diff --git a/src/completion.rs b/src/completion.rs
index 31fa2aa..5bb1580 100644
--- a/src/completion.rs
+++ b/src/completion.rs
@@ -1123,6 +1123,21 @@ pub fn invalid_ident_at_cursor_in_mode(
     if expected.is_empty() {
         return None;
     }
+    // Issue #6 follow-on: at a SQL expression position the partial
+    // could resolve to either a column reference *or* a function-call
+    // name (the grammar admits the call shape structurally — see
+    // sql_expr.rs's `CALL_ARGS` comment, "it does not know which
+    // names are aggregates"). Without lookahead for a trailing `(`,
+    // we can't tell here, so we don't flag — submit-time validation
+    // still catches a genuine column typo via the `unknown_column`
+    // diagnostic, which only skips when the ident *is* followed by
+    // `(` (i.e. it really is a function call).
+    let has_sql_expr_slot = expected.iter().any(|e| {
+        matches!(e, Expectation::Ident { role: "sql_expr_ident", .. })
+    });
+    if has_sql_expr_slot {
+        return None;
+    }
     // Find every schema-listable source in the expected list.
     let sources: Vec<IdentSource> = expected
         .iter()
diff --git a/src/dsl/walker/mod.rs b/src/dsl/walker/mod.rs
index 5eba5b8..e44dd68 100644
--- a/src/dsl/walker/mod.rs
+++ b/src/dsl/walker/mod.rs
@@ -1034,6 +1034,18 @@ fn schema_existence_diagnostics(
                     // check on the next iteration.
                     pending_qualifier =
                         Some((item.text.clone(), item.span));
+                } else if role == "sql_expr_ident"
+                    && is_followed_by_call_args(&path.items, i)
+                {
+                    // Issue #6: this ident is the *name* of a function
+                    // call (immediately followed by `(`), not a column
+                    // reference. The grammar admits the call shape
+                    // structurally (sql_expr.rs's `CALL_ARGS` comment:
+                    // "it does not know which names are aggregates"),
+                    // so the validator skips here. The arguments
+                    // *inside* the call are ordinary expressions and
+                    // their idents flow through the bare-column check
+                    // on subsequent iterations.
                 } else if let Some(target) = (role == "sql_expr_ident")
                     .then(|| {
                         bare_ref_insert_target(
@@ -2015,6 +2027,25 @@ fn is_followed_by_qualified_ref(
     )
 }
 
+/// True when the ident at `items[i]` is the *name* of a function call —
+/// the immediately following item is `(`. Mirrors the qualified-ref
+/// guard and lets the bare-column check in
+/// `schema_existence_diagnostics` skip validating a function-call name
+/// against the schema (issue #6). The grammar admits the call shape
+/// structurally (sql_expr.rs's CALL_ARGS comment: "it does not know
+/// which names are aggregates"), so this validator must match: an
+/// ident followed by `(` is a function-call name, not a column ref.
+fn is_followed_by_call_args(
+    items: &[outcome::MatchedItem],
+    i: usize,
+) -> bool {
+    use outcome::MatchedKind;
+    matches!(
+        items.get(i + 1).map(|it| &it.kind),
+        Some(MatchedKind::Punct('('))
+    )
+}
+
 fn schema_has_table(schema: &crate::completion::SchemaCache, name: &str) -> bool {
     schema.tables.iter().any(|t| t.eq_ignore_ascii_case(name))
 }
@@ -5399,6 +5430,85 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn select_aggregate_function_name_not_flagged_as_unknown_column() {
+        // Issue #6: `select sum(Age) from Customers` runs cleanly at
+        // the engine but the schema-existence pass was treating `sum`
+        // as a bare column reference and flagging "no such column
+        // `sum` on table `Customers`". The grammar admits the
+        // function-call shape structurally (sql_expr.rs comment at
+        // CALL_ARGS, ADR-0031 §1: "it does not know which names are
+        // aggregates"), so the validator must match: an ident
+        // followed by `(` is a function-call name, not a column
+        // reference.
+        let schema = schema_with("Customers", &[("Age", Type::Int)]);
+        for input in [
+            // The five standard SQL aggregates …
+            "select sum(Age) from Customers",
+            "select avg(Age) from Customers",
+            "select count(*) from Customers",
+            "select count(Age) from Customers",
+            "select min(Age) from Customers",
+            "select max(Age) from Customers",
+            // … `count(distinct …)` (ADR-0031 §1 — the one place
+            // DISTINCT leads the argument list) …
+            "select count(distinct Age) from Customers",
+            // … and non-aggregate functions, which get the same
+            // treatment by the same fix because the grammar already
+            // accepts them and the engine evaluates them.
+            "select length(Age) from Customers",
+            "select coalesce(Age, 0) from Customers",
+            // Nested calls — the outer name is followed by `(` (skip),
+            // the inner name is followed by `(` (skip), the innermost
+            // bare ident is followed by `)` and gets validated.
+            "select upper(lower(Age)) from Customers",
+            // Functions in WHERE: same `sql_expr_ident` role, same
+            // skip guard applies.
