diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4eb9e73572..4e72e01c7d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ and adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- `codegraph_explore`, the CLI `codegraph explore` and the prompt hook no longer stall for a minute or more on a large project after a full index; the step that finds the project's busiest file no longer slows to a crawl when a few files are huge, like a generated Android `R.java` (#2571). Thanks @yangfengfan2011.
 - In VB.NET, every member of a `Structure` is now indexed, including its fields, properties, methods, constructors and nested enums. Before, only the first member was, so the rest could not be found and their callers looked empty.
 - In VB.NET and C#, what a property's `Get` and `Set` code calls, creates and reads now belongs to that property, as do C#'s `get => …` accessors and `=> …` property bodies. Before, it was dropped, so a method used only from a property looked unused.
 - In VB.NET, a field or property initializer like `= Compute()` or `As New List(Of Order)` now links what it calls and creates, and so do a `Custom Event`'s `AddHandler`, `RemoveHandler` and `RaiseEvent` blocks. Re-index VB.NET and C# projects after upgrading.
diff --git a/__tests__/dominant-file-plan.test.ts b/__tests__/dominant-file-plan.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..362dff0705
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/dominant-file-plan.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+/**
+ * The dominant-file aggregation must stay one pass over the edges whatever the
+ * planner's statistics say (#2571). `runMaintenance` samples them
+ * (`analysis_limit=1000` + `PRAGMA optimize`), and a sample can under-count
+ * nodes per file — `idx_nodes_file_path` at 6 where a full ANALYZE says 26.
+ * The plain join then started from nodes and, per node, walked every node in
+ * its file and probed edges by (source, target): quadratic in nodes per file,
+ * ~100 s on a repo with a generated R.java. The statistics below are the
+ * sampled ones from a real index; the test plants them and reads the plan.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest';
+import * as fs from 'fs';
+import * as os from 'os';
+import * as path from 'path';
+import CodeGraph from '../src/index';
+import { DOMINANT_FILE_SQL } from '../src/db/queries';
+
+/** sqlite_stat1 after a sampled ANALYZE of this repo's own index. */
+const SAMPLED_STATS: Array<[string, string, string]> = [
+  ['edges', 'idx_edges_identity', '103526 9 2 2 1 1'],
+  ['edges', 'idx_edges_kind', '103526 12941'],
+  ['edges', 'idx_edges_provenance', '103526 51763'],
+  ['edges', 'idx_edges_source_kind', '103526 9 6'],
+  ['edges', 'idx_edges_target_kind', '103526 4 3'],
+  ['nodes', 'idx_nodes_file_line', '30684 26 1'],
+  ['nodes', 'idx_nodes_file_path', '30684 6'],
+  ['nodes', 'idx_nodes_kind', '30684 1535 6 1 1'],
+  ['nodes', 'idx_nodes_language', '30684 1395'],
+  ['nodes', 'idx_nodes_lower_name', '30684 3'],
+  ['nodes', 'idx_nodes_name', '30684 2'],
+  ['nodes', 'idx_nodes_qualified_name', '30684 2'],
+  ['nodes', 'sqlite_autoindex_nodes_1', '30684 1'],
+];
+
+let root: string | undefined;
+let cg: CodeGraph | undefined;
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  cg?.close();
+  cg = undefined;
+  if (root) fs.rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  root = undefined;
+});
+
+describe('dominant file query plan (#2571)', () => {
+  it('scans the edges first even when sampled statistics under-count nodes per file', async () => {
+    root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'cg-2571-'));
+    const body = Array.from({ length: 25 }, (_, i) => `export function f${i}() { return f${i + 1}(); }`).join('\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(root, 'core.ts'), `${body}\nexport function f25() { return 0; }\n`);
+    cg = await CodeGraph.init(root, { index: true });
+
+    const db = (cg as any).db.db;
+    db.exec('ANALYZE');
+    db.exec("DELETE FROM sqlite_stat1 WHERE tbl IN ('nodes', 'edges')");
+    const insert = db.prepare('INSERT INTO sqlite_stat1(tbl, idx, stat) VALUES (?, ?, ?)');
+    for (const row of SAMPLED_STATS) insert.run(...row);
+    db.exec('ANALYZE sqlite_schema'); // reload the planted statistics
+
+    const plan = (sql: string) =>
+      (db.prepare(`EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN ${sql}`).all() as Array<{ detail: string }>).map((r) => r.detail);
+
+    // The statement getDominantFile prepares is the exported one.
