diff --git a/Association.php b/Association.php
index 218cade8..8601283b 100644
--- a/Association.php
+++ b/Association.php
@@ -17,16 +17,20 @@
 namespace Cake\ORM;
 
 use Cake\Collection\Collection;
+use Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface;
 use Cake\Core\App;
 use Cake\Core\ConventionsTrait;
 use Cake\Database\Expression\IdentifierExpression;
 use Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface;
 use Cake\Datasource\ResultSetDecorator;
+use Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface;
 use Cake\ORM\Locator\LocatorAwareTrait;
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
 use Closure;
 use InvalidArgumentException;
 use RuntimeException;
+use function Cake\Core\deprecationWarning;
+use function Cake\Core\pluginSplit;
 
 /**
  * An Association is a relationship established between two tables and is used
@@ -106,14 +110,14 @@ abstract class Association
     /**
      * The field name in the owning side table that is used to match with the foreignKey
      *
-     * @var string|string[]|null
+     * @var array<string>|string|null
      */
     protected $_bindingKey;
 
     /**
      * The name of the field representing the foreign key to the table to load
      *
-     * @var string|string[]
+     * @var array<string>|string
      */
     protected $_foreignKey;
 
@@ -121,7 +125,7 @@ abstract class Association
      * A list of conditions to be always included when fetching records from
      * the target association
      *
-     * @var array|\Closure
+     * @var \Closure|array
      */
     protected $_conditions = [];
 
@@ -135,7 +139,7 @@ abstract class Association
     protected $_dependent = false;
 
     /**
-     * Whether or not cascaded deletes should also fire callbacks.
+     * Whether cascaded deletes should also fire callbacks.
      *
      * @var bool
      */
@@ -182,14 +186,14 @@ abstract class Association
      * The default finder name to use for fetching rows from the target table
      * With array value, finder name and default options are allowed.
      *
-     * @var string|array
+     * @var array|string
      */
     protected $_finder = 'all';
 
     /**
      * Valid strategies for this association. Subclasses can narrow this down.
      *
-     * @var string[]
+     * @var array<string>
      */
     protected $_validStrategies = [
         self::STRATEGY_JOIN,
@@ -202,7 +206,7 @@ abstract class Association
      * list of passed options if expecting any other special key
      *
      * @param string $alias The name given to the association
-     * @param array $options A list of properties to be set on this object
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options A list of properties to be set on this object
      */
     public function __construct(string $alias, array $options = [])
     {
@@ -246,9 +250,16 @@ public function __construct(string $alias, array $options = [])
      *
      * @param string $name Name to be assigned
      * @return $this
+     * @deprecated 4.3.0 Changing the association name after object creation is
+     *   no longer supported. The name should only be set through the constructor.
      */
     public function setName(string $name)
     {
+        deprecationWarning(
+            'Changing the association name after object creation is no longer supported.'
+            . ' The name should only be set through the constructor'
+        );
+
         if ($this->_targetTable !== null) {
             $alias = $this->_targetTable->getAlias();
             if ($alias !== $name) {
@@ -277,7 +288,7 @@ public function getName(): string
     }
 
     /**
-     * Sets whether or not cascaded deletes should also fire callbacks.
+     * Sets whether cascaded deletes should also fire callbacks.
      *
      * @param bool $cascadeCallbacks cascade callbacks switch value
      * @return $this
@@ -290,7 +301,7 @@ public function setCascadeCallbacks(bool $cascadeCallbacks)
     }
 
     /**
-     * Gets whether or not cascaded deletes should also fire callbacks.
+     * Gets whether cascaded deletes should also fire callbacks.
      *
      * @return bool
      */
@@ -422,9 +433,9 @@ public function getTarget(): Table
      * Sets a list of conditions to be always included when fetching records from
      * the target association.
      *
-     * @param array|\Closure $conditions list of conditions to be used
+     * @param \Closure|array $conditions list of conditions to be used
      * @see \Cake\Database\Query::where() for examples on the format of the array
-     * @return \Cake\ORM\Association
+     * @return $this
      */
     public function setConditions($conditions)
     {
@@ -438,7 +449,7 @@ public function setConditions($conditions)
      * the target association.
      *
      * @see \Cake\Database\Query::where() for examples on the format of the array
-     * @return array|\Closure
+     * @return \Closure|array
      */
     public function getConditions()
     {
@@ -449,7 +460,7 @@ public function getConditions()
      * Sets the name of the field representing the binding field with the target table.
      * When not manually specified the primary key of the owning side table is used.
      *
-     * @param string|string[] $key the table field or fields to be used to link both tables together
+     * @param array<string>|string $key the table field or fields to be used to link both tables together
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setBindingKey($key)
@@ -463,7 +474,7 @@ public function setBindingKey($key)
      * Gets the name of the field representing the binding field with the target table.
      * When not manually specified the primary key of the owning side table is used.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getBindingKey()
     {
@@ -479,7 +490,7 @@ public function getBindingKey()
     /**
      * Gets the name of the field representing the foreign key to the target table.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getForeignKey()
     {
@@ -489,7 +500,7 @@ public function getForeignKey()
     /**
      * Sets the name of the field representing the foreign key to the target table.
      *
-     * @param string|string[] $key the key or keys to be used to link both tables together
+     * @param array<string>|string $key the key or keys to be used to link both tables together
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setForeignKey($key)
@@ -533,7 +544,7 @@ public function getDependent(): bool
     /**
      * Whether this association can be expressed directly in a query join
      *
-     * @param array $options custom options key that could alter the return value
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options custom options key that could alter the return value
      * @return bool
      */
     public function canBeJoined(array $options = []): bool
@@ -653,7 +664,7 @@ public function getStrategy(): string
     /**
      * Gets the default finder to use for fetching rows from the target table.
      *
-     * @return string|array
+     * @return array|string
      */
     public function getFinder()
     {
@@ -663,7 +674,7 @@ public function getFinder()
     /**
      * Sets the default finder to use for fetching rows from the target table.
      *
-     * @param string|array $finder the finder name to use or array of finder name and option.
+     * @param array|string $finder the finder name to use or array of finder name and option.
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setFinder($finder)
@@ -677,7 +688,7 @@ public function setFinder($finder)
      * Override this function to initialize any concrete association class, it will
      * get passed the original list of options used in the constructor
      *
-     * @param array $options List of options used for initialization
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options used for initialization
      * @return void
      */
     protected function _options(array $options): void
@@ -696,8 +707,6 @@ protected function _options(array $options): void
      * - conditions: array with a list of conditions to filter the join with, this
      *   will be merged with any conditions originally configured for this association
      * - fields: a list of fields in the target table to include in the result
-     * - type: The type of join to be used (e.g. INNER)
-     *   the records found on this association
      * - aliasPath: A dot separated string representing the path of association names
      *   followed from the passed query main table to this association.
      * - propertyPath: A dot separated string representing the path of association
@@ -708,27 +717,31 @@ protected function _options(array $options): void
      *   with this association.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query the query to be altered to include the target table data
-     * @param array $options Any extra options or overrides to be taken in account
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Any extra options or overrides to be taken in account
      * @return void
-     * @throws \RuntimeException if the query builder passed does not return a query
-     * object
+     * @throws \RuntimeException Unable to build the query or associations.
      */
     public function attachTo(Query $query, array $options = []): void
     {
         $target = $this->getTarget();
-        $joinType = empty($options['joinType']) ? $this->getJoinType() : $options['joinType'];
         $table = $target->getTable();
 
         $options += [
             'includeFields' => true,
             'foreignKey' => $this->getForeignKey(),
             'conditions' => [],
+            'joinType' => $this->getJoinType(),
             'fields' => [],
-            'type' => $joinType,
             'table' => $table,
             'finder' => $this->getFinder(),
         ];
 
+        // This is set by joinWith to disable matching results
+        if ($options['fields'] === false) {
+            $options['fields'] = [];
+            $options['includeFields'] = false;
+        }
+
         if (!empty($options['foreignKey'])) {
             $joinCondition = $this->_joinCondition($options);
             if ($joinCondition) {
@@ -764,9 +777,11 @@ public function attachTo(Query $query, array $options = []): void
         $dummy->where($options['conditions']);
         $this->_dispatchBeforeFind($dummy);
 
-        $joinOptions = ['table' => 1, 'conditions' => 1, 'type' => 1];
-        $options['conditions'] = $dummy->clause('where');
-        $query->join([$this->_name => array_intersect_key($options, $joinOptions)]);
+        $query->join([$this->_name => [
+            'table' => $options['table'],
+            'conditions' => $dummy->clause('where'),
+            'type' => $options['joinType'],
+        ]]);
 
         $this->_appendFields($query, $dummy, $options);
         $this->_formatAssociationResults($query, $dummy, $options);
@@ -779,7 +794,7 @@ public function attachTo(Query $query, array $options = []): void
      * records where there is no match with this association.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query to modify
-     * @param array $options Options array containing the `negateMatch` key.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Options array containing the `negateMatch` key.
      * @return void
      */
     protected function _appendNotMatching(Query $query, array $options): void
@@ -802,7 +817,7 @@ protected function _appendNotMatching(Query $query, array $options): void
      * @param array $row The row to transform
      * @param string $nestKey The array key under which the results for this association
      *   should be found
-     * @param bool $joined Whether or not the row is a result of a direct join
+     * @param bool $joined Whether the row is a result of a direct join
      *   with this association
      * @param string|null $targetProperty The property name in the source results where the association
      * data shuld be nested in. Will use the default one if not provided.
@@ -826,10 +841,10 @@ public function transformRow(array $row, string $nestKey, bool $joined, ?string
      * with the default empty value according to whether the association was
      * joined or fetched externally.
      *
-     * @param array $row The row to set a default on.
-     * @param bool $joined Whether or not the row is a result of a direct join
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $row The row to set a default on.
+     * @param bool $joined Whether the row is a result of a direct join
      *   with this association
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function defaultRowValue(array $row, bool $joined): array
     {
@@ -846,9 +861,9 @@ public function defaultRowValue(array $row, bool $joined): array
      * and modifies the query accordingly based of this association
      * configuration
      *
-     * @param string|array|null $type the type of query to perform, if an array is passed,
+     * @param array<string, mixed>|string|null $type the type of query to perform, if an array is passed,
      *   it will be interpreted as the `$options` parameter
-     * @param array $options The options to for the find
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options to for the find
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::find()
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      */
@@ -866,7 +881,7 @@ public function find($type = null, array $options = []): Query
      * Proxies the operation to the target table's exists method after
      * appending the default conditions for this association
      *
-     * @param array|\Closure|\Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface $conditions The conditions to use
+     * @param \Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|\Closure|array|string|null $conditions The conditions to use
      * for checking if any record matches.
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::exists()
      * @return bool
@@ -884,7 +899,7 @@ public function exists($conditions): bool
      * Proxies the update operation to the target table's updateAll method
      *
      * @param array $fields A hash of field => new value.
-     * @param mixed $conditions Conditions to be used, accepts anything Query::where()
+     * @param \Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|\Closure|array|string|null $conditions Conditions to be used, accepts anything Query::where()
      * can take.
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::updateAll()
      * @return int Count Returns the affected rows.
@@ -901,7 +916,7 @@ public function updateAll(array $fields, $conditions): int
     /**
      * Proxies the delete operation to the target table's deleteAll method
      *
-     * @param mixed $conditions Conditions to be used, accepts anything Query::where()
+     * @param \Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|\Closure|array|string|null $conditions Conditions to be used, accepts anything Query::where()
      * can take.
      * @return int Returns the number of affected rows.
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::deleteAll()
@@ -919,7 +934,7 @@ public function deleteAll($conditions): int
      * Returns true if the eager loading process will require a set of the owning table's
      * binding keys in order to use them as a filter in the finder query.
      *
-     * @param array $options The options containing the strategy to be used.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options containing the strategy to be used.
      * @return bool true if a list of keys will be required
      */
     public function requiresKeys(array $options = []): bool
@@ -947,7 +962,7 @@ protected function _dispatchBeforeFind(Query $query): void
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query the query that will get the fields appended to
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $surrogate the query having the fields to be copied from
-     * @param array $options options passed to the method `attachTo`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options passed to the method `attachTo`
      * @return void
      */
     protected function _appendFields(Query $query, Query $surrogate, array $options): void
@@ -956,25 +971,17 @@ protected function _appendFields(Query $query, Query $surrogate, array $options)
             return;
         }
 
-        $fields = $surrogate->clause('select') ?: $options['fields'];
-        $target = $this->_targetTable;
-        $autoFields = $surrogate->isAutoFieldsEnabled();
-
-        if (empty($fields) && !$autoFields) {
-            if ($options['includeFields'] && ($fields === null || $fields !== false)) {
-                $fields = $target->getSchema()->columns();
-            }
-        }
+        $fields = array_merge($surrogate->clause('select'), $options['fields']);
 
-        if ($autoFields === true) {
-            $fields = array_filter((array)$fields);
-            $fields = array_merge($fields, $target->getSchema()->columns());
+        if (
+            (empty($fields) && $options['includeFields']) ||
+            $surrogate->isAutoFieldsEnabled()
+        ) {
+            $fields = array_merge($fields, $this->_targetTable->getSchema()->columns());
         }
 
-        if ($fields) {
-            $query->select($query->aliasFields($fields, $this->_name));
-        }
-        $query->addDefaultTypes($target);
+        $query->select($query->aliasFields($fields, $this->_name));
+        $query->addDefaultTypes($this->_targetTable);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -987,7 +994,7 @@ protected function _appendFields(Query $query, Query $surrogate, array $options)
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query the query that will get the formatter applied to
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $surrogate the query having formatters for the associated
      * target table.
-     * @param array $options options passed to the method `attachTo`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options passed to the method `attachTo`
      * @return void
      */
     protected function _formatAssociationResults(Query $query, Query $surrogate, array $options): void
@@ -1000,35 +1007,40 @@ protected function _formatAssociationResults(Query $query, Query $surrogate, arr
 
         $property = $options['propertyPath'];
         $propertyPath = explode('.', $property);
-        $query->formatResults(function ($results, $query) use ($formatters, $property, $propertyPath) {
-            $extracted = [];
-            foreach ($results as $result) {
-                foreach ($propertyPath as $propertyPathItem) {
-                    if (!isset($result[$propertyPathItem])) {
-                        $result = null;
-                        break;
+        $query->formatResults(
+            function (CollectionInterface $results, $query) use ($formatters, $property, $propertyPath) {
+                $extracted = [];
+                foreach ($results as $result) {
+                    foreach ($propertyPath as $propertyPathItem) {
+                        if (!isset($result[$propertyPathItem])) {
+                            $result = null;
+                            break;
+                        }
+                        $result = $result[$propertyPathItem];
+                    }
+                    $extracted[] = $result;
+                }
+                $extracted = new Collection($extracted);
+                foreach ($formatters as $callable) {
+                    $extracted = $callable($extracted, $query);
+                    if (!$extracted instanceof ResultSetInterface) {
+                        $extracted = new ResultSetDecorator($extracted);
                     }
-                    $result = $result[$propertyPathItem];
                 }
-                $extracted[] = $result;
-            }
-            $extracted = new Collection($extracted);
-            foreach ($formatters as $callable) {
-                $extracted = new ResultSetDecorator($callable($extracted, $query));
-            }
 
-            /** @var \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface $results */
-            $results = $results->insert($property, $extracted);
-            if ($query->isHydrationEnabled()) {
-                $results = $results->map(function ($result) {
-                    $result->clean();
+                $results = $results->insert($property, $extracted);
+                if ($query->isHydrationEnabled()) {
+                    $results = $results->map(function ($result) {
+                        $result->clean();
 
-                    return $result;
-                });
-            }
+                        return $result;
+                    });
+                }
 
-            return $results;
-        }, Query::PREPEND);
+                return $results;
+            },
+            Query::PREPEND
+        );
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1041,7 +1053,7 @@ protected function _formatAssociationResults(Query $query, Query $surrogate, arr
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query the query that will get the associations attached to
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $surrogate the query having the containments to be attached
-     * @param array $options options passed to the method `attachTo`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options passed to the method `attachTo`
      * @return void
      */
     protected function _bindNewAssociations(Query $query, Query $surrogate, array $options): void
@@ -1077,7 +1089,7 @@ protected function _bindNewAssociations(Query $query, Query $surrogate, array $o
      * Returns a single or multiple conditions to be appended to the generated join
      * clause for getting the results on the target table.
      *
-     * @param array $options list of options passed to attachTo method
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options passed to attachTo method
      * @return array
      * @throws \RuntimeException if the number of columns in the foreignKey do not
      * match the number of columns in the source table primaryKey
@@ -1130,7 +1142,7 @@ protected function _joinCondition(array $options): array
      * $query->contain(['Comments' => ['finder' => ['translations' => []]]]);
      * $query->contain(['Comments' => ['finder' => ['translations' => ['locales' => ['en_US']]]]]);
      *
-     * @param string|array $finderData The finder name or an array having the name as key
+     * @param array|string $finderData The finder name or an array having the name as key
      * and options as value.
      * @return array
      */
@@ -1192,7 +1204,7 @@ abstract public function type(): string;
 
     /**
      * Eager loads a list of records in the target table that are related to another
-     * set of records in the source table. Source records can specified in two ways:
+     * set of records in the source table. Source records can be specified in two ways:
      * first one is by passing a Query object setup to find on the source table and
      * the other way is by explicitly passing an array of primary key values from
      * the source table.
@@ -1217,7 +1229,7 @@ abstract public function type(): string;
      * - strategy: The name of strategy to use for finding target table records
      * - nestKey: The array key under which results will be found when transforming the row
      *
-     * @param array $options The options for eager loading.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for eager loading.
      * @return \Closure
      */
     abstract public function eagerLoader(array $options): Closure;
@@ -1229,13 +1241,13 @@ abstract public function eagerLoader(array $options): Closure;
      * required.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity that started the cascaded delete.
-     * @param array $options The options for the original delete.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the original delete.
      * @return bool Success
      */
     abstract public function cascadeDelete(EntityInterface $entity, array $options = []): bool;
 
     /**
-     * Returns whether or not the passed table is the owning side for this
+     * Returns whether the passed table is the owning side for this
      * association. This means that rows in the 'target' table would miss important
      * or required information if the row in 'source' did not exist.
      *
@@ -1249,7 +1261,7 @@ abstract public function isOwningSide(Table $side): bool;
      * the saving operation to the target table.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity the data to be saved
-     * @param array $options The options for saving associated data.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for saving associated data.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false false if $entity could not be saved, otherwise it returns
      * the saved entity
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::save()
diff --git a/Association/BelongsTo.php b/Association/BelongsTo.php
index fb354148..3072073a 100644
--- a/Association/BelongsTo.php
+++ b/Association/BelongsTo.php
@@ -24,19 +24,23 @@
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
 use Closure;
 use RuntimeException;
+use function Cake\Core\pluginSplit;
 
 /**
  * Represents an 1 - N relationship where the source side of the relation is
  * related to only one record in the target table.
  *
  * An example of a BelongsTo association would be Article belongs to Author.
+ *
+ * @template T of \Cake\ORM\Table
+ * @mixin T
  */
 class BelongsTo extends Association
 {
     /**
      * Valid strategies for this type of association
      *
-     * @var string[]
+     * @var array<string>
      */
     protected $_validStrategies = [
         self::STRATEGY_JOIN,
@@ -46,7 +50,7 @@ class BelongsTo extends Association
     /**
      * Gets the name of the field representing the foreign key to the target table.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getForeignKey()
     {
@@ -63,7 +67,7 @@ public function getForeignKey()
      * BelongsTo associations are never cleared in a cascading delete scenario.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity that started the cascaded delete.
-     * @param array $options The options for the original delete.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the original delete.
      * @return bool Success.
      */
     public function cascadeDelete(EntityInterface $entity, array $options = []): bool
@@ -84,7 +88,7 @@ protected function _propertyName(): string
     }
 
     /**
-     * Returns whether or not the passed table is the owning side for this
+     * Returns whether the passed table is the owning side for this
      * association. This means that rows in the 'target' table would miss important
      * or required information if the row in 'source' did not exist.
      *
@@ -113,7 +117,7 @@ public function type(): string
      * `$options`
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity an entity from the source table
-     * @param array $options options to be passed to the save method in the target table
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options to be passed to the save method in the target table
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false false if $entity could not be saved, otherwise it returns
      * the saved entity
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::save()
@@ -144,8 +148,8 @@ public function saveAssociated(EntityInterface $entity, array $options = [])
      * Returns a single or multiple conditions to be appended to the generated join
      * clause for getting the results on the target table.
      *
-     * @param array $options list of options passed to attachTo method
-     * @return \Cake\Database\Expression\IdentifierExpression[]
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options passed to attachTo method
+     * @return array<\Cake\Database\Expression\IdentifierExpression>
      * @throws \RuntimeException if the number of columns in the foreignKey do not
      * match the number of columns in the target table primaryKey
      */
diff --git a/Association/BelongsToMany.php b/Association/BelongsToMany.php
index 1ba41d9e..71b26e4a 100644
--- a/Association/BelongsToMany.php
+++ b/Association/BelongsToMany.php
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 use Cake\ORM\Association\Loader\SelectWithPivotLoader;
 use Cake\ORM\Query;
 use Cake\ORM\Table;
+use Cake\Utility\Hash;
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
 use Closure;
 use InvalidArgumentException;
@@ -35,6 +36,10 @@
  * that contains the association fields between the source and the target table.
  *
  * An example of a BelongsToMany association would be Article belongs to many Tags.
+ * In this example 'Article' is the source table and 'Tags' is the target table.
+ *
+ * @template T of \Cake\ORM\Table
+ * @mixin T
  */
 class BelongsToMany extends Association
 {
@@ -106,21 +111,21 @@ class BelongsToMany extends Association
     /**
      * The name of the field representing the foreign key to the target table
      *
-     * @var string|string[]|null
+     * @var array<string>|string|null
      */
     protected $_targetForeignKey;
 
     /**
      * The table instance for the junction relation.
      *
-     * @var string|\Cake\ORM\Table
+     * @var \Cake\ORM\Table|string
      */
     protected $_through;
 
     /**
      * Valid strategies for this type of association
      *
-     * @var string[]
+     * @var array<string>
      */
     protected $_validStrategies = [
         self::STRATEGY_SELECT,
@@ -161,7 +166,7 @@ class BelongsToMany extends Association
     /**
      * Sets the name of the field representing the foreign key to the target table.
      *
-     * @param string|string[] $key the key to be used to link both tables together
+     * @param array<string>|string $key the key to be used to link both tables together
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setTargetForeignKey($key)
@@ -174,7 +179,7 @@ public function setTargetForeignKey($key)
     /**
      * Gets the name of the field representing the foreign key to the target table.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getTargetForeignKey()
     {
@@ -188,7 +193,7 @@ public function getTargetForeignKey()
     /**
      * Whether this association can be expressed directly in a query join
      *
-     * @param array $options custom options key that could alter the return value
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options custom options key that could alter the return value
      * @return bool if the 'matching' key in $option is true then this function
      * will return true, false otherwise
      */
@@ -200,7 +205,7 @@ public function canBeJoined(array $options = []): bool
     /**
      * Gets the name of the field representing the foreign key to the source table.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getForeignKey()
     {
@@ -251,7 +256,7 @@ public function defaultRowValue(array $row, bool $joined): array
      * Sets the table instance for the junction relation. If no arguments
      * are passed, the current configured table instance is returned
      *
-     * @param string|\Cake\ORM\Table|null $table Name or instance for the join table
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\Table|string|null $table Name or instance for the join table
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Table
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException If the expected associations are incompatible with existing associations.
      */
@@ -425,6 +430,7 @@ protected function _generateJunctionAssociations(Table $junction, Table $source,
 
         if (!$junction->hasAssociation($sAlias)) {
             $junction->belongsTo($sAlias, [
+                'bindingKey' => $this->getBindingKey(),
                 'foreignKey' => $this->getForeignKey(),
                 'targetTable' => $source,
             ]);
@@ -445,7 +451,7 @@ protected function _generateJunctionAssociations(Table $junction, Table $source,
      * - type: The type of join to be used (e.g. INNER)
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query the query to be altered to include the target table data
-     * @param array $options Any extra options or overrides to be taken in account
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Any extra options or overrides to be taken in account
      * @return void
      */
     public function attachTo(Query $query, array $options = []): void
@@ -461,10 +467,7 @@ public function attachTo(Query $query, array $options = []): void
         $cond = $belongsTo->_joinCondition(['foreignKey' => $belongsTo->getForeignKey()]);
         $cond += $this->junctionConditions();
 
