fix(autopilot): add --target to value-flag set so install targets survive positional translation

Review finding on #3103: --target is installDaemon's value flag
(macos | linux-systemd | ephemeral-container | linux-cron). The
translator only knew --repo/--interval, so `gbrain autopilot
--install --target linux-cron` misread the target value as an
unknown positional subcommand and exited 2 before installDaemon ran.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/commands/autopilot.ts

@@ -151,6 +151,100 @@ export function shouldSpawnAutopilotWorker(args: string[]): boolean {
   return !args.includes('--no-worker');
 }
 
+/**
+ * #1525 — positional subcommand translation.
+ *
+ * Pre-fix, `gbrain autopilot status` silently fell through to "start daemon"
+ * because `runAutopilot()` only branched on flag forms (`--status`, etc.).
+ * `status` was treated as a stray positional and ignored.
+ *
+ * This translator maps known positional subcommands to their flag form so
+ * `autopilot status` is equivalent to `autopilot --status`, then rejects
+ * any unrecognized positional with a fail-loud error before any side
+ * effect (lockfile, daemon spawn, sync dispatch) runs.
+ *
+ * Scope decisions:
+ *   - Known aliases: `status` → `--status`, `install` → `--install`,
+ *     `uninstall` → `--uninstall`, `start` → (drop; default daemon launch).
+ *   - `stop` is intentionally NOT aliased here. Stopping a running daemon
+ *     is a new behavior (read PID from lock, SIGTERM, drain) that deserves
+ *     its own design and PR. Users typing `gbrain autopilot stop` today get
+ *     the unknown-positional error with the canonical alternatives.
+ *   - At most one positional allowed; multiple positionals fail loud.
+ */
+// Every flag that consumes the NEXT argv token. Missing one here makes the
+// translator misread the flag's value as a positional subcommand and exit 2
+// (e.g. `--install --target linux-cron`). Keep in sync with parseArg call sites.
+const AUTOPILOT_VALUE_FLAGS = new Set(['--repo', '--interval', '--target']);
+const AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES: Record<string, string | null> = {
+  status: '--status',
+  install: '--install',
+  uninstall: '--uninstall',
+  start: null, // drop the positional; default behavior is daemon launch
+};
+
+export type PositionalTranslation =
+  | { ok: true; args: string[] }
+  | {
+      ok: false;
+      reason: 'unknown_subcommand' | 'multiple_subcommands';
+      message: string;
+    };
+
+export function translatePositionalSubcommands(args: string[]): PositionalTranslation {
+  const out: string[] = [];
+  let positionalSeen = false;
+  let i = 0;
+  while (i < args.length) {
+    const a = args[i];
+    if (AUTOPILOT_VALUE_FLAGS.has(a)) {
+      // Pass through the flag and its value untouched. If the value is
+      // missing at end-of-argv, fall through so the existing parseArg
+      // path can report the broken usage.
+      out.push(a);
+      if (i + 1 < args.length) {
+        out.push(args[i + 1]);
+        i += 2;
+      } else {
+        i += 1;
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (a.startsWith('-')) {
+      out.push(a);
+      i += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+    // Positional subcommand.
+    if (positionalSeen) {
+      const known = Object.keys(AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES).join(', ');
+      return {
+        ok: false,
+        reason: 'multiple_subcommands',
+        message: `Multiple subcommands given. Use only one of: ${known}.`,
+      };
+    }
+    positionalSeen = true;
+    if (a in AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES) {
+      const alias = AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES[a];
+      if (alias) out.push(alias);
+      i += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+    const known = Object.keys(AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES).join(', ');
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      reason: 'unknown_subcommand',
+      message:
+        `Unknown subcommand: \`${a}\`.\n` +
+        `Allowed subcommands: ${known}.\n` +
+        `Or use the flag form: --status, --install, --uninstall.\n` +
+        `Run \`gbrain autopilot --help\` for full usage.`,
+    };
+  }
+  return { ok: true, args: out };
+}
+
 export function isPidAlive(pid: number): boolean {
   if (!Number.isFinite(pid) || pid <= 0) return false;
   try {
@@ -363,6 +457,11 @@ export async function runAutopilot(engine: BrainEngine, args: string[]) {
       '       gbrain autopilot --install [--repo <path>]\n' +
       '       gbrain autopilot --uninstall\n' +
       '       gbrain autopilot --status [--json]\n\n' +
+      'Subcommand aliases:\n' +
+      '       gbrain autopilot status     → --status\n' +
+      '       gbrain autopilot install    → --install\n' +
+      '       gbrain autopilot uninstall  → --uninstall\n' +
+      '       gbrain autopilot start      → (default daemon launch)\n\n' +
       'Self-maintaining brain daemon. Runs the full maintenance cycle\n' +
       '(lint + backlinks + sync + extract + embed + orphans) on an interval.\n\n' +
       'For a one-shot cron-triggered cycle, see `gbrain dream`.',
@@ -370,6 +469,16 @@ export async function runAutopilot(engine: BrainEngine, args: string[]) {
     return;
   }
 
