diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bbd4982993..481a673524 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
     "jest": "29.6.4",
     "jest-environment-jsdom": "29.6.4",
     "jwt-decode": "3.1.2",
-    "mongodb-memory-server": "8.13.0",
+    "mongodb-memory-server": "8.12.2",
     "node-fetch": "2.6.12",
     "prettier": "^3.0.3",
     "qs": "6.11.2",
diff --git a/packages/payload/src/database/queryValidation/validateQueryPaths.ts b/packages/payload/src/database/queryValidation/validateQueryPaths.ts
index bb34e12742..e7c4c00344 100644
--- a/packages/payload/src/database/queryValidation/validateQueryPaths.ts
+++ b/packages/payload/src/database/queryValidation/validateQueryPaths.ts
@@ -3,14 +3,13 @@ import type { SanitizedCollectionConfig } from '../../collections/config/types'
 import type { Field, FieldAffectingData } from '../../fields/config/types'
 import type { SanitizedGlobalConfig } from '../../globals/config/types'
 /* eslint-disable no-await-in-loop */
-import type { Operator, PayloadRequest, Where } from '../../types'
+import type { Operator, PayloadRequest, Where, WhereField } from '../../types'
 import type { EntityPolicies } from './types'
 
 import QueryError from '../../errors/QueryError'
 import { validOperators } from '../../types/constants'
 import deepCopyObject from '../../utilities/deepCopyObject'
 import flattenFields from '../../utilities/flattenTopLevelFields'
-import flattenWhereToOperators from '../flattenWhereToOperators'
 import { validateSearchParam } from './validateSearchParams'
 
 type Args = {
@@ -30,6 +29,16 @@ type Args = {
       globalConfig: SanitizedGlobalConfig
     }
 )
+
+const flattenWhere = (query: Where): WhereField[] =>
+  Object.entries(query).reduce((flattenedConstraints, [key, val]) => {
+    if ((key === 'and' || key === 'or') && Array.isArray(val)) {
+      return [...flattenedConstraints, ...val.map((subVal) => flattenWhere(subVal))]
+    }
+
+    return [...flattenedConstraints, { [key]: val }]
+  }, [])
+
 export async function validateQueryPaths({
   collectionConfig,
   errors = [],
@@ -47,8 +56,7 @@ export async function validateQueryPaths({
     versionFields || (globalConfig || collectionConfig).fields,
   ) as FieldAffectingData[]
   if (typeof where === 'object') {
-    // const flattenedWhere = flattenWhere(where);
-    const whereFields = flattenWhereToOperators(where)
+    const whereFields = flattenWhere(where)
     // We need to determine if the whereKey is an AND, OR, or a schema path
     const promises = []
     whereFields.map(async (constraint) => {
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 9c8b7a6fb5..515b958c8f 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -66,26 +66,23 @@ importers:
         specifier: 3.1.2
         version: 3.1.2
       mongodb-memory-server:
-        specifier: 8.13.0
-        version: 8.13.0
+        specifier: 8.12.2
+        version: 8.12.2
       node-fetch:
         specifier: 2.6.12
         version: 2.6.12
       prettier:
         specifier: ^3.0.3
         version: 3.0.3
-<<<<<<< HEAD
       qs:
         specifier: 6.11.2
         version: 6.11.2
       react:
         specifier: 18.2.0
         version: 18.2.0
-=======
       rimraf:
         specifier: 3.0.2
         version: 3.0.2
->>>>>>> dd0514bd2cd312dbbc01ec8f018ff575bb93182f
       shelljs:
         specifier: 0.8.5
         version: 0.8.5
@@ -10375,6 +10372,29 @@ packages:
       '@types/whatwg-url': 8.2.2
       whatwg-url: 11.0.0
 
+  /mongodb-memory-server-core@8.12.2:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-bls+lroejnhbZTOm5KHtxtf9PK6xASEAsCvZCPoXrNk1f10p0jDw7Xb4GUqVi0ZuVmuLZBNgmzYeHmb3WUgvLg==}
+    engines: {node: '>=12.22.0'}
+    dependencies:
+      async-mutex: 0.3.2
+      camelcase: 6.3.0
+      debug: 4.3.4
+      find-cache-dir: 3.3.2
+      get-port: 5.1.1
+      https-proxy-agent: 5.0.1
+      md5-file: 5.0.0
+      mongodb: 4.17.1
+      new-find-package-json: 2.0.0
+      semver: 7.5.4
+      tar-stream: 2.2.0
+      tslib: 2.6.2
+      uuid: 9.0.0
+      yauzl: 2.10.0
+    transitivePeerDependencies:
+      - aws-crt
+      - supports-color
+    dev: true
+
   /mongodb-memory-server-core@8.13.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-4NTOzYOlRUilwb8CxOKix/XbZmac4cLpmEU03eaHx90lgEp+ARZM2PQtIOEg3nhHo97r9THIEv6Gs4LECokp0Q==}
     engines: {node: '>=12.22.0'}
@@ -10398,6 +10418,18 @@ packages:
       - supports-color
     dev: true
 
