diff --git a/node-graph/interpreted-executor/src/node_registry.rs b/node-graph/interpreted-executor/src/node_registry.rs
index 4758d66c40..6fdbdda6af 100644
--- a/node-graph/interpreted-executor/src/node_registry.rs
+++ b/node-graph/interpreted-executor/src/node_registry.rs
@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ mod node_registry_macros {
 			(
 				ProtoNodeIdentifier::new(concat!["graphene_core::ops::IntoNode<", stringify!($to), ">"]),
 				RegistryEntry {
+					layout_meta: None,
 					io: NodeIOTypes::new(
 						concrete!(Context),
 						core_types::registry::record_type::<$to>(),
@@ -246,6 +247,7 @@ mod node_registry_macros {
 			(
 				ProtoNodeIdentifier::new(concat!["graphene_core::ops::ConvertNode<", stringify!($to), ">"]),
 				RegistryEntry {
+					layout_meta: None,
 					io: NodeIOTypes::new(
 						concrete!(Context),
 						core_types::registry::record_type::<$to>(),
@@ -291,6 +293,7 @@ mod node_registry_macros {
 			(
 				ProtoNodeIdentifier::new(concat!["graphene_core::ops::ConvertNode<", stringify!($to), ">"]),
 				RegistryEntry {
+					layout_meta: None,
 					io: NodeIOTypes::new(
 						concrete!(Context),
 						core_types::registry::record_type::<$to>(),
diff --git a/node-graph/libraries/core-types/src/record.rs b/node-graph/libraries/core-types/src/record.rs
index 327b35f8f4..1b1da89d4b 100644
--- a/node-graph/libraries/core-types/src/record.rs
+++ b/node-graph/libraries/core-types/src/record.rs
@@ -242,6 +242,52 @@ pub fn empty_layout() -> &'static Layout {
 	EMPTY.get_or_init(Layout::default)
 }
 
+/// Declarative record-io metadata for a node type, emitted by the macro into
+/// its registry entry so the compiler can fold each wire's layout without
+/// running the node's constructor. [`fold`](LayoutMeta::fold) reproduces the
+/// layout the constructor derives at wiring today; the compiler layout pass
+/// calls it over the proto graph instead.
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct LayoutMeta {
+	/// Whether the node derives its layout from a carrier input; `false` writes
+	/// a fresh record from `Layout::default`.
+	pub carrier: bool,
+	/// The output element: a concrete write, or carried through from the carrier.
+	pub element: ElementSpec,
+	/// The attributes the node writes at its acting level.
+	pub writes: Vec<FieldWrite>,
+	/// The attributes removed from the carrier's layout, as `(name, level)`.
+	pub removes: Vec<(&'static str, u8)>,
+	/// The depth change the node applies to its carrier: `0` for elementwise and
+	/// flip nodes, `+1` for a creator, `-1` for a reducer.
+	pub level_delta: i8,
+}
+
+/// Where a node's output element comes from, for [`LayoutMeta`].
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub enum ElementSpec {
+	/// The node writes this concrete element.
+	Concrete(ElementWrite),
+	/// The node carries the carrier's element through unchanged.
+	Carried,
+}
+
+impl LayoutMeta {
+	/// Folds the node's output layout from its carrier's, reproducing what the
+	/// node's constructor derives at wiring. `carrier` is the carrier input's
+	/// layout, or `None` when the node writes a fresh record.
+	pub fn fold(&self, carrier: Option<&Layout>) -> Layout {
+		let carrier = carrier.filter(|_| self.carrier);
+		let base = carrier.map_or_else(Layout::default, |c| c.without(&self.removes));
+		let depth = (carrier.map_or(0, |c| c.depth) as i8 + self.level_delta).max(0) as u8;
+		let element = match &self.element {
+			ElementSpec::Concrete(element) => *element,
+			ElementSpec::Carried => carrier.map_or_else(ElementWrite::default, |c| c.element),
+		};
+		base.with_writes(depth, element, &self.writes)
+	}
+}
+
 /// A view of one record: a pointer whose layout is proven at wiring.
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug)]
 pub struct Rec(*const u8);
diff --git a/node-graph/libraries/core-types/src/registry.rs b/node-graph/libraries/core-types/src/registry.rs
index b25cff2c4b..bbbaa1d71c 100644
--- a/node-graph/libraries/core-types/src/registry.rs
+++ b/node-graph/libraries/core-types/src/registry.rs
@@ -170,6 +170,11 @@ where
 		unsafe { self.ptr.as_ref() }.extent(input)
 	}
 
