Account for JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS in the move-prefix-check error messages

out_of_range::create() includes a "(bytes X-Y)" position annotation when
JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS is enabled, which the ci_test_diagnostic_positions
CI job builds the whole suite with. The five new out_of_range.414
assertions only checked the annotation-free message. Confirmed
JSON_DIAGNOSTICS produces the same (annotation-free) message as the
default build for this particular throw site (its path-based annotation
is empty at the root, where &result always points here), so only two
message variants are needed, not three.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/patch.md

@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ Strong guarantee: if an exception is thrown, there are no changes in the JSON va
   ("add", "remove", "move")
 - Throws [`out_of_range.411`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range411) if an "add" operation's target
   location has a parent that is neither an object nor an array.
+- Throws [`out_of_range.413`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range413) if a "remove" operation's target
+  location has a parent that is neither an object nor an array.
+- Throws [`out_of_range.414`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range414) if a "move" operation's "from"
+  location is a proper prefix of its "path" location.
 - Throws [`other_error.501`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionother_error501) if "test" operation was
   unsuccessful.
 
@@ -75,3 +79,7 @@ is thrown. In any case, the original value is not changed: the patch is applied
 - Added in version 2.0.0.
 - Added [`out_of_range.411`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range411) and stopped relying on an internal assertion when an "add" operation's
   target location has a non-object/non-array parent in version 3.13.0.
+- Added [`out_of_range.413`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range413) and stopped silently ignoring a "remove" operation whose target
+  location has a non-object/non-array parent in version 3.13.0.
+- Added [`out_of_range.414`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range414) and rejected a "move" operation whose "from" location is a proper
+  prefix of its "path" location instead of silently producing a corrupted result in version 3.13.0.

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/patch_inplace.md

@@ -30,6 +30,10 @@ No guarantees, value may be corrupted by an unsuccessful patch operation.
   ("add", "remove", "move")
 - Throws [`out_of_range.411`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range411) if an "add" operation's target
   location has a parent that is neither an object nor an array.
+- Throws [`out_of_range.413`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range413) if a "remove" operation's target
+  location has a parent that is neither an object nor an array.
+- Throws [`out_of_range.414`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range414) if a "move" operation's "from"
+  location is a proper prefix of its "path" location.
 - Throws [`other_error.501`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionother_error501) if "test" operation was
   unsuccessful.
 
@@ -72,3 +76,7 @@ function throws an exception.
 - Added in version 3.11.0.
 - Added [`out_of_range.411`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range411) and stopped relying on an internal assertion when an "add" operation's
   target location has a non-object/non-array parent in version 3.13.0.
+- Added [`out_of_range.413`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range413) and stopped silently ignoring a "remove" operation whose target
+  location has a non-object/non-array parent in version 3.13.0.
+- Added [`out_of_range.414`](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionout_of_range414) and rejected a "move" operation whose "from" location is a proper
+  prefix of its "path" location instead of silently producing a corrupted result in version 3.13.0.

docs/mkdocs/docs/home/exceptions.md

@@ -933,6 +933,34 @@ BSON stores the length of documents, arrays, strings, and binary values in a sig
     [`to_bson`](../api/basic_json/to_bson.md) produced documents with negative length prefixes that
     [`from_bson`](../api/basic_json/from_bson.md) rejected.
 
+### json.exception.out_of_range.413
+
+A JSON Patch `remove` operation cannot be applied because the target location's parent is neither an object nor an array. Per [RFC 6902](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6902), a `remove` target must reference a member of an existing object or an element of an existing array; a primitive value (string, number, boolean, etc.) or `null` has no members or elements to remove.
+
+!!! failure "Example message"
+
+    ```
+    cannot remove value: the JSON Patch 'remove' target's parent is of type number, but must be an object or array
+    ```
+
+!!! note
+
+    This exception was added in version 3.13.0. Before that, this situation was silently ignored (the `remove` operation had no effect).
+
+### json.exception.out_of_range.414
+
+A JSON Patch `move` operation's `"from"` location is a proper prefix of its `"path"` location. Per [RFC 6902](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6902) (section 4.4), a location cannot be moved into one of its own children.
+
+!!! failure "Example message"
+
+    ```
+    cannot move value: 'from' path '/0' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/0/0'
+    ```
+
+!!! note
+
+    This exception was added in version 3.13.0. Before that, this situation could succeed with a corrupted result: for an array target, removing the "from" element before the "add" step shifted subsequent indices, so "path" silently re-resolved to a different element than intended.
+
 ## Further exceptions
 
 This exception is thrown in case of errors that cannot be classified with the

include/nlohmann/json.hpp

@@ -4939,6 +4939,36 @@ class basic_json // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-special-member-functions,hicpp-spec
                 // note erase performs range check
                 parent.erase(json_pointer::template array_index<basic_json_t>(last_path));
             }
+            else
+            {
+                // the parent of a "remove" target must be an object or array
+                // (see #5396)
+                JSON_THROW(out_of_range::create(413, detail::concat("cannot remove value: the JSON Patch 'remove' target's parent is of type ", parent.type_name(), ", but must be an object or array"), &parent));
+            }
+        };
+
+        // RFC 6902 (section 4.4) forbids "from" from being a proper prefix
+        // of "path" for a "move" operation: a location cannot be moved into
+        // one of its own children. Compares reference tokens (already
+        // unescaped by json_pointer's parser) rather than the raw pointer
+        // strings, since a token may itself contain an escaped '/' or '~'
+        // that would defeat a naive string-prefix comparison. "from" equal
+        // to "path" is *not* a proper prefix and must return false.
+        const auto is_proper_prefix = [](const json_pointer & from, const json_pointer & to)
+        {
+            const auto from_size = from.reference_tokens.size();
+            if (from_size >= to.reference_tokens.size())
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+            for (std::size_t i = 0; i < from_size; ++i)
+            {
+                if (!(from.reference_tokens[i] == to.reference_tokens[i]))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
+            return true;
         };
 
