diff --git a/src/collection.ts b/src/collection.ts
index b31e9ed..83ed789 100644
--- a/src/collection.ts
+++ b/src/collection.ts
@@ -209,8 +209,8 @@ export class Collection<Schema extends StandardSchemaV1> {
    */
   public findFirst<Strict extends boolean>(
     predicate?:
-      | ((query: Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>) => Query<any>)
-      | Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>,
+      | ((query: Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>) => Query<any>)
+      | Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>,
     options?: StrictOptions<Strict>,
   ): Strict extends true
     ? RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>
@@ -248,8 +248,8 @@ export class Collection<Schema extends StandardSchemaV1> {
    */
   public findMany(
     predicate?:
-      | ((query: Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>) => Query<any>)
-      | Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>,
+      | ((query: Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>) => Query<any>)
+      | Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>,
     options?: PaginationOptions<Schema> & SortOptions<Schema> & StrictOptions,
   ): Array<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>> {
     const query =
@@ -291,8 +291,8 @@ export class Collection<Schema extends StandardSchemaV1> {
    */
   public async update<Strict extends boolean>(
     predicate:
-      | ((query: Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>) => Query<any>)
-      | Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>
+      | ((query: Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>) => Query<any>)
+      | Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>
       | RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>,
     options: UpdateOptions<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>> &
       StrictOptions<Strict>,
@@ -340,8 +340,8 @@ export class Collection<Schema extends StandardSchemaV1> {
    */
   public async updateMany(
     predicate:
-      | ((query: Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>) => Query<any>)
-      | Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>,
+      | ((query: Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>) => Query<any>)
+      | Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>,
     options: UpdateOptions<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>> &
       SortOptions<Schema> &
       StrictOptions,
@@ -380,8 +380,8 @@ export class Collection<Schema extends StandardSchemaV1> {
    */
   public delete<Strict extends boolean>(
     predicate:
-      | ((query: Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>) => Query<any>)
-      | Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>
+      | ((query: Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>) => Query<any>)
+      | Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>
       | RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>,
     options?: StrictOptions<Strict>,
   ): Strict extends true
@@ -415,8 +415,8 @@ export class Collection<Schema extends StandardSchemaV1> {
    */
   public deleteMany(
     predicate:
-      | ((query: Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>) => Query<any>)
-      | Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>,
+      | ((query: Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>) => Query<any>)
+      | Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>,
     options?: SortOptions<Schema> & StrictOptions,
   ): Array<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>> {
     /**
@@ -618,7 +618,7 @@ export class Collection<Schema extends StandardSchemaV1> {
   }
 
   *#query(
-    query: Query<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>,
+    query: Query<RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>>>,
     options: PaginationOptions<Schema> = { take: Infinity },
   ): Generator<
     RecordType<StandardSchemaV1.InferOutput<Schema>> | undefined,
@@ -668,7 +668,7 @@ export class Collection<Schema extends StandardSchemaV1> {
     for (let i = start; i !== end; i += delta) {
       const record = this.#records[i]
 
-      if (query.test(record)) {
+      if (record != null && query.test(record)) {
         if (skip != null) {
           if (skipped < skip) {
             skipped++
diff --git a/src/query.ts b/src/query.ts
index 86e3a8f..cd8c1f0 100644
--- a/src/query.ts
+++ b/src/query.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export type Condition<T> =
         }
       : never
 
-export type PredicateFunction<T> = (value: T) => boolean
+export type PredicateFunction<T> = (value: T) => unknown
 
 export class Query<T> {
   #predicate?: PredicateFunction<T>
@@ -33,19 +33,23 @@ export class Query<T> {
     return !!this.#predicate?.(value)
   }
 
-  public where(condition: Condition<T>) {
+  public where(condition: Condition<T> | PredicateFunction<T>) {
     return new Query<T>(
       Query.#and(this.#predicate, Query.#normalize(condition)),
     )
   }
 
-  public and(...conditions: Array<Query<T> | Condition<T>>) {
+  public and(
+    ...conditions: Array<Query<T> | Condition<T> | PredicateFunction<T>>
+  ) {
     return new Query<T>(
       Query.#and(this.#predicate, ...conditions.map(Query.#normalize)),
     )
   }
 
-  public or(...conditions: Array<Query<T> | Condition<T>>) {
+  public or(
+    ...conditions: Array<Query<T> | Condition<T> | PredicateFunction<T>>
+  ) {
     return new Query<T>(
       Query.#or(this.#predicate, ...conditions.map(Query.#normalize)),
     )
diff --git a/tests/find-first.test.ts b/tests/find-first.test.ts
index 1ea8d50..cf57be6 100644
--- a/tests/find-first.test.ts
+++ b/tests/find-first.test.ts
@@ -159,3 +159,17 @@ it('queries by nullable properties', async () => {
     users.findFirst((q) => q.where({ organizationId: (id) => id !== null })),
   ).toEqual({ id: 2, organizationId: 5 })
 })
+
+it('supports top-level record-based predicate via `q.where`', async () => {
+  const users = new Collection({
+    schema: z.object({ id: z.number(), name: z.string() }),
+  })
+
+  const john = await users.create({ id: 1, name: 'John' })
+  await users.create({ id: 2, name: 'Kate' })
+
+  expect(users.findFirst((q) => q.where((user) => user.id === 1))).toEqual(john)
+  expect(
+    users.findFirst((q) => q.where((user) => user.id === 123)),
+  ).toBeUndefined()
+})
diff --git a/tests/find-many.test.ts b/tests/find-many.test.ts
index 7a93fae..5a87512 100644
--- a/tests/find-many.test.ts
+++ b/tests/find-many.test.ts
@@ -107,3 +107,17 @@ it('queries by nullable properties', async () => {
     users.findMany((q) => q.where({ organizationId: (id) => id !== null })),
   ).toEqual([{ id: 2, organizationId: 5 }])
 })
+
+it('supports top-level record-based predicate via `q.where`', async () => {
+  const users = new Collection({
+    schema: z.object({ id: z.number(), name: z.string() }),
+  })
+
+  const john = await users.create({ id: 1, name: 'John' })
+  const johnatan = await users.create({ id: 2, name: 'Johnatan' })
+
+  expect(
+    users.findMany((q) => q.where((user) => user.name.startsWith('John'))),
+  ).toEqual([john, johnatan])
+  expect(users.findMany((q) => q.where((user) => user.id > 3))).toEqual([])
+})
diff --git a/tests/types/find-first.test-d.ts b/tests/types/find-first.test-d.ts
index d6aad4c..fa090c4 100644
--- a/tests/types/find-first.test-d.ts
+++ b/tests/types/find-first.test-d.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-import { Collection, type RecordType } from '#/src/collection.js'
 import { z } from 'zod'
+import { Collection, type RecordType } from '#/src/collection.js'
 
 it('does not require a query argument', () => {
   const users = new Collection({
@@ -69,3 +69,17 @@ it('supports a strict mode', () => {
     .toHaveProperty('strict')
     .toEqualTypeOf<boolean | undefined>()
 })
+
+it('supports top-level record-based predicate via `q.where`', () => {
+  const users = new Collection({
+    schema: z.object({ id: z.number(), name: z.string() }),
+  })
+
+  users.findFirst((q) =>
+    q.where((user) => {
+      expectTypeOf(user).toEqualTypeOf<
+        RecordType<{ id: number; name: string }>
+      >()
+    }),
+  )
+})