diff --git a/v1/topdown/eval.go b/v1/topdown/eval.go
index f22af29267..19e99bf814 100644
--- a/v1/topdown/eval.go
+++ b/v1/topdown/eval.go
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ func (e *eval) closure(query ast.Body, cpy *eval) {
 	cpy.queryID = cpy.queryIDFact.Next()
 	cpy.parent = e
 	cpy.findOne = false
+	cpy.defined = false
 }
 
 // childWithBindingSizeHint creates a child evaluator with bindings pre-sized for the expected number of variables.
@@ -203,6 +204,7 @@ func (e *eval) childWithBindingSizeHint(query ast.Body, cpy *eval, sizeHint int)
 	cpy.bindings = newBindingsWithSize(cpy.queryID, e.instr, sizeHint)
 	cpy.parent = e
 	cpy.findOne = false
+	cpy.defined = false
 }
 
 func (e *eval) next(iter evalIterator) error {
@@ -418,15 +420,12 @@ func (e *eval) evalExpr(iter evalIterator) error {
 	})
 }
 
-func (e *eval) evalStep(iter evalIterator) error {
+func (e *eval) evalStep(iter evalIterator) (err error) {
 	expr := e.query[e.index]
-
 	if expr.Negated {
 		return e.evalNot(iter)
 	}
 
-	var err error
-
 	// NOTE(æ): the reason why there's one branch for the tracing case and one almost
 	// identical branch below for when tracing is disabled is that the tracing case
 	// allocates wildly. These allocations are cause by the "defined" boolean variable
@@ -629,7 +628,6 @@ func (e *eval) fmtVar() string {
 
 func (e *eval) evalNot(iter evalIterator) error {
 	expr := e.query[e.index]
-
 	if e.unknown(expr, e.bindings) {
 		return e.setupAndEvalNotPartial(iter)
 	}
@@ -639,7 +637,6 @@ func (e *eval) evalNot(iter evalIterator) error {
 	defer evalPool.Put(child)
 
 	e.closure(negation, child)
-
 	if e.traceEnabled {
 		child.traceEnter(negation)
 	}
@@ -660,8 +657,6 @@ func (e *eval) evalNot(iter evalIterator) error {
 		return iter(e)
 	}
 
-	child.defined = false
-
 	e.traceFail(expr)
 	return nil
 }
@@ -3003,7 +2998,6 @@ func (h *evalVirtualPartialCacheHint) keyWithoutScope() ast.Ref {
 }
 
 func (e evalVirtualPartial) eval(iter unifyIterator) error {
-
 	unknown := e.e.unknown(e.ref[:e.pos+1], e.bindings)
 
 	if len(e.ref) == e.pos+1 {
@@ -3038,7 +3032,6 @@ func maxRefLength(rules []*ast.Rule, ceil int) int {
 }
 
 func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalEachRule(iter unifyIterator, unknown bool) error {
-
 	if e.ir.Empty() {
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -3095,7 +3088,6 @@ func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalEachRule(iter unifyIterator, unknown bool) error
 }
 
 func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalAllRules(iter unifyIterator, rules []*ast.Rule) error {
-
 	cacheKey := e.plugged[:e.pos+1]
 	result, _ := e.e.virtualCache.Get(cacheKey)
 	if result != nil {
@@ -3128,17 +3120,16 @@ func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalAllRulesNoCache(rules []*ast.Rule) (*ast.Term, e
 	for _, rule := range rules {
 		e.e.childWithBindingSizeHint(rule.Body, child, ast.EstimateBodyBindingCount(rule.Body))
 		child.traceEnter(rule)
-		err := child.eval(func(*eval) error {
+		err := child.eval(func(*eval) (err error) {
 			child.traceExit(rule)
 			e.e.evaluated.Record(rule)
-			var err error
+
 			result, _, err = e.reduce(rule, child.bindings, result, &visitedRefs)
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
+			if err == nil && child.traceEnabled {
+				child.traceRedo(rule)
 			}
 
-			child.traceRedo(rule)
-			return nil
+			return err
 		})
 
 		if err != nil {
@@ -3159,14 +3150,20 @@ func wrapInObjects(leaf *ast.Term, ref ast.Ref) *ast.Term {
 	return ast.ObjectTerm(ast.Item(key, val))
 }
 
-func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRulePreUnify(iter unifyIterator, rule *ast.Rule, result *ast.Term, unknown bool, visitedRefs *[]ast.Ref) (*ast.Term, error) {
+func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRulePreUnify(
+	iter unifyIterator,
+	rule *ast.Rule,
+	result *ast.Term,
+	unknown bool,
+	visitedRefs *[]ast.Ref,
+) (*ast.Term, error) {
 	child := evalPool.Get()
 	defer evalPool.Put(child)
 
 	e.e.childWithBindingSizeHint(rule.Body, child, ast.EstimateBodyBindingCount(rule.Body))
-
-	child.traceEnter(rule)
-	var defined bool
+	if child.traceEnabled {
+		child.traceEnter(rule)
+	}
 
 	headKey := rule.Head.Key
 	if headKey == nil {
@@ -3174,11 +3171,17 @@ func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRulePreUnify(iter unifyIterator, rule *ast.Ru
 	}
 
