gastownhall/beads · error

failed to get wisp dependencies with metadata: %w

Error message

failed to get wisp dependencies with metadata: %w

What it means

This error wraps failure of the query 'SELECT <target> AS depends_on_id, type FROM wisp_dependencies WHERE issue_id = ?' in getWispDependenciesWithMetadata (exposed via GetDependenciesWithMetadata). It marks that dependency rows with their type metadata could not be fetched.

Source

Thrown at internal/storage/dolt/wisps.go:775

	_ = rows.Close()
	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
		return nil, wrapQueryError("iterate wisp dependents", err)
	}

	if len(ids) == 0 {
		return nil, nil
	}

	return s.GetIssuesByIDs(ctx, ids)
}

// getWispDependenciesWithMetadata returns wisp dependencies with metadata.
func (s *DoltStore) getWispDependenciesWithMetadata(ctx context.Context, issueID string) ([]*types.IssueWithDependencyMetadata, error) {
	rows, err := s.queryContext(ctx, fmt.Sprintf(`
		SELECT %s AS depends_on_id, type FROM wisp_dependencies WHERE issue_id = ?
	`, issueops.DepTargetExpr), issueID)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get wisp dependencies with metadata: %w", err)
	}

	type depMeta struct {
		depID, depType string
	}
	var deps []depMeta
	for rows.Next() {
		var depID, depType string
		if err := rows.Scan(&depID, &depType); err != nil {
			_ = rows.Close()
			return nil, wrapScanError("scan wisp dependency metadata", err)
		}
		deps = append(deps, depMeta{depID: depID, depType: depType})
	}
	_ = rows.Close()
	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
		return nil, wrapQueryError("iterate wisp dependencies", err)
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 71377f2769)

Solutions

1. Inspect the wrapped driver error for the precise cause (missing column vs connection).
2. Run schema migration/verification (bd doctor) so wisp_dependencies has the expected columns.
3. Restore Dolt connectivity and retry.
4. Re-create the .beads database from sync if corruption is indicated.

// verify column exists: SHOW COLUMNS FROM wisp_dependencies LIKE 'type'

meta, err := GetDependenciesWithMetadata(ctx, id)
if err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "Unknown column") {
        return migrateSchema(ctx) // older schema: run migration then retry
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling GetDependenciesWithMetadata on a wisp when the connection fails, wisp_dependencies is missing, or the type column is absent (older schema) making the SELECT invalid.

Common situations: Schema upgraded/created before the type column existed; Dolt server unavailable; corrupted database file.

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

• failed to begin transaction: %w
• failed to recompute is_blocked: %w
• failed to commit is_blocked repairs: %w
• failed to query orphaned dependencies: %w
• row iteration error: %w

AI-assisted analysis of gastownhall/beads@71377f2769 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/08c1079a62d895be. Report an issue: GitHub.