diff --git a/query-engine/connector-test-kit-rs/query-engine-tests/tests/queries/distinct.rs b/query-engine/connector-test-kit-rs/query-engine-tests/tests/queries/distinct.rs
index aff7845eee90..bc52fb7cfdf6 100644
--- a/query-engine/connector-test-kit-rs/query-engine-tests/tests/queries/distinct.rs
+++ b/query-engine/connector-test-kit-rs/query-engine-tests/tests/queries/distinct.rs
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ mod distinct {
     }
 
     #[connector_test]
-    async fn with_skip(runner: Runner) -> TestResult<()> {
+    async fn with_skip_basic(runner: Runner) -> TestResult<()> {
         test_user(&runner, r#"{ id: 1, first_name: "Joe", last_name: "Doe", email: "1" }"#).await?;
         test_user(
             &runner,
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ mod distinct {
             ),
             // r#"{"data":{"findManyUser":[{"id":2,"first_name":"Hans","last_name":"Wurst"}]}}"#
             // ! SELECT DISTINCT ON expressions must match initial ORDER BY expressions
-            @r###""###
+            @r###"{"data":{"findManyUser":[{"id":2,"first_name":"Hans","last_name":"Wurst"},{"id":3,"first_name":"Joe","last_name":"Doe"}]}}"###
         );
 
         Ok(())
@@ -158,14 +158,14 @@ mod distinct {
             ),
             // r#"{"data":{"findManyUser":[{"id":3,"first_name":"Joe","last_name":"Doe"},{"id":2,"first_name":"Hans","last_name":"Wurst"}]}}"#
             // ! SELECT DISTINCT ON expressions must match initial ORDER BY expressions
-            @r###""###
+            @r###"{"data":{"findManyUser":[{"id":3,"first_name":"Joe","last_name":"Doe"},{"id":2,"first_name":"Hans","last_name":"Wurst"}]}}"###
         );
 
         Ok(())
     }
 
     /// Mut return only distinct records for top record, and only for those the distinct relation records.
-    // #[connector_test]
+    #[connector_test]
     async fn nested_distinct(runner: Runner) -> TestResult<()> {
         nested_dataset(&runner).await?;
 
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ mod distinct {
             ),
             // {"data":{"findManyUser":[{"id":1,"posts":[{"title":"3"},{"title":"1"},{"title":"2"}]},{"id":3,"posts":[]},{"id":4,"posts":[{"title":"1"}]},{"id":5,"posts":[{"title":"2"},{"title":"3"}]}]}}
             // ! SELECT DISTINCT ON expressions must match initial ORDER BY expressions
-            @r###""###
+            @r###"{"data":{"findManyUser":[{"id":1,"posts":[{"title":"3"},{"title":"1"},{"title":"2"}]},{"id":4,"posts":[{"title":"1"}]},{"id":3,"posts":[]},{"id":5,"posts":[{"title":"2"},{"title":"3"}]}]}}"###
         );
 
         Ok(())
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ mod distinct {
             ),
             // {"data":{"findManyUser":[{"id":5,"posts":[{"title":"2"},{"title":"3"}]},{"id":4,"posts":[{"title":"1"}]},{"id":3,"posts":[]},{"id":2,"posts":[{"title":"2"},{"title":"1"}]}]}}
             // ! SELECT DISTINCT ON expressions must match initial ORDER BY expressions
-            @r###""###
+            @r###"{"data":{"findManyUser":[{"id":5,"posts":[{"title":"2"},{"title":"3"}]},{"id":4,"posts":[{"title":"1"}]},{"id":3,"posts":[]},{"id":2,"posts":[{"title":"2"},{"title":"1"}]}]}}"###
         );
 
         Ok(())
diff --git a/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/inmemory_record_processor.rs b/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/inmemory_record_processor.rs
index b2a605ef5872..b78e172a6c0e 100644
--- a/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/inmemory_record_processor.rs
+++ b/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/inmemory_record_processor.rs
@@ -229,8 +229,8 @@ impl InMemoryRecordProcessorBuilder {
         self
     }
 
-    pub fn distinct(mut self, distinct: FieldSelection) -> Self {
-        self.args.distinct = Some(distinct);
+    pub fn distinct(mut self, distinct: Option<FieldSelection>) -> Self {
+        self.args.distinct = distinct.clone();
         self
     }
 
diff --git a/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/nested_read.rs b/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/nested_read.rs
index 4c39369a0ee9..3a83595a7696 100644
--- a/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/nested_read.rs
+++ b/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/nested_read.rs
@@ -17,17 +17,16 @@ pub(crate) async fn m2m(
         query.args.ignore_take,
     );
 
