diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index df546c3..613e10f 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 # Package metadata
 name = "suql"
-version = "1.1.7a5"
+version = "1.1.7a6"
 description = "Structured and Unstructured Query Language (SUQL) Python API"
 author = "Shicheng Liu"
 author_email = "shicheng@cs.stanford.edu"
diff --git a/src/suql/faiss_embedding.py b/src/suql/faiss_embedding.py
index d0a11fe..291b2c2 100644
--- a/src/suql/faiss_embedding.py
+++ b/src/suql/faiss_embedding.py
@@ -285,11 +285,12 @@ def dot_product(self, id_list, query, top, individual_id_list=[]):
                 for sublist in map(lambda x: self.id2document[x], individual_id_list)
                 for item in sublist
             ]
-        embedding_indices = [
+        # remove potential duplicates here
+        embedding_indices = list(dict.fromkeys([
             item
             for sublist in map(lambda x: self.document2embedding[x], document_indices)
             for item in sublist
-        ]
+        ]))
 
         query_embedding = embed_query(query)
 
@@ -301,8 +302,8 @@ def dot_product(self, id_list, query, top, individual_id_list=[]):
                 params=faiss.SearchParametersIVF(sel=sel),
             )
         else:
-            if top > self.embeddings.ntotal:
-                top = self.embeddings.ntotal
+            if top > min(self.embeddings.ntotal, len(embedding_indices)):
+                top = min(self.embeddings.ntotal, len(embedding_indices))
             D, I = self.embeddings.search(
                 query_embedding, top, params=faiss.SearchParametersIVF(sel=sel)
             )
diff --git a/src/suql/sql_free_text_support/execute_free_text_sql.py b/src/suql/sql_free_text_support/execute_free_text_sql.py
index 48614b5..82e474f 100644
--- a/src/suql/sql_free_text_support/execute_free_text_sql.py
+++ b/src/suql/sql_free_text_support/execute_free_text_sql.py
@@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ def _retrieve_and_verify(
     elif len(node.fromClause) == 1 and isinstance(node.fromClause[0], JoinExpr):
         single_table = False
         id_list = {}
-        for arg in [node.fromClause[0].larg, node.fromClause[0].rarg]:
+        for arg in _extract_recursive_joins(node.fromClause[0]):
             if isinstance(arg, RangeVar):
                 table_name = arg.relname
                 id_field_name = table_w_ids[table_name]
@@ -723,10 +723,13 @@ def _retrieve_and_verify(
             enforce_ordering=True if node.sortClause is not None else False,
         )
     else:
-        id_res = []
+        id_res = set()
         for each_res in parsed_result:
             if _verify_single_res(each_res, field_query_list, llm_model_name):
-                id_res.append(each_res[0])
+                if isinstance(each_res[0], list):
+                    id_res.update(each_res[0])
+                else:
+                    id_res.add(each_res[0])
 
     end_time = time.time()
     logging.info("retrieve + verification time {}s".format(end_time - start_time))
@@ -1133,8 +1136,31 @@ def visit_ColumnRef(self, ancestors: Ancestor, node: ColumnRef):
                         # the same field appears twice, this means that the original syntax is problematic
                         break
                     res = (String(sval=f"{table_name}^{node.fields[0].sval}"),)
-            node.fields = res
+            
+            # do not replace if None, b/c this should be an aliased field
+            if res is not None:
+                node.fields = res
 
+def _extract_recursive_joins(
+    fromClause: JoinExpr
+):
+    """
+    A FROM clause of a SelectStmt could have multiple joins.
+    This functions searilizes the joins and returns them as a list.
+    """
+    res = []
+    if isinstance(fromClause.larg, RangeVar):
+        res.append(fromClause.larg)
+    if isinstance(fromClause.rarg, RangeVar):
+        res.append(fromClause.rarg)
+        
+    if isinstance(fromClause.larg, JoinExpr):
+        res.extend(_extract_recursive_joins(fromClause.larg))
+    if isinstance(fromClause.rarg, JoinExpr):
+        res.extend(_extract_recursive_joins(fromClause.rarg))
+    
+    return res
+    
 
 def _execute_structural_sql(
     original_node: SelectStmt,
@@ -1157,7 +1183,7 @@ def _execute_structural_sql(
     elif len(node.fromClause) == 1 and isinstance(node.fromClause[0], JoinExpr):
         all_projection_fields = []
         table_column_mapping = {}
-        for table in [node.fromClause[0].larg, node.fromClause[0].rarg]:
+        for table in _extract_recursive_joins(node.fromClause[0]):
             # find out what columns this table has
             _, columns = execute_sql_with_column_info(
                 RawStream()(SelectStmt(fromClause=(table,), targetList=(ResTarget(val=ColumnRef(fields=(A_Star(),))),))),
@@ -1189,6 +1215,8 @@ def _execute_structural_sql(
             table_column_mapping=table_column_mapping
         )
         replace_original_target_visitor(original_node.targetList)
+        if original_node.groupClause is not None:
+            replace_original_target_visitor(original_node.groupClause)
         if original_node.sortClause is not None:
             replace_original_target_visitor(original_node.sortClause)
     # next, there are tuple joins (self joins)
@@ -1234,8 +1262,10 @@ def _execute_structural_sql(
     node.limitOffset = None
     # change predicates
     node.whereClause = predicate
+    # reset other unecessary clauses
     node.groupClause = None
     node.havingClause = None
+    node.sortClause = None
 
     # only queries that involve only structural parts can be executed
     assert _if_all_structural(node)