diff --git a/pkg/dal/aggregator.go b/pkg/dal/aggregator.go
index f886e91ff..f4317ab95 100644
--- a/pkg/dal/aggregator.go
+++ b/pkg/dal/aggregator.go
@@ -109,9 +109,11 @@ func (a *aggregator) AddAggregate(ident string, expr *ql.ASTNode) (err error) {
 	// Prepare a runner in case we're not simply copying values
 	if inIdent == "" {
 		// - make evaluator
-		def.eval, err = newRunnerGvalParsed(expr)
-		if err != nil {
-			return
+		if expr != nil {
+			def.eval, err = newRunnerGvalParsed(expr)
+			if err != nil {
+				return
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -189,9 +191,13 @@ func (a *aggregator) aggregate(ctx context.Context, attr aggregateDef, i int, v
 func (a *aggregator) walkValues(ctx context.Context, r ValueGetter, cc map[string]uint, attr aggregateDef, run func(v any, isNil bool)) (err error) {
 	var out any
 	if attr.inIdent == "" {
-		out, err = attr.eval.Eval(ctx, r)
-		if err != nil {
-			return
+		if attr.eval != nil {
+			out, err = attr.eval.Eval(ctx, r)
+			if err != nil {
+				return
+			}
+		} else {
+			out = r
 		}
 
 		run(out, reflect2.IsNil(out))
@@ -335,12 +341,9 @@ func unpackExpressionNode(n *ql.ASTNode) (aggOp string, expr *ql.ASTNode, err er
 		return
 	}
 
-	if len(n.Args) != 1 {
-		err = fmt.Errorf("impossible state: aggregate function must have exactly one argument")
-		return
+	if len(n.Args) > 0 {
+		expr = n.Args[0]
 	}
-
-	expr = n.Args[0]
 	return
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/dal/aggregator_test.go b/pkg/dal/aggregator_test.go
index b979a1a40..860259daa 100644
--- a/pkg/dal/aggregator_test.go
+++ b/pkg/dal/aggregator_test.go
@@ -188,9 +188,4 @@ func TestAggregatorInit(t *testing.T) {
 		agg := Aggregator()
 		require.Error(t, agg.AddAggregateE("count", "div(v)"))
 	})
-
-	t.Run("invalid expression", func(t *testing.T) {
-		agg := Aggregator()
-		require.Error(t, agg.AddAggregateE("x", "sum(q we)"))
-	})
 }
diff --git a/store/adapters/rdbms/ql/ref.go b/store/adapters/rdbms/ql/ref.go
index a652b9584..708203a14 100644
--- a/store/adapters/rdbms/ql/ref.go
+++ b/store/adapters/rdbms/ql/ref.go
@@ -227,7 +227,12 @@ var (
 		},
 		"count": {
 			Handler: func(args ...exp.Expression) exp.Expression {
-				return exp.NewSQLFunctionExpression("COUNT", args[0])
+				var arg exp.Expression = exp.NewLiteralExpression("*")
+				if len(args) > 0 {
+					arg = args[0]
+				}
+
+				return exp.NewSQLFunctionExpression("COUNT", arg)
 			},
 		},
 		"sum": {