-    let processor = match query.args.distinct {
-        Some(ref fs) => {
-            if query.args.requires_inmemory_distinct() {
-                inm_builder.distinct(fs.clone())
-            } else {
-                inm_builder
-            }
-        }
-        None => inm_builder,
-    }
-    .build();
+    let inm_builder = if query.args.requires_inmemory_distinct() {
+        let inm_builder = inm_builder.distinct(query.args.distinct.clone());
+        query.args.distinct = None;
+
+        inm_builder
+    } else {
+        inm_builder
+    };
+
+    let processor = inm_builder.build();
 
     let parent_field = &query.parent_field;
     let child_link_id = parent_field.related_field().linking_fields();
@@ -153,7 +152,7 @@ pub async fn one2m(
     parent_field: &RelationFieldRef,
     parent_selections: Option<Vec<SelectionResult>>,
     parent_result: Option<&ManyRecords>,
-    query_args: QueryArguments,
+    mut query_args: QueryArguments,
     selected_fields: &FieldSelection,
     aggr_selections: Vec<RelAggregationSelection>,
     trace_id: Option<String>,
@@ -220,15 +219,13 @@ pub async fn one2m(
             query_args.ignore_take,
         );
 
-        let inm_builder = match query_args.distinct {
-            Some(ref fs) => {
-                if req_inmem_distinct {
-                    inm_builder.distinct(fs.clone())
-                } else {
-                    inm_builder
-                }
-            }
-            None => inm_builder,
+        let inm_builder = if req_inmem_distinct {
+            let inm_builder = inm_builder.distinct(query_args.distinct);
+            query_args.distinct = None;
+
+            inm_builder
+        } else {
+            inm_builder
         };
 
         Some(inm_builder.build())
diff --git a/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/read.rs b/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/read.rs
index c653e11418ee..49cc9754c649 100644
--- a/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/read.rs
+++ b/query-engine/core/src/interpreter/query_interpreters/read.rs
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ fn read_one(
 /// -> Unstable cursors can't reliably be fetched by the underlying datasource, so we need to process part of it in-memory.
 fn read_many(
     tx: &mut dyn ConnectionLike,
-    query: ManyRecordsQuery,
+    mut query: ManyRecordsQuery,
     trace_id: Option<String>,
 ) -> BoxFuture<'_, InterpretationResult<QueryResult>> {
     let req_inmem_distinct = query.args.requires_inmemory_distinct();
@@ -98,15 +98,15 @@ fn read_many(
             query.args.ignore_take,
         );
 
-        let inm_builder = match query.args.distinct {
-            Some(ref fs) => {
-                if req_inmem_distinct {
-                    inm_builder.distinct(fs.clone())
-                } else {
-                    inm_builder
-                }
-            }
-            None => inm_builder,
+        dbg!(req_inmem_distinct);
+        let inm_builder = if req_inmem_distinct {
+            let inm_builder = inm_builder.distinct(query.args.distinct);
+            query.args.distinct = None;
+            dbg!(&query.args.distinct);
+
+            inm_builder
+        } else {
+            inm_builder
         };
 
         Some(inm_builder.build())
diff --git a/query-engine/query-structure/src/query_arguments.rs b/query-engine/query-structure/src/query_arguments.rs
index 83b432ac91dd..70551d6c726f 100644
--- a/query-engine/query-structure/src/query_arguments.rs
+++ b/query-engine/query-structure/src/query_arguments.rs
@@ -72,17 +72,27 @@ impl QueryArguments {
     /// retrieved by the connector or if it requires the query engine to fetch a raw set
     /// of records and perform certain operations itself, in-memory.
     pub fn requires_inmemory_processing(&self) -> bool {
-        self.contains_unstable_cursor() || self.contains_null_cursor()
+        self.contains_unstable_cursor() || self.contains_null_cursor() || self.requires_inmemory_distinct()
     }
 
     pub fn requires_inmemory_distinct(&self) -> bool {
+        self.has_distinct() && (!self.has_distinct_capability() || self.has_orderby())
+    }
+
+    fn has_distinct_capability(&self) -> bool {
+        self.model()
+            .dm
+            .schema
+            .connector
+            .has_capability(ConnectorCapability::Distinct)
+    }
+
+    fn has_distinct(&self) -> bool {
         self.distinct.is_some()
-            && !self
-                .model()
-                .dm
-                .schema
-                .connector
-                .has_capability(ConnectorCapability::Distinct)
+    }
+
+    fn has_orderby(&self) -> bool {
+        !self.order_by.is_empty()
     }
 
     /// An unstable cursor is a cursor that is used in conjunction with an unstable (non-unique) combination of orderBys.