diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/export-detection.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/export-detection.ts
index 597d17725..2e256c681 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/export-detection.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/export-detection.ts
@@ -240,18 +240,65 @@ export const swiftExportChecker: ExportChecker = (node, _name) => {
 /** Ruby: all top-level definitions are public (no export syntax). */
 export const rubyExportChecker: ExportChecker = (_node, _name) => true;
 
-/** Lua: `function foo()` is global (reachable from other files via require/_G);
- *  `local function foo()` is module-private. */
-export const luaExportChecker: ExportChecker = (node, _name) => {
+/**
+ * Lua module exports are structural rather than keyword-based:
+ *   - `function foo()` is global and therefore visible across files;
+ *   - `local function foo()` is private unless the module returns it directly
+ *     or exposes it through a returned table (`return { foo = foo }`).
+ *
+ * The query passes the captured identifier node, not the declaration node, so
+ * the declaration must be recovered through the parent chain. Only direct
+ * module-level returns are considered; a return nested in another function
+ * does not make a nested local part of the module API.
+ */
+export const luaExportChecker: ExportChecker = (node, name) => {
   let current: SyntaxNode | null = node;
+  let declaration: SyntaxNode | null = null;
   while (current !== null) {
-    if (current.type === 'local_function_definition_statement') return false;
+    if (current.type === 'local_function_definition_statement') {
+      declaration = current;
+      break;
+    }
     if (current.type === 'function_definition_statement') return true;
     current = current.parent;
   }
-  return true;
+
+  if (declaration === null) return true;
+
+  const root = findLuaRoot(declaration);
+  if (declaration.parent !== root) return false;
+  return luaModuleReturnExposesName(root, name);
 };
 
+function findLuaRoot(node: SyntaxNode): SyntaxNode {
+  let root = node;
+  while (root.parent !== null) root = root.parent;
+  return root;
+}
+
+function luaModuleReturnExposesName(root: SyntaxNode, name: string): boolean {
+  for (const statement of root.namedChildren ?? []) {
+    if (statement.type !== 'return_statement') continue;
+    const expressionList = statement.namedChildren?.find(
+      (child) => child.type === 'expression_list',
+    );
+    const expression = expressionList?.namedChildren?.[0];
+    if (expression === undefined) continue;
+
+    const directName = expression.childForFieldName('name');
+    if (directName?.type === 'identifier' && directName.text === name) return true;
+
+    if (expression.type !== 'table') continue;
+    const fields = expression.namedChildren?.find((child) => child.type === 'field_list');
+    for (const field of fields?.namedChildren ?? []) {
+      if (field.type !== 'field') continue;
+      const value = field.childForFieldName('value');
+      const valueName = value?.childForFieldName('name');
+      if (valueName?.type === 'identifier' && valueName.text === name) return true;
+    }
+  }
+  return false;
+}
 /** Dart: public if no leading underscore (convention, same as Python). */
 export const dartExportChecker: ExportChecker = (_node, name) => !name.startsWith('_');
 
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/integration/resolvers/lua-scope.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/integration/resolvers/lua-scope.test.ts
index 00a71d682..7c7971b96 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/integration/resolvers/lua-scope.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/integration/resolvers/lua-scope.test.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import os from 'node:os';
 import {
   getRelationships,
   getNodesByLabel,
+  getNodesByLabelFull,
   runPipelineFromRepo,
   type PipelineResult,
 } from './helpers.js';
@@ -158,6 +159,43 @@ local value = wrap(require("wrapped"))
   }, 60000);
 });
 
+describe('Lua module export visibility', () => {
+  it('exports local functions only when the module return value exposes them', async () => {
+    const tmpDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'lua-scope-exports-'));
+    try {
+      writeFixtureRepo(tmpDir, {
+        'module.lua': `local function exposed() end
+local function hidden() end
+function global() end
+return { exposed = exposed }
+`,
+      });
+      const result = await runPipelineFromRepo(tmpDir, () => {});
+      const functions = getNodesByLabelFull(result, 'Function').filter((node) =>
+        node.properties.filePath?.endsWith('module.lua'),
+      );
+      expect(functions).toEqual(
+        expect.arrayContaining([
+          expect.objectContaining({
+            name: 'exposed',
+            properties: expect.objectContaining({ isExported: true }),
+          }),
+          expect.objectContaining({
+            name: 'hidden',
+            properties: expect.objectContaining({ isExported: false }),
+          }),
+          expect.objectContaining({
+            name: 'global',
+            properties: expect.objectContaining({ isExported: true }),
+          }),
+        ]),
+      );
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(tmpDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  }, 60000);
+});
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // require("lib.util") + member call util.answer() across files
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------