diff --git a/shepherd_server/openapi-config.yaml b/shepherd_server/openapi-config.yaml
index c16eb0e..c5c7c9a 100644
--- a/shepherd_server/openapi-config.yaml
+++ b/shepherd_server/openapi-config.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ contact:
   x-id: https://github.com/maximusunc
   x-role: responsible developer
 description: '<img src="/static/favicon.png" width="200px"><br /><br />Shepherd: Translator Autonomous Relay Agent Platform'
-version: 0.5.3
+version: 0.5.4
 servers:
 - description: Default server
   url: https://shepherd.renci.org
diff --git a/workers/aragorn_lookup/rules_with_types_cleaned_finalized.json b/workers/aragorn_lookup/rules_with_types_cleaned_finalized.json
index 64f94ff..8df45dd 100644
--- a/workers/aragorn_lookup/rules_with_types_cleaned_finalized.json
+++ b/workers/aragorn_lookup/rules_with_types_cleaned_finalized.json
@@ -3602,7 +3602,7 @@
           }
       }
   ],
-  "{\"predicate\": \"biolink:affects\", \"qualifier_constraints\": [{\"qualifier_set\": [{\"qualifier_type_id\": \"biolink:object_aspect_qualifier\", \"qualifier_value\": \"activity\"}, {\"qualifier_type_id\": \"biolink:object_direction_qualifier\", \"qualifier_value\": \"increased\"}]}]}": [
+  "{\"object_aspect_qualifier\": \"activity\", \"object_direction_qualifier\": \"increased\", \"predicate\": \"biolink:affects\"}": [
       {
           "Rule": "?a  decreased_abundance_biolink:affects  ?b  ?a  increased_activity_or_abundance_biolink:affects  ?b   => ?a  increased_activity_biolink:affects  ?b",
           "Head Coverage": "0.000279586",
@@ -5508,7 +5508,7 @@
           }
       }
   ],
-  "{\"predicate\": \"biolink:affects\", \"qualifier_constraints\": [{\"qualifier_set\": [{\"qualifier_type_id\": \"biolink:object_aspect_qualifier\", \"qualifier_value\": \"activity\"}, {\"qualifier_type_id\": \"biolink:object_direction_qualifier\", \"qualifier_value\": \"decreased\"}]}]}": [
+  "{\"object_aspect_qualifier\": \"activity\", \"object_direction_qualifier\": \"decreased\", \"predicate\": \"biolink:affects\"}": [
       {
           "Rule": "?a  decreased_activity_or_abundance_biolink:affects  ?b  ?a  increased_molecular_interaction_biolink:affects  ?b   => ?a  decreased_activity_biolink:affects  ?b",
           "Head Coverage": "0.000033348",
@@ -7192,7 +7192,7 @@
           }
       }
   ],
-  "{\"predicate\": \"biolink:affects\", \"qualifier_constraints\": [{\"qualifier_set\": [{\"qualifier_type_id\": \"biolink:object_aspect_qualifier\", \"qualifier_value\": \"activity_or_abundance\"}, {\"qualifier_type_id\": \"biolink:object_direction_qualifier\", \"qualifier_value\": \"increased\"}]}]}": [
+  "{\"object_aspect_qualifier\": \"activity_or_abundance\", \"object_direction_qualifier\": \"increased\", \"predicate\": \"biolink:affects\"}": [
       {
           "Rule": "?a  biolink:contributes_to  ?f  ?f  increased_activity_or_abundance_biolink:affects  ?b   => ?a  increased_activity_or_abundance_biolink:affects  ?b",
           "Head Coverage": "0.000551544",
@@ -8984,7 +8984,7 @@
           }
       }
   ],
-  "{\"predicate\": \"biolink:affects\", \"qualifier_constraints\": [{\"qualifier_set\": [{\"qualifier_type_id\": \"biolink:object_aspect_qualifier\", \"qualifier_value\": \"activity_or_abundance\"}, {\"qualifier_type_id\": \"biolink:object_direction_qualifier\", \"qualifier_value\": \"decreased\"}]}]}": [
+  "{\"object_aspect_qualifier\": \"activity_or_abundance\", \"object_direction_qualifier\": \"decreased\", \"predicate\": \"biolink:affects\"}": [
       {
           "Rule": "?b  biolink:biomarker_for  ?f  ?a  decreased_activity_or_abundance_biolink:affects  ?f   => ?a  decreased_activity_or_abundance_biolink:affects  ?b",
