
     } else if (node[segment] is Map) {
-      // If this is the last reference to the child node, then remove the ref key from the child,
-      // marking that it is now purely a transient node.
-      if (node[segment][_refKey] == 1) {
-        return true;
+      final Map child = node[segment];
+      if (child[_refKey] == 1) {
+        node.remove(segment);
       } else {
-        node[segment][_refKey]--;
+        child[_refKey]--;
       }
     }
 
@@ -125,9 +124,6 @@ class PathRefStore {
 
   /// Decrements the ref count to the node at the given path, removing it if it was the last reference to the node.
   void dec(String path) {
-    // `_dec` assumes every node it walks carries a `_refKey`; without this
-    // guard an untracked path would still decrement (and potentially clear)
-    // ancestors that share a prefix.
     if (!has(path)) {
       return;
     }
@@ -152,15 +148,14 @@ class PathRefStore {
     return node.containsKey(segment);
   }
 
-  /// Returns whether the path exists in the store.
+  /// Returns whether the path or any descendant path exists in the store.
   ///
   /// Example:
   /// ```dart
   /// final refStore = PathRefStore();
   /// refStore.inc('users__1__posts__2');
   /// refStore.has('users__1__posts__2') // true
-  /// refStore.has('users__1') // false
-  /// refStore.hasPath('users__1') // true
+  /// refStore.has('users__1') // true
   ///
   /// ```
   bool has(String path) {
diff --git a/test/core/store/path_ref_store_test.dart b/test/core/store/path_ref_store_test.dart
index 8835170..1d598be 100644
--- a/test/core/store/path_ref_store_test.dart
+++ b/test/core/store/path_ref_store_test.dart
@@ -171,6 +171,24 @@ void main() {
         });
       });
 