         // type check: top level value must be an array
@@ -5016,6 +5046,11 @@ class basic_json // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-special-member-functions,hicpp-spec
                     const auto from_path = get_value("move", "from", true).template get<string_t>();
                     json_pointer from_ptr(from_path);
 
+                    if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(is_proper_prefix(from_ptr, ptr)))
+                    {
+                        JSON_THROW(out_of_range::create(414, detail::concat("cannot move value: 'from' path '", from_path, "' is a proper prefix of 'path' '", path, "'"), &result));
+                    }
+
                     // the "from" location must exist - use at()
                     basic_json const v = result.at(from_ptr);
 

single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp

@@ -26367,6 +26367,36 @@ class basic_json // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-special-member-functions,hicpp-spec
                 // note erase performs range check
                 parent.erase(json_pointer::template array_index<basic_json_t>(last_path));
             }
+            else
+            {
+                // the parent of a "remove" target must be an object or array
+                // (see #5396)
+                JSON_THROW(out_of_range::create(413, detail::concat("cannot remove value: the JSON Patch 'remove' target's parent is of type ", parent.type_name(), ", but must be an object or array"), &parent));
+            }
+        };
+
+        // RFC 6902 (section 4.4) forbids "from" from being a proper prefix
+        // of "path" for a "move" operation: a location cannot be moved into
+        // one of its own children. Compares reference tokens (already
+        // unescaped by json_pointer's parser) rather than the raw pointer
+        // strings, since a token may itself contain an escaped '/' or '~'
+        // that would defeat a naive string-prefix comparison. "from" equal
+        // to "path" is *not* a proper prefix and must return false.
+        const auto is_proper_prefix = [](const json_pointer & from, const json_pointer & to)
+        {
+            const auto from_size = from.reference_tokens.size();
+            if (from_size >= to.reference_tokens.size())
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+            for (std::size_t i = 0; i < from_size; ++i)
+            {
+                if (!(from.reference_tokens[i] == to.reference_tokens[i]))
+                {
+                    return false;
+                }
+            }
+            return true;
         };
 
         // type check: top level value must be an array
@@ -26444,6 +26474,11 @@ class basic_json // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-special-member-functions,hicpp-spec
                     const auto from_path = get_value("move", "from", true).template get<string_t>();
                     json_pointer from_ptr(from_path);
 
+                    if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(is_proper_prefix(from_ptr, ptr)))
+                    {
+                        JSON_THROW(out_of_range::create(414, detail::concat("cannot move value: 'from' path '", from_path, "' is a proper prefix of 'path' '", path, "'"), &result));
+                    }
+
                     // the "from" location must exist - use at()
                     basic_json const v = result.at(from_ptr);
 

tests/CMakeLists.txt

@@ -177,24 +177,6 @@ json_test_add_test_for(src/unit-comparison.cpp
     MAIN test_main CXX_STANDARDS ${test_cxx_standards} ${test_force}
 )
 
-# test the parser again with JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS enabled
-json_test_set_test_options(test-class_parser_diagnostic_positions
-    COMPILE_DEFINITIONS JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS=1
-)
-json_test_add_test_for(src/unit-class_parser.cpp
-    NAME test-class_parser_diagnostic_positions
-    MAIN test_main CXX_STANDARDS ${test_cxx_standards} ${test_force}
-)
-
-# test diagnostic positions again without regular diagnostics (JSON pointer paths)
-json_test_set_test_options(test-diagnostic-positions_only
-    COMPILE_DEFINITIONS JSON_DIAGNOSTICS=0
-)
-json_test_add_test_for(src/unit-diagnostic-positions.cpp
-    NAME test-diagnostic-positions_only
-    MAIN test_main CXX_STANDARDS ${test_cxx_standards} ${test_force}
-)
-
 # *DO NOT* use json_test_set_test_options() below this line
 
 #############################################################################

tests/src/unit-class_parser.cpp

@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ using nlohmann::json;
 
 #include <valarray>
 #include <algorithm>
-#include <cstdio>
-#include <fstream>
 #include <list>
 #include <sstream>
 #include <string>
@@ -346,50 +344,6 @@ void trailing_comma_helper(const std::string& s)
     }
 }
 
-#if JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS
-/**
- * Validates that the generated JSON object is the same as expected
- * Validates that the start position and end position match the start and end of the string
- *
- * This check assumes that there is no whitespace around the json object in the original string.
- */
-void validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(const std::string& original_string, const json& j, const json& check)
-{
-    CHECK(j == check);
-    CHECK(j.start_pos() == 0);
-    CHECK(j.end_pos() == original_string.size());
-}
-
-/**
- * Parses the root object from the given root string and validates that the start and end positions for the nested object are correct.
- *
- * This checks that whitespace around the nested object is included in the start and end positions of the root object.
- */
-void validate_start_end_pos_for_nested_obj_helper(const std::string& nested_type_json_str, const std::string& root_type_json_str, const json& expected_json, const json::parser_callback_t& cb = nullptr)
-{
-    json j;
-
-    // 1. If callback is provided, use callback version of parse()
-    if (cb)
-    {
-        j = json::parse(root_type_json_str, cb);
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        j = json::parse(root_type_json_str);
-    }
-
-    // 2. Check if the generated JSON is as expected
-    // Assumptions: The root_type_json_str does not have any whitespace around the json object
-    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(root_type_json_str, j, expected_json);
-
-    // 3. Get the nested object
-    const auto& nested = j["nested"];
-    // 4. Check if the start and end positions are generated correctly for nested objects and arrays
-    CHECK(nested_type_json_str == root_type_json_str.substr(nested.start_pos(), nested.end_pos() - nested.start_pos()));
-}
-#endif
-
 } // namespace
 