-        $includeFields = null;
-        if (isset($options['includeFields'])) {
-            $includeFields = $options['includeFields'];
-        }
+        $includeFields = $options['includeFields'] ?? null;
 
         // Attach the junction table as well we need it to populate _joinData.
         $assoc = $this->_targetTable->getAssociation($junction->getAlias());
@@ -492,9 +495,7 @@ protected function _appendNotMatching(Query $query, array $options): void
         if (empty($options['negateMatch'])) {
             return;
         }
-        if (!isset($options['conditions'])) {
-            $options['conditions'] = [];
-        }
+        $options['conditions'] = $options['conditions'] ?? [];
         $junction = $this->junction();
         $belongsTo = $junction->getAssociation($this->getSource()->getAlias());
         $conds = $belongsTo->_joinCondition(['foreignKey' => $belongsTo->getForeignKey()]);
@@ -539,7 +540,7 @@ public function type(): string
     /**
      * Return false as join conditions are defined in the junction table
      *
-     * @param array $options list of options passed to attachTo method
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options passed to attachTo method
      * @return array
      */
     protected function _joinCondition(array $options): array
@@ -578,7 +579,7 @@ public function eagerLoader(array $options): Closure
      * Clear out the data in the junction table for a given entity.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity that started the cascading delete.
-     * @param array $options The options for the original delete.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the original delete.
      * @return bool Success.
      */
     public function cascadeDelete(EntityInterface $entity, array $options = []): bool
@@ -676,7 +677,7 @@ public function getSaveStrategy(): string
      * not deleted.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity an entity from the source table
-     * @param array $options options to be passed to the save method in the target table
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options to be passed to the save method in the target table
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException if the property representing the association
      * in the parent entity cannot be traversed
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false false if $entity could not be saved, otherwise it returns
@@ -716,7 +717,7 @@ public function saveAssociated(EntityInterface $entity, array $options = [])
      * entities to be saved.
      * @param array $entities list of entities to persist in target table and to
      * link to the parent entity
-     * @param array $options list of options accepted by `Table::save()`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options accepted by `Table::save()`
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException if the property representing the association
      * in the parent entity cannot be traversed
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false The parent entity after all links have been
@@ -725,10 +726,12 @@ public function saveAssociated(EntityInterface $entity, array $options = [])
     protected function _saveTarget(EntityInterface $parentEntity, array $entities, $options)
     {
         $joinAssociations = false;
-        if (!empty($options['associated'][$this->_junctionProperty]['associated'])) {
-            $joinAssociations = $options['associated'][$this->_junctionProperty]['associated'];
+        if (isset($options['associated']) && is_array($options['associated'])) {
+            if (!empty($options['associated'][$this->_junctionProperty]['associated'])) {
+                $joinAssociations = $options['associated'][$this->_junctionProperty]['associated'];
+            }
+            unset($options['associated'][$this->_junctionProperty]);
         }
-        unset($options['associated'][$this->_junctionProperty]);
 
         $table = $this->getTarget();
         $original = $entities;
@@ -778,9 +781,9 @@ protected function _saveTarget(EntityInterface $parentEntity, array $entities, $
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $sourceEntity the entity from source table in this
      * association
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $targetEntities list of entities to link to link to the source entity using the
+     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $targetEntities list of entities to link to link to the source entity using the
      * junction table
-     * @param array $options list of options accepted by `Table::save()`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options accepted by `Table::save()`
      * @return bool success
      */
     protected function _saveLinks(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntities, array $options): bool
@@ -810,7 +813,7 @@ protected function _saveLinks(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntiti
             );
             // Keys were changed, the junction table record _could_ be
             // new. By clearing the primary key values, and marking the entity
-            // as new, we let save() sort out whether or not we have a new link
+            // as new, we let save() sort out whether we have a new link
             // or if we are updating an existing link.
             if ($changedKeys) {
                 $joint->setNew(true);
@@ -852,9 +855,9 @@ protected function _saveLinks(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntiti
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $sourceEntity the row belonging to the `source` side
      *   of this association
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $targetEntities list of entities belonging to the `target` side
+     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $targetEntities list of entities belonging to the `target` side
      *   of this association
-     * @param array $options list of options to be passed to the internal `save` call
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to be passed to the internal `save` call
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException when any of the values in $targetEntities is
      *   detected to not be already persisted
      * @return bool true on success, false otherwise
@@ -884,7 +887,7 @@ function () use ($sourceEntity, $targetEntities, $options) {
      * Additionally to the default options accepted by `Table::delete()`, the following
      * keys are supported:
      *
-     * - cleanProperty: Whether or not to remove all the objects in `$targetEntities` that
+     * - cleanProperty: Whether to remove all the objects in `$targetEntities` that
      * are stored in `$sourceEntity` (default: true)
      *
      * By default this method will unset each of the entity objects stored inside the
@@ -902,9 +905,9 @@ function () use ($sourceEntity, $targetEntities, $options) {
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $sourceEntity An entity persisted in the source table for
      *   this association.
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $targetEntities List of entities persisted in the target table for
+     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $targetEntities List of entities persisted in the target table for
      *   this association.
-     * @param array|bool $options List of options to be passed to the internal `delete` call,
+     * @param array<string>|bool $options List of options to be passed to the internal `delete` call,
      *   or a `boolean` as `cleanProperty` key shortcut.
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException If non persisted entities are passed or if
      *   any of them is lacking a primary key value.
@@ -932,12 +935,13 @@ function () use ($sourceEntity, $targetEntities, $options): void {
             }
         );
 
+        /** @var array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $existing */
         $existing = $sourceEntity->get($property) ?: [];
         if (!$options['cleanProperty'] || empty($existing)) {
             return true;
         }
 
-        /** @var \SplObjectStorage<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface, null> $storage*/
+        /** @var \SplObjectStorage<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface, null> $storage */
         $storage = new SplObjectStorage();
         foreach ($targetEntities as $e) {
             $storage->attach($e);
@@ -969,7 +973,7 @@ public function setConditions($conditions)
     /**
      * Sets the current join table, either the name of the Table instance or the instance itself.
      *
-     * @param string|\Cake\ORM\Table $through Name of the Table instance or the instance itself
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\Table|string $through Name of the Table instance or the instance itself
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setThrough($through)
@@ -982,7 +986,7 @@ public function setThrough($through)
     /**
      * Gets the current join table, either the name of the Table instance or the instance itself.
      *
-     * @return string|\Cake\ORM\Table
+     * @return \Cake\ORM\Table|string
      */
     public function getThrough()
     {
@@ -995,7 +999,7 @@ public function getThrough()
      * Any string expressions, or expression objects will
      * also be returned in this list.
      *
-     * @return mixed Generally an array. If the conditions
+     * @return array|\Closure|null Generally an array. If the conditions
      *   are not an array, the association conditions will be
      *   returned unmodified.
      */
@@ -1061,9 +1065,9 @@ protected function junctionConditions(): array
      * If your association includes conditions or a finder, the junction table will be
      * included in the query's contained associations.
      *
-     * @param string|array|null $type the type of query to perform, if an array is passed,
+     * @param array<string, mixed>|string|null $type the type of query to perform, if an array is passed,
      *   it will be interpreted as the `$options` parameter
-     * @param array $options The options to for the find
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options to for the find
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::find()
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      */
@@ -1162,7 +1166,7 @@ protected function _appendJunctionJoin(Query $query, ?array $conditions = null):
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $sourceEntity an entity persisted in the source table for
      *   this association
      * @param array $targetEntities list of entities from the target table to be linked
-     * @param array $options list of options to be passed to the internal `save`/`delete` calls
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to be passed to the internal `save`/`delete` calls
      *   when persisting/updating new links, or deleting existing ones
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException if non persisted entities are passed or if
      *   any of them is lacking a primary key value
@@ -1173,7 +1177,7 @@ public function replaceLinks(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntitie
         $bindingKey = (array)$this->getBindingKey();
         $primaryValue = $sourceEntity->extract($bindingKey);
 
-        if (count(array_filter($primaryValue, 'strlen')) !== count($bindingKey)) {
+        if (count(Hash::filter($primaryValue)) !== count($bindingKey)) {
             $message = 'Could not find primary key value for source entity';
             throw new InvalidArgumentException($message);
         }
@@ -1184,30 +1188,33 @@ function () use ($sourceEntity, $targetEntities, $primaryValue, $options) {
                 $target = $this->getTarget();
 
                 $foreignKey = (array)$this->getForeignKey();
-                $prefixedForeignKey = array_map([$junction, 'aliasField'], $foreignKey);
+                $assocForeignKey = (array)$junction->getAssociation($target->getAlias())->getForeignKey();
 
+                $prefixedForeignKey = array_map([$junction, 'aliasField'], $foreignKey);
                 $junctionPrimaryKey = (array)$junction->getPrimaryKey();
-                $assocForeignKey = (array)$junction->getAssociation($target->getAlias())->getForeignKey();
+                $junctionQueryAlias = $junction->getAlias() . '__matches';
 
-                $keys = array_combine($foreignKey, $prefixedForeignKey);
+                $keys = $matchesConditions = [];
                 foreach (array_merge($assocForeignKey, $junctionPrimaryKey) as $key) {
-                    $keys[$key] = $junction->aliasField($key);
+                    $aliased = $junction->aliasField($key);
+                    $keys[$key] = $aliased;
+                    $matchesConditions[$aliased] = new IdentifierExpression($junctionQueryAlias . '.' . $key);
                 }
 
-                // Find existing rows so that we can diff with new entities.
-                // Only hydrate primary/foreign key columns to save time.
-                // Attach joins first to ensure where conditions have correct
-                // column types set.
-                $existing = $this->_appendJunctionJoin($this->find())
+                // Use association to create row selection
+                // with finders & association conditions.
+                $matches = $this->_appendJunctionJoin($this->find())
                     ->select($keys)
                     ->where(array_combine($prefixedForeignKey, $primaryValue));
 
-                // Because we're aliasing key fields to look like they are not
-                // from joined table we need to overwrite the type map as the junction
-                // table can have a surrogate primary key that doesn't share a type
-                // with the target table.
-                $junctionTypes = array_intersect_key($junction->getSchema()->typeMap(), $keys);
-                $existing->getSelectTypeMap()->setTypes($junctionTypes);
+                // Create a subquery join to ensure we get
+                // the correct entity passed to callbacks.
+                $existing = $junction->selectQuery()
+                    ->from([$junctionQueryAlias => $matches])
+                    ->innerJoin(
+                        [$junction->getAlias() => $junction->getTable()],
+                        $matchesConditions
+                    );
 
                 $jointEntities = $this->_collectJointEntities($sourceEntity, $targetEntities);
                 $inserts = $this->_diffLinks($existing, $jointEntities, $targetEntities, $options);
@@ -1244,10 +1251,10 @@ function () use ($sourceEntity, $targetEntities, $primaryValue, $options) {
      * `$targetEntities` that were not deleted from calculating the difference.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $existing a query for getting existing links
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $jointEntities link entities that should be persisted
+     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $jointEntities link entities that should be persisted
      * @param array $targetEntities entities in target table that are related to
      * the `$jointEntities`
-     * @param array $options list of options accepted by `Table::delete()`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options accepted by `Table::delete()`
      * @return array|false Array of entities not deleted or false in case of deletion failure for atomic saves.
      */
     protected function _diffLinks(
@@ -1263,26 +1270,42 @@ protected function _diffLinks(
         $assocForeignKey = (array)$belongsTo->getForeignKey();
 
         $keys = array_merge($foreignKey, $assocForeignKey);
-        $deletes = $indexed = $present = [];
+        $deletes = $unmatchedEntityKeys = $present = [];
 
         foreach ($jointEntities as $i => $entity) {
-            $indexed[$i] = $entity->extract($keys);
+            $unmatchedEntityKeys[$i] = $entity->extract($keys);
             $present[$i] = array_values($entity->extract($assocForeignKey));
         }
 
-        foreach ($existing as $result) {
-            $fields = $result->extract($keys);
+        foreach ($existing as $existingLink) {
+            $existingKeys = $existingLink->extract($keys);
             $found = false;
-            foreach ($indexed as $i => $data) {
-                if ($fields === $data) {
-                    unset($indexed[$i]);
+            foreach ($unmatchedEntityKeys as $i => $unmatchedKeys) {
+                $matched = false;
+                foreach ($keys as $key) {
+                    if (is_object($unmatchedKeys[$key]) && is_object($existingKeys[$key])) {
+                        // If both sides are an object then use == so that value objects
+                        // are seen as equivalent.
+                        $matched = $existingKeys[$key] == $unmatchedKeys[$key];
+                    } else {
+                        // Use strict equality for all other values.
+                        $matched = $existingKeys[$key] === $unmatchedKeys[$key];
+                    }
+                    // Stop checks on first failure.
+                    if (!$matched) {
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+                if ($matched) {
+                    // Remove the unmatched entity so we don't look at it again.
+                    unset($unmatchedEntityKeys[$i]);
                     $found = true;
                     break;
                 }
             }
 
             if (!$found) {
-                $deletes[] = $result;
+                $deletes[] = $existingLink;
             }
         }
 
@@ -1315,7 +1338,7 @@ protected function _diffLinks(
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $sourceEntity the row belonging to the `source` side
      *   of this association
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $targetEntities list of entities belonging to the `target` side
+     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $targetEntities list of entities belonging to the `target` side
      *   of this association
      * @return bool
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException
@@ -1347,7 +1370,7 @@ protected function _checkPersistenceStatus(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array
      *   association.
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException if any of the entities is lacking a primary
      *   key value
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[]
+     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>
      */
     protected function _collectJointEntities(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntities): array
     {
@@ -1452,7 +1475,7 @@ protected function _junctionTableName(?string $name = null): string
     /**
      * Parse extra options passed in the constructor.
      *
-     * @param array $options original list of options passed in constructor
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options original list of options passed in constructor
      * @return void
      */
     protected function _options(array $options): void
diff --git a/Association/DependentDeleteHelper.php b/Association/DependentDeleteHelper.php
index 1b7a7d80..e965d5de 100644
--- a/Association/DependentDeleteHelper.php
+++ b/Association/DependentDeleteHelper.php
@@ -2,17 +2,17 @@
 declare(strict_types=1);
 
 /**
- * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (http://cakephp.org)
- * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
+ * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (https://cakephp.org)
+ * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
  *
  * Licensed under The MIT License
  * For full copyright and license information, please see the LICENSE.txt
  * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
  *
- * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
- * @link          http://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
+ * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ * @link          https://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
  * @since         3.5.0
- * @license       http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
+ * @license       https://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
  */
 namespace Cake\ORM\Association;
 
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class DependentDeleteHelper
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association $association The association callbacks are being cascaded on.
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity that started the cascaded delete.
-     * @param array $options The options for the original delete.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the original delete.
      * @return bool Success.
      */
     public function cascadeDelete(Association $association, EntityInterface $entity, array $options = []): bool
@@ -45,7 +45,11 @@ public function cascadeDelete(Association $association, EntityInterface $entity,
         /** @psalm-suppress InvalidArgument */
         $foreignKey = array_map([$association, 'aliasField'], (array)$association->getForeignKey());
         $bindingKey = (array)$association->getBindingKey();
-        $conditions = array_combine($foreignKey, $entity->extract($bindingKey));
+        $bindingValue = $entity->extract($bindingKey);
+        if (in_array(null, $bindingValue, true)) {
+            return true;
+        }
+        $conditions = array_combine($foreignKey, $bindingValue);
 
         if ($association->getCascadeCallbacks()) {
             foreach ($association->find()->where($conditions)->all()->toList() as $related) {
diff --git a/Association/HasMany.php b/Association/HasMany.php
index fa59e21f..5d95621d 100644
--- a/Association/HasMany.php
+++ b/Association/HasMany.php
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@
  * will have one or multiple records per each one in the source side.
  *
  * An example of a HasMany association would be Author has many Articles.
+ *
+ * @template T of \Cake\ORM\Table
+ * @mixin T
  */
 class HasMany extends Association
 {
@@ -60,7 +63,7 @@ class HasMany extends Association
     /**
      * Valid strategies for this type of association
      *
-     * @var string[]
+     * @var array<string>
      */
     protected $_validStrategies = [
         self::STRATEGY_SELECT,
@@ -89,7 +92,7 @@ class HasMany extends Association
     protected $_saveStrategy = self::SAVE_APPEND;
 
     /**
-     * Returns whether or not the passed table is the owning side for this
+     * Returns whether the passed table is the owning side for this
      * association. This means that rows in the 'target' table would miss important
      * or required information if the row in 'source' did not exist.
      *
@@ -137,7 +140,7 @@ public function getSaveStrategy(): string
      * `$options`
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity an entity from the source table
-     * @param array $options options to be passed to the save method in the target table
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options to be passed to the save method in the target table
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false false if $entity could not be saved, otherwise it returns
      * the saved entity
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::save()
@@ -199,7 +202,7 @@ public function saveAssociated(EntityInterface $entity, array $options = [])
      * entities to be saved.
      * @param array $entities list of entities
      * to persist in target table and to link to the parent entity
-     * @param array $options list of options accepted by `Table::save()`.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options accepted by `Table::save()`.
      * @return bool `true` on success, `false` otherwise.
      */
     protected function _saveTarget(
@@ -267,7 +270,7 @@ protected function _saveTarget(
      * of this association
      * @param array $targetEntities list of entities belonging to the `target` side
      * of this association
-     * @param array $options list of options to be passed to the internal `save` call
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to be passed to the internal `save` call
      * @return bool true on success, false otherwise
      */
     public function link(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntities, array $options = []): bool
@@ -311,7 +314,7 @@ public function link(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntities, array
      * Additionally to the default options accepted by `Table::delete()`, the following
      * keys are supported:
      *
-     * - cleanProperty: Whether or not to remove all the objects in `$targetEntities` that
+     * - cleanProperty: Whether to remove all the objects in `$targetEntities` that
      * are stored in `$sourceEntity` (default: true)
      *
      * By default this method will unset each of the entity objects stored inside the
@@ -335,7 +338,7 @@ public function link(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntities, array
      * this association
      * @param array $targetEntities list of entities persisted in the target table for
      * this association
-     * @param array|bool $options list of options to be passed to the internal `delete` call.
+     * @param array<string, mixed>|bool $options list of options to be passed to the internal `delete` call.
      *   If boolean it will be used a value for "cleanProperty" option.
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException if non persisted entities are passed or if
      * any of them is lacking a primary key value
@@ -424,7 +427,7 @@ function ($assoc) use ($targetEntities) {
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $sourceEntity an entity persisted in the source table for
      * this association
      * @param array $targetEntities list of entities from the target table to be linked
-     * @param array $options list of options to be passed to the internal `save`/`delete` calls
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to be passed to the internal `save`/`delete` calls
      * when persisting/updating new links, or deleting existing ones
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException if non persisted entities are passed or if
      * any of them is lacking a primary key value
@@ -456,7 +459,7 @@ public function replace(EntityInterface $sourceEntity, array $targetEntities, ar
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity the entity which should have its associated entities unassigned
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $target The associated table
      * @param iterable $remainingEntities Entities that should not be deleted
-     * @param array $options list of options accepted by `Table::delete()`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options accepted by `Table::delete()`
      * @return bool success
      */
     protected function _unlinkAssociated(
@@ -504,7 +507,7 @@ function ($v) {
      * @param array $foreignKey array of foreign key properties
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $target The associated table
      * @param array $conditions The conditions that specifies what are the objects to be unlinked
-     * @param array $options list of options accepted by `Table::delete()`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options accepted by `Table::delete()`
      * @return bool success
      */
     protected function _unlink(array $foreignKey, Table $target, array $conditions = [], array $options = []): bool
@@ -575,7 +578,7 @@ public function type(): string
     /**
      * Whether this association can be expressed directly in a query join
      *
-     * @param array $options custom options key that could alter the return value
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options custom options key that could alter the return value
      * @return bool if the 'matching' key in $option is true then this function
      * will return true, false otherwise
      */
@@ -587,7 +590,7 @@ public function canBeJoined(array $options = []): bool
     /**
      * Gets the name of the field representing the foreign key to the source table.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getForeignKey()
     {
@@ -637,7 +640,7 @@ public function defaultRowValue(array $row, bool $joined): array
     /**
      * Parse extra options passed in the constructor.
      *
-     * @param array $options original list of options passed in constructor
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options original list of options passed in constructor
      * @return void
      */
     protected function _options(array $options): void
diff --git a/Association/HasOne.php b/Association/HasOne.php
index bd10694b..ff239477 100644
--- a/Association/HasOne.php
+++ b/Association/HasOne.php
@@ -22,19 +22,23 @@
 use Cake\ORM\Table;
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
 use Closure;
+use function Cake\Core\pluginSplit;
 
 /**
  * Represents an 1 - 1 relationship where the source side of the relation is
  * related to only one record in the target table and vice versa.
  *
  * An example of a HasOne association would be User has one Profile.
+ *
+ * @template T of \Cake\ORM\Table
+ * @mixin T
  */
 class HasOne extends Association
 {
     /**
      * Valid strategies for this type of association
      *
-     * @var string[]
+     * @var array<string>
      */
     protected $_validStrategies = [
         self::STRATEGY_JOIN,
@@ -44,7 +48,7 @@ class HasOne extends Association
     /**
      * Gets the name of the field representing the foreign key to the target table.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getForeignKey()
     {
@@ -68,7 +72,7 @@ protected function _propertyName(): string
     }
 
     /**
-     * Returns whether or not the passed table is the owning side for this
+     * Returns whether the passed table is the owning side for this
      * association. This means that rows in the 'target' table would miss important
      * or required information if the row in 'source' did not exist.
      *
@@ -97,7 +101,7 @@ public function type(): string
      * `$options`
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity an entity from the source table
-     * @param array $options options to be passed to the save method in the target table
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options to be passed to the save method in the target table
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false false if $entity could not be saved, otherwise it returns
      * the saved entity
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::save()
diff --git a/Association/Loader/SelectLoader.php b/Association/Loader/SelectLoader.php
index f3be34f5..dce3b320 100644
--- a/Association/Loader/SelectLoader.php
+++ b/Association/Loader/SelectLoader.php
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class SelectLoader
     /**
      * The foreignKey to the target association
      *
-     * @var string|array
+     * @var array|string
      */
     protected $foreignKey;
 
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ class SelectLoader
      * Copies the options array to properties in this class. The keys in the array correspond
      * to properties in this class.
      *
-     * @param array $options Properties to be copied to this class
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Properties to be copied to this class
      */
     public function __construct(array $options)
     {
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ public function __construct(array $options)
      * Returns a callable that can be used for injecting association results into a given
      * iterator. The options accepted by this method are the same as `Association::eagerLoader()`
      *
-     * @param array $options Same options as `Association::eagerLoader()`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Same options as `Association::eagerLoader()`
      * @return \Closure
      */
     public function buildEagerLoader(array $options): Closure
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ public function buildEagerLoader(array $options): Closure
     /**
      * Returns the default options to use for the eagerLoader
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected function _defaultOptions(): array
     {
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ protected function _defaultOptions(): array
      * in the target table that are associated to those specified in $options from
      * the source table
      *
-     * @param array $options options accepted by eagerLoader()
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options accepted by eagerLoader()
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException When a key is required for associations but not selected.
      */
@@ -161,10 +161,7 @@ protected function _buildQuery(array $options): Query
         $filter = $options['keys'];
         $useSubquery = $options['strategy'] === Association::STRATEGY_SUBQUERY;
         $finder = $this->finder;
-
-        if (!isset($options['fields'])) {
-            $options['fields'] = [];
-        }
+        $options['fields'] = $options['fields'] ?? [];
 
