diff --git a/include/ircd/db/cursor.h b/include/ircd/db/cursor.h
index d32dd82b8..e2eb93c78 100644
--- a/include/ircd/db/cursor.h
+++ b/include/ircd/db/cursor.h
@@ -203,7 +203,12 @@ const
 {
 	if(stale)
 	{
-		set(v, row);
+		for(const auto &cell : row)
+			if(cell.valid() && cell.key() == idx->first)
+				json::set(v, cell.col(), cell.val());
+			else
+				json::set(v, cell.col(), string_view{});
+
 		stale = false;
 	}
 
diff --git a/include/ircd/db/json.h b/include/ircd/db/json.h
index 4780980ca..c925998e9 100644
--- a/include/ircd/db/json.h
+++ b/include/ircd/db/json.h
@@ -25,9 +25,7 @@
 
 namespace ircd::db
 {
-	template<class... T> json::tuple<T...> &set(json::tuple<T...> &, const row &r);
 	template<class tuple> tuple make_tuple(const row &r);
-
 	template<class it> void set_index(it begin, it end, const string_view &index);
 	template<class... T> void write(database &, const string_view &index, const json::tuple<T...> &, const sopts & = {});
 }
@@ -68,17 +66,3 @@ ircd::db::make_tuple(const row &row)
 	set(ret, row);
 	return ret;
 }
-
-template<class... T>
-ircd::json::tuple<T...> &
-ircd::db::set(json::tuple<T...> &tuple,
-              const row &row)
-{
-	for(const auto &cell : row)
-		if(cell.valid())
-			json::set(tuple, cell.col(), cell.val());
-		else
-			json::set(tuple, cell.col(), string_view{});
-
-	return tuple;
-}