@@ -99,13 +99,39 @@ configuration entry.
   positional row mapper.
 - An unqualified column must be found in exactly one source; an ambiguous or
   unknown column is rejected.
-- A result expression that is not a direct column or a wildcard, such as a
-  function call, an arithmetic expression, or a literal, is rejected.
+- A result expression that is not a direct column, a wildcard, or the scalar
+  count below — such as another function call, an arithmetic expression, or a
+  literal — is rejected.
 - An explicit alias names the result column, so `SELECT id AS author_id`
   generates the record component `authorId` while the component's type and
   nullability still come from the column. sqlcj itself resolves an alias only in
   the projection; every other clause reaches the database as written.
 
+A read may count its matching rows with an aliased `COUNT(*)` as its only
+projection:
+
+```sql
+-- name: CountAuthors :one
+SELECT COUNT(*) AS total
+FROM authors;
+```
+
+- The alias is required and may be written with or without `AS`, so both
+  `COUNT(*) AS total` and `COUNT(*) total` generate the result record
+  `CountAuthorsResult` with the single component `total`.
+- The component is a non-null `Long`: the count is typed `BIGINT` because
+  `count(*)` returns `bigint`, and it is never null because a count is `0` when
+  no row matches.
+- The count is accepted over any supported source, predicate, ordering, and
+  pagination shape, and under any annotation.
+- `COUNT(*)` without an alias is rejected with
+  `COUNT(*) requires a result alias, such as COUNT(*) AS total.`, and a
+  `COUNT(*)` beside another projection item is rejected with
+  `COUNT(*) must be the only SELECT item.`
+- Every other count is still an unsupported result expression, including
+  `COUNT(column)`, `COUNT(DISTINCT column)`, `COUNT(t.*)`, a qualified
+  `pg_catalog.count(*)`, and the `FILTER` and `OVER` forms.
+
 ### Predicates
 
 A `WHERE` clause may combine:
@@ -440,8 +466,12 @@ the documented shapes are contract, tested, and safe to rely on.
 Rejection stops the run with a diagnostic naming the query source, the query
 name, and its header line.
 
-- A result expression that is not a direct column or a wildcard, including a
-  function call, an aggregate, and a literal.
+- A result expression that is not a direct column, a wildcard, or an aliased
+  sole `COUNT(*)`, including another function call, another aggregate, and a
+  literal. A `COUNT(*)` without an alias and a `COUNT(*)` beside another
+  projection item each fail with their own diagnostic, while `COUNT(column)`,
+  `COUNT(DISTINCT column)`, `COUNT(t.*)`, `pg_catalog.count(*)`, and the
+  `FILTER` and `OVER` forms keep the unsupported-expression rejection.
 - A `FROM` item that is not a table, a comma-separated source list, a join that
   is not a plain inner join, a join predicate that is not one qualified
   equality, and a set operation such as `UNION`.
@@ -588,6 +618,14 @@ Reads:
   `PostgresIntegrationTest.shouldExecuteGeneratedPaginationAgainstPostgres`
   executes a `LIMIT ... OFFSET ...` page and the same page written as
   `OFFSET ... LIMIT ...` against PostgreSQL 16.
+- `QueryAnalyzerTest.shouldResolveScalarCountColumnFromItsAlias`,
+  `QueryAnalyzerTest.shouldResolveScalarCountBesidePredicateParameter`, and
+  `QueryAnalyzerTest.shouldRejectUnsupportedCountProjectionForm` cover the
+  aliased sole `COUNT(*)`, its focused diagnostics, and the count and function
+  forms that stay rejected, and
+  `PostgresIntegrationTest.shouldExecuteGeneratedScalarCountAgainstPostgres`
+  compiles a `:one` count into a result record with one `Long` component and
+  executes it against PostgreSQL 16 for a matching and a non-matching pattern.
 - `QueryAnalyzerTest.shouldResolveRowTableForFullRowSelect`,
   `QueryAnalyzerTest.shouldNotResolveRowTableForQuerySpecificResult`,
   `QueryAnalyzerTest.shouldNotResolveRowTableForJoinedWildcard`, and
 
