szibis · Oct 19, 2026 · Oct 18, 2026 · Oct 18, 2026 · Oct 18, 2026 · Oct 18, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/compat-vl.yaml b/.github/workflows/compat-vl.yaml
@@ -69,6 +69,9 @@ jobs:
     if: github.event_name == 'schedule' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
     needs: vl-matrix-source
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # Each version runs the range-metric table on top of the compatibility
+    # checks; bound a hung stack well below the 6 hour default.
+    timeout-minutes: 40
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
@@ -102,10 +105,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run VictoriaLogs compatibility score
         env:
           VICTORIALOGS_IMAGE: victoriametrics/victoria-logs:${{ matrix.vl_version }}
-        # The score plus the two checks whose outcome depends on how the
+        # The score plus the checks whose outcome depends on how the
         # VictoriaLogs version words or stores things: OTLP severity as
-        # detected_level, and the status of rejected queries (parse errors).
-        run: go test -v -tags=e2e -run '^(TestSetup_IngestLogs|TestVLTrackScore|TestCompat_DetectedLevelQueryRange|TestCompat_RejectedQueryStatusParity)$' ./test/e2e-compat/
+        # detected_level, the status of rejected queries (parse errors), and the
+        # range-metric table compared with Loki (bucket edges, offsets, unwrap).
+        run: go test -v -tags=e2e -timeout=25m -run '^(TestSetup_IngestLogs|TestVLTrackScore|TestCompat_DetectedLevelQueryRange|TestCompat_RejectedQueryStatusParity|TestCompat_Unwrap.*|TestRangeMetric.*|TestGrafanaClickout_.*)$' ./test/e2e-compat/
       - name: Tear down matrix stack
         if: always()
         working-directory: test/e2e-compat

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,61 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Breaking Changes
+
+- **The supported VictoriaLogs floor is v1.49.0: VictoriaLogs v1.48.0 and older
+  are no longer supported.** Supported is v1.49.0 (the latest v1.4x release) and
+  every v1.5x release. `-backend-min-version` now defaults to `v1.49.0` (was
+  `v1.40.0`), in the flag, the Go fallback used when it is empty and the Helm
+  value `extraArgs.backend-min-version`; `logsql.MinSupportedMinor` is 49. A
+  deployment on VictoriaLogs v1.40 to v1.48 stops at startup with an error that
+  names `-backend-allow-unsupported-version`: upgrade VictoriaLogs to v1.49.0 or
+  newer. A Helm release that pins an older `backend-min-version` still starts
+  against an older backend, with a warning on every start; a version below the
+  floor is unsupported and untested, and the proxy no longer carries the
+  fallbacks that served it (see Changed). `-backend-allow-unsupported-version=true`
+  starts the proxy against such a backend at the operator's risk, and
+  `-backend-version-strict=true` still turns a missing or too old version into a
+  startup failure.
+
+### Changed
+
+- **Supported and tested VictoriaLogs versions are named in the README and the
+  compatibility docs.** Tested in CI: v1.49.0, v1.50.0, v1.51.1, v1.52.0 and
+  v1.53.0, every supported minor at its latest patch that has a published image
+  (v1.52.1 has none, so v1.52.0); pull requests keep the v1.52.0 pin. The
+  support window in `compatibility-matrix.json` is now "the latest v1.4x release
+  plus every v1.5x release" (was "the latest two lines, three releases each"):
+  v1.47.0 and v1.48.0 leave the matrix and v1.50.0 joins it.
+  `TestVictoriaLogsSupportPolicy` enforces the rule: the floor, the lowest
+  matrix version, the `-backend-min-version` default (flag, Go fallback, Helm
+  value) and `logsql.MinSupportedMinor` agree, the matrix holds exactly one v1.4x
+  entry (the floor) and every v1.5x minor from v1.50 up once, the pin is a
+  tested version, and the README supported-versions table lists the same
+  versions.
+- **The weekly VictoriaLogs matrix runs the range-metric table on every tested
+  version.** Besides the compatibility score and the two version-sensitive
+  checks, each version now runs `TestCompat_Unwrap*`, `TestRangeMetric*` and
+  `TestGrafanaClickout_*` against Loki (the checks that failed on VictoriaLogs
+  v1.40.0 because it ignores the `stats_query_range` `offset` argument), with an
+  explicit test and job timeout.
+- **The fallbacks for VictoriaLogs before v1.49.0 are removed, and an unknown
+  backend version behaves as v1.49.0.** The `stats_query_range` `offset`
+  argument (v1.45) is always sent: the epoch-aligned-only tumbling and sliding
+  grids, the raw-row route for unaligned starts and the gate of the
+  `name_extracted` pushdown are gone (raw evaluation remains only where it does
+  not depend on the version: buckets below 1 ms, byte and row limits). The
+  metadata substring filter (v1.49) is always forwarded as `q` and
+  `filter=substring`; the proxy-side search window stays because it also serves
+  the label-values browse index and offset/limit paging. `ip()` filters always
+  use `ipv4_range()` (v1.45) for IPv4 and keep the regular expression only for
+  IPv6 and unparsable input. `logsql.Capabilities` no longer has `StatsRateSum`,
+  `FieldIPv4Range` or `MetadataSubstring`. The v1.50+ behaviour (dense pattern
+  windowing, column-index `field_values`, the v1.51 `coalesce` pipe and the
+  v1.52 parse-error echo) keeps its fallback down to v1.49.0. The background
+  `/metrics` version probe still retries every five minutes while the version
+  is unknown.
+
 ## [2.18.1] - 2026-10-18
 
