The exact phylogenetic position of
Epidexipteryx within Paraves is uncertain. The phylogenetic analysis conducted by the authors of its description recovered it as a member of the family
Scansoriopterygidae and as a basal member of the clade
Avialae; A later analysis conducted by Agnolín and Novas (2011) confirmed it to be a scansoriopterygid, but recovered a different phylogenetic position of this family: Scansoriopterygidae was recovered in
polytomy with the family
Alvarezsauridae and the clade Eumaniraptora (containing the clades Avialae and
Deinonychosauria). Turner, Makovicky and Norell (2012) included
Epidexipteryx but not
Scansoriopteryx/
Epidendrosaurus in their primary phylogenetic analysis, as a full-grown specimen is known only of the former taxon; regarding
Scansoriopteryx/
Epidendrosaurus, the authors were worried that including it in the primary analysis would be problematic, because it is only known from juvenile specimens, which "do not necessarily preserve all the adult morphology needed to accurately place a taxon phylogenetically" (Turner, Makovicky and Norell 2012, p. 89).
Epidexipteryx was recovered as basal paravian that didn't belong to Eumaniraptora. The authors did note that its phylogenetic position is unstable; constraining
Epidexipteryx hui as a basal avialan required two additional steps compared to the most parsimonious solution, while constraining it as a basal member of
Oviraptorosauria required only one additional step. Cau (2024) cast doubt on the validity of
Epidexipteryx, considering it a
junior synonym of the contemporary
Epidendrosaurus due to the diagnosis being based on incomplete tail remains within the holotype, the length of the presacral series, which is not fully known in
Epidendrosaurus, and the co-ossification of the 10 distalmost cervical centra, which is interpreted as an ontologically variable trait. As such, the
Epidexipteryx holotype would represent a more mature individual of
Epidendrosaurus. showing the animal without arm membranes A separate exploratory analysis included
Scansoriopteryx/
Epidendrosaurus, which was recovered as a basal member of Avialae; the authors noted that it did not clade with
Epidexipteryx, which stayed outside Eumaniraptora. Constraining the monophyly of Scansoriopterygidae required four additional steps and moved
Epidexipteryx into Avialae. A monophyletic Scansoriopterygidae was recovered by Godefroit
et al. (2013); the authors found scansoriopterygids to be basalmost members of Paraves and the sister group to the clade containing Avialae and Deinonychosauria. Agnolín and Novas (2013) recovered monophyletic Scansoriopterygidae as well, but found them to be non-paravian maniraptorans and the sister group to Oviraptorosauria. An abbreviated version of Zhang
et al.'s 2008
cladogram is presented below. }} ==Paleobiology==