 TEST_CASE("parser class")
@@ -1825,228 +1779,6 @@ TEST_CASE("parser class")
         CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::parse("/a", nullptr, true, true), "[json.exception.parse_error.101] parse error at line 1, column 2: syntax error while parsing value - invalid comment; expecting '/' or '*' after '/'; last read: '/a'", json::parse_error);
         CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::parse("/*", nullptr, true, true), "[json.exception.parse_error.101] parse error at line 1, column 3: syntax error while parsing value - invalid comment; missing closing '*/'; last read: '/*<U+0000>'", json::parse_error);
     }
-
-#if JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS
-    // Macro for all test cases for start_pos and end_pos
-#define SETUP_TESTCASES() \
-    SECTION("with callback") \
-    { \
-        SECTION("filter nothing") \
-        { \
-            json::parser_callback_t const cb = [](int /*unused*/, json::parse_event_t /*unused*/, json& /*unused*/) noexcept \
-            { \
-                return true; \
-            }; \
-            validate_start_end_pos_for_nested_obj_helper(nested_type_json_str, root_type_json_str, expected, cb); \
-        } \
-        SECTION("filter element") \
-        { \
-            json::parser_callback_t const cb = [](int /*unused*/, json::parse_event_t event, json& j) noexcept \
-            { \
-                return (event != json::parse_event_t::key && event != json::parse_event_t::value) || j != json("a"); \
-            }; \
-            validate_start_end_pos_for_nested_obj_helper(nested_type_json_str, root_type_json_str, filteredExpected, cb); \
-        } \
-    } \
-    SECTION("without callback") \
-    { \
-        validate_start_end_pos_for_nested_obj_helper(nested_type_json_str, root_type_json_str, expected); \
-    }
-
-    SECTION("retrieve start position and end position")
-    {
-        SECTION("for object")
-        {
-            // Create an object with spaces to test the start and end positions. Spaces will not be included in the
-            // JSON object, however, the start and end positions should include the spaces from the input JSON string.
-            const std::string nested_type_json_str =  R"({    "a":       1,"b"      : "test1"})";
-            const std::string root_type_json_str =  R"({    "nested": )" + nested_type_json_str + R"(, "anotherValue": "test2"})";
-            auto expected = json({{"nested", {{"a", 1}, {"b", "test1"}}}, {"anotherValue", "test2"}});
-            auto filteredExpected = expected;
-            filteredExpected["nested"].erase("a");
-
-            SETUP_TESTCASES()
-        }
-
-        SECTION("for array")
-        {
-            const std::string nested_type_json_str =  R"(["a", "test", 45])";
-            const std::string root_type_json_str =  R"({   "nested": )" + nested_type_json_str + R"(, "anotherValue": "test" })";
-            auto expected = json({{"nested", {"a", "test", 45}}, {"anotherValue", "test"}});
-            auto filteredExpected = expected;
-            filteredExpected["nested"] = json({"test", 45});
-            SETUP_TESTCASES()
-        }
-
-        SECTION("for array with objects")
-        {
-            const std::string nested_type_json_str =  R"([{"a": 1, "b": "test"}, {"c": 2, "d": "test2"}])";
-            const std::string root_type_json_str =  R"({   "nested": )" + nested_type_json_str + R"(, "anotherValue": "test" })";
-            auto expected = json({{"nested", {{{"a", 1}, {"b", "test"}}, {{"c", 2}, {"d", "test2"}}}}, {"anotherValue", "test"}});
-            auto filteredExpected = expected;
-            filteredExpected["nested"][0].erase("a");
-            SETUP_TESTCASES()
-
-            auto j = json::parse(root_type_json_str);
-            auto nested_array = j["nested"];
-            const auto& nested_obj = nested_array[0];
-            CHECK(nested_type_json_str.substr(1, 21) == root_type_json_str.substr(nested_obj.start_pos(), nested_obj.end_pos() - nested_obj.start_pos()));
-            CHECK(nested_type_json_str.substr(24, 22) == root_type_json_str.substr(nested_array[1].start_pos(), nested_array[1].end_pos() - nested_array[1].start_pos()));
-        }
-
-        SECTION("for two levels of nesting objects")
-        {
-            const std::string nested_type_json_str =  R"({"nested2": {"b": "test"}})";
-            const std::string root_type_json_str =  R"({   "a": 2, "nested": )" + nested_type_json_str + R"(, "anotherValue": "test" })";
-            auto expected = json({{"a", 2}, {"nested", {{"nested2", {{"b", "test"}}}}}, {"anotherValue", "test"}});
-            auto filteredExpected = expected;
-            filteredExpected.erase("a");
-            SETUP_TESTCASES()
-
-            auto j = json::parse(root_type_json_str);
-            auto nested_obj = j["nested"]["nested2"];
-            CHECK(nested_type_json_str.substr(12, 13) == root_type_json_str.substr(nested_obj.start_pos(), nested_obj.end_pos() - nested_obj.start_pos()));
-        }
-
-        SECTION("for simple types")
-        {
-            SECTION("no nested")
-            {
-                SECTION("with callback")
-                {
-                    json::parser_callback_t const cb = [](int /*unused*/, json::parse_event_t /*unused*/, json& /*unused*/) noexcept