 	// Walk the dynamic portion of rule ref and key to unify vars
-	err := child.biunifyRuleHead(e.pos+1, e.ref, rule, e.bindings, child.bindings, func(_ int) error {
-		defined = true
-		return child.eval(func(child *eval) error {
-
-			child.traceExit(rule)
+	err := child.biunifyRuleHead(e.pos+1, e.ref, rule, e.bindings, child.bindings, func(int) error {
+		child.defined = true
+		return child.eval(func(child *eval) (err error) {
+			if child.traceEnabled {
+				child.traceExit(rule)
+				defer func() {
+					if err == nil {
+						child.traceRedo(rule)
+					}
+				}()
+			}
 
 			term := rule.Head.Value
 			if term == nil {
@@ -3187,7 +3190,6 @@ func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRulePreUnify(iter unifyIterator, rule *ast.Ru
 
 			if unknown {
 				term, termbindings := child.bindings.apply(term)
-
 				if rule.Head.RuleKind() == ast.MultiValue {
 					term = ast.SetTerm(term)
 				}
@@ -3195,37 +3197,24 @@ func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRulePreUnify(iter unifyIterator, rule *ast.Ru
 				objRef := rule.Ref()[e.pos+1:]
 				term = wrapInObjects(term, objRef)
 
-				err := e.evalTerm(iter, e.pos+1, term, termbindings)
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				}
+				err = e.evalTerm(iter, e.pos+1, term, termbindings)
 			} else {
 				var dup bool
-				var err error
 				result, dup, err = e.reduce(rule, child.bindings, result, visitedRefs)
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				} else if !unknown && dup {
+				if err == nil && !unknown && dup && child.traceEnabled {
 					child.traceDuplicate(rule)
-					return nil
 				}
 			}
 
-			child.traceRedo(rule)
-
-			return nil
+			return err
 		})
 	})
 
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	if !defined {
+	if err == nil && child.traceEnabled && !child.defined {
 		child.traceFail(rule)
 	}
 
-	return result, nil
+	return result, err
 }
 
 func (e *eval) biunifyRuleHead(pos int, ref ast.Ref, rule *ast.Rule, refBindings, ruleBindings *bindings, iter unifyRefIterator) error {
@@ -3256,34 +3245,30 @@ func (e *eval) biunifyDynamicRef(pos int, a, b ast.Ref, b1, b2 *bindings, iter u
 
 func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRulePostUnify(iter unifyIterator, rule *ast.Rule) error {
 	child := evalPool.Get()
-	defer evalPool.Put(child)
+	defer func() {
+		if child.traceEnabled && !child.defined {
+			child.traceFail(rule)
+		}
+		evalPool.Put(child)
+	}()
 
 	e.e.childWithBindingSizeHint(rule.Body, child, ast.EstimateBodyBindingCount(rule.Body))
+	if e.e.traceEnabled {
+		child.traceEnter(rule)
+	}
 
-	child.traceEnter(rule)
-	var defined bool
-
-	err := child.eval(func(child *eval) error {
-		defined = true
-		return e.e.biunifyRuleHead(e.pos+1, e.ref, rule, e.bindings, child.bindings, func(_ int) error {
-			return e.evalOneRuleContinue(iter, rule, child)
+	return child.eval(func(next *eval) error {
+		child.defined = true
+		return e.e.biunifyRuleHead(e.pos+1, e.ref, rule, e.bindings, next.bindings, func(int) error {
+			return e.evalOneRuleContinue(iter, rule, next)
 		})
 	})
-
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if !defined {
-		child.traceFail(rule)
-	}
-
-	return nil
 }
 
 func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRuleContinue(iter unifyIterator, rule *ast.Rule, child *eval) error {
-
-	child.traceExit(rule)
+	if child.traceEnabled {
+		child.traceExit(rule)
+	}
 
 	term := rule.Head.Value
 	if term == nil {
@@ -3291,7 +3276,6 @@ func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRuleContinue(iter unifyIterator, rule *ast.Ru
 	}
 
 	term, termbindings := child.bindings.apply(term)
-
 	if rule.Head.RuleKind() == ast.MultiValue {
 		term = ast.SetTerm(term)
 	}
@@ -3300,16 +3284,14 @@ func (e evalVirtualPartial) evalOneRuleContinue(iter unifyIterator, rule *ast.Ru
 	term = wrapInObjects(term, objRef)
 
 	err := e.evalTerm(iter, e.pos+1, term, termbindings)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	if child.traceEnabled && err == nil {
+		child.traceRedo(rule)
 	}
 
-	child.traceRedo(rule)
-	return nil
+	return err
 }
 
 func (e evalVirtualPartial) partialEvalSupport(iter unifyIterator) error {
-
 	path := e.e.namespaceRef(e.plugged[:e.pos+1])
 	term := ast.NewTerm(e.e.namespaceRef(e.ref))
 
@@ -4327,7 +4309,6 @@ func (e evalNot) eval(iter evalIterator) error {
 	defer evalPool.Put(child)
 
 	e.e.closure(e.not.Body, child)
-
 	if e.e.traceEnabled {
 		child.traceEnter(e.not.Body)
 	}
@@ -4545,13 +4526,12 @@ func evalLogicalOperand(parent *eval, body ast.Body) (bool, error) {
 		child.traceEnter(body)
 	}
 
-	defined := false
 	err := child.eval(func(*eval) error {
 		if parent.traceEnabled {
 			child.traceExit(body)
 			child.traceRedo(body)
 		}
-		defined = true
+		child.defined = true
 		return nil
 	})
 
@@ -4561,7 +4541,7 @@ func evalLogicalOperand(parent *eval, body ast.Body) (bool, error) {
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	return defined, nil
+	return child.defined, nil
 }
 
 func plugBody(e *eval, body ast.Body) error {