diff --git a/hoptimator-catalog/src/main/java/com/linkedin/hoptimator/catalog/ScriptImplementor.java b/hoptimator-catalog/src/main/java/com/linkedin/hoptimator/catalog/ScriptImplementor.java
index 2a16543..b847e8c 100644
--- a/hoptimator-catalog/src/main/java/com/linkedin/hoptimator/catalog/ScriptImplementor.java
+++ b/hoptimator-catalog/src/main/java/com/linkedin/hoptimator/catalog/ScriptImplementor.java
@@ -137,7 +137,13 @@ public void implement(SqlWriter w) {
       RelToSqlConverter converter = new RelToSqlConverter(w.getDialect());
       SqlImplementor.Result result = converter.visitRoot(relNode);
       SqlSelect select = result.asSelect();
-      if (select.getSelectList() != null) {
+      // FIXME: workaround for Flink SQL limitation fixed in 1.18
+      // N.B. Flink SQL previous to 1.18 does not support `ROW(...)` with
+      // arbitrary expressions inside. This means Flink SQL might choke on
+      // some expressions anytime there is a `ROW`. So we replace `ROW()`
+      // with the "implicit" row constructor `()`. However, the implicit
+      // row constructor only works for lists greater than length 1!
+      if (select.getSelectList() != null && select.getSelectList().size() > 1) {
         select.setSelectList((SqlNodeList) select.getSelectList().accept(REMOVE_ROW_CONSTRUCTOR));
       }
       w.literal(select.toSqlString(w.getDialect()).getSql());
@@ -146,7 +152,7 @@ public void implement(SqlWriter w) {
     // A `ROW(...)` operator which will unparse as just `(...)`.
     private final SqlRowOperator SILENT_COLUMN_LIST = new SqlRowOperator(""); // empty string name
 
-    // a shuttle that replaces `Row(...)` with just `(...)`
+    // a shuttle that replaces `ROW(...)` with just `(...)`
     private final SqlShuttle REMOVE_ROW_CONSTRUCTOR = new SqlShuttle() {
       @Override
       public SqlNode visit(SqlCall call) {
diff --git a/hoptimator-planner/src/main/java/com/linkedin/hoptimator/planner/HoptimatorPlanner.java b/hoptimator-planner/src/main/java/com/linkedin/hoptimator/planner/HoptimatorPlanner.java
index 9437a57..9dd1139 100644
--- a/hoptimator-planner/src/main/java/com/linkedin/hoptimator/planner/HoptimatorPlanner.java
+++ b/hoptimator-planner/src/main/java/com/linkedin/hoptimator/planner/HoptimatorPlanner.java
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public PipelineRel pipeline(String sql) throws Exception {
     Planner planner = Frameworks.getPlanner(calciteFrameworkConfig);
     SqlNode parsed = planner.parse(sql);
     SqlNode validated = planner.validate(parsed);
-    RelNode logicalPlan = planner.rel(validated).project();
+    RelNode logicalPlan = planner.rel(validated).rel;//.project();
     RelTraitSet traitSet = logicalPlan.getTraitSet();
     traitSet = traitSet.simplify();
     PipelineRel pipelineRel = (PipelineRel) planner.transform(0, traitSet.replace(PipelineRel.CONVENTION), logicalPlan);
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ public RelNode logical(String sql) throws Exception {
     Planner planner = Frameworks.getPlanner(calciteFrameworkConfig);
     SqlNode parsed = planner.parse(sql);
     SqlNode validated = planner.validate(parsed);
-    RelNode logicalPlan = planner.rel(validated).project();
+    RelNode logicalPlan = planner.rel(validated).rel;//.project();
     RelTraitSet traitSet = logicalPlan.getTraitSet();
     planner.close();
     return logicalPlan;