diff --git a/packages/core/src/client.ts b/packages/core/src/client.ts
index d70c9b045..191ad3b72 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/client.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/client.ts
@@ -645,15 +645,12 @@ export const makeAPI = <Creds>(config: ClientConfig<Creds>) => {
               request = yield* HttpClientRequest.bodyJson(parts.body)(request);
             }
           } else if (method === "GET" && parts.body !== undefined) {
-            // For GET requests, remaining non-annotated fields go as query params
-            const extraQuery: Record<string, string> = {};
-            for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(
+            // For GET requests, remaining non-annotated fields go as query
+            // params. Plain objects flatten to deepObject dot-notation
+            // (`filter.exact=v`) instead of `[object Object]`.
+            const extraQuery = Traits.buildExtraQueryParams(
               parts.body as Record<string, unknown>,
-            )) {
-              if (value !== undefined) {
-                extraQuery[key] = String(value);
-              }
-            }
+            );
             if (Object.keys(extraQuery).length > 0) {
               request = HttpClientRequest.setUrlParams(request, extraQuery);
             }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/traits.ts b/packages/core/src/traits.ts
index 52f93c837..136d1a457 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/traits.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/traits.ts
@@ -730,6 +730,33 @@ const setQueryValue = (
   }
 };
 
+/**
+ * Build query params for the non-annotated leftover fields that the client
+ * appends to GET requests (the `method === "GET" && parts.body !== undefined`
+ * fallback in `client.ts`).
+ *
+ * Mirrors the annotated-query fix above: plain objects flatten to OpenAPI
+ * `deepObject` dot-notation instead of serializing as `[object Object]`.
+ * Everything else keeps the legacy `String(value)` serialization — including
+ * top-level arrays, which have always joined with `,` on this path (unlike
+ * annotated query params, which send repeated pairs); changing that here
+ * would alter working behavior for existing callers.
+ */
+export const buildExtraQueryParams = (
+  body: Record<string, unknown>,
+): Record<string, string | string[]> => {
+  const query: Record<string, string | string[]> = {};
+  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(body)) {
+    if (value === undefined) continue;
+    if (isPlainObject(value)) {
+      setQueryValue(query, key, value);
+    } else {
+      query[key] = String(value);
+    }
+  }
+  return query;
+};
+
 export const buildRequestParts = (
   ast: AST.AST,
   httpTrait: HttpTrait,
diff --git a/packages/core/test/build-request-parts.test.ts b/packages/core/test/build-request-parts.test.ts
index 0679ddf43..ec31e9266 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/build-request-parts.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/build-request-parts.test.ts
@@ -150,3 +150,59 @@ describe("buildRequestParts — deepObject query params", () => {
     expect(parts.query).toEqual({ type: "A", id: ["1", "2"] });
   });
 });
+
+// The GET fallback in client.ts puts non-annotated leftover fields into the
+// query string. It must flatten plain objects like the annotated path, but
+// preserve its own legacy serialization for everything else (notably
+// top-level arrays, which have always comma-joined via String()).
+
+describe("buildExtraQueryParams — GET leftover-field fallback", () => {
+  it("flattens plain objects to dot-notation", () => {
+    expect(
+      T.buildExtraQueryParams({ filter: { exact: "a", contains: "b" } }),
+    ).toEqual({ "filter.exact": "a", "filter.contains": "b" });
+  });
+
+  it("recurses into nested plain objects", () => {
+    expect(T.buildExtraQueryParams({ a: { b: { c: 1 } } })).toEqual({
+      "a.b.c": "1",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("serializes array members of objects as repeated params", () => {
+    expect(T.buildExtraQueryParams({ tag: { not: ["a", "b"] } })).toEqual({
+      "tag.not": ["a", "b"],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("keeps legacy String() serialization for scalars and top-level arrays", () => {
+    expect(
+      T.buildExtraQueryParams({
+        type: "A",
+        count: 3,
+        flag: false,
+        ids: ["1", "2"],
+        nul: null,
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({
+      type: "A",
+      count: "3",
+      flag: "false",
+      ids: "1,2",
+      nul: "null",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("keeps legacy String() serialization for non-plain objects", () => {
+    const date = new Date("2026-01-02T03:04:05.000Z");
+    expect(T.buildExtraQueryParams({ before: date })).toEqual({
+      before: String(date),
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("skips undefined fields", () => {
+    expect(T.buildExtraQueryParams({ a: undefined, b: "x" })).toEqual({
+      b: "x",
+    });
+  });
+});