-                    {
-                        return true;
-                    };
-
-                    // 1. string type
-                    std::string json_str =  R"("test")";
-                    auto j = json::parse(json_str, cb);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, "test");
-
-                    // 2. number type
-                    json_str =  R"(1)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str, cb);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, 1);
-
-                    // 3. boolean type
-                    json_str =  R"(true)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str, cb);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, true);
-
-                    // 4. null type
-                    json_str =  R"(null)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str, cb);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, nullptr);
-                }
-
-                SECTION("without callback")
-                {
-                    // 1. string type
-                    std::string json_str =  R"("test")";
-                    auto j = json::parse(json_str);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, "test");
-
-                    // 2. number type
-                    json_str =  R"(1)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, 1);
-
-                    json_str = R"(1.001239923)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, 1.001239923);
-
-                    json_str = R"(1.123812389000000)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, 1.123812389);
-
-                    // 3. boolean type
-                    json_str =  R"(true)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, true);
-
-                    json_str =  R"(false)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, false);
-
-                    // 4. null type
-                    json_str =  R"(null)";
-                    j = json::parse(json_str);
-                    validate_generated_json_and_start_end_pos_helper(json_str, j, nullptr);
-                }
-            }
-
-            SECTION("string type")
-            {
-                const std::string nested_type_json_str =  R"("test")";
-                const std::string root_type_json_str =  R"({ "a": 1,   "nested": )" + nested_type_json_str + R"(, "anotherValue": "test" })";
-                auto expected = json({{"nested", "test"}, {"anotherValue", "test"}, {"a", 1}});
-                auto filteredExpected = expected;
-                filteredExpected.erase("a");
-                SETUP_TESTCASES()
-            }
-
-            SECTION("number type")
-            {
-                const std::string nested_type_json_str =  R"(2)";
-                const std::string root_type_json_str =  R"({ "a": 1,   "nested": )" + nested_type_json_str + R"(, "anotherValue": "test" })";
-                auto expected = json({{"nested", 2}, {"anotherValue", "test"}, {"a", 1}});
-                auto filteredExpected = expected;
-                filteredExpected.erase("a");
-                SETUP_TESTCASES()
-            }
-
-            SECTION("boolean type")
-            {
-                const std::string nested_type_json_str =  R"(true)";
-                const std::string root_type_json_str =  R"({ "a": 1,   "nested": )" + nested_type_json_str + R"(, "anotherValue": "test" })";
-                auto expected = json({{"nested", true}, {"anotherValue", "test"}, {"a", 1}});
-                auto filteredExpected = expected;
-                filteredExpected.erase("a");
-                SETUP_TESTCASES()
-            }
-
-            SECTION("null type")
-            {
-                const std::string nested_type_json_str =  R"(null)";
-                const std::string root_type_json_str =  R"({ "a": 1,   "nested": )" + nested_type_json_str + R"(, "anotherValue": "test" })";
-                auto expected = json({{"nested", nullptr}, {"anotherValue", "test"}, {"a", 1}});
-                auto filteredExpected = expected;
-                filteredExpected.erase("a");
-                SETUP_TESTCASES()
-            }
-        }
-        SECTION("with leading whitespace and newlines around root JSON")
-        {
-            const std::string initial_whitespace = R"(
-                
-            )";
-            const std::string nested_type_json_str = R"({
-                "a": 1,
-                "nested": {
-                    "b": "test"
-                },
-                "anotherValue": "test"
-            })";
-            const std::string end_whitespace = R"(
-                
-            )";
-            const std::string root_type_json_str = initial_whitespace + nested_type_json_str + end_whitespace;
-
-            auto expected = json({{"a", 1}, {"nested", {{"b", "test"}}}, {"anotherValue", "test"}});
-
-            auto j = json::parse(root_type_json_str);
-
-            // 2. Check if the generated JSON is as expected
-            CHECK(j == expected);
-
-            // 3. Check if the start and end positions do not include the surrounding whitespace
-            CHECK(j.start_pos() == initial_whitespace.size());
-            CHECK(j.end_pos() == root_type_json_str.size() - end_whitespace.size());
-        }
-    }
-#undef SETUP_TESTCASES
-#endif
 }
 
