diff --git a/packages/host/tests/unit/query-field-normalization-test.ts b/packages/host/tests/unit/query-field-normalization-test.ts
index f8c98a2892..6bf2b7685c 100644
--- a/packages/host/tests/unit/query-field-normalization-test.ts
+++ b/packages/host/tests/unit/query-field-normalization-test.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,13 @@
 import { module, test } from 'qunit';
 
 import type { LooseCardResource } from '@cardstack/runtime-common';
-import {
-  codeRefWithAbsoluteIdentifier,
-  rri,
-  VirtualNetwork,
-} from '@cardstack/runtime-common';
+import { codeRefWithAbsoluteIdentifier, rri } from '@cardstack/runtime-common';
 import {
   getValueForResourcePath,
   normalizeQueryDefinition,
 } from '@cardstack/runtime-common/query-field-utils';
 
 module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
-  let virtualNetwork = new VirtualNetwork();
   let fieldDefinition = {
     type: 'containsMany',
     isPrimitive: false,
@@ -49,7 +44,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldPath: 'profile',
       resource,
       resolvePathValue: (path) => getValueForResourcePath(resource, path),
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded');
@@ -57,7 +51,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       new URL(resource.id!),
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
     assert.deepEqual(normalized?.query.filter, {
       eq: { city: 'NYC' },
@@ -66,7 +59,7 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
     assert.strictEqual(normalized?.realm, 'https://other.realm/');
   });
 
-  test('resolves in RRI space when no VirtualNetwork is supplied', function (assert) {
+  test('resolves relative code refs in RRI space', function (assert) {
     let realmURL = new URL('https://realm.example/');
     let resource: LooseCardResource = {
       // A prefix-mapped realm's canonical instance id.
@@ -96,7 +89,7 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       resolvePathValue: () => undefined,
     });
 
-    assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded without a VirtualNetwork');
+    assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded');
     assert.deepEqual(
       normalized?.query.filter,
       {
@@ -132,7 +125,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       relativeTo,
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
 
     let normalized = normalizeQueryDefinition({
@@ -144,7 +136,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'testField',
       resolvePathValue: () => undefined,
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded');
@@ -160,7 +151,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       relativeTo,
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
 
     let normalized = normalizeQueryDefinition({
@@ -174,7 +164,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'testField',
       resolvePathValue: () => undefined,
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded');
@@ -193,7 +182,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       relativeTo,
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
 
     let normalized = normalizeQueryDefinition({
@@ -207,7 +195,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'testField',
       resolvePathValue: () => undefined,
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded');
@@ -226,7 +213,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       relativeTo,
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
 
     let normalized = normalizeQueryDefinition({
@@ -245,7 +231,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'testField',
       resolvePathValue: () => undefined,
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded');
@@ -269,7 +254,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       relativeTo,
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
     let typeRef = {
       module: rri('https://example.com/other'),
@@ -287,7 +271,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'testField',
       resolvePathValue: () => undefined,
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded');
@@ -318,7 +301,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'testField',
       resolvePathValue: () => undefined,
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     assert.ok(normalized, 'normalization succeeded');
@@ -326,7 +308,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       relativeTo,
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
     assert.deepEqual(normalized?.query.filter, {
       any: [
@@ -350,14 +331,12 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'matchingItems',
       resolvePathValue: (path) => resolvePath(instance, path),
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     let targetRef = codeRefWithAbsoluteIdentifier(
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       relativeTo,
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
     assert.deepEqual(normalized?.query.filter, {
       in: { color: ['red', 'blue', 'green'] },
@@ -379,7 +358,6 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'matchingItems',
       resolvePathValue: (path) => resolvePath(instance, path),
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     assert.strictEqual(
@@ -403,14 +381,12 @@ module('normalizeQueryDefinition', function () {
       fieldName: 'favoriteCity',
       resolvePathValue: (path) => resolvePath(instance, path),
       relativeTo,
-      virtualNetwork,
     });
 