         /** @var \Cake\ORM\Query $query */
         $query = $finder();
@@ -178,6 +175,11 @@ protected function _buildQuery(array $options): Query
             ->where($options['conditions'])
             ->eagerLoaded(true)
             ->enableHydration($options['query']->isHydrationEnabled());
+        if ($options['query']->isResultsCastingEnabled()) {
+            $fetchQuery->enableResultsCasting();
+        } else {
+            $fetchQuery->disableResultsCasting();
+        }
 
         if ($useSubquery) {
             $filter = $this->_buildSubquery($options['query']);
@@ -215,7 +217,7 @@ protected function _buildQuery(array $options): Query
      * $query->contain(['Comments' => ['finder' => ['translations' => []]]]);
      * $query->contain(['Comments' => ['finder' => ['translations' => ['locales' => ['en_US']]]]]);
      *
-     * @param string|array $finderData The finder name or an array having the name as key
+     * @param array|string $finderData The finder name or an array having the name as key
      * and options as value.
      * @return array
      */
@@ -236,12 +238,16 @@ protected function _extractFinder($finderData): array
      * If the required fields are missing, throws an exception.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $fetchQuery The association fetching query
-     * @param array $key The foreign key fields to check
+     * @param array<string> $key The foreign key fields to check
      * @return void
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException
      */
     protected function _assertFieldsPresent(Query $fetchQuery, array $key): void
     {
+        if ($fetchQuery->isAutoFieldsEnabled()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         $select = $fetchQuery->aliasFields($fetchQuery->clause('select'));
         if (empty($select)) {
             return;
@@ -279,7 +285,7 @@ protected function _assertFieldsPresent(Query $fetchQuery, array $key): void
      * filtering needs to be done using a subquery.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query Target table's query
-     * @param string|string[] $key the fields that should be used for filtering
+     * @param array<string>|string $key the fields that should be used for filtering
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $subquery The Subquery to use for filtering
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      */
@@ -315,7 +321,7 @@ protected function _addFilteringJoin(Query $query, $key, $subquery): Query
      * target table query given a filter key and some filtering values.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query Target table's query
-     * @param string|array $key The fields that should be used for filtering
+     * @param array<string>|string $key The fields that should be used for filtering
      * @param mixed $filter The value that should be used to match for $key
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      */
@@ -335,7 +341,7 @@ protected function _addFilteringCondition(Query $query, $key, $filter): Query
      * from $keys with the tuple values in $filter using the provided operator.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query Target table's query
-     * @param string[] $keys the fields that should be used for filtering
+     * @param array<string> $keys the fields that should be used for filtering
      * @param mixed $filter the value that should be used to match for $key
      * @param string $operator The operator for comparing the tuples
      * @return \Cake\Database\Expression\TupleComparison
@@ -357,8 +363,8 @@ protected function _createTupleCondition(Query $query, array $keys, $filter, $op
      * Generates a string used as a table field that contains the values upon
      * which the filter should be applied
      *
-     * @param array $options The options for getting the link field.
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for getting the link field.
+     * @return array<string>|string
      * @throws \RuntimeException
      */
     protected function _linkField(array $options)
@@ -404,7 +410,8 @@ protected function _buildSubquery(Query $query): Query
         $filterQuery->contain([], true);
         $filterQuery->setValueBinder(new ValueBinder());
 
-        if (!$filterQuery->clause('limit')) {
+        // Ignore limit if there is no order since we need all rows to find matches
+        if (!$filterQuery->clause('limit') || !$filterQuery->clause('order')) {
             $filterQuery->limit(null);
             $filterQuery->order([], true);
             $filterQuery->offset(null);
@@ -424,7 +431,7 @@ protected function _buildSubquery(Query $query): Query
      * that need to be present to ensure the correct association data is loaded.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query to get fields from.
-     * @return array The list of fields for the subquery.
+     * @return array<string, array> The list of fields for the subquery.
      */
     protected function _subqueryFields(Query $query): array
     {
@@ -455,8 +462,8 @@ protected function _subqueryFields(Query $query): array
      * the foreignKey value corresponding to this association.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $fetchQuery The query to get results from
-     * @param array $options The options passed to the eager loader
-     * @return array
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options passed to the eager loader
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected function _buildResultMap(Query $fetchQuery, array $options): array
     {
@@ -487,9 +494,9 @@ protected function _buildResultMap(Query $fetchQuery, array $options): array
      * for injecting the eager loaded rows
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $fetchQuery the Query used to fetch results
-     * @param array $resultMap an array with the foreignKey as keys and
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $resultMap an array with the foreignKey as keys and
      * the corresponding target table results as value.
-     * @param array $options The options passed to the eagerLoader method
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options passed to the eagerLoader method
      * @return \Closure
      */
     protected function _resultInjector(Query $fetchQuery, array $resultMap, array $options): Closure
@@ -525,8 +532,8 @@ protected function _resultInjector(Query $fetchQuery, array $resultMap, array $o
      * for injecting the eager loaded rows when the matching needs to
      * be done with multiple foreign keys
      *
-     * @param array $resultMap A keyed arrays containing the target table
-     * @param string[] $sourceKeys An array with aliased keys to match
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $resultMap A keyed arrays containing the target table
+     * @param array<string> $sourceKeys An array with aliased keys to match
      * @param string $nestKey The key under which results should be nested
      * @return \Closure
      */
diff --git a/Association/Loader/SelectWithPivotLoader.php b/Association/Loader/SelectWithPivotLoader.php
index 128f52f5..318a8e45 100644
--- a/Association/Loader/SelectWithPivotLoader.php
+++ b/Association/Loader/SelectWithPivotLoader.php
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class SelectWithPivotLoader extends SelectLoader
     /**
      * Custom conditions for the junction association
      *
-     * @var string|array|\Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|\Closure|null
+     * @var \Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|\Closure|array|string|null
      */
     protected $junctionConditions;
 
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public function __construct(array $options)
      *
      * This is used for eager loading records on the target table based on conditions.
      *
-     * @param array $options options accepted by eagerLoader()
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options accepted by eagerLoader()
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException When a key is required for associations but not selected.
      */
@@ -141,8 +141,8 @@ protected function _assertFieldsPresent(Query $fetchQuery, array $key): void
      * Generates a string used as a table field that contains the values upon
      * which the filter should be applied
      *
-     * @param array $options the options to use for getting the link field.
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options the options to use for getting the link field.
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     protected function _linkField(array $options)
     {
@@ -165,8 +165,8 @@ protected function _linkField(array $options)
      * the foreignKey value corresponding to this association.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $fetchQuery The query to get results from
-     * @param array $options The options passed to the eager loader
-     * @return array
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options passed to the eager loader
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      * @throws \RuntimeException when the association property is not part of the results set.
      */
     protected function _buildResultMap(Query $fetchQuery, array $options): array
diff --git a/AssociationCollection.php b/AssociationCollection.php
index 6a025dd3..9f213145 100644
--- a/AssociationCollection.php
+++ b/AssociationCollection.php
@@ -23,12 +23,16 @@
 use InvalidArgumentException;
 use IteratorAggregate;
 use Traversable;
+use function Cake\Core\namespaceSplit;
+use function Cake\Core\pluginSplit;
 
 /**
  * A container/collection for association classes.
  *
  * Contains methods for managing associations, and
  * ordering operations around saving and deleting.
+ *
+ * @template-implements \IteratorAggregate<string, \Cake\ORM\Association>
  */
 class AssociationCollection implements IteratorAggregate
 {
@@ -38,7 +42,7 @@ class AssociationCollection implements IteratorAggregate
     /**
      * Stored associations
      *
-     * @var \Cake\ORM\Association[]
+     * @var array<\Cake\ORM\Association>
      */
     protected $_items = [];
 
@@ -66,6 +70,9 @@ public function __construct(?LocatorInterface $tableLocator = null)
      * @param string $alias The association alias
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association $association The association to add.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Association The association object being added.
+     * @template T of \Cake\ORM\Association
+     * @psalm-param T $association
+     * @psalm-return T
      */
     public function add(string $alias, Association $association): Association
     {
@@ -79,9 +86,12 @@ public function add(string $alias, Association $association): Association
      *
      * @param string $className The name of association class.
      * @param string $associated The alias for the target table.
-     * @param array $options List of options to configure the association definition.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options to configure the association definition.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Association
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException
+     * @template T of \Cake\ORM\Association
+     * @psalm-param class-string<T> $className
+     * @psalm-return T
      */
     public function load(string $className, string $associated, array $options = []): Association
     {
@@ -90,14 +100,6 @@ public function load(string $className, string $associated, array $options = [])
         ];
 
         $association = new $className($associated, $options);
-        if (!$association instanceof Association) {
-            $message = sprintf(
-                'The association must extend `%s` class, `%s` given.',
-                Association::class,
-                get_class($association)
-            );
-            throw new InvalidArgumentException($message);
-        }
 
         return $this->add($association->getName(), $association);
     }
@@ -110,11 +112,7 @@ public function load(string $className, string $associated, array $options = [])
      */
     public function get(string $alias): ?Association
     {
-        if (isset($this->_items[$alias])) {
-            return $this->_items[$alias];
-        }
-
-        return null;
+        return $this->_items[$alias] ?? null;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -138,7 +136,7 @@ public function getByProperty(string $prop): ?Association
      * Check for an attached association by name.
      *
      * @param string $alias The association alias to get.
-     * @return bool Whether or not the association exists.
+     * @return bool Whether the association exists.
      */
     public function has(string $alias): bool
     {
@@ -148,7 +146,7 @@ public function has(string $alias): bool
     /**
      * Get the names of all the associations in the collection.
      *
-     * @return string[]
+     * @return array<string>
      */
     public function keys(): array
     {
@@ -158,9 +156,9 @@ public function keys(): array
     /**
      * Get an array of associations matching a specific type.
      *
-     * @param string|array $class The type of associations you want.
+     * @param array<string>|string $class The type of associations you want.
      *   For example 'BelongsTo' or array like ['BelongsTo', 'HasOne']
-     * @return \Cake\ORM\Association[] An array of Association objects.
+     * @return array<\Cake\ORM\Association> An array of Association objects.
      * @since 3.5.3
      */
     public function getByType($class): array
@@ -179,7 +177,7 @@ public function getByType($class): array
     /**
      * Drop/remove an association.
      *
-     * Once removed the association will not longer be reachable
+     * Once removed the association will no longer be reachable
      *
      * @param string $alias The alias name.
      * @return void
@@ -192,7 +190,7 @@ public function remove(string $alias): void
     /**
      * Remove all registered associations.
      *
-     * Once removed associations will not longer be reachable
+     * Once removed associations will no longer be reachable
      *
      * @return void
      */
@@ -213,7 +211,7 @@ public function removeAll(): void
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity to save associated data for.
      * @param array $associations The list of associations to save parents from.
      *   associations not in this list will not be saved.
-     * @param array $options The options for the save operation.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the save operation.
      * @return bool Success
      */
     public function saveParents(Table $table, EntityInterface $entity, array $associations, array $options = []): bool
@@ -235,7 +233,7 @@ public function saveParents(Table $table, EntityInterface $entity, array $associ
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity to save associated data for.
      * @param array $associations The list of associations to save children from.
      *   associations not in this list will not be saved.
-     * @param array $options The options for the save operation.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the save operation.
      * @return bool Success
      */
     public function saveChildren(Table $table, EntityInterface $entity, array $associations, array $options): bool
@@ -253,7 +251,7 @@ public function saveChildren(Table $table, EntityInterface $entity, array $assoc
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $table The table the save is currently operating on
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity to save
      * @param array $associations Array of associations to save.
-     * @param array $options Original options
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Original options
      * @param bool $owningSide Compared with association classes'
      *   isOwningSide method.
      * @return bool Success
@@ -297,8 +295,8 @@ protected function _saveAssociations(
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association $association The association object to save with.
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity to save
-     * @param array $nested Options for deeper associations
-     * @param array $options Original options
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $nested Options for deeper associations
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Original options
      * @return bool Success
      */
     protected function _save(
@@ -322,7 +320,7 @@ protected function _save(
      * Cascade first across associations for which cascadeCallbacks is true.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity to delete associations for.
-     * @param array $options The options used in the delete operation.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options used in the delete operation.
      * @return bool
      */
     public function cascadeDelete(EntityInterface $entity, array $options): bool
@@ -354,7 +352,7 @@ public function cascadeDelete(EntityInterface $entity, array $options): bool
      * array. If true is passed, then it returns all association names
      * in this collection.
      *
-     * @param bool|array $keys the list of association names to normalize
+     * @param array|bool $keys the list of association names to normalize
      * @return array
      */
     public function normalizeKeys($keys): array
@@ -373,8 +371,7 @@ public function normalizeKeys($keys): array
     /**
      * Allow looping through the associations
      *
-     * @return \Cake\ORM\Association[]
-     * @psalm-return \Traversable<string, \Cake\ORM\Association>
+     * @return \Traversable<string, \Cake\ORM\Association>
      */
     public function getIterator(): Traversable
     {
diff --git a/Behavior.php b/Behavior.php
index 1f7939ab..48577088 100644
--- a/Behavior.php
+++ b/Behavior.php
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 use Cake\Event\EventListenerInterface;
 use ReflectionClass;
 use ReflectionMethod;
+use function Cake\Core\deprecationWarning;
 
 /**
  * Base class for behaviors.
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@
  *
  * ### Callback methods
  *
- * Behaviors can listen to any events fired on a Table. By default
+ * Behaviors can listen to any events fired on a Table. By default,
  * CakePHP provides a number of lifecycle events your behaviors can
  * listen to:
  *
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@
  *   Fired before each find operation. By stopping the event and supplying a
  *   return value you can bypass the find operation entirely. Any changes done
  *   to the $query instance will be retained for the rest of the find. The
- *   $primary parameter indicates whether or not this is the root query,
+ *   $primary parameter indicates whether this is the root query,
  *   or an associated query.
  *
  * - `buildValidator(EventInterface $event, Validator $validator, string $name)`
@@ -129,7 +130,7 @@ class Behavior implements EventListenerInterface
      * Stores the reflected method + finder methods per class.
      * This prevents reflecting the same class multiple times in a single process.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, array>
      */
     protected static $_reflectionCache = [];
 
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@ class Behavior implements EventListenerInterface
      *
      * These are merged with user-provided configuration when the behavior is used.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_defaultConfig = [];
 
@@ -148,7 +149,7 @@ class Behavior implements EventListenerInterface
      * Merges config with the default and store in the config property
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $table The table this behavior is attached to.
-     * @param array $config The config for this behavior.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The config for this behavior.
      */
     public function __construct(Table $table, array $config = [])
     {
@@ -173,7 +174,7 @@ public function __construct(Table $table, array $config = [])
      * Implement this method to avoid having to overwrite
      * the constructor and call parent.
      *
-     * @param array $config The configuration settings provided to this behavior.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The configuration settings provided to this behavior.
      * @return void
      */
     public function initialize(array $config): void
@@ -207,8 +208,8 @@ public function table(): Table
      * Removes aliased methods that would otherwise be duplicated by userland configuration.
      *
      * @param string $key The key to filter.
-     * @param array $defaults The default method mappings.
-     * @param array $config The customized method mappings.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $defaults The default method mappings.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The customized method mappings.
      * @return array A de-duped list of config data.
      */
     protected function _resolveMethodAliases(string $key, array $defaults, array $config): array
@@ -273,7 +274,7 @@ public function verifyConfig(): void
      * Override this method if you need to add non-conventional event listeners.
      * Or if you want your behavior to listen to non-standard events.
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function implementedEvents(): array
     {
diff --git a/Behavior/CounterCacheBehavior.php b/Behavior/CounterCacheBehavior.php
index 68746fb0..ce851146 100644
--- a/Behavior/CounterCacheBehavior.php
+++ b/Behavior/CounterCacheBehavior.php
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ class CounterCacheBehavior extends Behavior
     /**
      * Store the fields which should be ignored
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, array<string, bool>>
      */
     protected $_ignoreDirty = [];
 
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ protected function _processAssociations(EventInterface $event, EntityInterface $
      * @param \Cake\Event\EventInterface $event Event instance.
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity Entity
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association $assoc The association object
-     * @param array $settings The settings for for counter cache for this association
+     * @param array $settings The settings for counter cache for this association
      * @return void
      * @throws \RuntimeException If invalid callable is passed.
      */
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ protected function _shouldUpdateCount(array $conditions)
     /**
      * Fetches and returns the count for a single field in an association
      *
-     * @param array $config The counter cache configuration for a single field
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The counter cache configuration for a single field
      * @param array $conditions Additional conditions given to the query
      * @return int The number of relations matching the given config and conditions
      */
@@ -301,10 +301,7 @@ protected function _getCount(array $config, array $conditions): int
             unset($config['finder']);
         }
 
-        if (!isset($config['conditions'])) {
-            $config['conditions'] = [];
-        }
-        $config['conditions'] = array_merge($conditions, $config['conditions']);
+        $config['conditions'] = array_merge($conditions, $config['conditions'] ?? []);
         $query = $this->_table->find($finder, $config);
 
         return $query->count();
diff --git a/Behavior/TimestampBehavior.php b/Behavior/TimestampBehavior.php
index d2b6f7f8..57e3ec4e 100644
--- a/Behavior/TimestampBehavior.php
+++ b/Behavior/TimestampBehavior.php
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 use Cake\Database\TypeFactory;
 use Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface;
 use Cake\Event\EventInterface;
-use Cake\I18n\Time;
+use Cake\I18n\FrozenTime;
 use Cake\ORM\Behavior;
 use DateTimeInterface;
 use RuntimeException;
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ class TimestampBehavior extends Behavior
      * the code is executed, to set to an explicit date time value - set refreshTimetamp to false
      * and call setTimestamp() on the behavior class before use.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_defaultConfig = [
         'implementedFinders' => [],
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ class TimestampBehavior extends Behavior
     /**
      * Current timestamp
      *
-     * @var \Cake\I18n\Time|null
+     * @var \Cake\I18n\FrozenTime|null
      */
     protected $_ts;
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ class TimestampBehavior extends Behavior
      * If events are specified - do *not* merge them with existing events,
      * overwrite the events to listen on
      *
-     * @param array $config The config for this behavior.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The config for this behavior.
      * @return void
      */
     public function initialize(array $config): void
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ public function handleEvent(EventInterface $event, EntityInterface $entity): boo
      *
      * The implemented events of this behavior depend on configuration
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function implementedEvents(): array
     {
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ public function implementedEvents(): array
      *
      * @param \DateTimeInterface|null $ts Timestamp
      * @param bool $refreshTimestamp If true timestamp is refreshed.
-     * @return \Cake\I18n\Time
+     * @return \Cake\I18n\FrozenTime
      */
     public function timestamp(?DateTimeInterface $ts = null, bool $refreshTimestamp = false): DateTimeInterface
     {
@@ -155,9 +155,9 @@ public function timestamp(?DateTimeInterface $ts = null, bool $refreshTimestamp
             if ($this->_config['refreshTimestamp']) {
                 $this->_config['refreshTimestamp'] = false;
             }
-            $this->_ts = new Time($ts);
+            $this->_ts = new FrozenTime($ts);
         } elseif ($this->_ts === null || $refreshTimestamp) {
-            $this->_ts = new Time();
+            $this->_ts = new FrozenTime();
         }
 
         return $this->_ts;
diff --git a/Behavior/Translate/EavStrategy.php b/Behavior/Translate/EavStrategy.php
index 2a9f0e46..4b1e89ec 100644
--- a/Behavior/Translate/EavStrategy.php
+++ b/Behavior/Translate/EavStrategy.php
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class EavStrategy implements TranslateStrategyInterface
      *
      * These are merged with user-provided configuration.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_defaultConfig = [
         'fields' => [],
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ class EavStrategy implements TranslateStrategyInterface
      * Constructor
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $table The table this strategy is attached to.
-     * @param array $config The config for this strategy.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The config for this strategy.
      */
     public function __construct(Table $table, array $config = [])
     {
diff --git a/Behavior/Translate/ShadowTableStrategy.php b/Behavior/Translate/ShadowTableStrategy.php
index efcfecee..2408090b 100644
--- a/Behavior/Translate/ShadowTableStrategy.php
+++ b/Behavior/Translate/ShadowTableStrategy.php
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 use Cake\ORM\Query;
 use Cake\ORM\Table;
 use Cake\Utility\Hash;
+use function Cake\Core\pluginSplit;
 
 /**
  * This class provides a way to translate dynamic data by keeping translations
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ class ShadowTableStrategy implements TranslateStrategyInterface
      *
      * These are merged with user-provided configuration.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_defaultConfig = [
         'fields' => [],
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ class ShadowTableStrategy implements TranslateStrategyInterface
      * Constructor
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $table Table instance.
-     * @param array $config Configuration.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config Configuration.
      */
     public function __construct(Table $table, array $config = [])
     {
@@ -135,7 +136,10 @@ public function beforeFind(EventInterface $event, Query $query, ArrayObject $opt
 
         $fieldsAdded = $this->addFieldsToQuery($query, $config);
         $orderByTranslatedField = $this->iterateClause($query, 'order', $config);
-        $filteredByTranslatedField = $this->traverseClause($query, 'where', $config);
+        $filteredByTranslatedField =
+            $this->traverseClause($query, 'where', $config) ||
+            $config['onlyTranslated'] ||
+            ($options['filterByCurrentLocale'] ?? null);
 
         if (!$fieldsAdded && !$orderByTranslatedField && !$filteredByTranslatedField) {
             return;
@@ -199,7 +203,7 @@ protected function setupHasOneAssociation(string $locale, ArrayObject $options):
      * add the locale field though.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query to check.
-     * @param array $config The config to use for adding fields.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The config to use for adding fields.
      * @return bool Whether a join to the translation table is required.
      */
     protected function addFieldsToQuery($query, array $config)
@@ -241,7 +245,7 @@ protected function addFieldsToQuery($query, array $config)
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query the query to check.
      * @param string $name The clause name.
-     * @param array $config The config to use for adding fields.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The config to use for adding fields.
      * @return bool Whether a join to the translation table is required.
      */
     protected function iterateClause($query, $name = '', $config = []): bool
@@ -286,7 +290,7 @@ function ($c, &$field) use ($fields, $alias, $mainTableAlias, $mainTableFields,
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query the query to check.
      * @param string $name The clause name.
-     * @param array $config The config to use for adding fields.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The config to use for adding fields.
      * @return bool Whether a join to the translation table is required.
      */
     protected function traverseClause($query, $name = '', $config = []): bool
@@ -532,7 +536,10 @@ protected function rowMapper($results, $locale)
     public function groupTranslations($results): CollectionInterface
     {
         return $results->map(function ($row) {
-            $translations = (array)$row['_i18n'];
+            if (!($row instanceof EntityInterface)) {
+                return $row;
+            }
+            $translations = (array)$row->get('_i18n');
             if (empty($translations) && $row->get('_translations')) {
                 return $row;
             }
@@ -588,7 +595,7 @@ protected function bundleTranslatedFields($entity)
     /**
      * Lazy define and return the main table fields.
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string>
      */
     protected function mainFields()
     {
@@ -608,7 +615,7 @@ protected function mainFields()
     /**
      * Lazy define and return the translation table fields.
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string>
      */
     protected function translatedFields()
     {
diff --git a/Behavior/Translate/TranslateStrategyInterface.php b/Behavior/Translate/TranslateStrategyInterface.php
index 9f8d9a20..41536e6c 100644
--- a/Behavior/Translate/TranslateStrategyInterface.php
+++ b/Behavior/Translate/TranslateStrategyInterface.php
@@ -2,17 +2,17 @@
 declare(strict_types=1);
 
