diff --git a/graphify/build.py b/graphify/build.py
index bfe8fe9..7e7ed61 100644
--- a/graphify/build.py
+++ b/graphify/build.py
@@ -124,6 +124,39 @@ def _normalize_hyperedge_members(he: object) -> None:
         he.pop(alias, None)
 
 
+def _fold_node_aliases(node: dict) -> None:
+    """Fold legacy node field aliases onto canonical keys, in place (#2194).
+
+    ``name`` -> ``label`` and ``path`` -> ``source_file``. Uses an empty-check
+    (not mere key presence) so a node carrying ``label: ""``/``None`` next to a
+    real ``name`` is healed too. When the canonical field already holds a value
+    it wins and the alias key is left untouched. Without this fold an alias-only
+    node enters the graph with no label/source_file: it fails validation, gets
+    ``norm_label == ""`` (invisible to query/explain), and is excluded from every
+    label-keyed merge/dedup — a permanent ghost that ``graphify update``
+    re-feeds through build_from_json forever.
+    """
+    if not node.get("label") and isinstance(node.get("name"), str) and node["name"]:
+        node["label"] = node.pop("name")
+    if not node.get("source_file") and isinstance(node.get("path"), str) and node["path"]:
+        node["source_file"] = node.pop("path")
+
+
+def _fold_edge_aliases(edge: dict) -> None:
+    """Fold legacy edge field aliases onto canonical keys, in place (#2194).
+
+    ``type`` -> ``relation``. A ``confidence_score`` float with no ``confidence``
+    enum backfills ``confidence: "INFERRED"`` — never EXTRACTED (alias recovery
+    is not provenance) and never a threshold mapping of the float. The
+    ``confidence_score`` key itself is NOT popped: it is a legitimate companion
+    field that the edge loop sanitizes and to_json round-trips.
+    """
+    if not edge.get("relation") and isinstance(edge.get("type"), str) and edge["type"]:
+        edge["relation"] = edge.pop("type")
+    if not edge.get("confidence") and edge.get("confidence_score") is not None:
+        edge["confidence"] = "INFERRED"
+
+
 def _norm_source_file(p: str | None, root: str | None = None) -> str | None:
     """Normalize path separators and relativize absolute paths.
 
@@ -395,7 +428,23 @@ def _semantic_id_remap(nodes: list, root: str | None) -> dict:
         if norm_nid == new_stem or norm_nid.startswith(new_stem + "_"):
             continue
         new_id: str | None = None
-        for old_stem in _old_file_stems(rel):
+        old_forms = _old_file_stems(rel)
+        # #2197: on Windows, detect() can emit an ABSOLUTE source_file, and a
+        # semantic fragment's id derived from that absolute path (e.g.
+        # d_projects_myrepo_docs_dataflow) matches neither the canonical
+        # relative stem nor the legacy short forms above — so while source_file
+        # itself is healed by _norm_source_file, the id would ghost against the
+        # existing graph's docs_dataflow. When the raw path was absolute and
+        # relativized under root, treat the raw-absolute stem as one more
+        # old-stem form — the semantic-side twin of extract.py's absolute-form
+        # id registration. It is the longest form, so it goes first (greedy
+        # prefix stripping, same ordering rule as _old_file_stems).
+        sf_raw = str(sf).replace("\\", "/")
+        if sf_raw != sf_norm and os.path.isabs(sf_raw):
+            abs_stem = make_id(_file_stem(Path(sf_raw)))
+            if abs_stem and abs_stem != new_stem and abs_stem not in old_forms:
+                old_forms.insert(0, abs_stem)
+        for old_stem in old_forms:
             if old_stem == new_stem:
                 continue  # already canonical for this form
             if norm_nid == old_stem:
@@ -518,6 +567,11 @@ def build_from_json(extraction: dict, *, directed: bool = False, root: str | Pat
                 file=sys.stderr,
             )
             node["source_file"] = node.pop("source")
+        # Fold the remaining legacy node aliases (`name`->`label`,
+        # `path`->`source_file`, #2194) before validation and before the
+        # semantic-rekey / ghost-merge passes below, all of which key on
+        # label/source_file and would otherwise skip the node entirely.