+	fn extent_at(&self, input: &Input, level: u8) -> crate::gpoll::GPoll<crate::gpoll::Extent> {
+		// SAFETY: as in eval.
+		unsafe { self.ptr.as_ref() }.extent_at(input, level)
+	}
+
 	fn serialize(&self) -> Option<std::sync::Arc<dyn std::any::Any + Send + Sync>> {
 		// SAFETY: as in eval.
 		unsafe { self.ptr.as_ref() }.serialize()
@@ -278,6 +283,10 @@ pub type NodeConstructor = fn(Vec<EdgeHandle>) -> Result<EdgeHandle, Constructio
 pub struct RegistryEntry {
 	pub io: NodeIOTypes,
 	pub constructor: NodeConstructor,
+	/// Declarative record-io metadata for the compiler layout pass; `None` for
+	/// nodes whose layout the pass does not yet fold (routing/opaque, hand-written
+	/// rows), which keep the construction-time path.
+	pub layout_meta: Option<crate::record::LayoutMeta>,
 }
 
 pub fn construct(entry: &RegistryEntry, inputs: Vec<EdgeHandle>) -> Result<EdgeHandle, ConstructionError> {
@@ -502,6 +511,7 @@ mod tests {
 			Ok(EdgeHandle::new(Arc::new(ValueNode(0u32)) as Arc<ErasedNode<u32>>))
 		}
 		let entry = RegistryEntry {
+			layout_meta: None,
 			io: NodeIOTypes::new(concrete!(Context), concrete!(u32), vec![edge_type::<String>()]),
 			constructor: construct_strlen,
 		};
diff --git a/node-graph/node-macro/src/codegen.rs b/node-graph/node-macro/src/codegen.rs
index b5b6450578..ad9bb7430f 100644
--- a/node-graph/node-macro/src/codegen.rs
+++ b/node-graph/node-macro/src/codegen.rs
@@ -1741,6 +1741,23 @@ pub(crate) fn generate_node_impl(crate_ident: &CrateIdent, parsed: &ParsedNodeFn
 				}
 			},
 		};
+		let layout_meta_fn = format_ident!("{}_layout_meta", fn_name);
+		let carrier_present = !shape.skips_carrier();
+		let element_spec = match &shape.element_write {
+			Some(ty) => quote!(#core_types::record::ElementSpec::Concrete(#core_types::record::element_write::<#ty>())),
+			None => quote!(#core_types::record::ElementSpec::Carried),
+		};
+		let layout_meta_def = quote! {
+			#vis fn #layout_meta_fn() -> #core_types::record::LayoutMeta {
+				#core_types::record::LayoutMeta {
+					carrier: #carrier_present,
+					element: #element_spec,
+					writes: ::std::vec![#(#write_descs),*],
+					removes: ::std::vec![#(#remove_pairs),*],
+					level_delta: 0,
+				}
+			}
+		};
 		let reading_secondaries = reading_secondary_indices(&regular_fields, shape);
 		let edge_args = regular_fields.iter().zip(&node_generics).map(|(field, generic)| {
 			let name = &field.pat_ident.ident;
@@ -1790,6 +1807,7 @@ pub(crate) fn generate_node_impl(crate_ident: &CrateIdent, parsed: &ParsedNodeFn
 		let write_names = (0..shape.write_markers.len()).map(|index| format_ident!("__write_{index}")).map(|slot| quote!(#slot,));
 		quote! {
 			#layout_def
+			#layout_meta_def
 