 // this test relies on parse errors being thrown, so it is skipped when
@@ -2155,321 +1887,3 @@ TEST_CASE("last-read diagnostics are identical across input adapters")
     }
 }
 #endif // !defined(JSON_NOEXCEPTION)
-
-// this test characterizes the current (documented-by-example, not otherwise
-// specified) behavior of JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS positions with respect to
-// value lifetime (copy/move/swap/mutation), the various input adapters, and
-// user-driven SAX usage. It is regression protection, not a behavior
-// specification: if any of these checks fail after a change to json.hpp,
-// that change deliberately altered observable behavior and the test (and
-// this comment) should be updated accordingly, rather than "fixed" blindly.
-#if JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS
-TEST_CASE("diagnostic positions: value lifetime, input adapters, and SAX")
-{
-    SECTION("value lifetime")
-    {
-        SECTION("copy constructor copies positions, recursively")
-        {
-            // basic_json(const basic_json&) (json.hpp, around line 1192) copies
-            // start_position/end_position for the value itself; nested values
-            // are copied via their own copy constructor (through the copied
-            // object/array container), so positions are preserved throughout
-            // the whole tree.
-            const std::string s = R"({"a":1,"b":[1,2,3]})";
-            const json a = json::parse(s);
-            const json b = a; // NOLINT(performance-unnecessary-copy-initialization)
-
-            CHECK(b.start_pos() == a.start_pos());
-            CHECK(b.end_pos() == a.end_pos());
-            CHECK(b["b"].start_pos() == a["b"].start_pos());
-            CHECK(b["b"].end_pos() == a["b"].end_pos());
-            CHECK(b["b"][0].start_pos() == a["b"][0].start_pos());
-            CHECK(b["b"][0].end_pos() == a["b"][0].end_pos());
-
-            // sanity: the positions are meaningful (not all npos)
-            CHECK(b.start_pos() == 0);
-            CHECK(b.end_pos() == s.size());
-        }
-
-        SECTION("move constructor resets the moved-from value to npos")
-        {
-            // basic_json(basic_json&&) (json.hpp, around line 1265) copies
-            // other's start_position/end_position into *this and then resets
-            // other's to npos (see the cppcheck-suppress[accessForwarded]
-            // annotation there, which flags this reset as worth a second
-            // look). Only the top-level moved-from value is affected; its
-            // (moved-away) children are gone along with it.
-            const std::string s = R"({"a":1,"b":[1,2,3]})";
-            json a = json::parse(s);
-            const auto a_start = a.start_pos();
-            const auto a_end = a.end_pos();
-            const auto nested_start = a["b"].start_pos();
-            const auto nested_end = a["b"].end_pos();
-
-            const json b(std::move(a));
-
-            // the destination retains the original positions, recursively
-            CHECK(b.start_pos() == a_start);
-            CHECK(b.end_pos() == a_end);
-            CHECK(b["b"].start_pos() == nested_start);
-            CHECK(b["b"].end_pos() == nested_end);
-
-            // the moved-from value is reset to a null and reports npos
-            CHECK(a.is_null()); // NOLINT(bugprone-use-after-move,clang-analyzer-cplusplus.Move)
-            CHECK(a.start_pos() == std::string::npos); // NOLINT(bugprone-use-after-move,clang-analyzer-cplusplus.Move)
-            CHECK(a.end_pos() == std::string::npos); // NOLINT(bugprone-use-after-move,clang-analyzer-cplusplus.Move)
-        }
-
-        SECTION("swap() does NOT exchange positions (likely a real bug, see below)")
-        {
-            // NOTE (characterizing, not fixing, for #5420): basic_json::swap()
-            // (json.hpp, around line 3540, and the friend swap() that forwards
-            // to it) swaps m_data.m_type and m_data.m_value but -- unlike
-            // copy-assignment's operator=(basic_json) (json.hpp, around line
-            // 1291), which swaps start_position/end_position as part of its
-            // copy-and-swap implementation -- it never touches
-            // start_position/end_position. So after swap(a, b), the *values*
-            // of a and b are exchanged, but their *positions* are not: each
-            // ends up with its own original position describing the other's
-            // new content. This looks like an oversight/inconsistency rather
-            // than intended behavior, and is flagged to the maintainer; this
-            // test only pins the current (surprising) behavior so a fix (or a
-            // deliberate decision to keep it) shows up here as an intentional
-            // change rather than a silent regression.
-            json a = json::parse(R"({"a":1})");
-            json b = json::parse(R"([1,2,3,4,5])");
-            const auto a_start = a.start_pos();
-            const auto a_end = a.end_pos();
-            const auto b_start = b.start_pos();
-            const auto b_end = b.end_pos();
-            // both start at 0 (root values start right away), but their
-            // lengths (and thus end positions) differ, which is enough to
-            // tell after the swap whether positions actually moved with
-            // the values
-            CHECK(a_end != b_end);
-
-            using std::swap;
-            swap(a, b);
-
-            // values were exchanged as expected ...
-            CHECK(a == json::parse(R"([1,2,3,4,5])"));
-            CHECK(b == json::parse(R"({"a":1})"));
-
-            // ... but positions were NOT: each variable kept its own
-            // original position, now describing the other's content
-            CHECK(a.start_pos() == a_start);
-            CHECK(a.end_pos() == a_end);
-            CHECK(b.start_pos() == b_start);
-            CHECK(b.end_pos() == b_end);
-        }
-
-        SECTION("mutating a parsed document leaves positions of unrelated values untouched")
-        {
-            // Positions are recorded once, during parsing, and are not
-            // recomputed on mutation. As a consequence, after a mutation the
-            // parent's own recorded span may no longer describe its current
-            // (serialized) content -- it still describes what was originally
-            // parsed. This is characterized here as current behavior, not
-            // asserted to be desirable or specified.
-            SECTION("operator[] adding a new object key")
-            {
-                const std::string s = R"({"a":1})";
-                json j = json::parse(s);
-                const auto root_start = j.start_pos();
-                const auto root_end = j.end_pos();
-                const auto a_start = j["a"].start_pos();
-                const auto a_end = j["a"].end_pos();
-
-                j["c"] = 42;
-
-                // the newly-added value was never parsed, so it has no position
-                CHECK(j["c"].start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-                CHECK(j["c"].end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-
-                // the existing sibling's position is unaffected
-                CHECK(j["a"].start_pos() == a_start);
-                CHECK(j["a"].end_pos() == a_end);
-
-                // the parent's own recorded span is left as-is (now stale:
-                // it still reflects the original, shorter `{"a":1}` string)
-                CHECK(j.start_pos() == root_start);
-                CHECK(j.end_pos() == root_end);
-            }
-
-            SECTION("push_back on a parsed array")
-            {
-                const std::string s = R"([1,2,3])";
-                json j = json::parse(s);
-                const auto root_start = j.start_pos();
-                const auto root_end = j.end_pos();
