diff --git a/pkg/index/indextest/tests.go b/pkg/index/indextest/tests.go
index 7c7d63780..463e9c1fe 100644
--- a/pkg/index/indextest/tests.go
+++ b/pkg/index/indextest/tests.go
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ package indextest
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"log"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"reflect"
@@ -110,6 +109,12 @@ func (id *IndexDeps) SetAttribute(permaNode *blobref.BlobRef, attr, value string
 	return id.uploadAndSignMap(m)
 }
 
+func (id *IndexDeps) AddAttribute(permaNode *blobref.BlobRef, attr, value string) *blobref.BlobRef {
+	m := schema.NewAddAttributeClaim(permaNode, attr, value)
+	m["claimDate"] = id.advanceTime()
+	return id.uploadAndSignMap(m)
+}
+
 func (id *IndexDeps) UploadFile(fileName string, contents string) (fileRef, wholeRef *blobref.BlobRef) {
 	cb := &test.Blob{Contents: contents}
 	id.BlobSource.AddBlob(cb)
@@ -130,7 +135,6 @@ func (id *IndexDeps) UploadFile(fileName string, contents string) (fileRef, whol
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	fb := &test.Blob{Contents: fjson}
-	log.Printf("Blob is: %s", fjson)
 	id.BlobSource.AddBlob(fb)
 	fileRef = fb.BlobRef()
 	_, err = id.Index.ReceiveBlob(fileRef, fb.Reader())
@@ -212,6 +216,12 @@ func Index(t *testing.T, initIdx func() *index.Index) {
 	rootClaimTime := id.lastTime()
 	t.Logf("set attribute %q", rootClaim)
 
+	pnChild := id.NewPermanode()
+	memberRef := id.AddAttribute(pn, "camliMember", pnChild.String())
+	t.Logf("add-attribute claim %q points to member permanode %q", memberRef, pnChild)
+	memberRefTime := id.lastTime()
+
+	lastPermanodeMutation := id.lastTime()
 	id.dumpIndex(t)
 
 	key := "signerkeyid:sha1-ad87ca5c78bd0ce1195c46f7c98e6025abbaf007"
@@ -240,6 +250,11 @@ func Index(t *testing.T, initIdx func() *index.Index) {
 		t.Fatalf("%q = %q, want %q (permanode)", key, g, e)
 	}
 
+	key = fmt.Sprintf("edgeback|%s|%s|%s", pnChild, pn, memberRef)
+	if g, e := id.Get(key), "permanode|"; g != e {
+		t.Fatalf("edgeback row %q = %q, want %q", key, g, e)
+	}
+
 	// PermanodeOfSignerAttrValue
 	{
 		gotPN, err := id.Index.PermanodeOfSignerAttrValue(id.SignerBlobRef, "camliRoot", "rootval")
@@ -270,7 +285,7 @@ func Index(t *testing.T, initIdx func() *index.Index) {
 			&search.Result{
 				BlobRef:     pn,
 				Signer:      id.SignerBlobRef,
-				LastModTime: 1322443959,
+				LastModTime: lastPermanodeMutation.Unix(),
 			},
 		}
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
@@ -332,6 +347,15 @@ func Index(t *testing.T, initIdx func() *index.Index) {
 					Attr:      "camliRoot",
 					Value:     "rootval",
 				},
+				&search.Claim{
+					BlobRef:   memberRef,
+					Permanode: pn,
+					Signer:    id.SignerBlobRef,
+					Date:      memberRefTime.UTC(),
+					Type:      "add-attribute",
+					Attr:      "camliMember",
+					Value:     pnChild.String(),
+				},
 			})
 			if !reflect.DeepEqual(claims, want) {
 				t.Errorf("GetOwnerClaims results differ.\n got: %v\nwant: %v",
diff --git a/pkg/index/keys.go b/pkg/index/keys.go
index c13dde105..3a1f4658d 100644
--- a/pkg/index/keys.go
+++ b/pkg/index/keys.go
@@ -196,4 +196,24 @@ var (
 		},
 		nil,
 	}
+
+	// Given a blobref (permanode or static file or directory), provide a mapping
+	// to potential parents (they may no longer be parents, in the case of permanodes).
+	// In the case of permanodes, camliMember or camliContent constitutes a forward
+	// edge.  In the case of static directories, the forward path is dir->static set->file,
+	// and that's what's indexed here, inverted.
+	keyEdgeBackward = &keyType{
+		"edgeback",
+		[]part{
+			{"child", typeBlobRef}, // the thing we want to find parent(s) of
+			{"parent", typeBlobRef}, // the parent (e.g. permanode blobref)
+			// the blobref is the blob establishing the relationship
+			// (for a permanode: the claim; for static: often same as parent)
+			{"blobref", typeBlobRef},
+		},
+		[]part{
+			{"parenttype", typeStr}, // either "permanode" or the camliType ("file", "static-set", etc)
+			{"name", typeStr}, // the name, if static.
+		},
+	}
 )
diff --git a/pkg/index/receive.go b/pkg/index/receive.go
index 55e81a719..23b3fdcbc 100644
--- a/pkg/index/receive.go
+++ b/pkg/index/receive.go
@@ -197,6 +197,15 @@ func (ix *Index) populateClaim(br *blobref.BlobRef, ss *schema.Superset, sniffer
 		key := keySignerAttrValue.Key(verifiedKeyId, ss.Attribute, ss.Value, ss.ClaimDate, br)
 		bm.Set(key, keySignerAttrValue.Val(pnbr))
 	}
+
+	if search.IsBlobReferenceAttribute(ss.Attribute) {
+		targetRef := blobref.Parse(ss.Value)
+		if targetRef != nil {
+			key := keyEdgeBackward.Key(targetRef, pnbr, br)
+			bm.Set(key, keyEdgeBackward.Val("permanode", ""))
+		}
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/search/search.go b/pkg/search/search.go
index eb6cb1dc5..bd72620c1 100644
--- a/pkg/search/search.go
+++ b/pkg/search/search.go
@@ -210,6 +210,18 @@ func IsIndexedAttribute(attr string) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+// IsBlobReferenceAttribute returns whether attr is an attribute whose
+// value is a blob reference (e.g. camliMember) and thus something the
+// indexers should keep inverted indexes on for parent/child-type
+// relationships.
+func IsBlobReferenceAttribute(attr string) bool {
+	switch attr {
+	case "camliMember":
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func IsFulltextAttribute(attr string) bool {
 	switch attr {
 	case "tag", "title":