+        _fold_node_aliases(node)
         # Default missing/None file_type to "concept" so legacy graph.json
         # entries (and stub nodes preserved by `_rebuild_code` from older
         # graphify versions that didn't always populate file_type) don't
@@ -536,11 +590,33 @@ def build_from_json(extraction: dict, *, directed: bool = False, root: str | Pat
     for he in extraction.get("hyperedges", []) or []:
         _normalize_hyperedge_members(he)
 
+    # Fold legacy edge field aliases (`type`->`relation`,
+    # `confidence_score`->`confidence`, #2194) BEFORE validation. The existing
+    # from/to endpoint fold lives in the edge loop further down, which runs
+    # after validate_extraction — too late for fields the validator requires.
+    for edge in extraction.get("edges", []):
+        if isinstance(edge, dict):
+            _fold_edge_aliases(edge)
+
     errors = validate_extraction(extraction)
     # Dangling edges (stdlib/external imports) are expected - only warn about real schema errors.
     real_errors = [e for e in errors if "does not match any node id" not in e]
     if real_errors:
-        print(f"[graphify] Extraction warning ({len(real_errors)} issues): {real_errors[0]}", file=sys.stderr)
+        # Break the warning down by cause (#2194): a mixed batch used to surface
+        # only real_errors[0], hiding every other failure mode. Group on the
+        # "missing required field 'X'" suffix and report per-cause counts plus
+        # one example each, so the operator sees the full shape of the damage.
+        by_cause: dict[str, list[str]] = {}
+        for err in real_errors:
+            m = re.search(r"missing required field '[^']*'", err)
+            by_cause.setdefault(m.group(0) if m else "other schema issue", []).append(err)
+        breakdown = "; ".join(
+            f"{len(errs)}x {cause} (e.g. {errs[0]})" for cause, errs in by_cause.items()
+        )
+        print(
+            f"[graphify] Extraction warning ({len(real_errors)} issues): {breakdown}",
+            file=sys.stderr,
+        )
     # Deterministic semantic re-key (#1504/#1509): the node-ID stem is now the
     # full repo-relative path (docs/v1/api/README.md -> docs_v1_api_readme), but
     # the semantic cache is UNVERSIONED, so a cached/LLM fragment can still carry
@@ -972,6 +1048,13 @@ def build(
         combined["input_tokens"] += ext.get("input_tokens", 0)
         combined["output_tokens"] += ext.get("output_tokens", 0)
     if dedup and combined["nodes"]:
+        # Fold legacy node field aliases before dedup (#2194): dedup runs BEFORE
+        # build_from_json and keys on `label`, so a `name`/`path` alias node
+        # would be invisible to it and only label-dedup one build later, after
+        # build_from_json's own fold has healed the persisted graph.json.
+        for n in combined["nodes"]:
+            if isinstance(n, dict):
+                _fold_node_aliases(n)
         combined["nodes"], combined["edges"] = deduplicate_entities(
             combined["nodes"], combined["edges"], communities={},
             dedup_llm_backend=dedup_llm_backend,
diff --git a/tests/test_build.py b/tests/test_build.py
index 3d8582c..0851ba7 100644
--- a/tests/test_build.py
+++ b/tests/test_build.py
@@ -135,6 +135,145 @@ def test_legacy_edge_from_to_canonicalized():
     assert G.number_of_edges() == 1
 
 
+def test_legacy_node_name_path_aliases_folded():
+    """#2194: nodes carrying `name`/`path` instead of `label`/`source_file` must
+    be canonicalized before validation, not enter the graph as label-less
+    ghosts. After build the canonicalized dict also passes validation."""
+    from graphify.validate import validate_extraction
+    ext = {"nodes": [{"id": "n1", "name": "Foo", "path": "a/b.md", "file_type": "concept"}],
+           "edges": [], "input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0}
+    G = build_from_json(ext)
+    attrs = G.nodes["n1"]
+    assert attrs["label"] == "Foo"
+    assert attrs["source_file"] == "a/b.md"
+    assert "name" not in attrs
+    assert "path" not in attrs
+    # build_from_json canonicalizes in place; the extraction dict must now be
+    # schema-valid (no missing-field errors for the alias node).