 ### Changed

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ LogQL→LogsQL translation is **4.7–15.5 µs per query** (arm64). For a 100–
 | Selector `{app="nginx"}` | 4.7 µs | 18 |
 | `rate({...}[5m])` | 6.1 µs | 45 |
 | `sum(rate({...}[5m])) by (host)` | 8.9 µs | 48 |
-| `ip("10.0.0.0/8")` filter (v1.45+, capability-aware) | 8.4 µs | 36 |
+| `ip("10.0.0.0/8")` filter (native `ipv4_range()`) | 8.4 µs | 36 |
 | Binary metric `sum(rate) / sum(rate)` | 12.5 µs | 76 |
 
 Measured: `go test ./internal/translator/ -bench BenchmarkTranslate -benchmem -count=5` (Apple M5 Pro, Go 1.26, darwin/arm64).
@@ -167,6 +167,21 @@ Full cost worksheet, scaling projections, and EC2/GCP sizing tables: [Cost Model
 
 ---
 
+## Supported versions
+
+<!-- vl-support:start -->
+| VictoriaLogs | Version |
+|---|---|
+| Supported | `v1.49.0` (the latest v1.4x release) and every v1.5x release |
+| Tested in CI | `v1.49.0`, `v1.50.0`, `v1.51.1`, `v1.52.0`, `v1.53.0` |
+| Pull-request CI pin | `v1.52.0` |
+| Startup floor (`-backend-min-version`) | `v1.49.0` |
+<!-- vl-support:end -->
+
+The proxy refuses to start against a VictoriaLogs older than the floor unless `-backend-allow-unsupported-version=true` is set; such a version is unsupported and untested. Every supported minor is tested at its latest patch release that has a published image; the weekly matrix run includes the range-metric table compared with Loki. Loki, Grafana, Logs Drilldown and the Loki datasource plugin versions are listed in the [compatibility matrix](docs/compatibility-matrix.md); the VictoriaLogs policy and capability bands are in [VictoriaLogs compatibility](docs/compatibility-victorialogs.md).
+
+---
+
 ## Quick Start
 
