Issue 10685

crates/bevy_asset/src/server/info.rs

@@ -314,6 +314,11 @@ impl AssetInfos {
         self.get_index_handle(ErasedAssetIndex::new(index, type_id))
     }
 
+    pub(crate) fn get_path_ref(&self, index: ErasedAssetIndex) -> Option<&AssetPath<'static>> {
+        let info = self.infos.get(&index)?;
+        info.path.as_ref()
+    }
+
     pub(crate) fn get_path_indices<'a>(
         &'a self,
         path: &'a AssetPath<'_>,

crates/bevy_asset/src/server/mod.rs

@@ -1365,6 +1365,31 @@ impl AssetServer {
         Some(info.path.as_ref()?.clone())
     }
 
+    /// Returns a reference to the path for the given `id`, if it has one.
+    ///
+    /// This method is useful when you need to access the path without cloning it,
+    /// which can be more efficient when working with many asset handles.
+    ///
+    /// Note: The returned reference is tied to a temporary lock guard that lives
+    /// as long as the returned value is in scope. For more complex use cases,
+    /// consider using [`AssetServer::get_path`] instead.
+    pub fn get_path_ref<'a>(
+        &'a self,
+        id: impl Into<UntypedAssetId>,
+    ) -> Option<impl core::ops::Deref<Target = AssetPath<'static>> + 'a> {
+        let index = id.into().try_into().ok()?;
+        let infos = self.read_infos();
+
+        if infos.get_path_ref(index).is_some() {
+            Some(AssetPathRef {
+                _guard: infos,
+                index,
+            })
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Returns the [`AssetServerMode`] this server is currently in.
     pub fn mode(&self) -> AssetServerMode {
         self.data.mode
@@ -2133,6 +2158,27 @@ fn format_missing_asset_ext(exts: &[String]) -> String {
     }
 }
 
+/// A reference to an asset path that keeps the internal lock alive.
+/// 
+/// This type is returned by [`AssetServer::get_path_ref`] and allows
+/// accessing the path without cloning it, while keeping the necessary
+/// read lock alive for the duration of its lifetime.
+pub struct AssetPathRef<'a> {
+    _guard: RwLockReadGuard<'a, AssetInfos>,
+    index: ErasedAssetIndex,
+}
+
+impl<'a> core::ops::Deref for AssetPathRef<'a> {
+    type Target = AssetPath<'static>;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        // SAFETY: We checked in get_path_ref that the path exists, so this unwrap is safe
+        self._guard
+            .get_path_ref(self.index)
+            .expect("AssetPathRef should only be created when path exists")
+    }
+}
+
 impl core::fmt::Debug for AssetServer {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
         f.debug_struct("AssetServer")

crates/bevy_ecs/src/system/system_registry.rs

@@ -500,6 +500,16 @@ impl World {
 
     /// Runs a cached system, registering it if necessary.
     ///
+    /// # Type Inference Note
+    /// If the system returns `()`, you may need to explicitly constrain the output
+    /// type for error handling:
+    ///
+    /// ```rust
+    /// () = world.run_system_cached(my_system)?;
+    /// ```
+    ///
+    /// Without this, Rust may fail to infer the system’s output type and produce
+    /// a `IntoResult<!>` inference error.
     /// See [`World::register_system_cached`] for more information.
     pub fn run_system_cached<O: 'static, M, S: IntoSystem<(), O, M> + 'static>(
         &mut self,
@@ -508,8 +518,21 @@ impl World {
         self.run_system_cached_with(system, ())
     }
 
-    /// Runs a cached system with an input, registering it if necessary.
+    /// Runs a cached system with the provided input, registering it if necessary.
+    ///
+    /// This is a more general version of [`World::run_system_cached`], allowing
+    /// callers to supply an explicit system input.
+    ///
+    /// # Type Inference Note
+    /// If the system returns `()`, you may need to explicitly constrain the
+    /// output type for proper error inference:
+    ///
+    /// ```rust
+    /// () = world.run_system_cached_with(my_system, input)?;
+    /// ```
     ///
+    /// Without this, Rust may fail to infer the system’s output type and produce
+    /// a `IntoResult<!>` inference error.
     /// See [`World::register_system_cached`] for more information.
     pub fn run_system_cached_with<I, O, M, S>(
         &mut self,