-                const auto first_start = j[0].start_pos();
-
-                j.push_back(4);
-
-                CHECK(j.back().start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-                CHECK(j.back().end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-                CHECK(j[0].start_pos() == first_start);
-                CHECK(j.start_pos() == root_start);
-                CHECK(j.end_pos() == root_end);
-            }
-
-            SECTION("erase on a parsed array shifts elements but keeps their own positions")
-            {
-                const std::string s = R"([1,2,3])";
-                json j = json::parse(s);
-                const auto second_start = j[1].start_pos();
-                const auto third_start = j[2].start_pos();
-                const auto root_start = j.start_pos();
-                const auto root_end = j.end_pos();
-
-                j.erase(0);
-
-                // remaining elements moved down an index, but each one still
-                // reports the position it had *before* the erase (i.e. its
-                // position in the original source string, not a
-                // recalculated one)
-                CHECK(j[0].start_pos() == second_start);
-                CHECK(j[1].start_pos() == third_start);
-
-                // the parent's own recorded span is again left as-is
-                CHECK(j.start_pos() == root_start);
-                CHECK(j.end_pos() == root_end);
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
-    SECTION("input adapters")
-    {
-        SECTION("wide string input: positions count transcoded UTF-8 bytes, not wide characters")
-        {
-            // 'é' (U+00E9) is a single code unit in a wchar_t/UTF-16 string, but
-            // transcodes to 2 bytes in UTF-8; the lexer only ever sees the
-            // transcoded UTF-8 byte stream, so reported positions are byte
-            // offsets into that UTF-8 stream, not indices into the original
-            // std::wstring.
-            // é (rather than a literal 'é' byte sequence in this source
-            // file) so the wide-string literal's meaning does not depend on
-            // the compiler's assumed source character set (MSVC, without
-            // /utf-8, would otherwise decode the raw UTF-8 bytes using the
-            // system code page instead of as UTF-8)
-            const std::wstring ws = L"{\"a\":\"\u00e9\u00e9\"}";
-            CHECK(ws.size() == 10); // 10 wide characters
-
-            const json j = json::parse(ws);
-            CHECK(j.start_pos() == 0);
-            // the transcoded UTF-8 form is 2 bytes longer than the wide string,
-            // because each of the two 'é' characters becomes 2 UTF-8 bytes
-            CHECK(j.end_pos() == 12);
-            CHECK(j.end_pos() != ws.size());
-
-            const json& a = j["a"];
-            CHECK(a.start_pos() == 5);
-            CHECK(a.end_pos() == 11);
-        }
-
-        SECTION("BOM-prefixed input: start_pos() reflects the skipped 3-byte BOM")
-        {
-            const std::string s = "\xEF\xBB\xBF{\"a\":1}";
-            const json j = json::parse(s);
-
-            // the lexer silently skips the BOM before parsing the value, so
-            // the root value's recorded span starts right after it
-            CHECK(j.start_pos() == 3);
-            CHECK(j.end_pos() == s.size());
-        }
-
-        SECTION("std::istringstream: positions are consistent, not npos")
-        {
-            const std::string s = R"({"a":1,"b":2})";
-            std::istringstream ss(s);
-            const json j = json::parse(ss);
-
-            CHECK(j.start_pos() == 0);
-            CHECK(j.end_pos() == s.size());
-            CHECK(j["a"].start_pos() == 5);
-        }
-
-        SECTION("std::ifstream: positions are consistent, not npos")
-        {
-            const std::string s = R"({"a":1,"b":2})";
-            {
-                std::ofstream file("unit-class_parser_diagnostic_positions.tmp");
-                file << s;
-            }
-
-            {
-                std::ifstream f("unit-class_parser_diagnostic_positions.tmp");
-                const json j = json::parse(f);
-
-                CHECK(j.start_pos() == 0);
-                CHECK(j.end_pos() == s.size());
-                CHECK(j["a"].start_pos() == 5);
-            }
-
-            static_cast<void>(std::remove("unit-class_parser_diagnostic_positions.tmp"));
-        }
-
-        SECTION("iterator-pair input: positions are consistent, not npos")
-        {
-            const std::string s = R"({"a":1,"b":2})";
-            const json j = json::parse(s.begin(), s.end());
-
-            CHECK(j.start_pos() == 0);
-            CHECK(j.end_pos() == s.size());
-            CHECK(j["a"].start_pos() == 5);
-        }
-
-        SECTION("binary formats have no text positions")
-        {
-            // binary formats (CBOR, MessagePack, UBJSON, BSON, BJData) are
-            // parsed via detail::binary_reader, which never sets
-            // start_position/end_position on the values it produces (they
-            // have no notion of a text offset), so every value's position
-            // stays at its default of npos.
-            const json src = json::parse(R"({"a":1,"b":[1,2]})");
-
-            const json from_cbor = json::from_cbor(json::to_cbor(src));
-            CHECK(from_cbor.start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-            CHECK(from_cbor.end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-            CHECK(from_cbor["a"].start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-            CHECK(from_cbor["b"][0].start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-
-            const json from_msgpack = json::from_msgpack(json::to_msgpack(src));
-            CHECK(from_msgpack.start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-            CHECK(from_msgpack.end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-
-            const json from_ubjson = json::from_ubjson(json::to_ubjson(src));
-            CHECK(from_ubjson.start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-            CHECK(from_ubjson.end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-
-            const json from_bson_val = json::from_bson(json::to_bson(src));
-            CHECK(from_bson_val.start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-            CHECK(from_bson_val.end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-        }
-    }
-
-    SECTION("user-driven SAX consumers with no lexer report npos")
-    {
-        // json::parse() internally wires up its json_sax_dom_parser with a
-        // pointer to its own lexer (see parser.hpp), which is how positions
-        // get set at all. A user who constructs a json_sax_dom_parser
-        // directly (e.g. to drive it via json::sax_parse()) and does not
-        // supply a lexer pointer gets a consumer with m_lexer_ref == nullptr;
-        // every "if (m_lexer_ref)" guard in json_sax.hpp is then skipped, so
-        // every value it produces keeps its default, unset position (npos).
-        // This was previously true but silently unasserted (operator==
-        // ignores positions), see #5420.
-        json result;
-        nlohmann::detail::json_sax_dom_parser<json, nlohmann::detail::string_input_adapter_type> sdp(result);
-        const std::string s = R"({"a":1,"b":[1,2,3]})";
-        CHECK(json::sax_parse(s, &sdp));
-
-        CHECK(result.start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-        CHECK(result.end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-        CHECK(result["a"].start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-        CHECK(result["a"].end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-        CHECK(result["b"][0].start_pos() == std::string::npos);
-        CHECK(result["b"][0].end_pos() == std::string::npos);
-    }
-}
-#endif