           "Head Coverage": "0.009918784",
diff --git a/workers/aragorn_lookup/worker.py b/workers/aragorn_lookup/worker.py
index bd46fbb..fde45d9 100644
--- a/workers/aragorn_lookup/worker.py
+++ b/workers/aragorn_lookup/worker.py
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ async def aragorn_lookup(task, logger: logging.Logger):
                 json=message,
             )
     else:
-        expanded_messages = expand_aragorn_query(message)
+        expanded_messages = expand_aragorn_query(message, logger)
         requests = []
         # send all messages to lookup service
         async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=20) as client:
@@ -212,6 +212,11 @@ def get_infer_parameters(input_message):
     target: the query node id of the target node
     source_input: True if the source node is the input node, False if the target node is the input node
     """
+    predicate = ""
+    qualifiers = {}
+    source = ""
+    target = ""
+    query_edge = ""
     for edge_id, edge in input_message["message"]["query_graph"]["edges"].items():
         source = edge["subject"]
         target = edge["object"]
@@ -234,13 +239,39 @@ def get_infer_parameters(input_message):
     return input_id, predicate, qualifiers, source, source_input, target, query_edge
 
 
-def get_rule_key(predicate, qualifiers):
-    keydict = {"predicate": predicate}
-    keydict.update(qualifiers)
+def get_rule_key(
+    predicate: str,
+    qualifiers: dict[str, list],
+    logger: logging.Logger,
+) -> str:
+    """Given some query parameters, construct a string key for expanded queries lookup."""
+    keydict: dict[str, str] = {"predicate": predicate}
+    if len(qualifiers.keys()) > 0:
+        # this is a bunch of logic to parse the dict of list of dicts of lists
+        # We're currently expecting it to be a specific format with specific keys
+        qualifier_constraints = qualifiers.get("qualifier_constraints", [])
+        if len(qualifier_constraints) < 1:
+            return json.dumps(keydict)
+        if len(qualifier_constraints) > 1:
+            logger.warning(
+                "Got more than one qualifier_constraints dict, just using the first one."
+            )
+        qualifier_set = qualifier_constraints[0].get("qualifier_set", [])
+        if len(qualifier_set) < 1:
+            return json.dumps(keydict)
+        for qualifier in qualifier_set:
+            if qualifier.get("qualifier_type_id") == "biolink:object_aspect_qualifier":
+                keydict["object_aspect_qualifier"] = qualifier.get("qualifier_value")
+            elif (
+                qualifier.get("qualifier_type_id")
+                == "biolink:object_direction_qualifier"
+            ):
+                keydict["object_direction_qualifier"] = qualifier.get("qualifier_value")
     return json.dumps(keydict, sort_keys=True)
 
 
-def expand_aragorn_query(input_message):
+def expand_aragorn_query(input_message, logger: logging.Logger):
+    """Given a query, split it into many related similar queries."""
     # Contract:
     # 1. there is a single edge in the query graph
     # 2. The edge is marked inferred.
@@ -249,7 +280,7 @@ def expand_aragorn_query(input_message):
     input_id, predicate, qualifiers, source, source_input, target, qedge_id = (
         get_infer_parameters(input_message)
     )
-    key = get_rule_key(predicate, qualifiers)
+    key = get_rule_key(predicate, qualifiers, logger)
     # We want to run the non-inferred version of the query as well
     qg = copy.deepcopy(input_message["message"]["query_graph"])
     for eid, edge in qg["edges"].items():