diff --git a/docs/COMPOUND_TERMS.md b/docs/COMPOUND_TERMS.md
index ef59342d..86194f02 100644
--- a/docs/COMPOUND_TERMS.md
+++ b/docs/COMPOUND_TERMS.md
@@ -14,9 +14,10 @@
 5. [Nested Compounds](#nested-compounds)
 6. [Inline vs Side Decision Guide](#inline-vs-side-decision-guide)
 7. [Errors and Validation](#errors-and-validation)
-8. [Examples](#examples)
-9. [Observability](#observability)
-10. [Backward Compatibility](#backward-compatibility)
+8. [Negation and side compounds](#negation-and-side-compounds)
+9. [Examples](#examples)
+10. [Observability](#observability)
+11. [Backward Compatibility](#backward-compatibility)
 
 ---
 
@@ -299,12 +300,66 @@ When in doubt, omit the hint. The default (`side`) is always correct.
 | Nesting > 64 levels                      | Parse error: "compound term nesting too deep"         |
 | `inline` hint with arity > 4            | Parse error |
 | `inline` hint with depth > 1            | Schema-apply error; `WL_LOG=COMPOUND:2` emits `error=depth_overflow` |
-| Negated side compound body pattern       | IR conversion error; negated side-join lowering is not yet supported |
+| Negated side compound body pattern       | IR conversion error; not yet supported. See [Negation and side compounds](#negation-and-side-compounds) for the supported workaround |
 | Handle from session A used in session B  | `arena_lookup` returns NULL (session seed mismatch)   |
 | Handle after arena saturation (epoch 4095)| `arena_alloc` returns `WL_COMPOUND_HANDLE_NULL`      |
 
 ---
 
+## Negation and side compounds
+
+Negation (`!Rel(...)`, lowered to an anti-join) works with scalar columns and
+with `inline` compound patterns. It does **not** yet support destructuring a
+`side`-tier compound inside the negated atom, because the negated side requires
+joining the parent scan with the generated `__compound_<functor>_<arity>`
+relation before the anti-join, and that lowering is not implemented. Such a rule
+is rejected at IR-conversion time.
+
+Note the constraint is narrow — it fires only when all three hold:
+
+1. the atom is negated (`!`),
+2. the column is a **side**-tier compound, and
+3. the body pattern destructures it with functor syntax (`metadata(...)`).
+
+Negating mere presence of the compound row (`!event(ID, _)` or binding the
+handle to a variable) is unaffected and works today, as does positive
+destructuring.
+
+### Not supported
+
+```
+.decl event(id: int64, meta: metadata/4 side)
+.decl candidate(id: int64)
+.decl flagged(id: int64)
+
+/* IR-conversion error: negated side compound body pattern */
+flagged(ID) :- candidate(ID), !event(ID, metadata(_, _, _, 99)).
+```
+
+### Supported workaround
+
+Extract the compound fields in a **positive** rule first (positive side-compound
+binding is fully supported), then negate the resulting flat relation:
+
+```
+.decl event(id: int64, meta: metadata/4 side)
+.decl candidate(id: int64)
+.decl risky(id: int64)
+.decl flagged(id: int64)
+
+/* 1. Positive destructuring lowers to parent JOIN __compound_metadata_4 */
+risky(ID) :- event(ID, metadata(_, _, _, 99)).
+
+/* 2. Negate the flat relation — a plain anti-join */
+flagged(ID) :- candidate(ID), !risky(ID).
+```
+
+This is equivalent in expressive power (no rule is inexpressible — only the
+single-line form is unavailable) and stratifies naturally: `risky` is fully
+computed in an earlier stratum than `flagged`, so there is no negation cycle.
+
+---
+
 ## Examples
 
 ### Minimal inline compound
diff --git a/wirelog/ir/program.c b/wirelog/ir/program.c
index 03d25fd0..70672a35 100644
--- a/wirelog/ir/program.c
+++ b/wirelog/ir/program.c
@@ -1843,7 +1843,10 @@ convert_rule(const wl_parser_ast_node_t *rule_node,
             if (atom_has_declared_side_compound_pattern(neg_atom, prog)) {
                 WL_LOG(WL_LOG_SEC_COMPOUND, WL_LOG_ERROR,
                     "negated side compound body pattern is unsupported "
-                    "for relation=%s",
+                    "for relation=%s; extract the compound fields in a "
+                    "positive rule first, then negate the resulting flat "
+                    "relation (see docs/COMPOUND_TERMS.md, \"Negation and "
+                    "side compounds\")",
                     neg_atom->name ? neg_atom->name : "?");
                 for (uint32_t s = 0; s < scan_count; s++)
                     free_var_names(scan_vars[s], scan_vcounts[s]);