tests/src/unit-diagnostic-positions-only.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++ (supporting code)
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+#include "doctest_compatibility.h"
+
+#ifdef JSON_DIAGNOSTICS
+    #undef JSON_DIAGNOSTICS
+#endif
+
+#define JSON_DIAGNOSTICS 0
+#define JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS 1
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+using json = nlohmann::json;
+
+TEST_CASE("Better diagnostics with positions only")
+{
+    SECTION("invalid type")
+    {
+        const std::string json_invalid_string = R"(
+        {
+            "address": {
+                "street": "Fake Street",
+                "housenumber": "1"
+            }
+        }
+        )";
+        json j = json::parse(json_invalid_string);
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(j.at("address").at("housenumber").get<int>(),
+                             "[json.exception.type_error.302] (bytes 108-111) type must be number, but is string", json::type_error);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("invalid type without positions")
+    {
+        const json j = "foo";
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(j.get<int>(),
+                             "[json.exception.type_error.302] type must be number, but is string", json::type_error);
+    }
+}

tests/src/unit-diagnostic-positions.cpp

@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@
 
 #include "doctest_compatibility.h"
 
-#ifndef JSON_DIAGNOSTICS
+#define JSON_DIAGNOSTICS 1
-    #define JSON_DIAGNOSTICS 1
-#endif
 #define JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS 1
 #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
 
@@ -29,13 +27,8 @@ TEST_CASE("Better diagnostics with positions")
         }
         )";
         json j = json::parse(json_invalid_string);
-#if JSON_DIAGNOSTICS
         CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(j.at("address").at("housenumber").get<int>(),
                              "[json.exception.type_error.302] (/address/housenumber) (bytes 108-111) type must be number, but is string", json::type_error);
-#else
-        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(j.at("address").at("housenumber").get<int>(),
-                             "[json.exception.type_error.302] (bytes 108-111) type must be number, but is string", json::type_error);
-#endif
     }
 
     SECTION("invalid type without positions")
@@ -81,12 +74,7 @@ TEST_CASE("Better diagnostics with positions")
         // (/foo/bar); the position of that parent is reported in the message
         const json doc = json::parse(R"({"foo":{"bar":"a string"}})");
         const json patch = json::parse(R"([{"op":"add","path":"/foo/bar/baz","value":1}])");
-#if JSON_DIAGNOSTICS
         CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch),
                              "[json.exception.out_of_range.411] (/foo/bar) (bytes 14-24) cannot add value: the JSON Patch 'add' target's parent is of type string, but must be an object or array", json::out_of_range);
-#else
-        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch),
-                             "[json.exception.out_of_range.411] (bytes 14-24) cannot add value: the JSON Patch 'add' target's parent is of type string, but must be an object or array", json::out_of_range);
-#endif
     }
 }

tests/src/unit-json_patch.cpp

@@ -1389,6 +1389,192 @@ TEST_CASE("JSON patch - add to a primitive parent (regression #4292)")
     }
 }
 