+    const queries = (cg as any).queries;
+    queries.stmts.getDominantFile = undefined;
+    const prepare = queries.db.prepare.bind(queries.db);
+    const prepared: string[] = [];
+    queries.db.prepare = (text: string) => {
+      prepared.push(text);
+      return prepare(text);
+    };
+    let dominant;
+    try {
+      dominant = queries.getDominantFile();
+    } finally {
+      queries.db.prepare = prepare;
+    }
+    expect(dominant?.filePath).toBe('core.ts');
+    expect(prepared).toContain(DOMINANT_FILE_SQL);
+
+    const fixed = plan(DOMINANT_FILE_SQL);
+    expect(fixed[0]).toMatch(/^SCAN e\b/);
+    expect(fixed.join(' | ')).not.toMatch(/SEARCH m USING INDEX idx_nodes_file_path/);
+
+    // Control: on SQLite 3.51 a plain join takes the quadratic plan under these
+    // statistics, which is what makes the assertions above discriminate. A
+    // planner that costs it differently is no failure of this query.
+    const plain = plan(DOMINANT_FILE_SQL.replace(/CROSS JOIN/g, 'JOIN')).join(' | ');
+    if (!/SEARCH m USING INDEX idx_nodes_file_path/.test(plain)) {
+      console.warn(`dominant-file-plan: plain JOIN no longer takes the quadratic plan here (${plain})`);
+    }
+  });
+
+  // The plan no longer decides between files with the same count: the old
+  // plan happened to emit them by path, the edges-first one does not, and a
+  // tie at the edge of the 20-row window can decide the dominant file.
+  it('breaks a tie in edge count by path, whatever the plan', async () => {
+    root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'cg-2571-'));
+    const chain = (prefix: string) =>
+      Array.from({ length: 25 }, (_, i) => `export function ${prefix}${i}() { return ${prefix}${i + 1}(); }`).join('\n') +
+      `\nexport function ${prefix}25() { return 0; }\n`;
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(root, 'src'));
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(root, 'src/zeta.ts'), chain('z'));
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(root, 'src/alpha.ts'), chain('a'));
+    cg = await CodeGraph.init(root, { index: true });
+    (cg as any).db.db.exec('ANALYZE');
+
+    const dominant = (cg as any).queries.getDominantFile();
+    expect(dominant?.edgeCount).toBe(dominant?.nextEdgeCount);
+    expect(dominant?.filePath).toBe('src/alpha.ts');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/db/queries.ts b/src/db/queries.ts
index 6421eec360..9d7241903d 100644
--- a/src/db/queries.ts
+++ b/src/db/queries.ts
@@ -225,6 +225,28 @@ function rowToFileRecord(row: FileRow): FileRecord {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Files ranked by edges between two of their own symbols — the input to
+ * `getDominantFile`. CROSS JOIN pins the loop order to edges first, then a
+ * lookup by id for each end: one pass over the edges whatever the statistics
+ * say. With a plain JOIN the planner may start from nodes and, for each node,
+ * walk every node in its file and probe edges by (source, target) — quadratic
+ * in nodes per file. Sampled stats (`analysis_limit` + `PRAGMA optimize`) can
+ * under-count nodes per file and pick that plan, and a few huge files (a
+ * generated R.java) then cost ~100 s (#2571). Ties go to the path, so the
+ * plan never decides between equal counts.
+ */
+export const DOMINANT_FILE_SQL = `
+  SELECT n.file_path AS file_path, COUNT(*) AS edge_count
+  FROM edges e
+  CROSS JOIN nodes n ON e.source = n.id
+  CROSS JOIN nodes m ON e.target = m.id
+  WHERE n.file_path = m.file_path
+  GROUP BY n.file_path
+  ORDER BY edge_count DESC, n.file_path
+  LIMIT 20
+`;
+
 /**
  * Query builder for the knowledge graph database
  */
@@ -1152,16 +1174,8 @@ export class QueryBuilder {
       // protobuf stub) outranks the real `server/etcdserver/server.go`
       // (470 edges) by 4×, and the boost would push the agent toward
       // generated code.
-      this.stmts.getDominantFile = this.db.prepare(`
-        SELECT n.file_path AS file_path, COUNT(*) AS edge_count
-        FROM edges e
-        JOIN nodes n ON e.source = n.id
-        JOIN nodes m ON e.target = m.id
-        WHERE n.file_path = m.file_path
-        GROUP BY n.file_path
-        ORDER BY edge_count DESC
-        LIMIT 20
-      `);
+      // Edges-first and tie-broken by path on purpose: see DOMINANT_FILE_SQL (#2571).
+      this.stmts.getDominantFile = this.db.prepare(DOMINANT_FILE_SQL);
     }
     const rows = this.stmts.getDominantFile.all() as Array<{ file_path: string; edge_count: number }>;
     const generated = this.getGeneratedPathsAmong(rows.map(r => r.file_path));