+    assert not [e for e in validate_extraction(ext) if "missing required field" in e]
+
+
+def test_legacy_edge_type_confidence_score_aliases_folded():
+    """#2194: edges carrying `type`/`confidence_score` instead of
+    `relation`/`confidence` fold to canonical fields. Recovery confidence is
+    INFERRED (never EXTRACTED — alias recovery is not provenance) and the
+    companion confidence_score float is retained, not popped."""
+    ext = {"nodes": [{"id": "n1", "label": "A", "file_type": "code", "source_file": "a.py"},
+                     {"id": "n2", "label": "B", "file_type": "code", "source_file": "b.py"}],
+           "edges": [{"source": "n1", "target": "n2", "type": "references",
+                      "confidence_score": 0.9, "source_file": "a.py"}],
+           "input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0}
+    G = build_from_json(ext)
+    data = edge_data(G, "n1", "n2")
+    assert data["relation"] == "references"
+    assert data["confidence"] == "INFERRED"
+    assert data["confidence_score"] == 0.9
+    assert "type" not in data
+
+
+def test_node_alias_canonical_field_wins():
+    """#2194: when both the canonical field and its alias are present, the
+    canonical value wins and the alias key is left untouched."""
+    ext = {"nodes": [{"id": "n1", "label": "Real", "name": "Alias",
+                      "file_type": "code", "source_file": "a.py"}],
+           "edges": [], "input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0}
+    G = build_from_json(ext)
+    assert G.nodes["n1"]["label"] == "Real"
+    assert G.nodes["n1"]["name"] == "Alias"  # preserved, not consumed
+
+
+def test_alias_node_ghost_merges_into_ast_twin():
+    """#2194: an alias-only semantic node (name/path) must participate in the
+    AST/LLM ghost merge once folded — same label and file as an AST node with a
+    different id collapses into the AST node instead of surviving as a ghost."""
+    ext = {"nodes": [
+        {"id": "src_foo_helper", "label": "helper", "file_type": "code",
+         "source_file": "src/foo.py", "_origin": "ast", "source_location": "L10"},
+        {"id": "helper_ghost", "name": "helper", "path": "src/foo.py",
+         "file_type": "code"},
+    ], "edges": [], "input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0}
+    G = build_from_json(ext)
+    assert "src_foo_helper" in G.nodes
+    assert "helper_ghost" not in G.nodes
+    assert G.number_of_nodes() == 1
+
+
+def test_alias_node_gets_nonempty_norm_label(tmp_path):
+    """#2194: a recovered alias node must serialize with a non-empty norm_label
+    so query/explain can find it."""
+    from graphify.export import to_json
+    ext = {"nodes": [{"id": "n1", "name": "Foo", "path": "a/b.md", "file_type": "concept"}],
+           "edges": [], "input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0}
+    G = build_from_json(ext)
+    out = tmp_path / "graph.json"
+    assert to_json(G, {}, str(out))
+    data = json.loads(out.read_text())
+    node = next(n for n in data["nodes"] if n["id"] == "n1")
+    assert node["norm_label"] == "foo"
+
+
+def test_extraction_warning_breakdown_by_cause(capsys):
+    """#2194: a mixed batch of schema errors must report per-cause counts, not
+    just the first error."""
+    ext = {"nodes": [
+        {"id": "n1", "label": "A", "file_type": "code", "source_file": "a.py"},
+        {"id": "n2", "label": "B", "file_type": "code", "source_file": "b.py"},
+        # two nodes missing label (and carrying no name alias)
+        {"id": "x1", "file_type": "code", "source_file": "x.py"},
+        {"id": "x2", "file_type": "code", "source_file": "x.py"},
+    ], "edges": [
+        # three edges missing relation (and carrying no type alias)
+        {"source": "n1", "target": "n2", "confidence": "EXTRACTED", "source_file": "a.py"},
+        {"source": "n2", "target": "n1", "confidence": "EXTRACTED", "source_file": "a.py"},
+        {"source": "n1", "target": "x1", "confidence": "EXTRACTED", "source_file": "a.py"},
+    ], "input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0}
+    build_from_json(ext)
+    err = capsys.readouterr().err
+    assert "2x missing required field 'label'" in err
+    assert "3x missing required field 'relation'" in err
+
+
+def test_absolute_derived_semantic_ids_rekeyed(tmp_path):
+    """#2197: a semantic fragment whose ids were derived from an ABSOLUTE
+    source_file (Windows detect() emits them) must re-key to the canonical
+    repo-relative stem instead of ghosting against the existing graph."""
