OData Dynamic Model Self-Referencing Navigation Property "Max Level" Expansion - asp.net-core-webapi

Question

I am developing an OData Web API with dynamic models (no CLR-based types of any kind). Note that this concept is heavily predicated upon the ODataDynamicModel found on GitHub (https://github.com/OData/AspNetCoreOData/tree/main/sample/ODataDynamicModel). Contained within the dynamic model is a self-referencing navigation property named "Items". The OData CSDL is shown below.
<edmx:Edmx xmlns:edmx="http://docs.oasis-open.org/odata/ns/edmx" Version="4.0">
<edmx:DataServices>
<Schema xmlns="http://docs.oasis-open.org/odata/ns/edm" Namespace="ns">
<EntityType Name="Item">
<Key>
<PropertyRef Name="ID"/>
</Key>
<Property Name="ID" Type="Edm.Int32"/>
<Property Name="Name" Type="Edm.String"/>
<NavigationProperty Name="Detail" Type="ns.Detail" ContainsTarget="true"/>
**<NavigationProperty Name="Items" Type="Collection(ns.Item)" ContainsTarget="true"/>**
</EntityType>
<EntityType Name="Detail">
<Key>
<PropertyRef Name="ID"/>
</Key>
<Property Name="ID" Type="Edm.Int32"/>
<Property Name="Description" Type="Edm.String"/>
</EntityType>
<EntityContainer Name="Default">
<EntitySet Name="Items" EntityType="ns.Item"/>
<EntitySet Name="Details" EntityType="ns.Detail"/>
</EntityContainer>
</Schema>
</edmx:DataServices>
</edmx:Edmx>
For testing purposes, my API is serving up a static data source so as to eliminate unnecessary complexities such as ORM, etc. I am able to query the data source via OData in its entirety when providing an explicit, fully-defined query string as shown below.
[GET]
http://localhost:4527/odata/ns/Items?$expand=Detail,Items($expand=Detail,Items($expand=Detail,Items($expand=Detail,Items($expand=Detail,Items($expand=Detail,Items)))))
Response:
{
"#odata.context": "http://localhost:4527/odata/ns/$metadata#Items(Detail(),Items(Detail(),Items(Detail(),Items(Detail(),Items(Detail(),Items(Detail(),Items()))))))",
"value": [
{
"ID": 1,
"Name": "Item 1",
"Detail": {
"ID": 1,
"Description": "Detail 1"
},
"Items": [
{
"ID": 2,
"Name": "Item 2",
"Detail": {
"ID": 2,
"Description": "Detail 2"
},
"Items": [
{
"ID": 3,
"Name": "Item 3",
"Detail": {
"ID": 3,
"Description": "Detail 3"
},
"Items": [
{
"ID": 4,
"Name": "Item 4",
"Detail": {
"ID": 4,
"Description": "Detail 4"
},
"Items": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
Retrieval of the same response payload fails when attempting to take advantage of OData's "levels" capabilities as shown below.
[GET]
http://localhost:4527/odata/ns/Items?$expand=Items($levels=10;$expand=Detail),Detail
Response:
{
"#odata.context": "http://localhost:4527/odata/ns/$metadata#Items(Items(Detail()),Detail())",
"value": [
{
"ID": 1,
"Name": "Item 1",
"Items": [
{
"ID": 2,
"Name": "Item 2",
"Detail": {
"ID": 2,
"Description": "Detail 2"
}
}
],
"Detail": {
"ID": 1,
"Description": "Detail 1"
}
}
]
}
I have tried many things without success and am currently stumped to say the least. I posted to the discussion board on Git (https://github.com/OData/AspNetCoreOData/discussions/789) but haven't received a response, which is to be expected this time of year. Attached to that discussion is a small zip file containing a working solution demonstrating the current approach. I'm hopeful that someone out there better versed in the ways of OData can point me in the proper direction. Any and all suggestions are appreciated!