     let targetRef = codeRefWithAbsoluteIdentifier(
       fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
       relativeTo,
       undefined,
-      virtualNetwork,
     );
     assert.deepEqual(normalized?.query.filter, {
       eq: { city: 'Paris' },
diff --git a/packages/runtime-common/query-field-utils.ts b/packages/runtime-common/query-field-utils.ts
index 02c777e2ae..ec6a6d6011 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-common/query-field-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/runtime-common/query-field-utils.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { codeRefWithAbsoluteIdentifier, type CodeRef } from './code-ref.ts';
 import { rri, type RealmResourceIdentifier } from './realm-identifiers.ts';
-import type { VirtualNetwork } from './virtual-network.ts';
 import type { FieldDefinition } from './definitions.ts';
 import type {
   FileMetaResource,
@@ -41,12 +40,6 @@ export interface NormalizeQueryDefinitionParams {
   resolvePathValue: (path: string) => any;
   resource?: LooseCardResource | FileMetaResource;
   relativeTo?: RealmResourceIdentifier | URL;
-  // Optional: when supplied, the target code ref and the reference base are
-  // resolved through the VirtualNetwork to real URLs (legacy callers). When
-  // omitted, resolution happens in RRI space — identifiers pass through in
-  // their canonical form (prefix for mapped realms, URL otherwise), which the
-  // search index and the client-side filter matcher both tolerate.
-  virtualNetwork?: VirtualNetwork;
 }
 
 export interface NormalizedQueryDefinitionResult {
@@ -63,7 +56,6 @@ export function normalizeQueryDefinition({
   resolvePathValue,
   resource,
   relativeTo,
-  virtualNetwork,
 }: NormalizeQueryDefinitionParams): NormalizedQueryDefinitionResult | null {
   let workingQuery: QueryWithInterpolations = JSON.parse(
     JSON.stringify(queryDefinition),
@@ -239,18 +231,16 @@ export function normalizeQueryDefinition({
 
   let resolvedRealm = resolveRealm(specifiedRealm);
 
+  // Resolve in RRI space: the resource's canonical id (prefix form for mapped
+  // realms, URL otherwise) is a valid base for relative code-ref resolution,
+  // and the resulting ref keeps its canonical spelling — which the search
+  // index and the client-side filter matcher both tolerate.
   let relativeToBase: RealmResourceIdentifier | URL =
-    relativeTo ??
-    (resource?.id
-      ? virtualNetwork
-        ? virtualNetwork.toURL(resource.id)
-        : rri(resource.id)
-      : realmURL);
+    relativeTo ?? (resource?.id ? rri(resource.id) : realmURL);
   let targetRef = codeRefWithAbsoluteIdentifier(
     fieldDefinition.fieldOrCard,
     relativeToBase,
     undefined,
-    virtualNetwork,
   );
 
   let filter = queryAny.filter as Record<string, any> | undefined;
diff --git a/packages/runtime-common/realm-index-query-engine.ts b/packages/runtime-common/realm-index-query-engine.ts
index 82efb6347b..b9f4c6a744 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-common/realm-index-query-engine.ts
+++ b/packages/runtime-common/realm-index-query-engine.ts
@@ -1046,6 +1046,11 @@ export class RealmIndexQueryEngine {
     let fieldPath = fieldName.includes('.')
       ? fieldName.slice(0, fieldName.lastIndexOf('.'))
       : '';
+    // Resolved in RRI space (no VirtualNetwork): the target code ref keeps its
+    // canonical spelling (prefix form for mapped realms), which the index
+    // matches via its equivalent-spelling tolerance, and the resulting
+    // `links.search` seed URL reconciles with the client's RRI-space rebuild
+    // of the same query.
     let normalized = normalizeQueryDefinition({
       fieldDefinition,
       queryDefinition,
@@ -1054,10 +1059,6 @@ export class RealmIndexQueryEngine {
       fieldName,
       fieldPath,
       resolvePathValue: (path) => getValueForResourcePath(resource, path),
-      relativeTo: resource.id
-        ? this.#realm.virtualNetwork.toURL(resource.id)
-        : realmURL,
-      virtualNetwork: this.#realm.virtualNetwork,
     });
     if (!normalized) {
       return { results: [], errors: [], searchURL: '' };