+  /mongodb-memory-server@8.12.2:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-WM3uJnKWqhJxu3LlHfvRXRrhc+kiEGdGDHMrAG0N1E2fWbRlvSnUKau7Jdcf7cIA5HlRC/K8uVe0DCym45KfAA==}
+    engines: {node: '>=12.22.0'}
+    requiresBuild: true
+    dependencies:
+      mongodb-memory-server-core: 8.12.2
+      tslib: 2.6.2
+    transitivePeerDependencies:
+      - aws-crt
+      - supports-color
+    dev: true
+
   /mongodb-memory-server@8.13.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-CyrKMwEmRePn8iQ3LtWQiOJxlGK0eM+NNTq3Yg8m7gaywepFu24mF7s13q87Kfuq0WgBuCJQ4t6VcUZJ4m+KWQ==}
     engines: {node: '>=12.22.0'}
diff --git a/test/collections-graphql/int.spec.ts b/test/collections-graphql/int.spec.ts
index c231b2007c..7c1c447f19 100644
--- a/test/collections-graphql/int.spec.ts
+++ b/test/collections-graphql/int.spec.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,15 @@ describe('collections-graphql', () => {
     const config = await configPromise
     const url = `${serverURL}${config.routes.api}${config.routes.graphQL}`
     client = new GraphQLClient(url)
+
+    // Wait for indexes to be created,
+    // as we need them to query by point
+    await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      payload.db.collections.point.ensureIndexes(function (err) {
+        if (err) reject(err)
+        resolve(true)
+      })
+    })
   })
 
   afterAll(async () => {
@@ -173,12 +182,14 @@ describe('collections-graphql', () => {
         }
       }`
 
-        const response = await client.request(query);
-        const { docs } = response.Posts;
-        const docsWithWhereTitleNotEqualPostTitle = docs.filter((post) => post.title === post1.title);
+        const response = await client.request(query)
+        const { docs } = response.Posts
+        const docsWithWhereTitleNotEqualPostTitle = docs.filter(
+          (post) => post.title === post1.title,
+        )
 
-        expect(docsWithWhereTitleNotEqualPostTitle).toHaveLength(0);
-      });
+        expect(docsWithWhereTitleNotEqualPostTitle).toHaveLength(0)
+      })
 
       it('like', async () => {
         const postWithWords = await createPost({ title: 'the quick brown fox' })
@@ -271,10 +282,10 @@ describe('collections-graphql', () => {
           }
         }`
 
-          const response = await client.request(query);
-          const { docs } = response.Posts;
-          expect(docs.map(({ id }) => id)).toContain(numPost2.id);
-        });
+          const response = await client.request(query)
+          const { docs } = response.Posts
+          expect(docs.map(({ id }) => id)).toContain(numPost2.id)
+        })
 
         it('greater_than_equal', async () => {
           const query = `query {
diff --git a/test/collections-rest/int.spec.ts b/test/collections-rest/int.spec.ts
index 78e6d15111..b95ead84c5 100644
--- a/test/collections-rest/int.spec.ts
+++ b/test/collections-rest/int.spec.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ describe('collections-rest', () => {
   beforeAll(async () => {
     const { serverURL } = await initPayloadTest({ __dirname, init: { local: false } })
     client = new RESTClient(await config, { serverURL, defaultSlug: slug })
+
+    // Wait for indexes to be created,
+    // as we need them to query by point
+    await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      payload.db.collections[pointSlug].ensureIndexes(function (err) {
+        if (err) reject(err)
+        resolve(true)
+      })
+    })
   })
 
   afterAll(async () => {
@@ -245,7 +254,7 @@ describe('collections-rest', () => {
 
         const { status, docs } = await client.deleteMany<Post>({
           where: { title: { equals: 'title' } },
-        });
+        })
 
         expect(status).toEqual(200)
         expect(docs[0].title).toEqual('title') // Check was not modified
@@ -306,17 +315,29 @@ describe('collections-rest', () => {
         })
 
         it('should query - equals', async () => {
-          const customId = `custom-${randomBytes(32).toString('hex').slice(0, 12)}`;
-          const { doc } = await client.create({ slug: customIdSlug, data: { id: customId, name: 'custom-id-name' } });
-          const { result } = await client.find({ slug: customIdSlug, query: { id: { equals: customId } } });
+          const customId = `custom-${randomBytes(32).toString('hex').slice(0, 12)}`
+          const { doc } = await client.create({
+            slug: customIdSlug,
+            data: { id: customId, name: 'custom-id-name' },
+          })
+          const { result } = await client.find({
+            slug: customIdSlug,
+            query: { id: { equals: customId } },
+          })
 
-          expect(result.docs.map(({ id }) => id)).toContain(doc.id);
-        });
+          expect(result.docs.map(({ id }) => id)).toContain(doc.id)
+        })
 
         it('should query - like', async () => {
-          const customId = `custom-${randomBytes(32).toString('hex').slice(0, 12)}`;
-          const { doc } = await client.create({ slug: customIdSlug, data: { id: customId, name: 'custom-id-name' } });
-          const { result } = await client.find({ slug: customIdSlug, query: { id: { like: 'custom' } } });
+          const customId = `custom-${randomBytes(32).toString('hex').slice(0, 12)}`
+          const { doc } = await client.create({
+            slug: customIdSlug,
+            data: { id: customId, name: 'custom-id-name' },
+          })
+          const { result } = await client.find({
+            slug: customIdSlug,
+            query: { id: { like: 'custom' } },
+          })
 
           expect(result.docs.map(({ id }) => id)).toContain(doc.id)
         })