+TEST_CASE("JSON patch - remove with primitive or null parent (regression #5396)")
+{
+    // Regression test for https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/5396
+    //
+    // RFC 6902 (§4.2) requires the target location of a "remove" operation
+    // to exist. When the target's parent resolves to a primitive value or
+    // null, the operation must fail. Previously operation_remove silently
+    // did nothing in this case (neither the "is_object" nor the "is_array"
+    // branch matched, and there was no final "else"), so the patch appeared
+    // to succeed without changing the document. It now throws
+    // out_of_range.413.
+
+    SECTION("parent is a primitive (number)")
+    {
+        json const doc = {{"a", 1}};
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "remove"}, {"path", "/a/b"}}};
+#if JSON_DIAGNOSTICS
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.413] (/a) cannot remove value: the JSON Patch 'remove' target's parent is of type number, but must be an object or array", json::out_of_range&);
+#else
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.413] cannot remove value: the JSON Patch 'remove' target's parent is of type number, but must be an object or array", json::out_of_range&);
+#endif
+    }
+
+    SECTION("parent is a primitive (string)")
+    {
+        json const doc = {{"foo", {{"bar", "a string"}}}};
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "remove"}, {"path", "/foo/bar/baz"}}};
+#if JSON_DIAGNOSTICS
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.413] (/foo/bar) cannot remove value: the JSON Patch 'remove' target's parent is of type string, but must be an object or array", json::out_of_range&);
+#else
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.413] cannot remove value: the JSON Patch 'remove' target's parent is of type string, but must be an object or array", json::out_of_range&);
+#endif
+    }
+
+    SECTION("top-level document is null")
+    {
+        json const doc = nullptr;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "remove"}, {"path", "/a"}}};
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.413] cannot remove value: the JSON Patch 'remove' target's parent is of type null, but must be an object or array", json::out_of_range&);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("legitimate removes still work")
+    {
+        // object member
+        json const doc1 = {{"a", 1}, {"b", 2}};
+        json const patch1 = {{{"op", "remove"}, {"path", "/a"}}};
+        CHECK(doc1.patch(patch1) == json({{"b", 2}}));
+
+        // array element
+        json const doc2 = R"([1, 2, 3])"_json;
+        json const patch2 = {{{"op", "remove"}, {"path", "/1"}}};
+        CHECK(doc2.patch(patch2) == R"([1, 3])"_json);
+    }
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("JSON patch - move where 'from' is a proper prefix of 'path' (regression #5397)")
+{
+    // Regression test for https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/5397
+    //
+    // RFC 6902 (§4.4) forbids "from" from being a proper prefix of "path"
+    // for a "move" operation: "a location cannot be moved into one of its
+    // children." "move" is implemented as remove-then-add; for an object
+    // target this happened to throw anyway as a side effect of the "add"
+    // step re-resolving through the now-removed parent, but for an array
+    // target the removal shifted subsequent indices, so "path" silently
+    // re-resolved to a different element and the operation "succeeded"
+    // with a corrupted result. It now throws out_of_range.414 for both
+    // object and array targets.
+
+    SECTION("array target (from the issue)")
+    {
+        json const doc = R"([[1,2],[3]])"_json;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/0"}, {"path", "/0/0"}}};
+#if JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] (bytes 0-11) cannot move value: 'from' path '/0' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/0/0'", json::out_of_range&);
+#else
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] cannot move value: 'from' path '/0' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/0/0'", json::out_of_range&);
+#endif
+    }
+
+    SECTION("object target")
+    {
+        json const doc = R"({"a": {"b": 1}})"_json;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/a"}, {"path", "/a/b"}}};
+#if JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] (bytes 0-15) cannot move value: 'from' path '/a' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/a/b'", json::out_of_range&);
+#else
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] cannot move value: 'from' path '/a' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/a/b'", json::out_of_range&);
+#endif
+    }
+
+    SECTION("from == path is not a proper prefix and must not be rejected")
+    {
+        // "from" equal to "path" is a no-op move; it is not a *proper*
+        // prefix relationship, so this new check must not reject it.
+        json const doc = R"({"a": 1, "b": 2})"_json;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/a"}, {"path", "/a"}}};
+        CHECK(doc.patch(patch) == doc);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("raw string prefix that is not a pointer-token prefix must be allowed")
+    {
+        // "/ab" is a string-prefix of "/abc/x" as raw text, but "ab" and
+        // "abc" are different reference tokens, so this is NOT a
+        // pointer-token prefix relationship and the move must succeed.
+        // This is the key case proving the check compares tokens, not
+        // raw pointer text (a naive std::string prefix/rfind check on
+        // the undecoded pointer would wrongly reject this).
+        json const doc = R"({"ab": 1, "abc": {"x": 2}})"_json;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/ab"}, {"path", "/abc/x"}}};
+        json const result = R"({"abc": {"x": 1}})"_json;
+        CHECK(doc.patch(patch) == result);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("escaped reference tokens are compared unescaped")
+    {
+        // "from" is the single token "a/b" (escaped as "a~1b"); "path"
+        // addresses member "x" of that same value, so "from" is a
+        // proper (token-level) prefix of "path" and must be rejected.
+        json const doc = R"({"a/b": {"x": 1}})"_json;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/a~1b"}, {"path", "/a~1b/x"}}};
+#if JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] (bytes 0-17) cannot move value: 'from' path '/a~1b' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/a~1b/x'", json::out_of_range&);
+#else
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] cannot move value: 'from' path '/a~1b' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/a~1b/x'", json::out_of_range&);
+#endif
+    }
+
+    SECTION("ordinary valid moves still work")
+    {
+        // unrelated top-level members
+        json const doc1 = R"({"a": 1, "b": 2})"_json;
+        json const patch1 = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/a"}, {"path", "/c"}}};
+        CHECK(doc1.patch(patch1) == R"({"b": 2, "c": 1})"_json);
+
+        // sibling paths that share a textual prefix but are unrelated
+        json const doc2 = R"({"a": {"x": 1}, "b": {"y": 2}})"_json;
+        json const patch2 = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/a/x"}, {"path", "/b/z"}}};
+        CHECK(doc2.patch(patch2) == R"({"a": {}, "b": {"y": 2, "z": 1}})"_json);
+
+        // "path" is a proper prefix of "from" (the reverse relationship,
+        // which RFC 6902 does not forbid)
+        json const doc3 = R"({"a": {"b": 1}})"_json;
+        json const patch3 = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/a/b"}, {"path", "/a"}}};
+        CHECK(doc3.patch(patch3) == R"({"a": 1})"_json);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("root 'from' is a proper prefix of every non-root 'path'")
+    {
+        // the whole document is a proper prefix of any location inside it
+        json const doc = R"({"a": 1})"_json;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", ""}, {"path", "/a"}}};
+#if JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] (bytes 0-8) cannot move value: 'from' path '' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/a'", json::out_of_range&);
+#else
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] cannot move value: 'from' path '' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/a'", json::out_of_range&);
+#endif
+    }
+
+    SECTION("root 'path' is never a proper prefix violation for a non-root 'from'")
+    {
+        // the reverse of the above: moving a non-root location to the root
+        // is the "path is a prefix of from" relationship, which RFC 6902
+        // permits (already covered generally above; this pins the root
+        // case specifically, since root is the one path with no reference
+        // tokens at all)
+        json const doc = R"({"a": {"b": 1}})"_json;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/a"}, {"path", ""}}};
+        CHECK(doc.patch(patch) == R"({"b": 1})"_json);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("the array-append token '-' is an ordinary child token")
+    {
+        // "-" (append-to-array) addresses a location *inside* the array,
+        // so "from" pointing at the array is still a proper prefix of
+        // "path" ending in "-" and must be rejected like any other child.
+        json const doc = R"({"a": [1, 2]})"_json;
+        json const patch = {{{"op", "move"}, {"from", "/a"}, {"path", "/a/-"}}};
+#if JSON_DIAGNOSTIC_POSITIONS
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] (bytes 0-13) cannot move value: 'from' path '/a' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/a/-'", json::out_of_range&);
+#else
+        CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(doc.patch(patch), "[json.exception.out_of_range.414] cannot move value: 'from' path '/a' is a proper prefix of 'path' '/a/-'", json::out_of_range&);
+#endif
+    }
+}
+
 TEST_CASE("JSON patch - diff emits array removals in descending index order")
 {
     SECTION("array shrunk to empty")