+            "select Age from Customers where length(Age) > 0",
+        ] {
+            let diags = diag_keys(input, &schema);
+            assert!(
+                !diags.iter().any(|d| d.contains("no such column")),
+                "function-call name must not trip `no such column` for {input:?}; got {diags:?}",
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn select_unknown_column_inside_distinct_arg_still_flagged() {
+        // ADR-0031 §1 calls out `count(distinct col)` as a special
+        // argument shape. The argument is still an ordinary column
+        // reference and a genuinely unknown one must still flag —
+        // the DISTINCT keyword doesn't shield the column-ref
+        // validation downstream.
+        let schema = schema_with("Customers", &[("Age", Type::Int)]);
+        let diags = diag_keys(
+            "select count(distinct nonexistent) from Customers",
+            &schema,
+        );
+        assert!(
+            diags.iter().any(|d| d.contains("no such column")),
+            "unknown column inside `count(distinct …)` must still fire; got {diags:?}",
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn select_unknown_argument_inside_function_call_still_flagged() {
+        // Symmetric guard: the fix only skips validation of the
+        // function-call *name*; the argument expressions are still
+        // ordinary expressions and a genuinely unknown column inside
+        // a call must still fire `no such column`.
+        let schema = schema_with("Customers", &[("Age", Type::Int)]);
+        let diags = diag_keys(
+            "select sum(nonexistent) from Customers",
+            &schema,
+        );
+        assert!(
+            diags.iter().any(|d| d.contains("no such column")),
+            "unknown column inside the call args must still fire; got {diags:?}",
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn insert_select_unknown_projection_column_is_error() {
         // ADR-0033 sub-phase 3c cross-cut: the Phase-2
diff --git a/src/input_render.rs b/src/input_render.rs
index f7286c0..dfc2b7f 100644
--- a/src/input_render.rs
+++ b/src/input_render.rs
@@ -1169,6 +1169,87 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn genuine_column_typo_in_complete_select_still_hints_via_diagnostic() {
+        // Issue #6 trade-off lockdown: dropping the typing-time
+        // `invalid_ident_at_cursor` flag at `sql_expr_ident` positions
+        // (to avoid the false positive on function names like `sum`)
+        // must not silently kill the typo signal for *genuine* column
+        // typos. Once the SELECT is structurally complete (FROM is in
+        // scope), the schema-existence pass fires `unknown_column`
+        // and the ambient hint surfaces that diagnostic via
+        // `pick_hint_diagnostic`. The user still gets the typing-time
+        // warning, just through a different path.
+        use crate::completion::{SchemaCache, TableColumn};
+        use crate::dsl::types::Type;
+        let mut cache = SchemaCache::default();
+        cache.tables.push("Customers".to_string());
+        let tc = vec![TableColumn {
+            name: "Age".to_string(),
+            user_type: Type::Int,
+            not_null: false,
+            has_default: false,
+        }];
+        for c in &tc {
+            cache.columns.push(c.name.clone());
+        }
+        cache.table_columns.insert("Customers".to_string(), tc);
+        for input in [
+            "select Agx from Customers",
+            "select * from Customers where Agx = 5",
+            "select * from Customers where Agx",
+        ] {
+            match ambient_hint_in_mode(input, input.len(), None, &cache, Mode::Advanced) {
+                Some(AmbientHint::Prose(p)) => assert!(
+                    p.contains("no such column") && p.contains("Agx"),
+                    "complete SELECT with column typo must surface the diagnostic hint for {input:?}; got: {p:?}",
+                ),
+                other => panic!(
+                    "complete SELECT with column typo must produce a Prose hint for {input:?}; got: {other:?}",
+                ),
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn advanced_select_partial_function_name_not_flagged_as_invalid_column() {
+        // Issue #6 follow-on: while the user is typing
+        // `select sum` (no `(` yet), the ambient hint must not
+        // pre-emptively show "No such column: `sum`". At a SQL
+        // expression position the partial could resolve to either a
+        // column reference *or* a function-call name; the typing-time
+        // `invalid_ident_at_cursor` check would otherwise mislead
+        // because it only knows about schema columns. Submit-time
+        // validation still flags a genuine column typo (the
+        // `unknown_column` diagnostic only skips function-call names,
+        // which require a trailing `(` — so a bare unknown ident
+        // still trips at submit).
+        use crate::completion::{SchemaCache, TableColumn};
+        use crate::dsl::types::Type;
+        let mut cache = SchemaCache::default();
+        cache.tables.push("Customers".to_string());
+        let tc = vec![
+            TableColumn {
+                name: "Age".to_string(),
+                user_type: Type::Int,
+                not_null: false,
+                has_default: false,
+            },
+        ];
+        for c in &tc {
+            cache.columns.push(c.name.clone());
+        }
+        cache.table_columns.insert("Customers".to_string(), tc);
+        let input = "select sum";
+        let hint = ambient_hint_in_mode(input, input.len(), None, &cache, Mode::Advanced);
+        if let Some(AmbientHint::Prose(p)) = &hint {
+            assert!(
+                !p.contains("No such column"),
+                "`select sum` mid-typing must not pre-emptively flag `sum` as an invalid column; got: {p:?}",
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn advanced_partial_typing_does_not_leak_bare_double_in_prose() {
         // Issue #5 (prose half): at `create table Orders (count` (no