 /**
- * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (http://cakephp.org)
- * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
+ * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (https://cakephp.org)
+ * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
  *
  * Licensed under The MIT License
  * For full copyright and license information, please see the LICENSE.txt
  * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
  *
- * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
- * @link          http://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
+ * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ * @link          https://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
  * @since         4.0.0
- * @license       http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
+ * @license       https://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
  */
 namespace Cake\ORM\Behavior\Translate;
 
diff --git a/Behavior/Translate/TranslateStrategyTrait.php b/Behavior/Translate/TranslateStrategyTrait.php
index ea1fc290..bdfbb9b8 100644
--- a/Behavior/Translate/TranslateStrategyTrait.php
+++ b/Behavior/Translate/TranslateStrategyTrait.php
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ public function getLocale(): string
      */
     protected function unsetEmptyFields($entity)
     {
-        /** @var \Cake\ORM\Entity[] $translations */
+        /** @var array<\Cake\ORM\Entity> $translations */
         $translations = (array)$entity->get('_translations');
         foreach ($translations as $locale => $translation) {
             $fields = $translation->extract($this->_config['fields'], false);
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ protected function unsetEmptyFields($entity)
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Marshaller $marshaller The marhshaller of the table the behavior is attached to.
      * @param array $map The property map being built.
-     * @param array $options The options array used in the marshalling call.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options array used in the marshalling call.
      * @return array A map of `[property => callable]` of additional properties to marshal.
      */
     public function buildMarshalMap(Marshaller $marshaller, array $map, array $options): array
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ public function buildMarshalMap(Marshaller $marshaller, array $map, array $optio
 
                 // Set errors into the root entity, so validation errors match the original form data position.
                 if ($errors) {
-                    $entity->setErrors($errors);
+                    $entity->setErrors(['_translations' => $errors]);
                 }
 
                 return $translations;
diff --git a/Behavior/Translate/TranslateTrait.php b/Behavior/Translate/TranslateTrait.php
index 23670a31..95741243 100644
--- a/Behavior/Translate/TranslateTrait.php
+++ b/Behavior/Translate/TranslateTrait.php
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ trait TranslateTrait
      * it.
      *
      * @param string $language Language to return entity for.
-     * @return $this|\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|$this
      */
     public function translation(string $language)
     {
diff --git a/Behavior/TranslateBehavior.php b/Behavior/TranslateBehavior.php
index 5daecbb6..576ea890 100644
--- a/Behavior/TranslateBehavior.php
+++ b/Behavior/TranslateBehavior.php
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 use Cake\ORM\Query;
 use Cake\ORM\Table;
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
+use function Cake\Core\namespaceSplit;
 
 /**
  * This behavior provides a way to translate dynamic data by keeping translations
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ class TranslateBehavior extends Behavior implements PropertyMarshalInterface
      *
      * These are merged with user-provided configuration when the behavior is used.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_defaultConfig = [
         'implementedFinders' => ['translations' => 'findTranslations'],
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ class TranslateBehavior extends Behavior implements PropertyMarshalInterface
      *   are created/modified. Default `null`.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $table The table this behavior is attached to.
-     * @param array $config The config for this behavior.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The config for this behavior.
      */
     public function __construct(Table $table, array $config = [])
     {
@@ -119,7 +120,7 @@ public function __construct(Table $table, array $config = [])
     /**
      * Initialize hook
      *
-     * @param array $config The config for this behavior.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The config for this behavior.
      * @return void
      */
     public function initialize(array $config): void
@@ -202,7 +203,7 @@ public function setStrategy(TranslateStrategyInterface $strategy)
     /**
      * Gets the Model callbacks this behavior is interested in.
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function implementedEvents(): array
     {
@@ -222,7 +223,7 @@ public function implementedEvents(): array
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Marshaller $marshaller The marhshaller of the table the behavior is attached to.
      * @param array $map The property map being built.
-     * @param array $options The options array used in the marshalling call.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options array used in the marshalling call.
      * @return array A map of `[property => callable]` of additional properties to marshal.
      */
     public function buildMarshalMap(Marshaller $marshaller, array $map, array $options): array
@@ -306,7 +307,7 @@ public function translationField(string $field): string
      * for each record.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The original query to modify
-     * @param array $options Options
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Options
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      */
     public function findTranslations(Query $query, array $options): Query
diff --git a/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php b/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
index af4f3282..493bea37 100644
--- a/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
+++ b/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 use Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface;
 use Cake\Database\Expression\IdentifierExpression;
+use Cake\Database\Expression\QueryExpression;
 use Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface;
 use Cake\Datasource\Exception\RecordNotFoundException;
 use Cake\Event\EventInterface;
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ class TreeBehavior extends Behavior
      *
      * These are merged with user-provided configuration when the behavior is used.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_defaultConfig = [
         'implementedFinders' => [
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ class TreeBehavior extends Behavior
         'scope' => null,
         'level' => null,
         'recoverOrder' => null,
+        'cascadeCallbacks' => false,
     ];
 
     /**
@@ -226,16 +228,27 @@ public function beforeDelete(EventInterface $event, EntityInterface $entity)
         $diff = $right - $left + 1;
 
         if ($diff > 2) {
-            $query = $this->_scope($this->_table->query())
-                ->delete()
-                ->where(function ($exp) use ($config, $left, $right) {
-                    /** @var \Cake\Database\Expression\QueryExpression $exp */
-                    return $exp
-                        ->gte($config['leftField'], $left + 1)
-                        ->lte($config['leftField'], $right - 1);
-                });
-            $statement = $query->execute();
-            $statement->closeCursor();
+            if ($this->getConfig('cascadeCallbacks')) {
+                $query = $this->_scope($this->_table->selectQuery())
+                    ->where(function (QueryExpression $exp) use ($config, $left, $right) {
+                        return $exp
+                            ->gte($config['leftField'], $left + 1)
+                            ->lte($config['leftField'], $right - 1);
+                    });
+                $entities = $query->toArray();
+                foreach ($entities as $entityToDelete) {
+                    $this->_table->delete($entityToDelete, ['atomic' => false]);
+                }
+            } else {
+                $query = $this->_scope($this->_table->deleteQuery())
+                    ->where(function (QueryExpression $exp) use ($config, $left, $right) {
+                        return $exp
+                            ->gte($config['leftField'], $left + 1)
+                            ->lte($config['leftField'], $right - 1);
+                    });
+                $statement = $query->execute();
+                $statement->closeCursor();
+            }
         }
 
         $this->_sync($diff, '-', "> {$right}");
@@ -371,7 +384,7 @@ function ($exp) use ($config) {
      * is passed in the options containing the id of the node to get its path for.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The constructed query to modify
-     * @param array $options the list of options for the query
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options the list of options for the query
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException If the 'for' key is missing in options
      */
@@ -435,7 +448,7 @@ public function childCount(EntityInterface $node, bool $direct = false): int
      * If the direct option is set to true, only the direct children are returned (based upon the parent_id field)
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query Query.
-     * @param array $options Array of options as described above
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Array of options as described above
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException When the 'for' key is not passed in $options
      */
@@ -487,7 +500,7 @@ function ($field) {
      * - spacer: A string to be used as prefix for denoting the depth in the tree for each item
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query Query.
-     * @param array $options Array of options as described above.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Array of options as described above.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      */
     public function findTreeList(Query $query, array $options): Query
@@ -517,7 +530,7 @@ public function findTreeList(Query $query, array $options): Query
      * - spacer: A string to be used as prefix for denoting the depth in the tree for each item.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query object to format.
-     * @param array $options Array of options as described above.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Array of options as described above.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query Augmented query.
      */
     public function formatTreeList(Query $query, array $options = []): Query
@@ -601,12 +614,12 @@ protected function _removeFromTree(EntityInterface $node)
      * Reorders the node without changing its parent.
      *
      * If the node is the first child, or is a top level node with no previous node
-     * this method will return false
+     * this method will return the same node without any changes
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $node The node to move
      * @param int|true $number How many places to move the node, or true to move to first position
      * @throws \Cake\Datasource\Exception\RecordNotFoundException When node was not found
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false $node The node after being moved or false on failure
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false $node The node after being moved or false if `$number` is < 1
      */
     public function moveUp(EntityInterface $node, $number = 1)
     {
@@ -626,7 +639,7 @@ public function moveUp(EntityInterface $node, $number = 1)
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $node The node to move
      * @param int|true $number How many places to move the node, or true to move to first position
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $node The node after being moved or false on failure
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $node The node after being moved
      * @throws \Cake\Datasource\Exception\RecordNotFoundException When node was not found
      */
     protected function _moveUp(EntityInterface $node, $number): EntityInterface
@@ -693,12 +706,12 @@ protected function _moveUp(EntityInterface $node, $number): EntityInterface
      * Reorders the node without changing the parent.
      *
      * If the node is the last child, or is a top level node with no subsequent node
-     * this method will return false
+     * this method will return the same node without any changes
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $node The node to move
      * @param int|true $number How many places to move the node or true to move to last position
      * @throws \Cake\Datasource\Exception\RecordNotFoundException When node was not found
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false the entity after being moved or false on failure
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false the entity after being moved or false if `$number` is < 1
      */
     public function moveDown(EntityInterface $node, $number = 1)
     {
@@ -718,7 +731,7 @@ public function moveDown(EntityInterface $node, $number = 1)
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $node The node to move
      * @param int|true $number How many places to move the node, or true to move to last position
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $node The node after being moved or false on failure
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $node The node after being moved
      * @throws \Cake\Datasource\Exception\RecordNotFoundException When node was not found
      */
     protected function _moveDown(EntityInterface $node, $number): EntityInterface
@@ -828,47 +841,41 @@ public function recover(): void
     /**
      * Recursive method used to recover a single level of the tree
      *
-     * @param int $counter The Last left column value that was assigned
+     * @param int $lftRght The starting lft/rght value
      * @param mixed $parentId the parent id of the level to be recovered
      * @param int $level Node level
-     * @return int The next value to use for the left column
+     * @return int The next lftRght value
      */
-    protected function _recoverTree(int $counter = 0, $parentId = null, $level = -1): int
+    protected function _recoverTree(int $lftRght = 1, $parentId = null, $level = 0): int
     {
         $config = $this->getConfig();
         [$parent, $left, $right] = [$config['parent'], $config['left'], $config['right']];
         $primaryKey = $this->_getPrimaryKey();
-        $aliasedPrimaryKey = $this->_table->aliasField($primaryKey);
-        $order = $config['recoverOrder'] ?: $aliasedPrimaryKey;
+        $order = $config['recoverOrder'] ?: $primaryKey;
 
-        $query = $this->_scope($this->_table->query())
-            ->select([$aliasedPrimaryKey])
-            ->where([$this->_table->aliasField($parent) . ' IS' => $parentId])
+        $nodes = $this->_scope($this->_table->selectQuery())
+            ->select($primaryKey)
+            ->where([$parent . ' IS' => $parentId])
             ->order($order)
-            ->disableHydration();
+            ->disableHydration()
+            ->all();
 
-        $leftCounter = $counter;
-        $nextLevel = $level + 1;
-        foreach ($query as $row) {
-            $counter++;
-            $counter = $this->_recoverTree($counter, $row[$primaryKey], $nextLevel);
-        }
+        foreach ($nodes as $node) {
+            $nodeLft = $lftRght++;
+            $lftRght = $this->_recoverTree($lftRght, $node[$primaryKey], $level + 1);
 
-        if ($parentId === null) {
-            return $counter;
-        }
+            $fields = [$left => $nodeLft, $right => $lftRght++];
+            if ($config['level']) {
+                $fields[$config['level']] = $level;
+            }
 
-        $fields = [$left => $leftCounter, $right => $counter + 1];
-        if ($config['level']) {
-            $fields[$config['level']] = $level;
+            $this->_table->updateAll(
+                $fields,
+                [$primaryKey => $node[$primaryKey]]
+            );
         }
 
-        $this->_table->updateAll(
-            $fields,
-            [$primaryKey => $parentId]
-        );
-
-        return $counter + 1;
+        return $lftRght;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -909,7 +916,7 @@ protected function _sync(int $shift, string $dir, string $conditions, bool $mark
         $config = $this->_config;
 
         foreach ([$config['leftField'], $config['rightField']] as $field) {
-            $query = $this->_scope($this->_table->query());
+            $query = $this->_scope($this->_table->updateQuery());
             $exp = $query->newExpr();
 
             $movement = clone $exp;
@@ -923,10 +930,7 @@ protected function _sync(int $shift, string $dir, string $conditions, bool $mark
             $where = clone $exp;
             $where->add($field)->add($conditions)->setConjunction('');
 
-            $query->update()
-                ->set($exp->eq($field, $movement))
-                ->where($where);
-
+            $query->set($exp->eq($field, $movement))->where($where);
             $query->execute()->closeCursor();
         }
     }
@@ -968,7 +972,7 @@ protected function _ensureFields(EntityInterface $entity): void
             return;
         }
 
-        $fresh = $this->_table->get($entity->get($this->_getPrimaryKey()), $fields);
+        $fresh = $this->_table->get($entity->get($this->_getPrimaryKey()));
         $entity->set($fresh->extract($fields), ['guard' => false]);
 
         foreach ($fields as $field) {
@@ -994,7 +998,7 @@ protected function _getPrimaryKey(): string
     /**
      * Returns the depth level of a node in the tree.
      *
-     * @param int|string|\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity or primary key get the level of.
+     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|string|int $entity The entity or primary key get the level of.
      * @return int|false Integer of the level or false if the node does not exist.
      */
     public function getLevel($entity)
diff --git a/BehaviorRegistry.php b/BehaviorRegistry.php
index 7f7b2c2c..9f006a1b 100644
--- a/BehaviorRegistry.php
+++ b/BehaviorRegistry.php
@@ -46,14 +46,14 @@ class BehaviorRegistry extends ObjectRegistry implements EventDispatcherInterfac
     /**
      * Method mappings.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, array>
      */
     protected $_methodMap = [];
 
     /**
      * Finder method mappings.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, array>
      */
     protected $_finderMap = [];
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ protected function _throwMissingClassError(string $class, ?string $plugin): void
      *
      * @param string $class The classname that is missing.
      * @param string $alias The alias of the object.
-     * @param array $config An array of config to use for the behavior.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config An array of config to use for the behavior.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Behavior The constructed behavior class.
      * @psalm-suppress MoreSpecificImplementedParamType
      */
@@ -203,6 +203,31 @@ protected function _getMethods(Behavior $instance, string $class, string $alias)
         return compact('methods', 'finders');
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Remove an object from the registry.
+     *
+     * If this registry has an event manager, the object will be detached from any events as well.
+     *
+     * @param string $name The name of the object to remove from the registry.
+     * @return $this
+     */
+    public function unload(string $name)
+    {
+        $instance = $this->get($name);
+        $result = parent::unload($name);
+
+        $methods = array_change_key_case($instance->implementedMethods());
+        foreach (array_keys($methods) as $method) {
+            unset($this->_methodMap[$method]);
+        }
+        $finders = array_change_key_case($instance->implementedFinders());
+        foreach (array_keys($finders) as $finder) {
+            unset($this->_finderMap[$finder]);
+        }
+
+        return $result;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Check if any loaded behavior implements a method.
      *
diff --git a/EagerLoadable.php b/EagerLoadable.php
index c6e98c88..fc5e226f 100644
--- a/EagerLoadable.php
+++ b/EagerLoadable.php
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ class EagerLoadable
     /**
      * A list of other associations to load from this level.
      *
-     * @var \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[]
+     * @var array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable>
      */
     protected $_associations = [];
 
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ class EagerLoadable
      * A list of options to pass to the association object for loading
      * the records.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_config = [];
 
@@ -80,14 +80,14 @@ class EagerLoadable
     protected $_propertyPath;
 
     /**
-     * Whether or not this level can be fetched using a join.
+     * Whether this level can be fetched using a join.
      *
      * @var bool
      */
     protected $_canBeJoined = false;
 
     /**
-     * Whether or not this level was meant for a "matching" fetch
+     * Whether this level was meant for a "matching" fetch
      * operation
      *
      * @var bool|null
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ class EagerLoadable
      * The keys maps to the settable properties in this class.
      *
      * @param string $name The Association name.
-     * @param array $config The list of properties to set.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The list of properties to set.
      */
     public function __construct(string $name, array $config = [])
     {
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ public function addAssociation(string $name, EagerLoadable $association): void
     /**
      * Returns the Association class instance to use for loading the records.
      *
-     * @return \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[]
+     * @return array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable>
      */
     public function associations(): array
     {
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ public function propertyPath(): ?string
     }
 
     /**
-     * Sets whether or not this level can be fetched using a join.
+     * Sets whether this level can be fetched using a join.
      *
      * @param bool $possible The value to set.
      * @return $this
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ public function setCanBeJoined(bool $possible)
     }
 
     /**
-     * Gets whether or not this level can be fetched using a join.
+     * Gets whether this level can be fetched using a join.
      *
      * @return bool
      */
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ public function canBeJoined(): bool
      * Sets the list of options to pass to the association object for loading
      * the records.
      *
-     * @param array $config The value to set.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config The value to set.
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setConfig(array $config)
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ public function setConfig(array $config)
      * Gets the list of options to pass to the association object for loading
      * the records.
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function getConfig(): array
     {
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ public function getConfig(): array
     }
 
     /**
-     * Gets whether or not this level was meant for a
+     * Gets whether this level was meant for a
      * "matching" fetch operation.
      *
      * @return bool|null
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ public function targetProperty(): ?string
      * Returns a representation of this object that can be passed to
      * Cake\ORM\EagerLoader::contain()
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, array>
      */
     public function asContainArray(): array
     {
diff --git a/EagerLoader.php b/EagerLoader.php
index 671acfa3..d4fa10a2 100644
--- a/EagerLoader.php
+++ b/EagerLoader.php
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class EagerLoader
      * Nested array describing the association to be fetched
      * and the options to apply for each of them, if any
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_containments = [];
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class EagerLoader
      * Contains a nested array with the compiled containments tree
      * This is a normalized version of the user provided containments array.
      *
-     * @var \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[]|\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable|null
+     * @var \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable|array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable>|null
      */
     protected $_normalized;
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class EagerLoader
      * List of options accepted by associations in contain()
      * index by key for faster access
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, int>
      */
     protected $_containOptions = [
         'associations' => 1,
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ class EagerLoader
     /**
      * A list of associations that should be loaded with a separate query
      *
-     * @var \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[]
+     * @var array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable>
      */
     protected $_loadExternal = [];
 
@@ -91,12 +91,12 @@ class EagerLoader
      * A map of table aliases pointing to the association objects they represent
      * for the query.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable>
      */
     protected $_joinsMap = [];
 
     /**
-     * Controls whether or not fields from associated tables
+     * Controls whether fields from associated tables
      * will be eagerly loaded. When set to false, no fields will
      * be loaded from associations.
      *
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ public function contain($associations, ?callable $queryBuilder = null): array
         if ($queryBuilder) {
             if (!is_string($associations)) {
                 throw new InvalidArgumentException(
-                    sprintf('Cannot set containments. To use $queryBuilder, $associations must be a string')
+                    'Cannot set containments. To use $queryBuilder, $associations must be a string'
                 );
             }
 
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ public function clearContain(): void
     }
 
     /**
-     * Sets whether or not contained associations will load fields automatically.
+     * Sets whether contained associations will load fields automatically.
      *
      * @param bool $enable The value to set.
      * @return $this
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ public function disableAutoFields()
     }
 
     /**
-     * Gets whether or not contained associations will load fields automatically.
+     * Gets whether contained associations will load fields automatically.
      *
      * @return bool The current value.
      */
@@ -230,41 +230,37 @@ public function isAutoFieldsEnabled(): bool
      *
      *  ### Options
      *
-     *  - 'joinType': INNER, OUTER, ...
-     *  - 'fields': Fields to contain
+     *  - `joinType`: INNER, OUTER, ...
+     *  - `fields`: Fields to contain
+     *  - `negateMatch`: Whether to add conditions negate match on target association
      *
-     * @param string $assoc A single association or a dot separated path of associations.
+     * @param string $associationPath Dot separated association path, 'Name1.Name2.Name3'
      * @param callable|null $builder the callback function to be used for setting extra
      * options to the filtering query
-     * @param array $options Extra options for the association matching.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Extra options for the association matching.
      * @return $this
      */
-    public function setMatching(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null, array $options = [])
+    public function setMatching(string $associationPath, ?callable $builder = null, array $options = [])
     {
         if ($this->_matching === null) {
             $this->_matching = new static();
         }
 
-        if (!isset($options['joinType'])) {
-            $options['joinType'] = Query::JOIN_TYPE_INNER;
-        }
+        $options += ['joinType' => Query::JOIN_TYPE_INNER];
+        $sharedOptions = ['negateMatch' => false, 'matching' => true] + $options;
 
-        $assocs = explode('.', $assoc);
-        $last = array_pop($assocs);
-        $containments = [];
-        $pointer = &$containments;
-        $opts = ['matching' => true] + $options;
-        /** @psalm-suppress InvalidArrayOffset */
-        unset($opts['negateMatch']);
-
-        foreach ($assocs as $name) {
-            $pointer[$name] = $opts;
-            $pointer = &$pointer[$name];
+        $contains = [];
+        $nested = &$contains;
+        foreach (explode('.', $associationPath) as $association) {
+            // Add contain to parent contain using association name as key
+            $nested[$association] = $sharedOptions;
+            // Set to next nested level
+            $nested = &$nested[$association];
         }
 
-        $pointer[$last] = ['queryBuilder' => $builder, 'matching' => true] + $options;
-
-        $this->_matching->contain($containments);
+        // Add all options to target association contain which is the last in nested chain
+        $nested = ['matching' => true, 'queryBuilder' => $builder] + $options;
+        $this->_matching->contain($contains);
 
         return $this;
     }
@@ -288,11 +284,11 @@ public function getMatching(): array
      * loaded for a table. The normalized array will restructure the original array
      * by sorting all associations under one key and special options under another.
      *
-     * Each of the levels of the associations tree will converted to a Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable
+     * Each of the levels of the associations tree will be converted to a {@link \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable}
      * object, that contains all the information required for the association objects
      * to load the information from the database.
      *
-     * Additionally it will set an 'instance' key per association containing the
+     * Additionally, it will set an 'instance' key per association containing the
      * association instance from the corresponding source table
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $repository The table containing the association that
@@ -442,7 +438,7 @@ public function attachAssociations(Query $query, Table $repository, bool $includ
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $repository The table containing the associations to be
      * attached
-     * @return \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[]
+     * @return array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable>
      */
     public function attachableAssociations(Table $repository): array
     {
@@ -456,11 +452,11 @@ public function attachableAssociations(Table $repository): array
 
     /**
      * Returns an array with the associations that need to be fetched using a
-     * separate query, each array value will contain a Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable object.
+     * separate query, each array value will contain a {@link \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable} object.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $repository The table containing the associations
      * to be loaded
-     * @return \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[]
+     * @return array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable>
      */
     public function externalAssociations(Table $repository): array
     {
@@ -479,8 +475,8 @@ public function externalAssociations(Table $repository): array
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $parent owning side of the association
      * @param string $alias name of the association to be loaded
-     * @param array $options list of extra options to use for this association
-     * @param array $paths An array with two values, the first one is a list of dot
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of extra options to use for this association
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $paths An array with two values, the first one is a list of dot
      * separated strings representing associations that lead to this `$alias` in the
      * chain of associations to be loaded. The second value is the path to follow in
      * entities' properties to fetch a record of the corresponding association.
@@ -586,9 +582,9 @@ protected function _correctStrategy(EagerLoadable $loadable): void
      * Helper function used to compile a list of all associations that can be
      * joined in the query.
      *
-     * @param \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[] $associations list of associations from which to obtain joins.
-     * @param \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[] $matching list of associations that should be forcibly joined.
-     * @return \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[]
+     * @param array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable> $associations list of associations from which to obtain joins.
+     * @param array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable> $matching list of associations that should be forcibly joined.
+     * @return array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable>
      */
     protected function _resolveJoins(array $associations, array $matching = []): array
     {
@@ -634,7 +630,7 @@ public function loadExternal(Query $query, StatementInterface $statement): State
             return $statement;
         }
 
