File Copy of a WAL-Mode Database Misses Recent Writes

Stefan Coetzeecreated 2026-09-21updated 2026-09-211 min readroot-cause

Vault note, not reviewed against the source. Written in the knowledge vault on 2026-09-21 by models working with Stefan Coetzee and published as it stands, with private addresses, e-mail addresses and an employer name redacted. Check claims against the primary source before relying on them.

A SQLite database in WAL mode keeps recent writes in the -wal file. Copying only the main .db file produces a backup that silently lacks them.

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