 			#[automatically_derived]
 			impl<#(#data_field_generic_idents,)* #(#node_generics,)*> #mod_name::#struct_name<#(#struct_type_params,)*> {
diff --git a/node-graph/node-macro/src/codegen/entries.rs b/node-graph/node-macro/src/codegen/entries.rs
index 5621417051..72b432891b 100644
--- a/node-graph/node-macro/src/codegen/entries.rs
+++ b/node-graph/node-macro/src/codegen/entries.rs
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ fn flip_entries_tokens(parsed: &ParsedNodeFn, struct_name: &Ident, regular_field
 	let arity = regular_fields.len();
 	let names: Vec<&Ident> = regular_fields.iter().map(|field| &field.pat_ident.ident).collect();
 	let node_underscores: Vec<TokenStream2> = regular_fields.iter().map(|_| quote!(_)).collect();
+	let carrier_present = flip_carrier(parsed);
 
 	// Shorthand associated types in the output only resolve against the
 	// generics' bounds, so rows name the output through a bounded alias. Only
@@ -144,6 +145,13 @@ fn flip_entries_tokens(parsed: &ParsedNodeFn, struct_name: &Ident, regular_field
 		});
 		Some(quote! {
 			gcore::registry::RegistryEntry {
+				layout_meta: Some(gcore::record::LayoutMeta {
+					carrier: #carrier_present,
+					element: gcore::record::ElementSpec::Concrete(gcore::record::element_write::<#row_output>()),
+					writes: ::std::vec::Vec::new(),
+					removes: ::std::vec::Vec::new(),
+					level_delta: 0,
+				}),
 				io: gcore::registry::NodeIOTypes::new(
 					gcore::concrete!(gcore::context::ContextImpl<'static>),
 					gcore::registry::record_type::<#row_output>(),
@@ -273,6 +281,7 @@ fn routing_entries_tokens(parsed: &ParsedNodeFn, struct_name: &Ident, regular_fi
 	quote! {
 		pub fn #entries_name() -> ::std::vec::Vec<gcore::registry::RegistryEntry> {
 			vec![gcore::registry::RegistryEntry {
+				layout_meta: None,
 				io: gcore::registry::NodeIOTypes::new(
 					gcore::concrete!(gcore::context::ContextImpl<'static>),
 					gcore::Type::Record(Box::new(gcore::Type::Generic(::std::borrow::Cow::Borrowed(#token_name)))),
@@ -353,6 +362,7 @@ fn record_opaque_entries_tokens(parsed: &ParsedNodeFn, struct_name: &Ident, regu
 	quote! {
 		pub fn #entries_name() -> ::std::vec::Vec<gcore::registry::RegistryEntry> {
 			vec![gcore::registry::RegistryEntry {
+				layout_meta: None,
 				io: gcore::registry::NodeIOTypes::new(
 					gcore::concrete!(gcore::context::ContextImpl<'static>),
 					gcore::Type::Record(Box::new(gcore::Type::Generic(::std::borrow::Cow::Borrowed("T")))),
@@ -464,9 +474,11 @@ fn record_entries_tokens(parsed: &ParsedNodeFn, struct_name: &Ident, regular_fie
 		(_, None) => unreachable!("non-token record nodes write an element"),
 	};
 
+	let layout_meta_fn = format_ident!("{}_layout_meta", fn_name);
 	quote! {
 		pub fn #entries_name() -> ::std::vec::Vec<gcore::registry::RegistryEntry> {
 			vec![gcore::registry::RegistryEntry {
+				layout_meta: Some(self::#layout_meta_fn()),
 				io: gcore::registry::NodeIOTypes::new(
 					gcore::concrete!(gcore::context::ContextImpl<'static>),
 					#io_output,