-        $driver = $query->getConnection()->getDriver();
+        $driver = $query->getConnection()->getDriver($query->getConnectionRole());
         [$collected, $statement] = $this->_collectKeys($external, $query, $statement);
 
         // No records found, skip trying to attach associations.
@@ -690,10 +686,10 @@ public function loadExternal(Query $query, StatementInterface $statement): State
      *
      * - alias: The association alias
      * - instance: The association instance
-     * - canBeJoined: Whether or not the association will be loaded using a JOIN
+     * - canBeJoined: Whether the association will be loaded using a JOIN
      * - entityClass: The entity that should be used for hydrating the results
      * - nestKey: A dotted path that can be used to correctly insert the data into the results.
-     * - matching: Whether or not it is an association loaded through `matching()`.
+     * - matching: Whether it is an association loaded through `matching()`.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $table The table containing the association that
      * will be normalized
@@ -710,9 +706,8 @@ public function associationsMap(Table $table): array
         /** @psalm-suppress PossiblyNullReference */
         $map = $this->_buildAssociationsMap($map, $this->_matching->normalized($table), true);
         $map = $this->_buildAssociationsMap($map, $this->normalized($table));
-        $map = $this->_buildAssociationsMap($map, $this->_joinsMap);
 
-        return $map;
+        return $this->_buildAssociationsMap($map, $this->_joinsMap);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -720,8 +715,8 @@ public function associationsMap(Table $table): array
      * associationsMap() method.
      *
      * @param array $map An initial array for the map.
-     * @param \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[] $level An array of EagerLoadable instances.
-     * @param bool $matching Whether or not it is an association loaded through `matching()`.
+     * @param array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable> $level An array of EagerLoadable instances.
+     * @param bool $matching Whether it is an association loaded through `matching()`.
      * @return array
      */
     protected function _buildAssociationsMap(array $map, array $level, bool $matching = false): array
@@ -756,9 +751,9 @@ protected function _buildAssociationsMap(array $map, array $level, bool $matchin
      * @param string $alias The table alias as it appears in the query.
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association $assoc The association object the alias represents;
      * will be normalized
-     * @param bool $asMatching Whether or not this join results should be treated as a
+     * @param bool $asMatching Whether this join results should be treated as a
      * 'matching' association.
-     * @param string $targetProperty The property name where the results of the join should be nested at.
+     * @param string|null $targetProperty The property name where the results of the join should be nested at.
      * If not passed, the default property for the association will be used.
      * @return void
      */
@@ -781,7 +776,7 @@ public function addToJoinsMap(
      * Helper function used to return the keys from the query records that will be used
      * to eagerly load associations.
      *
-     * @param \Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable[] $external the list of external associations to be loaded
+     * @param array<\Cake\ORM\EagerLoadable> $external the list of external associations to be loaded
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query from which the results where generated
      * @param \Cake\Database\StatementInterface $statement The statement to work on
      * @return array
@@ -823,7 +818,7 @@ protected function _collectKeys(array $external, Query $query, $statement): arra
      * defined in $collectKeys
      *
      * @param \Cake\Database\Statement\BufferedStatement $statement The statement to read from.
-     * @param array $collectKeys The keys to collect
+     * @param array<string, array> $collectKeys The keys to collect
      * @return array
      */
     protected function _groupKeys(BufferedStatement $statement, array $collectKeys): array
diff --git a/Entity.php b/Entity.php
index a7167875..14e5d57e 100644
--- a/Entity.php
+++ b/Entity.php
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ class Entity implements EntityInterface, InvalidPropertyInterface
      *  $entity = new Entity(['id' => 1, 'name' => 'Andrew'])
      * ```
      *
-     * @param array $properties hash of properties to set in this entity
-     * @param array $options list of options to use when creating this entity
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $properties hash of properties to set in this entity
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to use when creating this entity
      */
     public function __construct(array $properties = [], array $options = [])
     {
diff --git a/Exception/PersistenceFailedException.php b/Exception/PersistenceFailedException.php
index 5d9d0302..291d8ced 100644
--- a/Exception/PersistenceFailedException.php
+++ b/Exception/PersistenceFailedException.php
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ class PersistenceFailedException extends CakeException
      * Constructor.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity on which the persistence operation failed
-     * @param string|array $message Either the string of the error message, or an array of attributes
+     * @param array<string>|string $message Either the string of the error message, or an array of attributes
      *   that are made available in the view, and sprintf()'d into Exception::$_messageTemplate
-     * @param int $code The code of the error, is also the HTTP status code for the error.
+     * @param int|null $code The code of the error, is also the HTTP status code for the error.
      * @param \Throwable|null $previous the previous exception.
      */
     public function __construct(EntityInterface $entity, $message, ?int $code = null, ?Throwable $previous = null)
diff --git a/LazyEagerLoader.php b/LazyEagerLoader.php
index cf2ddb55..0e7a0103 100644
--- a/LazyEagerLoader.php
+++ b/LazyEagerLoader.php
@@ -36,11 +36,11 @@ class LazyEagerLoader
      *
      * The properties for the associations to be loaded will be overwritten on each entity.
      *
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $entities a single entity or list of entities
+     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities a single entity or list of entities
      * @param array $contain A `contain()` compatible array.
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Query::contain()
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $source The table to use for fetching the top level entities
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[]
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>
      */
     public function loadInto($entities, array $contain, Table $source)
     {
@@ -116,8 +116,8 @@ protected function _getQuery(CollectionInterface $objects, array $contain, Table
      * in the top level entities.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $source The table having the top level associations
-     * @param string[] $associations The name of the top level associations
-     * @return string[]
+     * @param array<string> $associations The name of the top level associations
+     * @return array<string>
      */
     protected function _getPropertyMap(Table $source, array $associations): array
     {
@@ -135,11 +135,11 @@ protected function _getPropertyMap(Table $source, array $associations): array
      * Injects the results of the eager loader query into the original list of
      * entities.
      *
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[]|\Traversable $objects The original list of entities
-     * @param \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface|\Cake\ORM\Query $results The loaded results
-     * @param string[] $associations The top level associations that were loaded
+     * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $objects The original list of entities
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $results The loaded results
+     * @param array<string> $associations The top level associations that were loaded
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $source The table where the entities came from
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>
      */
     protected function _injectResults(iterable $objects, $results, array $associations, Table $source): array
     {
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@ protected function _injectResults(iterable $objects, $results, array $associatio
         $properties = $this->_getPropertyMap($source, $associations);
         $primaryKey = (array)$source->getPrimaryKey();
         $results = $results
+            ->all()
             ->indexBy(function ($e) use ($primaryKey) {
                 /** @var \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $e */
                 return implode(';', $e->extract($primaryKey));
diff --git a/Locator/LocatorAwareTrait.php b/Locator/LocatorAwareTrait.php
index 3c17d437..1aa4a9e3 100644
--- a/Locator/LocatorAwareTrait.php
+++ b/Locator/LocatorAwareTrait.php
@@ -17,12 +17,21 @@
 namespace Cake\ORM\Locator;
 
 use Cake\Datasource\FactoryLocator;
+use Cake\ORM\Table;
+use UnexpectedValueException;
 
 /**
  * Contains method for setting and accessing LocatorInterface instance
  */
 trait LocatorAwareTrait
 {
+    /**
+     * This object's default table alias.
+     *
+     * @var string|null
+     */
+    protected $defaultTable = null;
+
     /**
      * Table locator instance
      *
@@ -58,4 +67,28 @@ public function getTableLocator(): LocatorInterface
         /** @var \Cake\ORM\Locator\LocatorInterface */
         return $this->_tableLocator;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Convenience method to get a table instance.
+     *
+     * @param string|null $alias The alias name you want to get. Should be in CamelCase format.
+     *  If `null` then the value of $defaultTable property is used.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options you want to build the table with.
+     *   If a table has already been loaded the registry options will be ignored.
+     * @return \Cake\ORM\Table
+     * @throws \Cake\Core\Exception\CakeException If `$alias` argument and `$defaultTable` property both are `null`.
+     * @see \Cake\ORM\TableLocator::get()
+     * @since 4.3.0
+     */
+    public function fetchTable(?string $alias = null, array $options = []): Table
+    {
+        $alias = $alias ?? $this->defaultTable;
+        if (empty($alias)) {
+            throw new UnexpectedValueException(
+                'You must provide an `$alias` or set the `$defaultTable` property to a non empty string.'
+            );
+        }
+
+        return $this->getTableLocator()->get($alias, $options);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/Locator/LocatorInterface.php b/Locator/LocatorInterface.php
index 68db76d8..24516e8e 100644
--- a/Locator/LocatorInterface.php
+++ b/Locator/LocatorInterface.php
@@ -16,13 +16,14 @@
  */
 namespace Cake\ORM\Locator;
 
+use Cake\Datasource\Locator\LocatorInterface as BaseLocatorInterface;
 use Cake\Datasource\RepositoryInterface;
 use Cake\ORM\Table;
 
 /**
  * Registries for Table objects should implement this interface.
  */
-interface LocatorInterface extends \Cake\Datasource\Locator\LocatorInterface
+interface LocatorInterface extends BaseLocatorInterface
 {
     /**
      * Returns configuration for an alias or the full configuration array for
@@ -37,9 +38,9 @@ public function getConfig(?string $alias = null): array;
      * Stores a list of options to be used when instantiating an object
      * with a matching alias.
      *
-     * @param string|array $alias Name of the alias or array to completely
+     * @param array<string, mixed>|string $alias Name of the alias or array to completely
      *   overwrite current config.
-     * @param array|null $options list of options for the alias
+     * @param array<string, mixed>|null $options list of options for the alias
      * @return $this
      * @throws \RuntimeException When you attempt to configure an existing
      *   table instance.
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ public function setConfig($alias, $options = null);
      * Get a table instance from the registry.
      *
      * @param string $alias The alias name you want to get.
-     * @param array $options The options you want to build the table with.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options you want to build the table with.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Table
      */
     public function get(string $alias, array $options = []): Table;
diff --git a/Locator/TableLocator.php b/Locator/TableLocator.php
index a89d1401..3fefe3f4 100644
--- a/Locator/TableLocator.php
+++ b/Locator/TableLocator.php
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 use Cake\ORM\Table;
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
 use RuntimeException;
+use function Cake\Core\pluginSplit;
 
 /**
  * Provides a default registry/factory for Table objects.
@@ -34,14 +35,14 @@ class TableLocator extends AbstractLocator implements LocatorInterface
     /**
      * Contains a list of locations where table classes should be looked for.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string>
      */
     protected $locations = [];
 
     /**
      * Configuration for aliases.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, array|null>
      */
     protected $_config = [];
 
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ class TableLocator extends AbstractLocator implements LocatorInterface
      * Contains a list of Table objects that were created out of the
      * built-in Table class. The list is indexed by table alias
      *
-     * @var \Cake\ORM\Table[]
+     * @var array<\Cake\ORM\Table>
      */
     protected $_fallbacked = [];
 
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ class TableLocator extends AbstractLocator implements LocatorInterface
     /**
      * Constructor.
      *
-     * @param array|null $locations Locations where tables should be looked for.
+     * @param array<string>|null $locations Locations where tables should be looked for.
      *   If none provided, the default `Model\Table` under your app's namespace is used.
      */
     public function __construct(?array $locations = null)
@@ -171,7 +172,7 @@ public function getConfig(?string $alias = null): array
      * This is important because table associations are resolved at runtime
      * and cyclic references need to be handled correctly.
      *
-     * The options that can be passed are the same as in Cake\ORM\Table::__construct(), but the
+     * The options that can be passed are the same as in {@link \Cake\ORM\Table::__construct()}, but the
      * `className` key is also recognized.
      *
      * ### Options
@@ -194,7 +195,7 @@ public function getConfig(?string $alias = null): array
      * the same alias, the registry will only store the first instance.
      *
      * @param string $alias The alias name you want to get. Should be in CamelCase format.
-     * @param array $options The options you want to build the table with.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options you want to build the table with.
      *   If a table has already been loaded the options will be ignored.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Table
      * @throws \RuntimeException When you try to configure an alias that already exists.
@@ -215,8 +216,6 @@ protected function createInstance(string $alias, array $options)
             $options = ['alias' => $classAlias] + $options;
         } elseif (!isset($options['alias'])) {
             $options['className'] = $alias;
-            /** @psalm-suppress PossiblyFalseOperand */
-            $alias = substr($alias, strrpos($alias, '\\') + 1, -5);
         }
 
         if (isset($this->_config[$alias])) {
@@ -274,7 +273,7 @@ protected function createInstance(string $alias, array $options)
      * Gets the table class name.
      *
      * @param string $alias The alias name you want to get. Should be in CamelCase format.
-     * @param array $options Table options array.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Table options array.
      * @return string|null
      */
     protected function _getClassName(string $alias, array $options = []): ?string
@@ -300,7 +299,7 @@ protected function _getClassName(string $alias, array $options = []): ?string
     /**
      * Wrapper for creating table instances
      *
-     * @param array $options The alias to check for.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The alias to check for.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Table
      */
     protected function _create(array $options): Table
@@ -339,7 +338,7 @@ public function clear(): void
      * debugging common mistakes when setting up associations or created new table
      * classes.
      *
-     * @return \Cake\ORM\Table[]
+     * @return array<\Cake\ORM\Table>
      */
     public function genericInstances(): array
     {
diff --git a/Marshaller.php b/Marshaller.php
index f79d5569..2caa7e57 100644
--- a/Marshaller.php
+++ b/Marshaller.php
@@ -23,8 +23,11 @@
 use Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface;
 use Cake\Datasource\InvalidPropertyInterface;
 use Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsToMany;
+use Cake\Utility\Hash;
 use InvalidArgumentException;
 use RuntimeException;
+use function Cake\Core\deprecationWarning;
+use function Cake\Core\getTypeName;
 
 /**
  * Contains logic to convert array data into entities.
@@ -61,7 +64,7 @@ public function __construct(Table $table)
      * Build the map of property => marshalling callable.
      *
      * @param array $data The data being marshalled.
-     * @param array $options List of options containing the 'associated' key.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options containing the 'associated' key.
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException When associations do not exist.
      * @return array
      */
@@ -82,9 +85,7 @@ protected function _buildPropertyMap(array $data, array $options): array
         }
 
         // Map associations
-        if (!isset($options['associated'])) {
-            $options['associated'] = [];
-        }
+        $options['associated'] = $options['associated'] ?? [];
         $include = $this->_normalizeAssociations($options['associated']);
         foreach ($include as $key => $nested) {
             if (is_int($key) && is_scalar($nested)) {
@@ -170,7 +171,7 @@ protected function _buildPropertyMap(array $data, array $options): array
      * ```
      *
      * @param array $data The data to hydrate.
-     * @param array $options List of options
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::newEntity()
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Entity::$_accessible
@@ -241,7 +242,7 @@ public function one(array $data, array $options = []): EntityInterface
      * Returns the validation errors for a data set based on the passed options
      *
      * @param array $data The data to validate.
-     * @param array $options The options passed to this marshaller.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options passed to this marshaller.
      * @param bool $isNew Whether it is a new entity or one to be updated.
      * @return array The list of validation errors.
      * @throws \RuntimeException If no validator can be created.
@@ -258,6 +259,11 @@ protected function _validate(array $data, array $options, bool $isNew): array
         } elseif (is_string($options['validate'])) {
             $validator = $this->_table->getValidator($options['validate']);
         } elseif (is_object($options['validate'])) {
+            deprecationWarning(
+                'Passing validator instance for the `validate` option is deprecated,'
+                . ' use `ValidatorAwareTrait::setValidator() instead.`'
+            );
+
             /** @var \Cake\Validation\Validator $validator */
             $validator = $options['validate'];
         }
@@ -275,7 +281,7 @@ protected function _validate(array $data, array $options, bool $isNew): array
      * Returns data and options prepared to validate and marshall.
      *
      * @param array $data The data to prepare.
-     * @param array $options The options passed to this marshaller.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options passed to this marshaller.
      * @return array An array containing prepared data and options.
      */
     protected function _prepareDataAndOptions(array $data, array $options): array
@@ -283,7 +289,7 @@ protected function _prepareDataAndOptions(array $data, array $options): array
         $options += ['validate' => true];
 
         $tableName = $this->_table->getAlias();
-        if (isset($data[$tableName])) {
+        if (isset($data[$tableName]) && is_array($data[$tableName])) {
             $data += $data[$tableName];
             unset($data[$tableName]);
         }
@@ -300,8 +306,8 @@ protected function _prepareDataAndOptions(array $data, array $options): array
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association $assoc The association to marshall
      * @param mixed $value The data to hydrate. If not an array, this method will return null.
-     * @param array $options List of options.
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[]|null
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options.
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|null
      */
     protected function _marshalAssociation(Association $assoc, $value, array $options)
     {
@@ -350,8 +356,8 @@ protected function _marshalAssociation(Association $assoc, $value, array $option
      *   on missing entities would be ignored. Defaults to false.
      *
      * @param array $data The data to hydrate.
-     * @param array $options List of options
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] An array of hydrated records.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options
+     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> An array of hydrated records.
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::newEntities()
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Entity::$_accessible
      */
@@ -376,8 +382,8 @@ public function many(array $data, array $options = []): array
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsToMany $assoc The association to marshal.
      * @param array $data The data to convert into entities.
-     * @param array $options List of options.
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] An array of built entities.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options.
+     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> An array of built entities.
      * @throws \BadMethodCallException
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException
      * @throws \RuntimeException
@@ -471,7 +477,7 @@ protected function _belongsToMany(BelongsToMany $assoc, array $data, array $opti
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association $assoc The association class for the belongsToMany association.
      * @param array $ids The list of ids to load.
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] An array of entities.
+     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> An array of entities.
      */
     protected function _loadAssociatedByIds(Association $assoc, array $ids): array
     {
@@ -516,7 +522,7 @@ protected function _loadAssociatedByIds(Association $assoc, array $ids): array
      * ### Options:
      *
      * - associated: Associations listed here will be marshalled as well.
-     * - validate: Whether or not to validate data before hydrating the entities. Can
+     * - validate: Whether to validate data before hydrating the entities. Can
      *   also be set to a string to use a specific validator. Defaults to true/default.
      * - fields: An allowed list of fields to be assigned to the entity. If not present
      *   the accessible fields list in the entity will be used.
@@ -535,7 +541,7 @@ protected function _loadAssociatedByIds(Association $assoc, array $ids): array
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity the entity that will get the
      * data merged in
      * @param array $data key value list of fields to be merged into the entity
-     * @param array $options List of options.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Entity::$_accessible
      */
@@ -642,7 +648,7 @@ public function merge(EntityInterface $entity, array $data, array $options = [])
      *
      * ### Options:
      *
-     * - validate: Whether or not to validate data before hydrating the entities. Can
+     * - validate: Whether to validate data before hydrating the entities. Can
      *   also be set to a string to use a specific validator. Defaults to true/default.
      * - associated: Associations listed here will be marshalled as well.
      * - fields: An allowed list of fields to be assigned to the entity. If not present,
@@ -652,10 +658,9 @@ public function merge(EntityInterface $entity, array $data, array $options = [])
      * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities the entities that will get the
      *   data merged in
      * @param array $data list of arrays to be merged into the entities
-     * @param array $options List of options.
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[]
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options.
+     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Entity::$_accessible
-     * @psalm-suppress NullArrayOffset
      */
     public function mergeMany(iterable $entities, array $data, array $options = []): array
     {
@@ -675,10 +680,8 @@ public function mergeMany(iterable $entities, array $data, array $options = []):
             })
             ->toArray();
 
-        /** @psalm-suppress InvalidArrayOffset */
-        $new = $indexed[null] ?? [];
-        /** @psalm-suppress InvalidArrayOffset */
-        unset($indexed[null]);
+        $new = $indexed[''] ?? [];
+        unset($indexed['']);
         $output = [];
 
         foreach ($entities as $entity) {
@@ -700,7 +703,7 @@ public function mergeMany(iterable $entities, array $data, array $options = []):
                 return explode(';', (string)$key);
             })
             ->filter(function ($keys) use ($primary) {
-                return count(array_filter($keys, 'strlen')) === count($primary);
+                return count(Hash::filter($keys)) === count($primary);
             })
             ->reduce(function ($conditions, $keys) use ($primary) {
                 $fields = array_map([$this->_table, 'aliasField'], $primary);
@@ -733,11 +736,11 @@ public function mergeMany(iterable $entities, array $data, array $options = []):
     /**
      * Creates a new sub-marshaller and merges the associated data.
      *
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $original The original entity
+     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $original The original entity
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association $assoc The association to merge
      * @param mixed $value The array of data to hydrate. If not an array, this method will return null.
-     * @param array $options List of options.
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[]|null
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options.
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|null
      */
     protected function _mergeAssociation($original, Association $assoc, $value, array $options)
     {
@@ -753,7 +756,6 @@ protected function _mergeAssociation($original, Association $assoc, $value, arra
         $types = [Association::ONE_TO_ONE, Association::MANY_TO_ONE];
         $type = $assoc->type();
         if (in_array($type, $types, true)) {
-            /** @psalm-suppress PossiblyInvalidArgument, ArgumentTypeCoercion */
             return $marshaller->merge($original, $value, $options);
         }
         if ($type === Association::MANY_TO_MANY) {
@@ -780,11 +782,11 @@ protected function _mergeAssociation($original, Association $assoc, $value, arra
      * Creates a new sub-marshaller and merges the associated data for a BelongstoMany
      * association.
      *
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $original The original entities list.
+     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $original The original entities list.
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsToMany $assoc The association to marshall
      * @param array $value The data to hydrate
-     * @param array $options List of options.
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[]
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options.
+     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>
      */
     protected function _mergeBelongsToMany(array $original, BelongsToMany $assoc, array $value, array $options): array
     {
@@ -810,11 +812,11 @@ protected function _mergeBelongsToMany(array $original, BelongsToMany $assoc, ar
     /**
      * Merge the special _joinData property into the entity set.
      *
-     * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] $original The original entities list.
+     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $original The original entities list.
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsToMany $assoc The association to marshall
      * @param array $value The data to hydrate
-     * @param array $options List of options.
-     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface[] An array of entities
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options.
+     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> An array of entities
      */
     protected function _mergeJoinData(array $original, BelongsToMany $assoc, array $value, array $options): array
     {
@@ -873,7 +875,7 @@ protected function _mergeJoinData(array $original, BelongsToMany $assoc, array $
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity that was marshaled.
      * @param array $data readOnly $data to use.
-     * @param array $options List of options that are readOnly.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options that are readOnly.
      * @return void
      */
     protected function dispatchAfterMarshal(EntityInterface $entity, array $data, array $options = []): void
diff --git a/PropertyMarshalInterface.php b/PropertyMarshalInterface.php
index f52ce749..8317d9eb 100644
--- a/PropertyMarshalInterface.php
+++ b/PropertyMarshalInterface.php
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ interface PropertyMarshalInterface
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Marshaller $marshaller The marhshaller of the table the behavior is attached to.
      * @param array $map The property map being built.
-     * @param array $options The options array used in the marshalling call.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options array used in the marshalling call.
      * @return array A map of `[property => callable]` of additional properties to marshal.
      */
     public function buildMarshalMap(Marshaller $marshaller, array $map, array $options): array;
diff --git a/Query.php b/Query.php
index d7dba8ec..3f40d5b6 100644
--- a/Query.php
+++ b/Query.php
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 use JsonSerializable;
 use RuntimeException;
 use Traversable;
+use function Cake\Core\deprecationWarning;
 
