gastownhall/beads · error

failed to seed issue_counter for prefix %q at %d: %w

Error message

failed to seed issue_counter for prefix %q at %d: %w

What it means

Once the highest numeric suffix (maxNum) is found, the seeder inserts INSERT INTO issue_counter (prefix, last_id) to initialize the counter; failure of this insert is wrapped with the prefix and value. ID generation cannot proceed until the counter row exists.

Source

Thrown at internal/storage/dolt/issues.go:843

		var num int
		if _, parseErr := fmt.Sscanf(suffix, "%d", &num); parseErr == nil && fmt.Sprintf("%d", num) == suffix {
			if num > maxNum {
				maxNum = num
			}
		}
	}
	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to iterate existing issues for prefix %q: %w", prefix, err)
	}

	// Only insert a seed row if we found at least one numeric ID.
	// If no numeric IDs exist, the counter will naturally start at 1 on first use.
	if maxNum > 0 {
		_, err = tx.ExecContext(ctx,
			"INSERT INTO issue_counter (prefix, last_id) VALUES (?, ?)",
			prefix, maxNum)
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("failed to seed issue_counter for prefix %q at %d: %w", prefix, maxNum, err)
		}
	}

	return nil
}

// nextCounterIDTx atomically increments and returns the next sequential issue ID
// for the given prefix within an existing transaction. Returns the full ID string
// (e.g., "bd-1"). Used by both generateIssueID and generateIssueIDInTable.
func nextCounterIDTx(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, prefix string) (string, error) {
	// Increment atomically at the DB level to avoid duplicate IDs under
	// concurrent transactions (GH#2002). "last_id = last_id + 1" is evaluated
	// by the DB engine atomically within Dolt's MVCC.

	// Attempt atomic increment of an existing counter row.
	res, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx, "UPDATE issue_counter SET last_id = last_id + 1 WHERE prefix = ?", prefix)
	if err != nil {
		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to increment issue counter for prefix %q: %w", prefix, err)

View on GitHub (pinned to 71377f2769)

Solutions

1. Read the wrapped cause; retry the create — if another process seeded successfully, the SELECT will now find the row
2. Verify the issue_counter table exists with the expected (prefix, last_id) schema
3. Avoid concurrent initializations of a brand-new database; run one create first, then start parallel workers
4. Check disk space / read-only filesystem if inserts consistently fail

// Ensure counter table exists and schema matches
const cols = await describe("issue_counter"); // expect: prefix, last_id
if (!cols.includes("last_id")) throw new Error("issue_counter schema mismatch; run migrations");

try {
  await bd.create(title);
} catch (e) {
  if (String(e.message).includes("failed to seed issue_counter")) {
    // likely concurrent seeder or schema issue; retry create
    await backoff();
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: First create for a prefix where the counter INSERT fails — constraint violation from a concurrent seeder, schema mismatch, transaction failure, or backend unavailability.

Common situations: Two processes seeding the same prefix concurrently (race on the insert); databases missing the issue_counter table; read-only or full storage backend.

Related errors

• failed to check issue_counter for prefix %q: %w
• failed to insert initial issue counter for prefix %q: %w
• add label %s/%s: %w
• ErrExec
• database not available: %w

AI-assisted analysis of gastownhall/beads@71377f2769 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/447d60fbabaa42bb. Report an issue: GitHub.