+    from graphify.ids import make_id
+    (tmp_path / "docs").mkdir()
+    abs_sf = str(tmp_path / "docs" / "DATAFLOW.md")
+    abs_stem = make_id(str(tmp_path / "docs" / "DATAFLOW"))
+    ext = {"nodes": [
+        {"id": abs_stem, "label": "DATAFLOW.md", "file_type": "document",
+         "source_file": abs_sf},
+        {"id": f"{abs_stem}_pipeline", "label": "Pipeline", "file_type": "concept",
+         "source_file": abs_sf},
+    ], "edges": [
+        {"source": abs_stem, "target": f"{abs_stem}_pipeline", "relation": "describes",
+         "confidence": "INFERRED", "source_file": abs_sf, "weight": 1.0},
+    ], "input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0}
+    G = build_from_json(ext, root=tmp_path)
+    assert "docs_dataflow" in G.nodes
+    assert "docs_dataflow_pipeline" in G.nodes
+    assert abs_stem not in G.nodes
+    assert G.nodes["docs_dataflow"]["source_file"] == "docs/DATAFLOW.md"
+    assert G.has_edge("docs_dataflow", "docs_dataflow_pipeline")
+
+
+def test_absolute_derived_semantic_ids_rekeyed_backslash(tmp_path):
+    """#2197 (separator variant): the same absolute-derived-id fragment with
+    backslash separators in source_file re-keys identically."""
+    from graphify.ids import make_id
+    (tmp_path / "docs").mkdir()
+    abs_sf = str(tmp_path / "docs" / "DATAFLOW.md").replace("/", "\\")
+    abs_stem = make_id(str(tmp_path / "docs" / "DATAFLOW"))
+    ext = {"nodes": [
+        {"id": f"{abs_stem}_pipeline", "label": "Pipeline", "file_type": "concept",
+         "source_file": abs_sf},
+    ], "edges": [], "input_tokens": 0, "output_tokens": 0}
+    G = build_from_json(ext, root=tmp_path)
+    assert "docs_dataflow_pipeline" in G.nodes
+    assert G.nodes["docs_dataflow_pipeline"]["source_file"] == "docs/DATAFLOW.md"
+
+
 def test_source_file_backslash_normalized():
     """Windows backslash paths and POSIX paths for the same file must produce one node."""
     extraction = {
diff --git a/tests/test_validate.py b/tests/test_validate.py
index ea865fa..013fa87 100644
--- a/tests/test_validate.py
+++ b/tests/test_validate.py
@@ -87,6 +87,27 @@ def test_assert_valid_passes_silently():
     assert_valid(VALID)  # should not raise
 
 
+def test_legacy_aliases_valid_after_build_canonicalization():
+    # #2194: build_from_json folds legacy aliases (name->label,
+    # path->source_file, type->relation, confidence_score->confidence) in
+    # place BEFORE validation, so an alias-only extraction that fails
+    # validation raw is fully schema-valid after canonicalization.
+    from graphify.build import build_from_json
+    data = {
+        "nodes": [
+            {"id": "n1", "name": "Foo", "path": "a/b.md", "file_type": "concept"},
+            {"id": "n2", "label": "Bar", "file_type": "code", "source_file": "bar.py"},
+        ],
+        "edges": [
+            {"source": "n1", "target": "n2", "type": "references",
+             "confidence_score": 0.9, "source_file": "a/b.md"},
+        ],
+    }
+    assert any("missing required field" in e for e in validate_extraction(data))
+    build_from_json(data)
+    assert validate_extraction(data) == []
+
+
 def test_non_hashable_node_id_reported_not_raised():
     # A malformed LLM extraction can emit a list-valued id. The validator must
     # report it as an error string (its documented contract) rather than crash