 ### Docker

diff --git a/charts/loki-vl-proxy/values.yaml b/charts/loki-vl-proxy/values.yaml
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ extraArgs:
   # 120s matches the binary default; explicit here so operators can widen it for
   # very long-range log queries without hunting for the flag name.
   backend-timeout: "120s"
-  backend-min-version: "v1.40.0"
+  backend-min-version: "v1.49.0"
   backend-allow-unsupported-version: "false"
   backend-version-check-timeout: "5s"
   # Compression negotiation with VictoriaLogs backend.
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ extraArgs:
   # compat-cache-enabled: "true"                # enable Tier0 compatibility-edge cache
   # compat-cache-max-percent: "10"              # Tier0 share of L1 cache budget (max 50)
   # backend-timeout: "120s"                     # upstream request timeout
-  # backend-min-version: "v1.40.0"              # startup minimum supported VictoriaLogs version
+  # backend-min-version: "v1.49.0"              # startup minimum supported VictoriaLogs version
   # backend-allow-unsupported-version: "false"  # allow older backend at your own risk
   # backend-version-check-timeout: "5s"         # startup backend version check timeout
   # backend-version-strict: "false"             # when true, /health failure, non-2xx, or missing/sub-min backend semver fails startup (default false: warn only); overrides --backend-allow-unsupported-version

diff --git a/cmd/proxy/main.go b/cmd/proxy/main.go
@@ -552,7 +552,7 @@ func run(
 	cbFailThreshold := fs.Int("cb-fail-threshold", 5, "Circuit breaker: failures within -cb-window-duration before opening")
 	cbOpenDuration := fs.Duration("cb-open-duration", 10*time.Second, "Circuit breaker: how long to stay open before allowing probe requests")
 	cbWindowDuration := fs.Duration("cb-window-duration", 30*time.Second, "Circuit breaker: sliding window for failure counting; failures older than this are discarded")
-	backendMinVersion := fs.String("backend-min-version", "v1.40.0", "Minimum VictoriaLogs version considered fully supported at startup (first minor of the oldest supported line; v1.4x and v1.5x are supported)")
+	backendMinVersion := fs.String("backend-min-version", "v1.49.0", "Minimum VictoriaLogs version considered fully supported at startup (v1.49.0, the latest v1.4x release; every v1.5x release is supported)")
 	backendAllowUnsupportedVersion := fs.Bool("backend-allow-unsupported-version", false, "Allow startup with backend versions lower than -backend-min-version (at your own risk). Ignored when --backend-version-strict=true.")
 	backendVersionCheckTimeout := fs.Duration("backend-version-check-timeout", 5*time.Second, "Timeout for startup backend version compatibility check")
 	backendVersionStrict := fs.Bool("backend-version-strict", false, "When true, /health failure, non-2xx response, or missing/sub-min backend semver causes startup to fail. Default false (warn only). Overrides --backend-allow-unsupported-version when both are set.")

diff --git a/conformance/registry/cases/semantics/json-extracted-metric-pushdown.yaml b/conformance/registry/cases/semantics/json-extracted-metric-pushdown.yaml
@@ -57,10 +57,10 @@ gap:
   area: 'internal/proxy ordered_json_metric.go stats pushdown (name_extracted labels) and translator.ExtractedLabelPipes'
   loki: 'pkg/logql/log/parser.go:25 duplicateSuffix; pkg/logql/log/labels.go ParserHint/Extracted'
   proxy: 'orderedJSONPushdownLabelOK refused name_extracted; raw-row evaluator answered (502 at the row limit)'
-  planned_test: 'TestCompat_ExtractedLabelMetricPushdown (test/e2e-compat, group core); proxy TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricPushdownMatchesLoki, TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricProbeKeepsRawEvaluator, TestLogfmtExtractedMetricPushdownMatchesLoki, TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricDifferential, TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricPushdownNeedsStatsRangeOffset; translator TestExtractedLabelPipes'
+  planned_test: 'TestCompat_ExtractedLabelMetricPushdown (test/e2e-compat, group core); proxy TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricPushdownMatchesLoki, TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricProbeKeepsRawEvaluator, TestLogfmtExtractedMetricPushdownMatchesLoki, TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricDifferential, TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricPushdownOnSupportedBackends; translator TestExtractedLabelPipes'
   note: |
-    Gated off below VictoriaLogs v1.45 (versions/stats-bucket-label-v1.45), where the raw-row evaluator
-    answers as before. Open items: an ungrouped range metric stays on raw rows
+    Runs on every supported VictoriaLogs version: the stats_query_range offset arg it needs for bucket
+    edges is present from v1.45 (versions/stats-bucket-label-v1.45). Open items: an ungrouped range metric stays on raw rows
     (semantics/extracted-ungrouped-metric-raw-rows); service_name_extracted and detected_level_extracted
     stay on the raw evaluator (semantics/extracted-derived-labels-raw-evaluator); two differences against
     Loki (semantics/extracted-metric-known-differences). Related, unchanged: semantics/unwrap-range-last-point

