snapshot create fails on any host without the sqlite3 CLI: VACUUM shells out instead of using the driver #120

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2026-09-21T09:19:43+02:00

clawbot commented

2026-09-21 09:19:43 +02:00

snapshot create uploads every blob and then shells out to a sqlite3 binary to VACUUM the per-snapshot metadata database before encrypting and uploading it (internal/snapshot/snapshot.go:672-683, exec.CommandContext(ctx, "sqlite3", dbPath, "VACUUM;")). On a host without that binary the backup fails at the very end, after the expensive work, with running VACUUM: exec: "sqlite3": executable file not found in $PATH.

The README advertises a pure-Go binary installed with go install, and nothing in the README or config init output says the sqlite CLI must be present. script/bootstrap:117 installs it "for the test suite", which is why CI is green; on this host, which has no sqlite3, make check on next fails TestRestoreLocalityAndReadAt and TestRestoreSweeperEvictsBlobs with exactly that error. So the gate depends on the environment, and a fresh go install user hits a defect the suite cannot see.

The VACUUM itself is right and stays (the comment explains why: deleted pages must not be uploaded). It just has to run through the driver.

Definition of done

vacuumDatabase executes VACUUM through the open modernc.org/sqlite connection (db.ExecContext(ctx, "VACUUM"), outside any transaction) and os/exec is no longer imported by internal/snapshot. The existing comment on why VACUUM matters is kept.
The upload path still uploads the vacuumed file: whatever ordering the current code uses (close, vacuum, reopen, or vacuum before close) is preserved or made correct, and a test asserts the uploaded database contains no pages from deleted rows (for example: insert rows, delete them, vacuum, and assert the file shrank or that a byte pattern from the deleted rows is absent).
script/bootstrap no longer installs the sqlite3 CLI and its comment is removed; grep -rn sqlite3 outside of Go import paths and driver names returns nothing.
make check is green on a host with no sqlite3 on PATH. State in the PR that it was run that way (PATH without the binary, or command -v sqlite3 returning nothing).
No other behavior change. Landing commit title ends (closes #N).

Model: fable-5-1

`snapshot create` uploads every blob and then shells out to a `sqlite3` binary to VACUUM the per-snapshot metadata database before encrypting and uploading it (`internal/snapshot/snapshot.go:672-683`, `exec.CommandContext(ctx, "sqlite3", dbPath, "VACUUM;")`). On a host without that binary the backup fails at the very end, after the expensive work, with `running VACUUM: exec: "sqlite3": executable file not found in $PATH`. The README advertises a pure-Go binary installed with `go install`, and nothing in the README or `config init` output says the sqlite CLI must be present. `script/bootstrap:117` installs it "for the test suite", which is why CI is green; on this host, which has no `sqlite3`, `make check` on `next` fails `TestRestoreLocalityAndReadAt` and `TestRestoreSweeperEvictsBlobs` with exactly that error. So the gate depends on the environment, and a fresh `go install` user hits a defect the suite cannot see. The VACUUM itself is right and stays (the comment explains why: deleted pages must not be uploaded). It just has to run through the driver. ## Definition of done 1. `vacuumDatabase` executes `VACUUM` through the open `modernc.org/sqlite` connection (`db.ExecContext(ctx, "VACUUM")`, outside any transaction) and `os/exec` is no longer imported by `internal/snapshot`. The existing comment on why VACUUM matters is kept. 2. The upload path still uploads the vacuumed file: whatever ordering the current code uses (close, vacuum, reopen, or vacuum before close) is preserved or made correct, and a test asserts the uploaded database contains no pages from deleted rows (for example: insert rows, delete them, vacuum, and assert the file shrank or that a byte pattern from the deleted rows is absent). 3. `script/bootstrap` no longer installs the `sqlite3` CLI and its comment is removed; `grep -rn sqlite3` outside of Go import paths and driver names returns nothing. 4. `make check` is green on a host with no `sqlite3` on `PATH`. State in the PR that it was run that way (`PATH` without the binary, or `command -v sqlite3` returning nothing). 5. No other behavior change. Landing commit title ends ` (closes #N)`. Model: fable-5-1

clawbot added this to the 1.0.0 milestone 2026-09-21 09:19:43 +02:00

clawbot referenced this issue

2026-09-21 09:20:15 +02:00

Review toward 1.0: identify and file all next steps #119

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Reference: sneak/vaultik#120