db: CommentSQLRepository.InsertRecord: check issue existence

Error message

db: CommentSQLRepository.InsertRecord: check issue existence: %w

What it means

Before inserting, InsertRecord runs SELECT EXISTS(...) against the issue table (issues or issues_wisps, per CommentOpts.UseWispsTable) to verify the parent issue exists. This error wraps any failure of that probe query itself — connection loss, SQL syntax/permission errors, a missing table, or a cancelled context — not the case of the issue being absent (that is a separate error).

Source

Thrown at internal/storage/domain/db/comment.go:142

	}
	return r.InsertRecord(ctx, &types.Comment{IssueID: issueID, Author: author, Text: text, CreatedAt: stamp}, opts)
}

func (r *commentSQLRepositoryImpl) InsertRecord(ctx context.Context, comment *types.Comment, opts domain.CommentOpts) (*types.Comment, error) {
	if comment == nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("db: CommentSQLRepository.InsertRecord: comment must not be nil")
	}
	copy := *comment
	if copy.IssueID == "" {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("db: CommentSQLRepository.InsertRecord: issueID must not be empty")
	}

	issueTable := pickIssueTable(opts.UseWispsTable)
	var exists bool
	//nolint:gosec // G201: issueTable is one of two hardcoded constants
	if err := r.runner.QueryRowContext(ctx,
		fmt.Sprintf("SELECT EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM %s WHERE id = ?)", issueTable), copy.IssueID).Scan(&exists); err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("db: CommentSQLRepository.InsertRecord: check issue existence: %w", err)
	}
	if !exists {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("db: CommentSQLRepository.InsertRecord: issue %s not found", copy.IssueID)
	}

	if copy.CreatedAt.IsZero() {
		copy.CreatedAt = time.Now().UTC()
	} else {
		copy.CreatedAt = copy.CreatedAt.UTC()
	}
	createdAtText := issueops.FormatAuxTime(copy.CreatedAt)
	commentTable := pickCommentTable(opts.UseWispsTable)
	if copy.ID == "" {
		id, _, err := issueops.InsertDerivedComment(ctx, r.runner, commentTable, copy.IssueID, copy.Author, copy.Text, createdAtText)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("db: CommentSQLRepository.InsertRecord: %w", err)
		}
		copy.ID = id

View on GitHub (pinned to 71377f2769)

Solutions

Inspect the wrapped cause (%w) — it names the real SQL failure.
Run schema migration/doctor so the chosen issue table (issues vs issues_wisps) exists.
Verify opts.UseWispsTable matches the database generation you are actually connected to.
Check DB connectivity and permissions, then retry; confirm the context isn't already cancelled.

Example fix

// before
repo.InsertRecord(ctx, c, domain.CommentOpts{UseWispsTable: true}) // old DB lacks issues_wisps
// after
opts := domain.CommentOpts{UseWispsTable: schemaSupportsWisps(db)}
repo.InsertRecord(ctx, c, opts)

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// check connectivity and schema before calling
if err := runner.PingContext(ctx); err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("database unavailable: %w", err)
}

Type guard

null

Try / catch

if _, err := repo.InsertRecord(ctx, c, opts); err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "check issue existence") {
        cause := errors.Unwrap(err)
        // driver-level failure: inspect cause, verify schema (issues/issues_wisps)
        // and connectivity, then retry with backoff
    }
}

Prevention

Ping the database and verify schema before batch comment imports.
Keep UseWispsTable consistent with the actual schema generation.
Use contexts with sane timeouts so cancelled queries fail predictably.
Wrap transient SQL failures with bounded retry/backoff at the call site.

When it happens

Trigger: The QueryRowContext(...).Scan(&exists) call returns a non-sql.ErrNoRows error: DB closed/misbehaving, the issue table (issues or issues_wisps) does not exist in this database, schema drift, permission denied on SELECT, or ctx cancelled mid-query.

Common situations: Pointing bd at a legacy or partially-migrated database where issues_wisps does not exist yet; a locked or crashed Dolt/SQLite file; network drop to a remote Dolt server; passing UseWispsTable: true against an old schema.

Understand the failure class

Background: "query failed", "%w: SQL error" — wrapped database query errors in Go libraries explained — this error's family across 3 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of gastownhall/beads@71377f2769 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/00f58625a620655a. Report an issue: GitHub.