diff --git a/conformance/registry/cases/versions/stats-bucket-label-v1.45.yaml b/conformance/registry/cases/versions/stats-bucket-label-v1.45.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 id: versions/stats-bucket-label-v1.45
-title: Stats-bucket metrics put a line on a bucket edge one bucket late on VictoriaLogs before v1.45 (open)
+title: Stats-bucket metrics put a line on a bucket edge one bucket late on VictoriaLogs before v1.45 (unsupported versions)
 proves:
   - window-bounds-and-step-alignment
   - loki_api_v1_query_range
@@ -18,19 +18,19 @@ why: |
   missing and the neighbours carry the wrong counts: `proxy "3"` where Loki
   has `"2"`). Bisected on isolated stacks, one VictoriaLogs per release.
 
-  `supportsStatsRangeOffset` already makes the sliding window decline a start
-  that is not on the epoch grid below v1.45 (`slidingStatsBucket`), but an
-  aligned start still passes and an edge line is misplaced; the existing
-  pushdown of every `| json` metric, and the `name_extracted` pushdown before
-  it was gated, are affected. Real data rarely sits on a bucket edge (nanosecond
-  timestamps), so this shows on synthetic fixtures and second-aligned
-  generators.
+  Real data rarely sits on a bucket edge (nanosecond timestamps), so this shows
+  on synthetic fixtures and second-aligned generators.
 
-  The `name_extracted` stats pushdown is gated on `supportsStatsRangeOffset`
-  (v1.45+); older backends keep the raw-row evaluator these shapes had, which
-  is exact within `-manual-range-metric-row-limit`
-  (TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricPushdownNeedsStatsRangeOffset). Not gated: the
-  other pushdowns.
+  Decision: supported VictoriaLogs starts at v1.49.0, so the `offset` arg is
+  present on every supported release and the proxy keeps no pre-v1.45
+  fallback: the version gate, the epoch-aligned-only bucket grids and the
+  raw-row routes that served those backends are removed, and an unknown
+  version behaves as v1.49.0
+  (TestSlidingRangeMetric_AnchoredBucketsOnFloorAndUnknownVersion,
+  TestOrderedJSONExtractedMetricPushdownOnSupportedBackends). A backend older
+  than v1.45 can still be started with `-backend-allow-unsupported-version`
+  and answers with the misplaced edge samples above; it is unsupported and
+  untested.
 request:
   method: GET
   path: /loki/api/v1/query_range
@@ -49,12 +49,12 @@ compare:
   expect: |
     Loki's samples. v1.42.0 and v1.44.0 answer one bucket late for an edge line.
 gap:
-  status: open
+  status: owner-kept
   impact: edge
   effort: M
   area: 'stats-bucket relabel (internal/proxy range_metric_compat.go setSlidingStatsRangeParams / slidingStatsBucket; sliding_window_stats.go)'
   loki: 'pkg/logql range vector (T-range, T]'
-  proxy: 'stats_query_range without offset aligns buckets to the epoch; the 1 ns edge shift is not applied'
-  planned_test: 'TestRangeMetricCompatibilityJSONFilterPushdown on VictoriaLogs v1.40-v1.44 (version matrix); fix by relabelling edge lines or declining the pushdown below v1.45'
-  note: 'Evidence: bisect v1.42.0 FAIL, v1.44.0 FAIL, v1.45.0 PASS, v1.46.0 PASS, v1.52.0 PASS. The v1.45.0 changelog entry for the offset arg is the introducing release.'
+  proxy: 'stats_query_range without offset aligns buckets to the epoch; the 1 ns edge shift is not applied (VictoriaLogs before v1.45, below the supported floor v1.49.0)'
+  planned_test: 'TestRangeMetricCompatibilityJSONFilterPushdown on every supported VictoriaLogs version (compat-vl vl-matrix job); TestSlidingRangeMetric_AnchoredBucketsOnFloorAndUnknownVersion'
+  note: 'Evidence: bisect v1.42.0 FAIL, v1.44.0 FAIL, v1.45.0 PASS, v1.46.0 PASS, v1.52.0 PASS. The v1.45.0 changelog entry for the offset arg is the introducing release; the supported floor is v1.49.0, so no fallback is kept for the earlier releases.'
   clusters: []
diff --git a/conformance/registry/generated/matrix-link.json b/conformance/registry/generated/matrix-link.json
@@ -119,9 +119,8 @@
     },
     "victorialogs": {
       "matrix": [
-        "v1.47.0",
-        "v1.48.0",
         "v1.49.0",
+        "v1.50.0",
         "v1.51.1",
         "v1.52.0",
         "v1.53.0"