 /**
  * Extends the base Query class to provide new methods related to association
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@
  * @method \Cake\ORM\Table getRepository() Returns the default table object that will be used by this query,
  *   that is, the table that will appear in the from clause.
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface each(callable $c) Passes each of the query results to the callable
- * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface sortBy($callback, int $dir) Sorts the query with the callback
+ * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface sortBy(callable|string $path, int $order = \SORT_DESC, int $sort = \SORT_NUMERIC) Sorts the query with the callback
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface filter(callable $c = null) Keeps the results using passing the callable test
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface reject(callable $c) Removes the results passing the callable test
  * @method bool every(callable $c) Returns true if all the results pass the callable test
@@ -51,28 +52,28 @@
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface map(callable $c) Modifies each of the results using the callable
  * @method mixed reduce(callable $c, $zero = null) Folds all the results into a single value using the callable.
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface extract($field) Extracts a single column from each row
- * @method mixed max($field) Returns the maximum value for a single column in all the results.
- * @method mixed min($field) Returns the minimum value for a single column in all the results.
- * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface groupBy(string|callable $field) In-memory group all results by the value of a column.
- * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface indexBy(string|callable $callback) Returns the results indexed by the value of a column.
- * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface countBy(string|callable $field) Returns the number of unique values for a column
- * @method float sumOf(string|callable $field) Returns the sum of all values for a single column
+ * @method mixed max($field, $sort = \SORT_NUMERIC) Returns the maximum value for a single column in all the results.
+ * @method mixed min($field, $sort = \SORT_NUMERIC) Returns the minimum value for a single column in all the results.
+ * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface groupBy(callable|string $field) In-memory group all results by the value of a column.
+ * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface indexBy(callable|string $callback) Returns the results indexed by the value of a column.
+ * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface countBy(callable|string $field) Returns the number of unique values for a column
+ * @method int|float sumOf($field = null) Returns the sum of all values for a single column
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface shuffle() In-memory randomize the order the results are returned
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface sample(int $size = 10) In-memory shuffle the results and return a subset of them.
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface take(int $size = 1, int $from = 0) In-memory limit and offset for the query results.
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface skip(int $howMany) Skips some rows from the start of the query result.
  * @method mixed last() Return the last row of the query result
- * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface append(array|\Traversable $items) Appends more rows to the result of the query.
+ * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface append(mixed $items) Appends more rows to the result of the query.
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface combine($k, $v, $g = null) Returns the values of the column $v index by column $k,
  *   and grouped by $g.
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface nest($k, $p, $n = 'children') Creates a tree structure by nesting the values of column $p into that
  *   with the same value for $k using $n as the nesting key.
  * @method array toArray() Returns a key-value array with the results of this query.
  * @method array toList() Returns a numerically indexed array with the results of this query.
- * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface stopWhen(callable $c) Returns each row until the callable returns true.
- * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface zip(array|\Traversable $c) Returns the first result of both the query and $c in an array,
+ * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface stopWhen(callable|array $c) Returns each row until the callable returns true.
+ * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface zip(iterable $c) Returns the first result of both the query and $c in an array,
  *   then the second results and so on.
- * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface zipWith($collections, callable $callable) Returns each of the results out of calling $c
+ * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface zipWith(iterable $collections, callable $callable) Returns each of the results out of calling $c
  *   with the first rows of the query and each of the items, then the second rows and so on.
  * @method \Cake\Collection\CollectionInterface chunk(int $size) Groups the results in arrays of $size rows each.
  * @method bool isEmpty() Returns true if this query found no results.
@@ -116,7 +117,7 @@ class Query extends DatabaseQuery implements JsonSerializable, QueryInterface
     protected $_hasFields;
 
     /**
-     * Tracks whether or not the original query should include
+     * Tracks whether the original query should include
      * fields from the top level table.
      *
      * @var bool|null
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ class Query extends DatabaseQuery implements JsonSerializable, QueryInterface
     public function __construct(Connection $connection, Table $table)
     {
         parent::__construct($connection);
-        $this->repository($table);
+        $this->setRepository($table);
 
         if ($this->_repository !== null) {
             $this->addDefaultTypes($this->_repository);
@@ -220,7 +221,7 @@ public function __construct(Connection $connection, Table $table)
      * all the fields in the schema of the table or the association will be added to
      * the select clause.
      *
-     * @param array|\Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|callable|string|\Cake\ORM\Table|\Cake\ORM\Association $fields Fields
+     * @param \Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|\Cake\ORM\Table|\Cake\ORM\Association|callable|array|string $fields Fields
      * to be added to the list.
      * @param bool $overwrite whether to reset fields with passed list or not
      * @return $this
@@ -242,6 +243,24 @@ public function select($fields = [], bool $overwrite = false)
         return parent::select($fields, $overwrite);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Behaves the exact same as `select()` except adds the field to the list of fields selected and
+     * does not disable auto-selecting fields for Associations.
+     *
+     * Use this instead of calling `select()` then `enableAutoFields()` to re-enable auto-fields.
+     *
+     * @param \Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|\Cake\ORM\Table|\Cake\ORM\Association|callable|array|string $fields Fields
+     * to be added to the list.
+     * @return $this
+     */
+    public function selectAlso($fields)
+    {
+        $this->select($fields);
+        $this->_autoFields = true;
+
+        return $this;
+    }
+
     /**
      * All the fields associated with the passed table except the excluded
      * fields will be added to the select clause of the query. Passed excluded fields should not be aliased.
@@ -250,7 +269,7 @@ public function select($fields = [], bool $overwrite = false)
      * pass overwrite boolean true which will reset the select clause removing all previous additions.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table|\Cake\ORM\Association $table The table to use to get an array of columns
-     * @param string[] $excludedFields The un-aliased column names you do not want selected from $table
+     * @param array<string> $excludedFields The un-aliased column names you do not want selected from $table
      * @param bool $overwrite Whether to reset/remove previous selected fields
      * @return $this
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException If Association|Table is not passed in first argument
@@ -492,8 +511,8 @@ public function clearContain()
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $table The table instance to pluck associations from.
      * @param \Cake\Database\TypeMap $typeMap The typemap to check for columns in.
-     *   This typemap is indirectly mutated via Cake\ORM\Query::addDefaultTypes()
-     * @param array $associations The nested tree of associations to walk.
+     *   This typemap is indirectly mutated via {@link \Cake\ORM\Query::addDefaultTypes()}
+     * @param array<string, array> $associations The nested tree of associations to walk.
      * @return void
      */
     protected function _addAssociationsToTypeMap(Table $table, TypeMap $typeMap, array $associations): void
@@ -823,7 +842,7 @@ public function notMatching(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
      * $options = $query->getOptions();
      * ```
      *
-     * @param array $options The options to be applied
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options to be applied
      * @return $this
      * @see getOptions()
      */
@@ -977,8 +996,8 @@ protected function _performCount(): int
                 ->disableAutoFields()
                 ->execute();
         } else {
-            $statement = $this->getConnection()->newQuery()
-                ->select($count)
+            $statement = $this->getConnection()
+                ->selectQuery($count)
                 ->from(['count_source' => $query])
                 ->execute();
         }
@@ -1065,7 +1084,7 @@ public function isHydrationEnabled(): bool
      *
      * @param \Closure|string|false $key Either the cache key or a function to generate the cache key.
      *   When using a function, this query instance will be supplied as an argument.
-     * @param string|\Cake\Cache\CacheEngine $config Either the name of the cache config to use, or
+     * @param \Cake\Cache\CacheEngine|string $config Either the name of the cache config to use, or
      *   a cache config instance.
      * @return $this
      * @throws \RuntimeException When you attempt to cache a non-select query.
@@ -1215,6 +1234,10 @@ protected function _addDefaultSelectTypes(): void
         $types = [];
 
         foreach ($select as $alias => $value) {
+            if ($value instanceof TypedResultInterface) {
+                $types[$alias] = $value->getReturnType();
+                continue;
+            }
             if (isset($typeMap[$alias])) {
                 $types[$alias] = $typeMap[$alias];
                 continue;
@@ -1222,9 +1245,6 @@ protected function _addDefaultSelectTypes(): void
             if (is_string($value) && isset($typeMap[$value])) {
                 $types[$alias] = $typeMap[$value];
             }
-            if ($value instanceof TypedResultInterface) {
-                $types[$alias] = $value->getReturnType();
-            }
         }
         $this->getSelectTypeMap()->addDefaults($types);
     }
@@ -1233,7 +1253,7 @@ protected function _addDefaultSelectTypes(): void
      * {@inheritDoc}
      *
      * @param string $finder The finder method to use.
-     * @param array $options The options for the finder.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the finder.
      * @return static Returns a modified query.
      * @psalm-suppress MoreSpecificReturnType
      */
@@ -1264,7 +1284,7 @@ protected function _dirty(): void
      * This changes the query type to be 'update'.
      * Can be combined with set() and where() methods to create update queries.
      *
-     * @param string|\Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|null $table Unused parameter.
+     * @param \Cake\Database\ExpressionInterface|string|null $table Unused parameter.
      * @return $this
      */
     public function update($table = null)
@@ -1305,7 +1325,7 @@ public function delete(?string $table = null)
      * Can be combined with the where() method to create delete queries.
      *
      * @param array $columns The columns to insert into.
-     * @param array $types A map between columns & their datatypes.
+     * @param array<string> $types A map between columns & their datatypes.
      * @return $this
      */
     public function insert(array $columns, array $types = [])
@@ -1382,7 +1402,7 @@ public function jsonSerialize(): ResultSetInterface
     }
 
     /**
-     * Sets whether or not the ORM should automatically append fields.
+     * Sets whether the ORM should automatically append fields.
      *
      * By default calling select() will disable auto-fields. You can re-enable
      * auto-fields with this method.
@@ -1410,7 +1430,7 @@ public function disableAutoFields()
     }
 
     /**
-     * Gets whether or not the ORM should automatically append fields.
+     * Gets whether the ORM should automatically append fields.
      *
      * By default calling select() will disable auto-fields. You can re-enable
      * auto-fields with enableAutoFields().
@@ -1439,4 +1459,19 @@ protected function _decorateResults(Traversable $result): ResultSetInterface
 
         return $result;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Helper for ORM\Query exceptions
+     *
+     * @param string $method The method that is invalid.
+     * @param string $message An additional message.
+     * @return void
+     * @internal
+     */
+    protected function _deprecatedMethod($method, $message = '')
+    {
+        $class = static::class;
+        $text = "As of 4.5.0 calling {$method}() on {$class} is deprecated. " . $message;
+        deprecationWarning($text);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/Query/DeleteQuery.php b/Query/DeleteQuery.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..40470210
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Query/DeleteQuery.php
@@ -0,0 +1,337 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (https://cakephp.org)
+ * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * For full copyright and license information, please see the LICENSE.txt
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ * @link          https://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
+ * @since         4.5.0
+ * @license       https://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
+ */
+namespace Cake\ORM\Query;
+
+use Cake\Database\ValueBinder;
+use Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface;
+use Cake\ORM\Query;
+
+/**
+ * Delete Query forward compatibility shim.
+ */
+class DeleteQuery extends Query
+{
+    /**
+     * Type of this query (select, insert, update, delete).
+     *
+     * @var string
+     */
+    protected $_type = 'delete';
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function sql(?ValueBinder $binder = null): string
+    {
+        if ($this->_type === 'delete' && empty($this->_parts['from'])) {
+            $repository = $this->getRepository();
+            $this->from([$repository->getAlias() => $repository->getTable()]);
+        }
+
+        return parent::sql($binder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function delete(?string $table = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('delete()', 'Remove this method call.');
+
+        return parent::delete($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function cache($key, $config = 'default')
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('cache()', 'Use execute() instead.');
+
+        return parent::cache($key, $config);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function all(): ResultSetInterface
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('all()', 'Use execute() instead.');
+
+        return parent::all();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function select($fields = [], bool $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('select()', 'Create your query with selectQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::select($fields, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function distinct($on = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('distinct()');
+
+        return parent::distinct($on, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function modifier($modifiers, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('modifier()');
+
+        return parent::modifier($modifiers, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function join($tables, $types = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('join()');
+
+        return parent::join($tables, $types, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function removeJoin(string $name)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('removeJoin()');
+
+        return parent::removeJoin($name);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function leftJoin($table, $conditions = [], $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('leftJoin()');
+
+        return parent::leftJoin($table, $conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function rightJoin($table, $conditions = [], $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('rightJoin()');
+
+        return parent::rightJoin($table, $conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function leftJoinWith(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('leftJoinWith()');
+
+        return parent::leftJoinWith($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function innerJoin($table, $conditions = [], $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('innerJoin()');
+
+        return parent::innerJoin($table, $conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function innerJoinWith(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('innerJoinWith()');
+
+        return parent::innerJoinWith($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function group($fields, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('group()');
+
+        return parent::group($fields, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function having($conditions = null, $types = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('having()');
+
+        return parent::having($conditions, $types, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function andHaving($conditions, $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('andHaving()');
+
+        return parent::andHaving($conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function page(int $num, ?int $limit = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('page()');
+
+        return parent::page($num, $limit);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function union($query, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('union()');
+
+        return parent::union($query, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function unionAll($query, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('union()');
+
+        return parent::unionAll($query, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function insert(array $columns, array $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('insert()', 'Create your query with insertQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::insert($columns, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function into(string $table)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('into()', 'Use from() instead.');
+
+        return parent::into($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function values($data)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('values()');
+
+        return parent::values($data);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function update($table = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('update()', 'Create your query with updateQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::update($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function set($key, $value = null, $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('set()');
+
+        return parent::set($key, $value, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function matching(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('matching()');
+
+        return parent::matching($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function notMatching(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('notMatching()');
+
+        return parent::notMatching($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function contain($associations, $override = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('contain()');
+
+        return parent::contain($associations, $override);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function getContain(): array
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('getContain()');
+
+        return parent::getContain();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function find(string $finder, array $options = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('find()');
+
+        return parent::find($finder, $options);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Query/InsertQuery.php b/Query/InsertQuery.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6c3462f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Query/InsertQuery.php
@@ -0,0 +1,413 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (https://cakephp.org)
+ * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * For full copyright and license information, please see the LICENSE.txt
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ * @link          https://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
+ * @since         4.5.0
+ * @license       https://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
+ */
+namespace Cake\ORM\Query;
+
+use Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface;
+use Cake\ORM\Query;
+
+/**
+ * Insert Query forward compatibility shim.
+ */
+class InsertQuery extends Query
+{
+    /**
+     * Type of this query (select, insert, update, delete).
+     *
+     * @var string
+     */
+    protected $_type = 'insert';
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function delete(?string $table = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('delete()', 'Create your query with deleteQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::delete($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function cache($key, $config = 'default')
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('cache()', 'Use execute() instead.');
+
+        return parent::cache($key, $config);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function all(): ResultSetInterface
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('all()', 'Use execute() instead.');
+
+        return parent::all();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function select($fields = [], bool $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('select()', 'Create your query with selectQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::select($fields, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function distinct($on = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('distinct()');
+
+        return parent::distinct($on, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function modifier($modifiers, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('modifier()');
+
+        return parent::modifier($modifiers, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function join($tables, $types = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('join()');
+
+        return parent::join($tables, $types, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function removeJoin(string $name)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('removeJoin()');
+
+        return parent::removeJoin($name);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function leftJoin($table, $conditions = [], $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('leftJoin()');
+
+        return parent::leftJoin($table, $conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function rightJoin($table, $conditions = [], $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('rightJoin()');
+
+        return parent::rightJoin($table, $conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function leftJoinWith(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('leftJoinWith()');
+
+        return parent::leftJoinWith($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function innerJoin($table, $conditions = [], $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('innerJoin()');
+
+        return parent::innerJoin($table, $conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function innerJoinWith(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('innerJoinWith()');
+
+        return parent::innerJoinWith($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function group($fields, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('group()');
+
+        return parent::group($fields, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function having($conditions = null, $types = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('having()');
+
+        return parent::having($conditions, $types, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function andHaving($conditions, $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('andHaving()');
+
+        return parent::andHaving($conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function page(int $num, ?int $limit = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('page()');
+
+        return parent::page($num, $limit);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function offset($offset)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('offset()');
+
+        return parent::offset($offset);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function union($query, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('union()');
+
+        return parent::union($query, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function unionAll($query, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('union()');
+
+        return parent::unionAll($query, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function from($tables = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('from()', 'Use into() instead.');
+
+        return parent::from($tables, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function update($table = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('update()', 'Create your query with updateQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::update($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function set($key, $value = null, $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('set()');
+
+        return parent::set($key, $value, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function matching(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('matching()');
+
+        return parent::matching($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function notMatching(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('notMatching()');
+
+        return parent::notMatching($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function contain($associations, $override = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('contain()');
+
+        return parent::contain($associations, $override);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function getContain(): array
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('getContain()');
+
+        return parent::getContain();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function find(string $finder, array $options = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('find()');
+
+        return parent::find($finder, $options);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function where($conditions = null, array $types = [], bool $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('where()');
+
+        return parent::where($conditions, $types, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function whereNotNull($fields)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('whereNotNull()');
+
+        return parent::whereNotNull($fields);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function whereNull($fields)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('whereNull()');
+
+        return parent::whereNull($fields);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function whereInList(string $field, array $values, array $options = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('whereInList()');
+
+        return parent::whereInList($field, $values, $options);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function whereNotInList(string $field, array $values, array $options = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('whereNotInList()');
+
+        return parent::whereNotInList($field, $values, $options);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function whereNotInListOrNull(string $field, array $values, array $options = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('whereNotInListOrNull()');
+
+        return parent::whereNotInListOrNull($field, $values, $options);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function andWhere($conditions, array $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('andWhere()');
+
+        return parent::andWhere($conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function order($fields, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('order()');
+
+        return parent::order($fields, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function orderAsc($field, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('orderAsc()');
+
+        return parent::orderAsc($field, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function orderDesc($field, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('orderDesc()');
+
+        return parent::orderDesc($field, $overwrite);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Query/SelectQuery.php b/Query/SelectQuery.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..06942fab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Query/SelectQuery.php
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (https://cakephp.org)
+ * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * For full copyright and license information, please see the LICENSE.txt
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ * @link          https://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
+ * @since         4.5.0
+ * @license       https://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
+ */
+namespace Cake\ORM\Query;
+
+use Cake\ORM\Query;
+
+/**
+ * Select Query forward compatibility shim.
+ */
+class SelectQuery extends Query
+{
+    /**
+     * Type of this query (select, insert, update, delete).
+     *
+     * @var string
+     */
+    protected $_type = 'select';
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function delete(?string $table = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('delete()', 'Create your query with deleteQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::delete($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function insert(array $columns, array $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('insert()', 'Create your query with insertQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::insert($columns, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function into(string $table)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('into()', 'Use from() instead.');
+
+        return parent::into($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function values($data)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('values()');
+
+        return parent::values($data);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function update($table = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('update()', 'Create your query with updateQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::update($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function set($key, $value = null, $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('set()');
+
+        return parent::set($key, $value, $types);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Query/UpdateQuery.php b/Query/UpdateQuery.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ff25a89d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Query/UpdateQuery.php
@@ -0,0 +1,267 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (https://cakephp.org)
+ * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ *
+ * Licensed under The MIT License
+ * For full copyright and license information, please see the LICENSE.txt
+ * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
+ *
+ * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (https://cakefoundation.org)
+ * @link          https://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
+ * @since         4.5.0
+ * @license       https://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
+ */
+namespace Cake\ORM\Query;
+
+use Cake\Database\ValueBinder;
+use Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface;
+use Cake\ORM\Query;
+
+/**
+ * Update Query forward compatibility shim.
+ */
+class UpdateQuery extends Query
+{
+    /**
+     * Type of this query (select, insert, update, delete).
+     *
+     * @var string
+     */
+    protected $_type = 'update';
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function sql(?ValueBinder $binder = null): string
+    {
+        if ($this->_type === 'update' && empty($this->_parts['update'])) {
+            $repository = $this->getRepository();
+            $this->update($repository->getTable());
+        }
+
+        return parent::sql($binder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function delete(?string $table = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('delete()', 'Create your query with deleteQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::delete($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function cache($key, $config = 'default')
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('cache()', 'Use execute() instead.');
+
+        return parent::cache($key, $config);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function all(): ResultSetInterface
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('all()', 'Use execute() instead.');
+
+        return parent::all();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function select($fields = [], bool $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('select()', 'Create your query with selectQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::select($fields, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function distinct($on = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('distinct()');
+
+        return parent::distinct($on, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function modifier($modifiers, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('modifier()');
+
+        return parent::modifier($modifiers, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function group($fields, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('group()');
+
+        return parent::group($fields, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function having($conditions = null, $types = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('having()');
+
+        return parent::having($conditions, $types, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function andHaving($conditions, $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('andHaving()');
+
+        return parent::andHaving($conditions, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function page(int $num, ?int $limit = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('page()');
+
+        return parent::page($num, $limit);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function offset($offset)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('offset()');
+
+        return parent::offset($offset);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function union($query, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('union()');
+
+        return parent::union($query, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function unionAll($query, $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('union()');
+
+        return parent::unionAll($query, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function insert(array $columns, array $types = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('insert()', 'Create your query with insertQuery() instead.');
+
+        return parent::insert($columns, $types);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function into(string $table)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('into()', 'Use update() instead.');
+
+        return parent::into($table);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function values($data)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('values()');
+
+        return parent::values($data);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function from($tables = [], $overwrite = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('from()', 'Use update() instead.');
+
+        return parent::from($tables, $overwrite);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function matching(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('matching()');
+
+        return parent::matching($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function notMatching(string $assoc, ?callable $builder = null)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('notMatching()');
+
+        return parent::notMatching($assoc, $builder);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function contain($associations, $override = false)
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('contain()');
+
+        return parent::contain($associations, $override);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function getContain(): array
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('getContain()');
+
+        return parent::getContain();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function find(string $finder, array $options = [])
+    {
+        $this->_deprecatedMethod('find()');
+
+        return parent::find($finder, $options);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/ResultSet.php b/ResultSet.php
index 147322b1..012c4002 100644
--- a/ResultSet.php
+++ b/ResultSet.php
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@
  * This object is responsible for correctly nesting result keys reported from
  * the query, casting each field to the correct type and executing the extra
  * queries required for eager loading external associations.
+ *
+ * @template T of \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array
+ * @implements \Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface<T>
  */
 class ResultSet implements ResultSetInterface
 {
@@ -51,7 +54,8 @@ class ResultSet implements ResultSetInterface
     /**
      * Last record fetched from the statement
      *
-     * @var array|object
+     * @var \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array
+     * @psalm-var T
      */
     protected $_current;
 
@@ -73,7 +77,7 @@ class ResultSet implements ResultSetInterface
      * List of associations that should be placed under the `_matchingData`
      * result key.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_matchingMap = [];
 
@@ -88,7 +92,7 @@ class ResultSet implements ResultSetInterface
      * Map of fields that are fetched from the statement with
      * their type and the table they belong to
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_map = [];
 
@@ -96,14 +100,14 @@ class ResultSet implements ResultSetInterface
      * List of matching associations and the column keys to expect
      * from each of them.
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_matchingMapColumns = [];
 
     /**
      * Results that have been fetched or hydrated into the results.
      *
-     * @var array|\SplFixedArray
+     * @var \SplFixedArray|array
      */
     protected $_results = [];
 
@@ -129,7 +133,7 @@ class ResultSet implements ResultSetInterface
     protected $_entityClass;
 
