Execute Plan: Updated_at being manually updated (vibe-kanban)

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Plan: Implement Automatic updated_at Triggers for SQLite Database

Current Findings Summary

Database Technology

• SQLite - confirmed from Cargo.toml (sqlx with sqlite feature) and SqlitePool usage throughout the codebase

Tables with updated_at Columns

1. projects - /private/var/folders/kr/jdxkcn7129j376nrg0stj9zm0000gn/T/vibe-kanban/vk-69ad-updated-at/backend/migrations/20250617183714_init.sql:9
2. tasks - /private/var/folders/kr/jdxkcn7129j376nrg0stj9zm0000gn/T/vibe-kanban/vk-69ad-updated-at/backend/migrations/20250617183714_init.sql:20
3. task_attempts - /private/var/folders/kr/jdxkcn7129j376nrg0stj9zm0000gn/T/vibe-kanban/vk-69ad-updated-at/backend/migrations/20250620214100_remove_stdout_stderr_from_task_attempts.sql:15
4. execution_processes - /private/var/folders/kr/jdxkcn7129j376nrg0stj9zm0000gn/T/vibe-kanban/vk-69ad-updated-at/backend/migrations/20250620212427_execution_processes.sql:19
5. task_templates - /private/var/folders/kr/jdxkcn7129j376nrg0stj9zm0000gn/T/vibe-kanban/vk-69ad-updated-at/backend/migrations/20250715154859_add_task_templates.sql:9
6. executor_sessions - /private/var/folders/kr/jdxkcn7129j376nrg0stj9zm0000gn/T/vibe-kanban/vk-69ad-updated-at/backend/migrations/20250623120000_executor_sessions.sql:10

Current Manual Update Patterns

Heavy manual management - 15+ locations where updated_at is manually set:

execution_process.rs (4 manual updates):

• Line 347: SET status = $1, exit_code = $2, completed_at = $3, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 367: SET stdout = COALESCE(stdout, '') || $1, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 384: SET stderr = COALESCE(stderr, '') || $1, updated_at = datetime('now')

task_attempt.rs (8 manual updates):

• Line 276: SET worktree_deleted = TRUE, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 579: SET merge_commit = $1, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 654: SET worktree_path = $1, worktree_deleted = FALSE, setup_completed_at = NULL, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 841: SET base_branch = $1, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 923: SET pr_url = $1, pr_number = $2, pr_status = $3, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 958: SET pr_status = $1, pr_merged_at = $2, merge_commit = $3, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 1096: SET setup_completed_at = datetime('now'), updated_at = datetime('now')

task_template.rs (1 manual update):

• Line 127: SET title = $2, description = $3, template_name = $4, updated_at = datetime('now', 'subsec')

executor_session.rs (3 manual updates):

• Line 160: SET session_id = $1, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 180: SET prompt = $1, updated_at = datetime('now')
• Line 199: SET summary = $1, updated_at = datetime('now')

task.rs (1 manual update):

• Line 245: SET status = $3, updated_at = CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

Missing manual updates: projects table update function doesn't manually set updated_at (Line 167 in project.rs)

Implementation Plan

1. Create SQLite Triggers Migration

Create a new migration file that will:

• Add AFTER UPDATE triggers for each table with updated_at columns
• Use SQLite's datetime('now', 'subsec') for consistency with existing patterns
• Handle the case where updated_at is already being explicitly set

2. Update Strategy

• Phase 1: Add triggers (this ensures automatic updates going forward)
• Phase 2: Clean up manual updated_at assignments in the codebase (separate task)
• This approach ensures no downtime and gradual transition

3. Migration Details

The migration will create triggers for:

• projects_updated_at_trigger
• tasks_updated_at_trigger
• task_attempts_updated_at_trigger
• execution_processes_updated_at_trigger
• task_templates_updated_at_trigger
• executor_sessions_updated_at_trigger

Each trigger will:

1. Fire on UPDATE operations
2. Only update updated_at when the row actually changes (using NEW.* != OLD.* comparisons)
3. Avoid infinite recursion by checking if updated_at was manually set

4. Verification

After implementing triggers:

• All existing manual updates will continue working (no breaking changes)
• Any missed manual updates will be automatically handled
• Future developers won't need to remember to manually update updated_at

Would you like me to proceed with creating this migration?