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ If a query is invalid, `sqlcj generate` prints one diagnostic naming the source,
 the query, and the line, and exits with status `1`:
 
 ```text
-sqlcj: Invalid query 'CountAuthors' in /home/dev/my-app/sql/queries.sql at line 26: Unsupported SELECT expression: Function
+sqlcj: Invalid query 'CountAuthorBios' in /home/dev/my-app/sql/queries.sql at line 31: Unsupported SELECT expression: Function
 ```
 
 Every configured source is compiled before any file is written, so a diagnostic
 
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import dev.sqlcj.type.TypeResolver;
 import net.sf.jsqlparser.expression.Alias;
 import net.sf.jsqlparser.expression.Expression;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.expression.Function;
 import net.sf.jsqlparser.expression.JdbcNamedParameter;
 import net.sf.jsqlparser.expression.JdbcParameter;
 import net.sf.jsqlparser.expression.operators.conditional.AndExpression;
@@ -1240,6 +1241,17 @@ private List<QueryColumn> resolveColumns(PlainSelect plainSelect, List<Source> s
                 continue;
             }
 
+            if (expression instanceof Function function && isScalarCount(function)) {
+                columns.add(
+                    scalarCountColumn(
+                        selectItem.getAlias(),
+                        plainSelect.getSelectItems().size()
+                    )
+                );
+
+                continue;
+            }
+
             throw new UnsupportedOperationException(
                 "Unsupported SELECT expression: "
                     + expression.getClass().getSimpleName()
@@ -1249,6 +1261,53 @@ private List<QueryColumn> resolveColumns(PlainSelect plainSelect, List<Source> s
         return columns;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Reports whether a projected function is the supported scalar count, which
+     * is an unqualified case-insensitive {@code COUNT} whose single argument is
+     * exactly {@code *}. A qualified name such as {@code pg_catalog.count(*)},
+     * a {@code DISTINCT} count, and {@code COUNT(t.*)}, whose argument is a
+     * subtype of the {@code COUNT(*)} argument, are other functions.
+     */
+    private boolean isScalarCount(Function function) {
+        List<String> name = function.getMultipartName();
+
+        if (name == null || name.size() != 1 || !name.getFirst().equalsIgnoreCase("count")) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if (function.isDistinct()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        ExpressionList<?> arguments = function.getParameters();
+
+        return arguments != null
+            && arguments.size() == 1
+            && arguments.getFirst().getClass() == AllColumns.class;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Resolves the scalar count projection into its single result column, which
+     * is named after the required alias. The column is {@code BIGINT} because
+     * {@code count(*)} returns {@code bigint}, and it is non-null because a
+     * count is always a number, {@code 0} when no row matches.
+     */
+    private QueryColumn scalarCountColumn(Alias alias, int selectItemCount) {
+        if (selectItemCount > 1) {
+            throw new UnsupportedOperationException(
+                "COUNT(*) must be the only SELECT item."
+            );
+        }
+
+        if (alias == null) {
+            throw new UnsupportedOperationException(
+                "COUNT(*) requires a result alias, such as COUNT(*) AS total."
+            );
+        }
+
+        return new QueryColumn(alias.getUnquotedName(), ColumnType.BIGINT, false);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Reports the table whose complete row a read returns, which is the single
      * query source when the projection is exactly {@code *} or
 