     /**
-     * Whether or not to buffer results fetched from the statement
+     * Whether to buffer results fetched from the statement
      *
      * @var bool
      */
@@ -161,7 +165,7 @@ public function __construct(Query $query, StatementInterface $statement)
     {
         $repository = $query->getRepository();
         $this->_statement = $statement;
-        $this->_driver = $query->getConnection()->getDriver();
+        $this->_driver = $query->getConnection()->getDriver($query->getConnectionRole());
         $this->_defaultTable = $repository;
         $this->_calculateAssociationMap($query);
         $this->_hydrate = $query->isHydrationEnabled();
@@ -182,8 +186,10 @@ public function __construct(Query $query, StatementInterface $statement)
      *
      * Part of Iterator interface.
      *
-     * @return array|object
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array
+     * @psalm-return T
      */
+    #[\ReturnTypeWillChange]
     public function current()
     {
         return $this->_current;
@@ -275,7 +281,8 @@ public function valid(): bool
      *
      * This method will also close the underlying statement cursor.
      *
-     * @return array|object|null
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array|null
+     * @psalm-return T|null
      */
     public function first()
     {
@@ -298,6 +305,16 @@ public function first()
      * @return string Serialized object
      */
     public function serialize(): string
+    {
+        return serialize($this->__serialize());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Serializes a resultset.
+     *
+     * @return array
+     */
+    public function __serialize(): array
     {
         if (!$this->_useBuffering) {
             $msg = 'You cannot serialize an un-buffered ResultSet. '
@@ -310,10 +327,10 @@ public function serialize(): string
         }
 
         if ($this->_results instanceof SplFixedArray) {
-            return serialize($this->_results->toArray());
+            return $this->_results->toArray();
         }
 
-        return serialize($this->_results);
+        return $this->_results;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -326,8 +343,18 @@ public function serialize(): string
      */
     public function unserialize($serialized)
     {
-        $results = (array)(unserialize($serialized) ?: []);
-        $this->_results = SplFixedArray::fromArray($results);
+        $this->__unserialize((array)(unserialize($serialized) ?: []));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Unserializes a resultset.
+     *
+     * @param array $data Data array.
+     * @return void
+     */
+    public function __unserialize(array $data): void
+    {
+        $this->_results = SplFixedArray::fromArray($data);
         $this->_useBuffering = true;
         $this->_count = $this->_results->count();
     }
@@ -435,7 +462,7 @@ protected function _fetchResult()
      * Correctly nests results keys including those coming from associations
      *
      * @param array $row Array containing columns and values or false if there is no results
-     * @return array|\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface Results
+     * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array Results
      */
     protected function _groupResult(array $row)
     {
@@ -472,9 +499,7 @@ protected function _groupResult(array $row)
         // If the default table is not in the results, set
         // it to an empty array so that any contained
         // associations hydrate correctly.
-        if (!isset($results[$defaultAlias])) {
-            $results[$defaultAlias] = [];
-        }
+        $results[$defaultAlias] = $results[$defaultAlias] ?? [];
 
         unset($presentAliases[$defaultAlias]);
 
@@ -549,12 +574,17 @@ protected function _groupResult(array $row)
      * Returns an array that can be used to describe the internal state of this
      * object.
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function __debugInfo()
     {
+        $currentIndex = $this->_index;
+        // toArray() adjusts the current index, so we have to reset it
+        $items = $this->toArray();
+        $this->_index = $currentIndex;
+
         return [
-            'items' => $this->toArray(),
+            'items' => $items,
         ];
     }
 }
diff --git a/Rule/ExistsIn.php b/Rule/ExistsIn.php
index 6494b2a5..912c7199 100644
--- a/Rule/ExistsIn.php
+++ b/Rule/ExistsIn.php
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ class ExistsIn
     /**
      * The list of fields to check
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string>
      */
     protected $_fields;
 
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ class ExistsIn
     /**
      * Options for the constructor
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_options = [];
 
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ class ExistsIn
      * Available option for $options is 'allowNullableNulls' flag.
      * Set to true to accept composite foreign keys where one or more nullable columns are null.
      *
-     * @param string|array $fields The field or fields to check existence as primary key.
+     * @param array<string>|string $fields The field or fields to check existence as primary key.
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table|\Cake\ORM\Association|string $repository The repository where the
      * field will be looked for, or the association name for the repository.
-     * @param array $options The options that modify the rules behavior.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options that modify the rule's behavior.
      *     Options 'allowNullableNulls' will make the rule pass if given foreign keys are set to `null`.
      *     Notice: allowNullableNulls cannot pass by database columns set to `NOT NULL`.
      */
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public function __construct($fields, $repository, array $options = [])
      * Performs the existence check
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity from where to extract the fields
-     * @param array $options Options passed to the check,
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Options passed to the check,
      * where the `repository` key is required.
      * @throws \RuntimeException When the rule refers to an undefined association.
      * @return bool
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ function ($key) use ($target) {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Checks whether or not the given entity fields are nullable and null.
+     * Checks whether the given entity fields are nullable and null.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity to check.
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $source The table to use schema from.
diff --git a/Rule/IsUnique.php b/Rule/IsUnique.php
index 24cfeae0..a86bfe3e 100644
--- a/Rule/IsUnique.php
+++ b/Rule/IsUnique.php
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 namespace Cake\ORM\Rule;
 
 use Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface;
+use Cake\Utility\Hash;
 
 /**
  * Checks that a list of fields from an entity are unique in the table
@@ -26,14 +27,14 @@ class IsUnique
     /**
      * The list of fields to check
      *
-     * @var string[]
+     * @var array<string>
      */
     protected $_fields;
 
     /**
      * The unique check options
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_options = [
         'allowMultipleNulls' => false,
@@ -46,8 +47,8 @@ class IsUnique
      *
      * - `allowMultipleNulls` Allows any field to have multiple null values. Defaults to false.
      *
-     * @param string[] $fields The list of fields to check uniqueness for
-     * @param array $options The options for unique checks.
+     * @param array<string> $fields The list of fields to check uniqueness for
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for unique checks.
      */
     public function __construct(array $fields, array $options = [])
     {
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ public function __construct(array $fields, array $options = [])
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity from where to extract the fields
      *   where the `repository` key is required.
-     * @param array $options Options passed to the check,
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Options passed to the check,
      * @return bool
      */
     public function __invoke(EntityInterface $entity, array $options): bool
@@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ public function __invoke(EntityInterface $entity, array $options): bool
         if ($entity->isNew() === false) {
             $keys = (array)$options['repository']->getPrimaryKey();
             $keys = $this->_alias($alias, $entity->extract($keys));
-            if (array_filter($keys, 'strlen')) {
+            if (Hash::filter($keys)) {
                 $conditions['NOT'] = $keys;
             }
         }
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ public function __invoke(EntityInterface $entity, array $options): bool
      *
      * @param string $alias The alias to add.
      * @param array $conditions The conditions to alias.
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected function _alias(string $alias, array $conditions): array
     {
diff --git a/Rule/LinkConstraint.php b/Rule/LinkConstraint.php
index 6a25ba23..fe2b1cc7 100644
--- a/Rule/LinkConstraint.php
+++ b/Rule/LinkConstraint.php
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 use Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface;
 use Cake\ORM\Association;
 use Cake\ORM\Table;
+use function Cake\Core\getTypeName;
 
 /**
  * Checks whether links to a given association exist / do not exist.
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ public function __construct($association, string $requiredLinkStatus)
      * Performs the actual link check.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity involved in the operation.
-     * @param array $options Options passed from the rules checker.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Options passed from the rules checker.
      * @return bool Whether the check was successful.
      */
     public function __invoke(EntityInterface $entity, array $options): bool
@@ -126,9 +127,9 @@ public function __invoke(EntityInterface $entity, array $options): bool
     /**
      * Alias fields.
      *
-     * @param array $fields The fields that should be aliased.
+     * @param array<string> $fields The fields that should be aliased.
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $source The object to use for aliasing.
-     * @return array The aliased fields
+     * @return array<string> The aliased fields
      */
     protected function _aliasFields(array $fields, Table $source): array
     {
diff --git a/Rule/ValidCount.php b/Rule/ValidCount.php
index f7e23521..89d18d03 100644
--- a/Rule/ValidCount.php
+++ b/Rule/ValidCount.php
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ public function __construct(string $field)
      * Performs the count check
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity from where to extract the fields.
-     * @param array $options Options passed to the check.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Options passed to the check.
      * @return bool True if successful, else false.
      */
     public function __invoke(EntityInterface $entity, array $options): bool
diff --git a/RulesChecker.php b/RulesChecker.php
index 56184322..dd6a8ee4 100644
--- a/RulesChecker.php
+++ b/RulesChecker.php
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
 use Cake\ORM\Rule\LinkConstraint;
 use Cake\ORM\Rule\ValidCount;
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
+use function Cake\Core\getTypeName;
+use function Cake\I18n\__d;
 
 /**
  * ORM flavoured rules checker.
@@ -47,8 +49,8 @@ class RulesChecker extends BaseRulesChecker
      *
      * - `allowMultipleNulls` Allows any field to have multiple null values. Defaults to false.
      *
-     * @param string[] $fields The list of fields to check for uniqueness.
-     * @param string|array|null $message The error message to show in case the rule does not pass. Can
+     * @param array<string> $fields The list of fields to check for uniqueness.
+     * @param array<string, mixed>|string|null $message The error message to show in case the rule does not pass. Can
      *   also be an array of options. When an array, the 'message' key can be used to provide a message.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\RuleInvoker
      */
@@ -89,10 +91,10 @@ public function isUnique(array $fields, $message = null): RuleInvoker
      * 'message' sets a custom error message.
      * Set 'allowNullableNulls' to true to accept composite foreign keys where one or more nullable columns are null.
      *
-     * @param string|string[] $field The field or list of fields to check for existence by
+     * @param array<string>|string $field The field or list of fields to check for existence by
      * primary key lookup in the other table.
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table|\Cake\ORM\Association|string $table The table name where the fields existence will be checked.
-     * @param string|array|null $message The error message to show in case the rule does not pass. Can
+     * @param array<string, mixed>|string|null $message The error message to show in case the rule does not pass. Can
      *   also be an array of options. When an array, the 'message' key can be used to provide a message.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\RuleInvoker
      */
diff --git a/SaveOptionsBuilder.php b/SaveOptionsBuilder.php
index 12270d58..ad81f905 100644
--- a/SaveOptionsBuilder.php
+++ b/SaveOptionsBuilder.php
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
  * you to avoid mistakes by validating the options as you build them.
  *
  * @see \Cake\Datasource\RulesChecker
+ * @deprecated 4.4.0 Use a normal array for options instead.
  */
 class SaveOptionsBuilder extends ArrayObject
 {
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ class SaveOptionsBuilder extends ArrayObject
     /**
      * Options
      *
-     * @var array
+     * @var array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected $_options = [];
 
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ class SaveOptionsBuilder extends ArrayObject
      * Constructor.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Table $table A table instance.
-     * @param array $options Options to parse when instantiating.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Options to parse when instantiating.
      */
     public function __construct(Table $table, array $options = [])
     {
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ public function __construct(Table $table, array $options = [])
      * This can be used to turn an options array into the object.
      *
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException If a given option key does not exist.
-     * @param array $array Options array.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $array Options array.
      * @return $this
      */
     public function parseArrayOptions(array $array)
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ public function parseArrayOptions(array $array)
     /**
      * Set associated options.
      *
-     * @param string|array $associated String or array of associations.
+     * @param array|string $associated String or array of associations.
      * @return $this
      */
     public function associated($associated)
@@ -200,7 +201,7 @@ public function atomic(bool $atomic)
     }
 
     /**
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function toArray(): array
     {
diff --git a/Table.php b/Table.php
index 2cb3e958..b101dcdd 100644
--- a/Table.php
+++ b/Table.php
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 use BadMethodCallException;
 use Cake\Core\App;
 use Cake\Core\Configure;
+use Cake\Core\Exception\CakeException;
 use Cake\Database\Connection;
 use Cake\Database\Schema\TableSchemaInterface;
 use Cake\Database\TypeFactory;
@@ -39,13 +40,21 @@
 use Cake\ORM\Exception\MissingEntityException;
 use Cake\ORM\Exception\PersistenceFailedException;
 use Cake\ORM\Exception\RolledbackTransactionException;
+use Cake\ORM\Query\DeleteQuery;
+use Cake\ORM\Query\InsertQuery;
+use Cake\ORM\Query\SelectQuery;
+use Cake\ORM\Query\UpdateQuery;
 use Cake\ORM\Rule\IsUnique;
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
 use Cake\Validation\ValidatorAwareInterface;
 use Cake\Validation\ValidatorAwareTrait;
 use Exception;
 use InvalidArgumentException;
+use ReflectionMethod;
 use RuntimeException;
+use function Cake\Core\deprecationWarning;
+use function Cake\Core\getTypeName;
+use function Cake\Core\namespaceSplit;
 
 /**
  * Represents a single database table.
@@ -89,7 +98,7 @@
  * - `Model.beforeFind` Fired before each find operation. By stopping the event and
  *   supplying a return value you can bypass the find operation entirely. Any
  *   changes done to the $query instance will be retained for the rest of the find. The
- *   `$primary` parameter indicates whether or not this is the root query, or an
+ *   `$primary` parameter indicates whether this is the root query, or an
  *   associated query.
  *
  * - `Model.buildValidator` Allows listeners to modify validation rules
@@ -214,14 +223,14 @@ class Table implements RepositoryInterface, EventListenerInterface, EventDispatc
     /**
      * The name of the field that represents the primary key in the table
      *
-     * @var string|string[]|null
+     * @var array<string>|string|null
      */
     protected $_primaryKey;
 
     /**
-     * The name of the field that represents a human readable representation of a row
+     * The name of the field that represents a human-readable representation of a row
      *
-     * @var string|string[]|null
+     * @var array<string>|string|null
      */
     protected $_displayField;
 
@@ -273,7 +282,7 @@ class Table implements RepositoryInterface, EventListenerInterface, EventDispatc
      *   validation set, or an associative array, where key is the name of the
      *   validation set and value the Validator instance.
      *
-     * @param array $config List of options for this table
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config List of options for this table
      */
     public function __construct(array $config = [])
     {
@@ -353,7 +362,7 @@ public static function defaultConnectionName(): string
      *  }
      * ```
      *
-     * @param array $config Configuration options passed to the constructor
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $config Configuration options passed to the constructor
      * @return void
      */
     public function initialize(array $config): void
@@ -387,9 +396,11 @@ public function getTable(): string
     {
         if ($this->_table === null) {
             $table = namespaceSplit(static::class);
-            $table = substr(end($table), 0, -5);
+            $table = substr(end($table), 0, -5) ?: $this->_alias;
             if (!$table) {
-                $table = $this->getAlias();
+                throw new CakeException(
+                    'You must specify either the `alias` or the `table` option for the constructor.'
+                );
             }
             $this->_table = Inflector::underscore($table);
         }
@@ -419,7 +430,12 @@ public function getAlias(): string
     {
         if ($this->_alias === null) {
             $alias = namespaceSplit(static::class);
-            $alias = substr(end($alias), 0, -5) ?: $this->getTable();
+            $alias = substr(end($alias), 0, -5) ?: $this->_table;
+            if (!$alias) {
+                throw new CakeException(
+                    'You must specify either the `alias` or the `table` option for the constructor.'
+                );
+            }
             $this->_alias = $alias;
         }
 
@@ -507,11 +523,17 @@ public function getConnection(): Connection
     public function getSchema(): TableSchemaInterface
     {
         if ($this->_schema === null) {
-            $this->_schema = $this->_initializeSchema(
-                $this->getConnection()
-                    ->getSchemaCollection()
-                    ->describe($this->getTable())
-            );
+            $this->_schema = $this->getConnection()
+                ->getSchemaCollection()
+                ->describe($this->getTable());
+
+            $method = new ReflectionMethod($this, '_initializeSchema');
+            if ($method->getDeclaringClass()->getName() != Table::class) {
+                deprecationWarning(
+                    'Table::_initializeSchema() is deprecated. Override `getSchema()` with a parent call instead.'
+                );
+                $this->_schema = $this->_initializeSchema($this->_schema);
+            }
             if (Configure::read('debug')) {
                 $this->checkAliasLengths();
             }
@@ -526,7 +548,7 @@ public function getSchema(): TableSchemaInterface
      * If an array is passed, a new TableSchemaInterface will be constructed
      * out of it and used as the schema for this table.
      *
-     * @param array|\Cake\Database\Schema\TableSchemaInterface $schema Schema to be used for this table
+     * @param \Cake\Database\Schema\TableSchemaInterface|array $schema Schema to be used for this table
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setSchema($schema)
@@ -624,15 +646,13 @@ protected function _initializeSchema(TableSchemaInterface $schema): TableSchemaI
      */
     public function hasField(string $field): bool
     {
-        $schema = $this->getSchema();
-
-        return $schema->getColumn($field) !== null;
+        return $this->getSchema()->getColumn($field) !== null;
     }
 
     /**
      * Sets the primary key field name.
      *
-     * @param string|string[] $key Sets a new name to be used as primary key
+     * @param array<string>|string $key Sets a new name to be used as primary key
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setPrimaryKey($key)
@@ -645,7 +665,7 @@ public function setPrimaryKey($key)
     /**
      * Returns the primary key field name.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getPrimaryKey()
     {
@@ -663,7 +683,7 @@ public function getPrimaryKey()
     /**
      * Sets the display field.
      *
-     * @param string|string[] $field Name to be used as display field.
+     * @param array<string>|string $field Name to be used as display field.
      * @return $this
      */
     public function setDisplayField($field)
@@ -676,23 +696,34 @@ public function setDisplayField($field)
     /**
      * Returns the display field.
      *
-     * @return string|string[]|null
+     * @return array<string>|string
      */
     public function getDisplayField()
     {
-        if ($this->_displayField === null) {
-            $schema = $this->getSchema();
-            $primary = (array)$this->getPrimaryKey();
-            $this->_displayField = array_shift($primary);
-            if ($schema->getColumn('title')) {
-                $this->_displayField = 'title';
+        if ($this->_displayField !== null) {
+            return $this->_displayField;
+        }
+
+        $schema = $this->getSchema();
+        foreach (['title', 'name', 'label'] as $field) {
+            if ($schema->hasColumn($field)) {
+                return $this->_displayField = $field;
             }
-            if ($schema->getColumn('name')) {
-                $this->_displayField = 'name';
+        }
+
+        foreach ($schema->columns() as $column) {
+            $columnSchema = $schema->getColumn($column);
+            if (
+                $columnSchema &&
+                $columnSchema['null'] !== true &&
+                $columnSchema['type'] === 'string' &&
+                !preg_match('/pass|token|secret/i', $column)
+            ) {
+                return $this->_displayField = $column;
             }
         }
 
-        return $this->_displayField;
+        return $this->_displayField = $this->getPrimaryKey();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -769,7 +800,7 @@ public function setEntityClass(string $name)
      * Behaviors are generally loaded during Table::initialize().
      *
      * @param string $name The name of the behavior. Can be a short class reference.
-     * @param array $options The options for the behavior to use.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the behavior to use.
      * @return $this
      * @throws \RuntimeException If a behavior is being reloaded.
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Behavior
@@ -793,7 +824,7 @@ public function addBehavior(string $name, array $options = [])
      * ]);
      * ```
      *
-     * @param array $behaviors All of the behaviors to load.
+     * @param array $behaviors All the behaviors to load.
      * @return $this
      * @throws \RuntimeException If a behavior is being reloaded.
      */
@@ -860,16 +891,14 @@ public function getBehavior(string $name): Behavior
             ));
         }
 
-        $behavior = $this->_behaviors->get($name);
-
-        return $behavior;
+        return $this->_behaviors->get($name);
     }
 
     /**
      * Check if a behavior with the given alias has been loaded.
      *
      * @param string $name The behavior alias to check.
-     * @return bool Whether or not the behavior exists.
+     * @return bool Whether the behavior exists.
      */
     public function hasBehavior(string $name): bool
     {
@@ -1036,17 +1065,14 @@ public function addAssociations(array $params)
      *
      * @param string $associated the alias for the target table. This is used to
      * uniquely identify the association
-     * @param array $options list of options to configure the association definition
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to configure the association definition
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsTo
      */
     public function belongsTo(string $associated, array $options = []): BelongsTo
     {
         $options += ['sourceTable' => $this];
 
-        /** @var \Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsTo $association */
-        $association = $this->_associations->load(BelongsTo::class, $associated, $options);
-
-        return $association;
+        return $this->_associations->load(BelongsTo::class, $associated, $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1082,17 +1108,14 @@ public function belongsTo(string $associated, array $options = []): BelongsTo
      *
      * @param string $associated the alias for the target table. This is used to
      * uniquely identify the association
-     * @param array $options list of options to configure the association definition
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to configure the association definition
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Association\HasOne
      */
     public function hasOne(string $associated, array $options = []): HasOne
     {
         $options += ['sourceTable' => $this];
 
-        /** @var \Cake\ORM\Association\HasOne $association */
-        $association = $this->_associations->load(HasOne::class, $associated, $options);
-
-        return $association;
+        return $this->_associations->load(HasOne::class, $associated, $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1134,17 +1157,14 @@ public function hasOne(string $associated, array $options = []): HasOne
      *
      * @param string $associated the alias for the target table. This is used to
      * uniquely identify the association
-     * @param array $options list of options to configure the association definition
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to configure the association definition
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Association\HasMany
      */
     public function hasMany(string $associated, array $options = []): HasMany
     {
         $options += ['sourceTable' => $this];
 
-        /** @var \Cake\ORM\Association\HasMany $association */
-        $association = $this->_associations->load(HasMany::class, $associated, $options);
-
-        return $association;
+        return $this->_associations->load(HasMany::class, $associated, $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1188,17 +1208,14 @@ public function hasMany(string $associated, array $options = []): HasMany
      *
      * @param string $associated the alias for the target table. This is used to
      * uniquely identify the association
-     * @param array $options list of options to configure the association definition
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options list of options to configure the association definition
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsToMany
      */
     public function belongsToMany(string $associated, array $options = []): BelongsToMany
     {
         $options += ['sourceTable' => $this];
 
