diff --git a/traversal/selector/exploreRecursive.go b/traversal/selector/exploreRecursive.go
index edd9645b98f497333d6a72e353eef67856567d96..be61b529b86630339b2ccb9f55ee81c7ea83676a 100644
--- a/traversal/selector/exploreRecursive.go
+++ b/traversal/selector/exploreRecursive.go
@@ -45,17 +45,58 @@ func (s ExploreRecursive) Interests() []PathSegment {
 // Explore returns the node's selector for all fields
 func (s ExploreRecursive) Explore(n ipld.Node, p PathSegment) Selector {
 	nextSelector := s.current.Explore(n, p)
+	maxDepth := s.maxDepth
 	if nextSelector == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	_, ok := nextSelector.(ExploreRecursiveEdge)
-	if !ok {
-		return ExploreRecursive{s.sequence, nextSelector, s.maxDepth}
+	if !s.hasRecursiveEdge(nextSelector) {
+		return ExploreRecursive{s.sequence, nextSelector, maxDepth}
 	}
-	if s.maxDepth < 2 {
-		return nil
+	if maxDepth < 2 {
+		return s.replaceRecursiveEdge(nextSelector, nil)
+	}
+	return ExploreRecursive{s.sequence, s.replaceRecursiveEdge(nextSelector, s.sequence), s.maxDepth - 1}
+}
+
+func (s ExploreRecursive) hasRecursiveEdge(nextSelector Selector) bool {
+	_, isRecursiveEdge := nextSelector.(ExploreRecursiveEdge)
+	if isRecursiveEdge {
+		return true
+	}
+	exploreUnion, isUnion := nextSelector.(ExploreUnion)
+	if isUnion {
+		for _, selector := range exploreUnion.Members {
+			if s.hasRecursiveEdge(selector) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func (s ExploreRecursive) replaceRecursiveEdge(nextSelector Selector, replacement Selector) Selector {
+	_, isRecursiveEdge := nextSelector.(ExploreRecursiveEdge)
+	if isRecursiveEdge {
+		return replacement
+	}
+	exploreUnion, isUnion := nextSelector.(ExploreUnion)
+	if isUnion {
+		replacementMembers := make([]Selector, 0, len(exploreUnion.Members))
+		for _, selector := range exploreUnion.Members {
+			newSelector := s.replaceRecursiveEdge(selector, replacement)
+			if newSelector != nil {
+				replacementMembers = append(replacementMembers, newSelector)
+			}
+		}
+		if len(replacementMembers) == 0 {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if len(replacementMembers) == 1 {
+			return replacementMembers[0]
+		}
+		return ExploreUnion{replacementMembers}
 	}
-	return ExploreRecursive{s.sequence, s.sequence, s.maxDepth - 1}
+	return nextSelector
 }
 
 // Decide always returns false because this is not a matcher
diff --git a/traversal/selector/exploreRecursive_test.go b/traversal/selector/exploreRecursive_test.go
index 04f3686ecaae174e1afdd68ba1c9b8201cde0e55..330682268125fc0d017c193cf40286ca78126c39 100644
--- a/traversal/selector/exploreRecursive_test.go
+++ b/traversal/selector/exploreRecursive_test.go
@@ -277,4 +277,44 @@ func TestExploreRecursiveExplore(t *testing.T) {
 		Wish(t, rs, ShouldEqual, ExploreRecursive{subTree, ExploreRecursive{sideSelector, sideSelector, maxDepth - 2}, maxDepth - 1})
 		Wish(t, err, ShouldEqual, nil)
 	})
+	t.Run("exploring should work with explore union and recursion", func(t *testing.T) {
+		parentsSelector := ExploreUnion{[]Selector{ExploreAll{Matcher{}}, ExploreIndex{recursiveEdge, [1]PathSegment{PathSegmentInt{0}}}}}
+		subTree := ExploreFields{map[string]Selector{"Parents": parentsSelector}, []PathSegment{PathSegmentString{S: "Parents"}}}
+		rs = ExploreRecursive{subTree, subTree, maxDepth}
+		nodeString := `{
+			"Parents": [
+				{
+					"Parents": [
+						{
+							"Parents": [
+								{
+									"Parents": []
+								}
+							]
+						}
+					]
+				}
+			]
+		}
+		`
+		rn, err := dagjson.Decoder(ipldfree.NodeBuilder(), bytes.NewBufferString(nodeString))
+		Wish(t, err, ShouldEqual, nil)
+		rs = rs.Explore(rn, PathSegmentString{S: "Parents"})
+		rn, err = rn.TraverseField("Parents")
+		Wish(t, rs, ShouldEqual, ExploreRecursive{subTree, parentsSelector, maxDepth})
+		Wish(t, err, ShouldEqual, nil)
+		rs = rs.Explore(rn, PathSegmentInt{I: 0})
+		rn, err = rn.TraverseIndex(0)
+		Wish(t, rs, ShouldEqual, ExploreRecursive{subTree, ExploreUnion{[]Selector{Matcher{}, subTree}}, maxDepth - 1})
+		Wish(t, err, ShouldEqual, nil)
+		rs = rs.Explore(rn, PathSegmentString{S: "Parents"})
+
+		rn, err = rn.TraverseField("Parents")
+		Wish(t, rs, ShouldEqual, ExploreRecursive{subTree, parentsSelector, maxDepth - 1})
+		Wish(t, err, ShouldEqual, nil)
+		rs = rs.Explore(rn, PathSegmentInt{I: 0})
+		rn, err = rn.TraverseIndex(0)
+		Wish(t, rs, ShouldEqual, ExploreRecursive{subTree, ExploreUnion{[]Selector{Matcher{}, subTree}}, maxDepth - 2})
+		Wish(t, err, ShouldEqual, nil)
+	})
 }