@@ -1232,6 +1232,85 @@ void shouldRejectPlaceholderInUnsupportedPaginationValue(String sql) {
         );
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void shouldResolveScalarCountColumnFromItsAlias() {
+        String sql = "SELECT COUNT(*) AS total FROM users";
+
+        QueryModel model = analyzer.analyze(
+            new Query("CountUsers", QueryType.ONE, sql),
+            parser.parse(sql),
+            schema
+        );
+
+        assertEquals(
+            List.of(new QueryColumn("total", ColumnType.BIGINT, false)),
+            model.columns()
+        );
+
+        assertTrue(model.parameters().isEmpty());
+        assertNull(model.rowTable());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void shouldResolveScalarCountBesidePredicateParameter() {
+        String sql = "SELECT count(*) user_count FROM users WHERE name LIKE $1";
+
+        QueryModel model = analyzer.analyze(
+            new Query("CountMatchingUsers", QueryType.ONE, sql),
+            parser.parse(sql),
+            schema
+        );
+
+        assertEquals(
+            List.of(new QueryColumn("user_count", ColumnType.BIGINT, false)),
+            model.columns()
+        );
+
+        assertEquals(
+            List.of(new QueryParameter(1, "name", ColumnType.VARCHAR)),
+            model.parameters()
+        );
+    }
+
+    @ParameterizedTest
+    @CsvSource(
+        delimiter = '|',
+        quoteCharacter = '"',
+        value = {
+            "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users"
+                + "|COUNT(*) requires a result alias, such as COUNT(*) AS total.",
+            "SELECT COUNT(*) AS n, id FROM users"
+                + "|COUNT(*) must be the only SELECT item.",
+            "SELECT id, COUNT(*) AS n FROM users"
+                + "|COUNT(*) must be the only SELECT item.",
+            "SELECT COUNT(id) AS n FROM users"
+                + "|Unsupported SELECT expression: Function",
+            "SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT id) AS n FROM users"
+                + "|Unsupported SELECT expression: Function",
+            "SELECT COUNT(u.*) AS n FROM users u"
+                + "|Unsupported SELECT expression: Function",
+            "SELECT pg_catalog.count(*) AS n FROM users"
+                + "|Unsupported SELECT expression: Function",
+            "SELECT lower(name) AS n FROM users"
+                + "|Unsupported SELECT expression: Function",
+            "SELECT COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE id > 1) AS n FROM users"
+                + "|Unsupported SELECT expression: AnalyticExpression",
+            "SELECT COUNT(*) OVER () AS n FROM users"
+                + "|Unsupported SELECT expression: AnalyticExpression"
+        }
+    )
+    void shouldRejectUnsupportedCountProjectionForm(String sql, String message) {
+        Query query = new Query("CountUsers", QueryType.ONE, sql);
+        ParsedSql parsedSql = parser.parse(sql);
+
+        UnsupportedOperationException exception = assertThrows(
+            UnsupportedOperationException.class,
+            () -> analyzer.analyze(query, parsedSql, schema)
+        );
+
+        assertEquals(message, exception.getMessage());
+    }
+
     @Test
     void shouldResolveQueryParametersInsideInExpression() {
         Query query = new Query(
 
@@ -561,6 +561,52 @@ INSERT INTO users (id, code, name)
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Covers the scalar count end to end: a {@code :one} count read is
+     * generated, compiled, and executed against PostgreSQL, so its result
+     * record exposes one {@code Long} component that counts the matching rows
+     * and is {@code 0} when none match.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void shouldExecuteGeneratedScalarCountAgainstPostgres() throws Exception {
+        Path classesDirectory = generateAndCompile("""
+            -- name: CountUsersByName :one
+            SELECT COUNT(*) AS total
+            FROM users
+            WHERE name LIKE $1;
+            """);
+
+        execute("""
+            INSERT INTO users (id, code, name)
+            VALUES
+                (1, 1, 'Alice'),
+                (2, 2, 'Amy'),
+                (3, 3, 'Bob')
+            """);
+
+        try (URLClassLoader classLoader = classLoader(classesDirectory)) {
+            Object repository = newRepository(classLoader);
+
+            Method count = repository.getClass().getMethod(
+                "countUsersByName",
+                String.class
+            );
+
+            Object matching = count.invoke(repository, "A%");
+
+            assertEquals(List.of("total"), recordComponentNames(matching));
+
+            assertEquals(
+                Long.class,
+                matching.getClass().getRecordComponents()[0].getType()
+            );
+
+            assertEquals(2L, component(matching, "total"));
+
+            assertEquals(0L, component(count.invoke(repository, "Z%"), "total"));
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test
     void shouldExecuteGeneratedWriteAgainstPostgres() throws Exception {
         Path classesDirectory = generateAndCompile("""