diff --git a/conformance/registry/generated/wiring.json b/conformance/registry/generated/wiring.json
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@
       "test/e2e-compat/unwrap_ungrouped_sum_test.go"
     ]
   },
-  "registry_items": 320,
+  "registry_items": 317,
   "routes_without_registry_item": [],
   "test_to_items": {
     "cmd/proxy/main_test.go": [

diff --git a/conformance/registry/vl/capabilities/field-i-pv4-range.yaml b/conformance/registry/vl/capabilities/field-i-pv4-range.yaml
diff --git a/conformance/registry/vl/capabilities/metadata-substring.yaml b/conformance/registry/vl/capabilities/metadata-substring.yaml
diff --git a/conformance/registry/vl/capabilities/stats-rate-sum.yaml b/conformance/registry/vl/capabilities/stats-rate-sum.yaml
diff --git a/conformance/reports/compatibility-matrix.md b/conformance/reports/compatibility-matrix.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ Generated by `conformance/scripts/matrix_link.py`. Versions come from `test/e2e-
 | grafana_loki_datasource_contract | `—` | 13.2.3, 13.2.1, 13.0.1, 12.4.12, 12.4.10, 12.4.2, 12.4.1 |
 | logs_drilldown_contract | `2.6.0` | 2.5.2, 2.5.1, 2.5.0, 2.4.0, 2.3.0, 2.2.1, 2.2.0, 2.1.5, 2.1.3, 2.1.2, 2.1.1, 2.1.0, 2.0.4, 2.0.3, 2.0.2, 2.0.1, 2.0.0, 1.0.41, 1.0.40, 1.0.39, 1.0.38, 1.0.37, 1.0.36, 1.0.35, 1.0.34 |
 | loki | `3.7.7` | 3.6.0, 3.6.1, 3.6.2, 3.6.3, 3.6.4, 3.6.5, 3.6.6, 3.6.7, 3.6.8, 3.6.9, 3.6.10, 3.6.11, 3.6.12, 3.6.13, 3.6.14, 3.6.15, 3.6.16, 3.7.0, 3.7.1, 3.7.2, 3.7.3, 3.7.4, 3.7.5, 3.7.6 |
-| victorialogs | `v1.52.0` | v1.47.0, v1.48.0, v1.49.0, v1.51.1, v1.53.0 |
+| victorialogs | `v1.52.0` | v1.49.0, v1.50.0, v1.51.1, v1.53.0 |
 
 ## Tracks and their evidence