+      test('Dec of a map-backed path removes the empty node', () {
+        // The extra live sibling keeps the root ref count above 1 so this
+        // exercises the child-map branch rather than the root clear path.
+        final store = PathRefStore();
+        store.inc('c');
+        store.inc('c__c');
+        store.dec('c__c');
+        store.inc('a');
+
+        store.dec('c');
+
+        expect(store.has('c'), false);
+        expect(store.inspect(), {
+          "__ref": 1,
+          "a": 1,
+        });
+      });
+
       test('Dec of untracked deep path under a tracked node is a no-op', () {
         final store = PathRefStore();
         store.inc('a__b__c');
diff --git a/test/core/store/store_property_test.dart b/test/core/store/store_property_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2fd7d53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/store/store_property_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,185 @@
+import 'dart:math';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:loon/loon.dart';
+
+/// Model-based property tests for the path-keyed store structures.
+///
+/// Each test drives randomized operation sequences against the real store and
+/// a trivial reference model, then asserts the two agree (and that structural
+/// invariants like "empties out completely" hold). The reference results are
+/// recomputed from scratch each step, so they're an independent oracle for the
+/// stores' incremental bookkeeping. On failure the seed and operation log are
+/// printed so the case can be replayed.
+///
+/// A small segment/value alphabet is used deliberately to force path collisions
+/// and shared prefixes, which is where the tree-restructuring edge cases live.
+///
+/// Scope: covers `write` and recursive `delete`. Non-recursive `delete` has
+/// subtler semantics (it prunes a node's immediate values while keeping deeper
+/// descendants) and is left for a dedicated model.
+const _d = '__';
+const _alphabet = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
+
+String _randomPath(Random r) {
+  final depth = 1 + r.nextInt(3); // 1..3 segments
+  return List.generate(depth, (_) => _alphabet[r.nextInt(_alphabet.length)])
+      .join(_d);
+}
+
+/// All non-empty paths of depth 1 and 2 — a fixed grid of query points.
+final _grid = <String>[
+  for (final a in _alphabet) ...[
+    a,
+    for (final b in _alphabet) '$a$_d$b',
+  ],
+];
+
+/// Whether [key] is at or below [path] in the tree.
+bool _atOrUnder(String key, String path) =>
+    path.isEmpty || key == path || key.startsWith('$path$_d');
+
+String _parent(String path) {
+  final i = path.lastIndexOf(_d);
+  return i == -1 ? '' : path.substring(0, i);
+}
+
+String _lastSegment(String path) {
+  final i = path.lastIndexOf(_d);
+  return i == -1 ? path : path.substring(i + _d.length);
+}
+
+void main() {
+  group('PathRefStore property', () {
+    test('matches reference model across random inc/dec sequences', () {
+      for (var seed = 0; seed < 200; seed++) {
+        final r = Random(seed);
+        final store = PathRefStore();
+        final live = <String>[]; // inc'd paths, with multiplicity
+        final ops = <String>[];
+
+        for (var step = 0; step < 50; step++) {
+          // dec only targets paths that were actually inc'd, mirroring how the
+          // library pairs inc/dec; bias toward inc when nothing is live.
+          if (live.isEmpty || r.nextBool()) {
+            final p = _randomPath(r);
+            store.inc(p);
+            live.add(p);
+            ops.add('inc($p)');
+          } else {
+            final p = live.removeAt(r.nextInt(live.length));
+            store.dec(p);
+            ops.add('dec($p)');
+          }
+
+          final reason = 'seed=$seed ops=$ops';
+          for (final q in {..._grid, ...live}) {
+            // has(q): true iff some live path is q or a descendant of q.
+            final expected = live.any((p) => _atOrUnder(p, q));
+            expect(store.has(q), expected, reason: '$reason has($q)');
+          }
+          expect(store.isEmpty, live.isEmpty, reason: '$reason isEmpty');
+        }
+      }
+    });
+  });
+
+  group('ValueStore property', () {
+    test('matches reference model across random write/delete sequences', () {
+      for (var seed = 0; seed < 200; seed++) {
+        final r = Random(seed);
+        final store = ValueStore<int>();
+        final model = <String, int>{};
+        final ops = <String>[];
+        var counter = 0;
+
+        for (var step = 0; step < 50; step++) {
+          if (r.nextInt(3) != 0) {
+            final p = _randomPath(r);
+            final v = counter++;
+            store.write(p, v);
+            model[p] = v;
+            ops.add('write($p,$v)');
+          } else {
+            final p = _randomPath(r);
+            store.delete(p); // recursive
+            model.removeWhere((k, _) => _atOrUnder(k, p));
+            ops.add('delete($p)');
+          }
+
+          final reason = 'seed=$seed ops=$ops';
+          for (final q in {..._grid, ...model.keys}) {
+            expect(store.get(q), model[q], reason: '$reason get($q)');
+            expect(store.hasValue(q), model.containsKey(q),
+                reason: '$reason hasValue($q)');
+            final hasPath = model.containsKey(q) ||
+                model.keys.any((k) => k.startsWith('$q$_d'));
+            expect(store.hasPath(q), hasPath, reason: '$reason hasPath($q)');
+          }
+          for (final q in _grid) {
+            final expected = <String, int>{};
+            for (final entry in model.entries) {
+              if (_parent(entry.key) == q) {
+                expected[_lastSegment(entry.key)] = entry.value;
+              }
+            }
+            final actual = store.getChildValues(q) ?? const <String, int>{};
+            expect(actual, equals(expected),
+                reason: '$reason getChildValues($q)');
+          }
+          expect(store.isEmpty, model.isEmpty, reason: '$reason isEmpty');
+        }
+      }
+    });
+  });
+
+  group('ValueRefStore property', () {
+    test('ref aggregation matches the values in each subtree', () {
+      for (var seed = 0; seed < 200; seed++) {
+        final r = Random(seed);
+        final store = ValueRefStore<String>();
+        final model = <String, String>{};
+        final ops = <String>[];
+
+        // getRefs(path) aggregates values strictly under a node; for the root
+        // path it aggregates every value in the store.
+        Map<String, int> refsUnder(String path) {
+          final counts = <String, int>{};
+          for (final entry in model.entries) {
+            final under =
+                path.isEmpty ? true : entry.key.startsWith('$path$_d');
+            if (under) {
+              counts[entry.value] = (counts[entry.value] ?? 0) + 1;
+            }
+          }
+          return counts;
+        }
+
+        for (var step = 0; step < 50; step++) {
+          if (r.nextInt(3) != 0) {
+            final p = _randomPath(r);
+            // Small value space → many shared refs to stress the aggregation.
+            final v = _alphabet[r.nextInt(_alphabet.length)];
+            store.write(p, v);
+            model[p] = v;
+            ops.add('write($p,$v)');
+          } else {
+            final p = _randomPath(r);
+            store.delete(p); // recursive
+            model.removeWhere((k, _) => _atOrUnder(k, p));
+            ops.add('delete($p)');
+          }
+
+          final reason = 'seed=$seed ops=$ops';
+          for (final q in ['', ..._grid]) {
+            final expected = refsUnder(q);
+            final actual = store.getRefs(q) ?? const <String, int>{};
+            expect(Map<String, int>.from(actual), equals(expected),
+                reason: '$reason getRefs("$q")');
+            expect(store.extractValues(q), equals(expected.keys.toSet()),
+                reason: '$reason extractValues("$q")');
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+  });
+}