-        /** @var \Cake\ORM\Association\BelongsToMany $association */
-        $association = $this->_associations->load(BelongsToMany::class, $associated, $options);
-
-        return $association;
+        return $this->_associations->load(BelongsToMany::class, $associated, $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1256,15 +1273,12 @@ public function belongsToMany(string $associated, array $options = []): BelongsT
      * Would invoke the `findPublished` method.
      *
      * @param string $type the type of query to perform
-     * @param array $options An array that will be passed to Query::applyOptions()
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options An array that will be passed to Query::applyOptions()
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query The query builder
      */
     public function find(string $type = 'all', array $options = []): Query
     {
-        $query = $this->query();
-        $query->select();
-
-        return $this->callFinder($type, $query, $options);
+        return $this->callFinder($type, $this->selectQuery()->select(), $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1274,7 +1288,7 @@ public function find(string $type = 'all', array $options = []): Query
      * can override this method in subclasses to modify how `find('all')` works.
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query to find with
-     * @param array $options The options to use for the find
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options to use for the find
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query The query builder
      */
     public function findAll(Query $query, array $options): Query
@@ -1288,7 +1302,7 @@ public function findAll(Query $query, array $options): Query
      *
      * When calling this finder, the fields passed are used to determine what should
      * be used as the array key, value and optionally what to group the results by.
-     * By default the primary key for the model is used for the key, and the display
+     * By default, the primary key for the model is used for the key, and the display
      * field as value.
      *
      * The results of this finder will be in the following form:
@@ -1313,14 +1327,14 @@ public function findAll(Query $query, array $options): Query
      * ```
      *
      * The `valueField` can also be an array, in which case you can also specify
-     * the `valueSeparator` option to control how the values will be concatinated:
+     * the `valueSeparator` option to control how the values will be concatenated:
      *
      * ```
      * $table->find('list', [
      *  'valueField' => ['first_name', 'last_name'],
      *  'valueSeparator' => ' | ',
      * ]);
-     *
+     * ```
      *
      * The results of this finder will be in the following form:
      *
@@ -1355,7 +1369,7 @@ public function findAll(Query $query, array $options): Query
      * ```
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query to find with
-     * @param array $options The options for the find
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options for the find
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query The query builder
      */
     public function findList(Query $query, array $options): Query
@@ -1414,13 +1428,13 @@ public function findList(Query $query, array $options): Query
      * ```
      * $table->find('threaded', [
      *  'keyField' => 'id',
-     *  'parentField' => 'ancestor_id'
+     *  'parentField' => 'ancestor_id',
      *  'nestingKey' => 'children'
      * ]);
      * ```
      *
      * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query to find with
-     * @param array $options The options to find with
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options to find with
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query The query builder
      */
     public function findThreaded(Query $query, array $options): Query
@@ -1447,10 +1461,10 @@ public function findThreaded(Query $query, array $options): Query
      * This is an auxiliary function used for result formatters that can accept
      * composite keys when comparing values.
      *
-     * @param array $options the original options passed to a finder
-     * @param string[] $keys the keys to check in $options to build matchers from
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options the original options passed to a finder
+     * @param array<string> $keys the keys to check in $options to build matchers from
      * the associated value
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     protected function _setFieldMatchers(array $options, array $keys): array
     {
@@ -1491,7 +1505,7 @@ protected function _setFieldMatchers(array $options, array $keys): array
      * ```
      *
      * @param mixed $primaryKey primary key value to find
-     * @param array $options options accepted by `Table::find()`
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options options accepted by `Table::find()`
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface
      * @throws \Cake\Datasource\Exception\RecordNotFoundException if the record with such id
      * could not be found
@@ -1502,12 +1516,21 @@ protected function _setFieldMatchers(array $options, array $keys): array
      */
     public function get($primaryKey, array $options = []): EntityInterface
     {
+        if ($primaryKey === null) {
+            throw new InvalidPrimaryKeyException(sprintf(
+                'Record not found in table "%s" with primary key [NULL]',
+                $this->getTable()
+            ));
+        }
+
         $key = (array)$this->getPrimaryKey();
         $alias = $this->getAlias();
         foreach ($key as $index => $keyname) {
             $key[$index] = $alias . '.' . $keyname;
         }
-        $primaryKey = (array)$primaryKey;
+        if (!is_array($primaryKey)) {
+            $primaryKey = [$primaryKey];
+        }
         if (count($key) !== count($primaryKey)) {
             $primaryKey = $primaryKey ?: [null];
             $primaryKey = array_map(function ($key) {
@@ -1532,7 +1555,7 @@ public function get($primaryKey, array $options = []): EntityInterface
         if ($cacheConfig) {
             if (!$cacheKey) {
                 $cacheKey = sprintf(
-                    'get:%s.%s%s',
+                    'get-%s-%s-%s',
                     $this->getConnection()->configName(),
                     $this->getTable(),
                     json_encode($primaryKey)
@@ -1599,13 +1622,13 @@ protected function _transactionCommitted(bool $atomic, bool $primary): bool
      *   transaction (default: true)
      * - defaults: Whether to use the search criteria as default values for the new entity (default: true)
      *
-     * @param array|callable|\Cake\ORM\Query $search The criteria to find existing
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\Query|callable|array $search The criteria to find existing
      *   records by. Note that when you pass a query object you'll have to use
      *   the 2nd arg of the method to modify the entity data before saving.
      * @param callable|null $callback A callback that will be invoked for newly
      *   created entities. This callback will be called *before* the entity
      *   is persisted.
-     * @param array $options The options to use when saving.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options to use when saving.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface An entity.
      * @throws \Cake\ORM\Exception\PersistenceFailedException When the entity couldn't be saved
      */
@@ -1630,12 +1653,12 @@ public function findOrCreate($search, ?callable $callback = null, $options = [])
     /**
      * Performs the actual find and/or create of an entity based on the passed options.
      *
-     * @param array|callable|\Cake\ORM\Query $search The criteria to find an existing record by, or a callable tha will
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\Query|callable|array $search The criteria to find an existing record by, or a callable tha will
      *   customize the find query.
      * @param callable|null $callback A callback that will be invoked for newly
      *   created entities. This callback will be called *before* the entity
      *   is persisted.
-     * @param array $options The options to use when saving.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options to use when saving.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|array An entity.
      * @throws \Cake\ORM\Exception\PersistenceFailedException When the entity couldn't be saved
      * @throws \InvalidArgumentException
@@ -1671,7 +1694,7 @@ protected function _processFindOrCreate($search, ?callable $callback = null, $op
     /**
      * Gets the query object for findOrCreate().
      *
-     * @param array|callable|\Cake\ORM\Query $search The criteria to find existing records by.
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\Query|callable|array $search The criteria to find existing records by.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      */
     protected function _getFindOrCreateQuery($search): Query
@@ -1700,9 +1723,56 @@ protected function _getFindOrCreateQuery($search): Query
      */
     public function query(): Query
     {
+        deprecationWarning(
+            'As of 4.5.0 using query() is deprecated. Instead use `insertQuery()`, ' .
+            '`deleteQuery()`, `selectQuery()` or `updateQuery()`. The query objects ' .
+            'returned by these methods will emit deprecations that will become fatal errors in 5.0.' .
+            'See https://book.cakephp.org/4/en/appendices/4-5-migration-guide.html for more information.'
+        );
+
         return new Query($this->getConnection(), $this);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Creates a new DeleteQuery instance for a table.
+     *
+     * @return \Cake\ORM\Query\DeleteQuery
+     */
+    public function deleteQuery(): DeleteQuery
+    {
+        return new DeleteQuery($this->getConnection(), $this);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new InsertQuery instance for a table.
+     *
+     * @return \Cake\ORM\Query\InsertQuery
+     */
+    public function insertQuery(): InsertQuery
+    {
+        return new InsertQuery($this->getConnection(), $this);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new SelectQuery instance for a table.
+     *
+     * @return \Cake\ORM\Query\SelectQuery
+     */
+    public function selectQuery(): SelectQuery
+    {
+        return new SelectQuery($this->getConnection(), $this);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new UpdateQuery instance for a table.
+     *
+     * @return \Cake\ORM\Query\UpdateQuery
+     */
+    public function updateQuery(): UpdateQuery
+    {
+        return new UpdateQuery($this->getConnection(), $this);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Creates a new Query::subquery() instance for a table.
      *
@@ -1719,11 +1789,10 @@ public function subquery(): Query
      */
     public function updateAll($fields, $conditions): int
     {
-        $query = $this->query();
-        $query->update()
+        $statement = $this->updateQuery()
             ->set($fields)
-            ->where($conditions);
-        $statement = $query->execute();
+            ->where($conditions)
+            ->execute();
         $statement->closeCursor();
 
         return $statement->rowCount();
@@ -1734,10 +1803,9 @@ public function updateAll($fields, $conditions): int
      */
     public function deleteAll($conditions): int
     {
-        $query = $this->query()
-            ->delete()
-            ->where($conditions);
-        $statement = $query->execute();
+        $statement = $this->deleteQuery()
+            ->where($conditions)
+            ->execute();
         $statement->closeCursor();
 
         return $statement->rowCount();
@@ -1767,7 +1835,7 @@ public function exists($conditions): bool
      *
      * - atomic: Whether to execute the save and callbacks inside a database
      *   transaction (default: true)
-     * - checkRules: Whether or not to check the rules on entity before saving, if the checking
+     * - checkRules: Whether to check the rules on entity before saving, if the checking
      *   fails, it will abort the save operation. (default:true)
      * - associated: If `true` it will save 1st level associated entities as they are found
      *   in the passed `$entity` whenever the property defined for the association
@@ -1775,7 +1843,7 @@ public function exists($conditions): bool
      *   to be saved. It is possible to provide different options for saving on associated
      *   table objects using this key by making the custom options the array value.
      *   If `false` no associated records will be saved. (default: `true`)
-     * - checkExisting: Whether or not to check if the entity already exists, assuming that the
+     * - checkExisting: Whether to check if the entity already exists, assuming that the
      *   entity is marked as not new, and the primary key has been set.
      *
      * ### Events
@@ -1840,13 +1908,14 @@ public function exists($conditions): bool
      * ```
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity the entity to be saved
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess|\Cake\ORM\SaveOptionsBuilder $options The options to use when saving.
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\SaveOptionsBuilder|\ArrayAccess|array $options The options to use when saving.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|false
      * @throws \Cake\ORM\Exception\RolledbackTransactionException If the transaction is aborted in the afterSave event.
      */
     public function save(EntityInterface $entity, $options = [])
     {
         if ($options instanceof SaveOptionsBuilder) {
+            deprecationWarning('SaveOptionsBuilder is deprecated. Use a normal array for options instead.');
             $options = $options->toArray();
         }
 
@@ -1856,6 +1925,7 @@ public function save(EntityInterface $entity, $options = [])
             'checkRules' => true,
             'checkExisting' => true,
             '_primary' => true,
+            '_cleanOnSuccess' => true,
         ]);
 
         if ($entity->hasErrors((bool)$options['associated'])) {
@@ -1875,8 +1945,10 @@ public function save(EntityInterface $entity, $options = [])
                 $this->dispatchEvent('Model.afterSaveCommit', compact('entity', 'options'));
             }
             if ($options['atomic'] || $options['_primary']) {
-                $entity->clean();
-                $entity->setNew(false);
+                if ($options['_cleanOnSuccess']) {
+                    $entity->clean();
+                    $entity->setNew(false);
+                }
                 $entity->setSource($this->getRegistryAlias());
             }
         }
@@ -1889,7 +1961,7 @@ public function save(EntityInterface $entity, $options = [])
      * the entity contains errors or the save was aborted by a callback.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity the entity to be saved
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess $options The options to use when saving.
+     * @param \ArrayAccess|array $options The options to use when saving.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface
      * @throws \Cake\ORM\Exception\PersistenceFailedException When the entity couldn't be saved
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::save()
@@ -2067,15 +2139,16 @@ protected function _insert(EntityInterface $entity, array $data)
             }
         }
 
-        $success = false;
         if (empty($data)) {
-            return $success;
+            return false;
         }
 
-        $statement = $this->query()->insert(array_keys($data))
+        $statement = $this->insertQuery()
+            ->insert(array_keys($data))
             ->values($data)
             ->execute();
 
+        $success = false;
         if ($statement->rowCount() !== 0) {
             $success = $entity;
             $entity->set($filteredKeys, ['guard' => false]);
@@ -2106,7 +2179,7 @@ protected function _insert(EntityInterface $entity, array $data)
      * Note: The ORM will not generate primary key values for composite primary keys.
      * You can overwrite _newId() in your table class.
      *
-     * @param string[] $primary The primary key columns to get a new ID for.
+     * @param array<string> $primary The primary key columns to get a new ID for.
      * @return string|null Either null or the primary key value or a list of primary key values.
      */
     protected function _newId(array $primary)
@@ -2152,16 +2225,12 @@ protected function _update(EntityInterface $entity, array $data)
             throw new InvalidArgumentException($message);
         }
 
-        $query = $this->query();
-        $statement = $query->update()
+        $statement = $this->updateQuery()
             ->set($data)
             ->where($primaryKey)
             ->execute();
 
-        $success = false;
-        if ($statement->errorCode() === '00000') {
-            $success = $entity;
-        }
+        $success = $statement->errorCode() === '00000' ? $entity : false;
         $statement->closeCursor();
 
         return $success;
@@ -2174,9 +2243,9 @@ protected function _update(EntityInterface $entity, array $data)
      * any one of the records fails to save due to failed validation or database
      * error.
      *
-     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface $entities Entities to save.
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess|\Cake\ORM\SaveOptionsBuilder $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
-     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface|false False on failure, entities list on success.
+     * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities Entities to save.
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\SaveOptionsBuilder|\ArrayAccess|array $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
+     * @return iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|false False on failure, entities list on success.
      * @throws \Exception
      */
     public function saveMany(iterable $entities, $options = [])
@@ -2195,9 +2264,9 @@ public function saveMany(iterable $entities, $options = [])
      * any one of the records fails to save due to failed validation or database
      * error.
      *
-     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface $entities Entities to save.
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
-     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface Entities list.
+     * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities Entities to save.
+     * @param \ArrayAccess|array $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
+     * @return iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> Entities list.
      * @throws \Exception
      * @throws \Cake\ORM\Exception\PersistenceFailedException If an entity couldn't be saved.
      */
@@ -2207,14 +2276,19 @@ public function saveManyOrFail(iterable $entities, $options = []): iterable
     }
 
     /**
-     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface $entities Entities to save.
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess|\Cake\ORM\SaveOptionsBuilder $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
+     * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities Entities to save.
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\SaveOptionsBuilder|\ArrayAccess|array $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
      * @throws \Cake\ORM\Exception\PersistenceFailedException If an entity couldn't be saved.
      * @throws \Exception If an entity couldn't be saved.
-     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface Entities list.
+     * @return iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> Entities list.
      */
     protected function _saveMany(iterable $entities, $options = []): iterable
     {
+        if ($options instanceof SaveOptionsBuilder) {
+            deprecationWarning('SaveOptionsBuilder is deprecated. Use a normal array for options instead.');
+            $options = $options->toArray();
+        }
+
         $options = new ArrayObject(
             (array)$options + [
                 'atomic' => true,
@@ -2222,10 +2296,11 @@ protected function _saveMany(iterable $entities, $options = []): iterable
                 '_primary' => true,
             ]
         );
+        $options['_cleanOnSuccess'] = false;
 
-        /** @var bool[] $isNew */
+        /** @var array<bool> $isNew */
         $isNew = [];
-        $cleanup = function ($entities) use (&$isNew): void {
+        $cleanupOnFailure = function ($entities) use (&$isNew): void {
             /** @var array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities */
             foreach ($entities as $key => $entity) {
                 if (isset($isNew[$key]) && $isNew[$key]) {
@@ -2250,20 +2325,40 @@ protected function _saveMany(iterable $entities, $options = []): iterable
                     }
                 });
         } catch (Exception $e) {
-            $cleanup($entities);
+            $cleanupOnFailure($entities);
 
             throw $e;
         }
 
         if ($failed !== null) {
-            $cleanup($entities);
+            $cleanupOnFailure($entities);
 
             throw new PersistenceFailedException($failed, ['saveMany']);
         }
 
+        $cleanupOnSuccess = function (EntityInterface $entity) use (&$cleanupOnSuccess) {
+            $entity->clean();
+            $entity->setNew(false);
+
+            foreach (array_keys($entity->toArray()) as $field) {
+                $value = $entity->get($field);
+
+                if ($value instanceof EntityInterface) {
+                    $cleanupOnSuccess($value);
+                } elseif (is_array($value) && current($value) instanceof EntityInterface) {
+                    foreach ($value as $associated) {
+                        $cleanupOnSuccess($associated);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        };
+
         if ($this->_transactionCommitted($options['atomic'], $options['_primary'])) {
             foreach ($entities as $entity) {
                 $this->dispatchEvent('Model.afterSaveCommit', compact('entity', 'options'));
+                if ($options['atomic'] || $options['_primary']) {
+                    $cleanupOnSuccess($entity);
+                }
             }
         }
 
@@ -2297,7 +2392,7 @@ protected function _saveMany(iterable $entities, $options = []): iterable
      * the options used in the delete operation.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity to remove.
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess $options The options for the delete.
+     * @param \ArrayAccess|array $options The options for the delete.
      * @return bool success
      */
     public function delete(EntityInterface $entity, $options = []): bool
@@ -2329,9 +2424,9 @@ public function delete(EntityInterface $entity, $options = []): bool
      * any one of the records fails to delete due to failed validation or database
      * error.
      *
-     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface $entities Entities to delete.
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
-     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface|false Entities list
+     * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities Entities to delete.
+     * @param \ArrayAccess|array $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
+     * @return iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|false Entities list
      *   on success, false on failure.
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::delete() for options and events related to this method.
      */
@@ -2353,9 +2448,9 @@ public function deleteMany(iterable $entities, $options = [])
      * any one of the records fails to delete due to failed validation or database
      * error.
      *
-     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface $entities Entities to delete.
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
-     * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface Entities list.
+     * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities Entities to delete.
+     * @param \ArrayAccess|array $options Options used when calling Table::save() for each entity.
+     * @return iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> Entities list.
      * @throws \Cake\ORM\Exception\PersistenceFailedException
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::delete() for options and events related to this method.
      */
@@ -2371,8 +2466,8 @@ public function deleteManyOrFail(iterable $entities, $options = []): iterable
     }
 
     /**
-     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Cake\Datasource\ResultSetInterface $entities Entities to delete.
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess $options Options used.
+     * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities Entities to delete.
+     * @param \ArrayAccess|array $options Options used.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface|null
      */
     protected function _deleteMany(iterable $entities, $options = []): ?EntityInterface
@@ -2410,7 +2505,7 @@ protected function _deleteMany(iterable $entities, $options = []): ?EntityInterf
      * has no primary key value, application rules checks failed or the delete was aborted by a callback.
      *
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity The entity to remove.
-     * @param array|\ArrayAccess $options The options for the delete.
+     * @param \ArrayAccess|array $options The options for the delete.
      * @return true
      * @throws \Cake\ORM\Exception\PersistenceFailedException
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Table::delete()
@@ -2470,15 +2565,12 @@ protected function _processDelete(EntityInterface $entity, ArrayObject $options)
             return $success;
         }
 
-        $query = $this->query();
-        $conditions = $entity->extract($primaryKey);
-        $statement = $query->delete()
-            ->where($conditions)
+        $statement = $this->deleteQuery()
+            ->where($entity->extract($primaryKey))
             ->execute();
 
-        $success = $statement->rowCount() > 0;
-        if (!$success) {
-            return $success;
+        if ($statement->rowCount() < 1) {
+            return false;
         }
 
         $this->dispatchEvent('Model.afterDelete', [
@@ -2486,7 +2578,7 @@ protected function _processDelete(EntityInterface $entity, ArrayObject $options)
             'options' => $options,
         ]);
 
-        return $success;
+        return true;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2503,14 +2595,16 @@ public function hasFinder(string $type): bool
     }
 
     /**
-     * Calls a finder method directly and applies it to the passed query,
-     * if no query is passed a new one will be created and returned
+     * Calls a finder method and applies it to the passed query.
      *
-     * @param string $type name of the finder to be called
-     * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query object to apply the finder options to
-     * @param array $options List of options to pass to the finder
+     * @param string $type Name of the finder to be called.
+     * @param \Cake\ORM\Query $query The query object to apply the finder options to.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options List of options to pass to the finder.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Query
      * @throws \BadMethodCallException
+     * @uses findAll()
+     * @uses findList()
+     * @uses findThreaded()
      */
     public function callFinder(string $type, Query $query, array $options = []): Query
     {
@@ -2737,18 +2831,15 @@ public function newEmptyEntity(): EntityInterface
      * before it is converted into entities.
      *
      * @param array $data The data to build an entity with.
-     * @param array $options A list of options for the object hydration.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options A list of options for the object hydration.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Marshaller::one()
      */
     public function newEntity(array $data, array $options = []): EntityInterface
     {
-        if (!isset($options['associated'])) {
-            $options['associated'] = $this->_associations->keys();
-        }
-        $marshaller = $this->marshaller();
+        $options['associated'] = $options['associated'] ?? $this->_associations->keys();
 
-        return $marshaller->one($data, $options);
+        return $this->marshaller()->one($data, $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2780,17 +2871,14 @@ public function newEntity(array $data, array $options = []): EntityInterface
      * before it is converted into entities.
      *
      * @param array $data The data to build an entity with.
-     * @param array $options A list of options for the objects hydration.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options A list of options for the objects hydration.
      * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> An array of hydrated records.
      */
     public function newEntities(array $data, array $options = []): array
     {
-        if (!isset($options['associated'])) {
-            $options['associated'] = $this->_associations->keys();
-        }
-        $marshaller = $this->marshaller();
+        $options['associated'] = $options['associated'] ?? $this->_associations->keys();
 
-        return $marshaller->many($data, $options);
+        return $this->marshaller()->many($data, $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2840,18 +2928,15 @@ public function newEntities(array $data, array $options = []): array
      * @param \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface $entity the entity that will get the
      * data merged in
      * @param array $data key value list of fields to be merged into the entity
-     * @param array $options A list of options for the object hydration.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options A list of options for the object hydration.
      * @return \Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface
      * @see \Cake\ORM\Marshaller::merge()
      */
     public function patchEntity(EntityInterface $entity, array $data, array $options = []): EntityInterface
     {
-        if (!isset($options['associated'])) {
-            $options['associated'] = $this->_associations->keys();
-        }
-        $marshaller = $this->marshaller();
+        $options['associated'] = $options['associated'] ?? $this->_associations->keys();
 
-        return $marshaller->merge($entity, $data, $options);
+        return $this->marshaller()->merge($entity, $data, $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2879,20 +2964,17 @@ public function patchEntity(EntityInterface $entity, array $data, array $options
      * You can use the `Model.beforeMarshal` event to modify request data
      * before it is converted into entities.
      *
-     * @param array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>|\Traversable $entities the entities that will get the
+     * @param iterable<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface> $entities the entities that will get the
      * data merged in
      * @param array $data list of arrays to be merged into the entities
-     * @param array $options A list of options for the objects hydration.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options A list of options for the objects hydration.
      * @return array<\Cake\Datasource\EntityInterface>
      */
     public function patchEntities(iterable $entities, array $data, array $options = []): array
     {
-        if (!isset($options['associated'])) {
-            $options['associated'] = $this->_associations->keys();
-        }
-        $marshaller = $this->marshaller();
+        $options['associated'] = $options['associated'] ?? $this->_associations->keys();
 
-        return $marshaller->mergeMany($entities, $data, $options);
+        return $this->marshaller()->mergeMany($entities, $data, $options);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2924,7 +3006,7 @@ public function patchEntities(iterable $entities, array $data, array $options =
      * the data to be validated.
      *
      * @param mixed $value The value of column to be checked for uniqueness.
-     * @param array $options The options array, optionally containing the 'scope' key.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options array, optionally containing the 'scope' key.
      *   May also be the validation context, if there are no options.
      * @param array|null $context Either the validation context or null.
      * @return bool True if the value is unique, or false if a non-scalar, non-unique value was given.
@@ -2983,7 +3065,7 @@ public function validateUnique($value, array $options, ?array $context = null):
      * - Model.beforeRules => beforeRules
      * - Model.afterRules => afterRules
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function implementedEvents(): array
     {
@@ -3027,8 +3109,9 @@ public function buildRules(RulesChecker $rules): RulesChecker
     /**
      * Gets a SaveOptionsBuilder instance.
      *
-     * @param array $options Options to parse by the builder.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options Options to parse by the builder.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\SaveOptionsBuilder
+     * @deprecated 4.4.0 Use a normal array for options instead.
      */
     public function getSaveOptionsBuilder(array $options = []): SaveOptionsBuilder
     {
@@ -3082,7 +3165,7 @@ protected function validationMethodExists(string $name): bool
      * Returns an array that can be used to describe the internal state of this
      * object.
      *
-     * @return array
+     * @return array<string, mixed>
      */
     public function __debugInfo()
     {
diff --git a/TableRegistry.php b/TableRegistry.php
index 52a0c42a..7119be7d 100644
--- a/TableRegistry.php
+++ b/TableRegistry.php
@@ -86,9 +86,9 @@ public static function setTableLocator(LocatorInterface $tableLocator): void
      * See options specification in {@link TableLocator::get()}.
      *
      * @param string $alias The alias name you want to get.
-     * @param array $options The options you want to build the table with.
+     * @param array<string, mixed> $options The options you want to build the table with.
      * @return \Cake\ORM\Table
-     * @deprecated 3.6.0 Use {@link \Cake\ORM\Locator\TableLocator::get()} instead. Will be removed in 5.0.
+     * @deprecated 3.6.0 Use {@link \Cake\ORM\Locator\LocatorAwareTrait::fetchTable()} instead. Will be removed in 5.0.
      */
     public static function get(string $alias, array $options = []): Table
     {
diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index c0f2675d..d3f1c880 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
         "source": "https://github.com/cakephp/orm"
     },
     "require": {
-        "php": ">=7.2.0",
+        "php": ">=7.4.0",
         "cakephp/collection": "^4.0",
         "cakephp/core": "^4.0",
         "cakephp/datasource": "^4.0",