---
sidebar_position: 5
title: JSON Selection
description: Traverse response JSON with Hen's explicit selector syntax.
---
Use JSON selectors anywhere Hen expects a response-body operand, including captures, assertions,
redaction rules, and dependency reads.
## Common Selectors
```hen
& body.user.id -> $USER_ID
^ & body.items[0].name == "first"
^ & body.[0].id == 123
^ & body.jobs[? recipient == $RECIPIENT && status != "failed"].status == "succeeded"
^ & json(body.result.content[0].text).items[0].id == "123"
^ &[Create Job].body.result.state == "completed"
```
## Selector Rules
- `body` starts from the current response JSON value.
- Use dot access for object fields such as `body.user.id`.
- Use `[index]` for arrays nested under an object key, such as `body.items[0].name`.
- Use `body.[index]` when the root value is an array.
- Use `[? ...]` to query an array and continue from the matching element.
## Filter Queries
Filter queries:
- evaluate paths relative to each array item
- support `==` and `!=`
- accept scalar literals or `$VARIABLE` values
- may combine clauses with `&&`
- must resolve to exactly one element
Zero or multiple matches are failures.
## Decoded JSON
Use `json(...)` when a selected value contains stringified JSON and you want another traversal pass.
Use `&[Request Name].body...` when selecting from a declared dependency response instead of the
current response.
Hen intentionally stays narrower than full JSONPath or jq. There are no wildcards, slices,
projections, recursive descent, regex filters, or `||` selectors.