+  // #1525: translate positional subcommands to their flag form BEFORE any
+  // side effect (lockfile, daemon spawn, sync dispatch). Unknown positionals
+  // fail loud here rather than silently starting the daemon.
+  const translated = translatePositionalSubcommands(args);
+  if (!translated.ok) {
+    console.error(translated.message);
+    process.exit(2);
+  }
+  args = translated.args;
+
   if (args.includes('--install')) {
     await installDaemon(engine, args);
     return;

src/core/postgres-engine.ts

@@ -5565,78 +5565,30 @@ export class PostgresEngine implements BrainEngine {
     });
   }
 
-  /**
-   * perf (#1694 by @Omerbahari): process-lifetime config cache. A single
-   * search fires ~85 getConfig() reads (loadConfigWithEngine x2, plus
-   * mode/cache/intent/rerank/graph-signals resolvers). On a remote pooler
-   * each read is a round-trip; serial they dominate query latency and can
-   * push the op handler past cli.ts's 10s disconnect force-exit, truncating
-   * stdout. First read batch-loads the whole `config` table into this Map
-   * (inside the same connRetry posture as the per-key read — #1603/#1891);
-   * setConfig/unsetConfig write through. TTL bounds staleness for
-   * multi-writer processes; GBRAIN_CONFIG_CACHE_TTL_MS=0 disables.
-   * Only present keys are stored — Map.has() distinguishes known-absent.
-   */
-  private _configCache: Map<string, string> | null = null;
-  private _configCacheLoadedAt = 0;
-  private _configCacheLoad: Promise<void> | null = null;
-  private get _configCacheTtlMs(): number {
-    const raw = process.env.GBRAIN_CONFIG_CACHE_TTL_MS;
-    if (raw !== undefined) {
-      const n = parseInt(raw, 10);
-      if (Number.isFinite(n) && n >= 0) return n;
-    }
-    return 30_000;
-  }
-
   async getConfig(key: string): Promise<string | null> {
     // #1603: a transient pooler drop on this read used to throw / fall through
     // to defaults silently — which on remote Postgres surfaces as the wrong
-    // search mode/knobs and empty-stdout queries. Both the batch load and the
-    // cache-off per-key read keep the connRetry reconnect posture.
-    const ttl = this._configCacheTtlMs;
-    if (ttl === 0) {
-      return this.connRetry(async () => {
-        const rows = await this.sql`SELECT value FROM config WHERE key = ${key}`;
-        return rows.length > 0 ? (rows[0].value as string) : null;
-      });
-    }
-    if (this._configCache === null || Date.now() - this._configCacheLoadedAt >= ttl) {
-      // Single-flight: concurrent cold reads share one batch load.
-      this._configCacheLoad ??= this.connRetry(async () => {
-        const rows = await this.sql`SELECT key, value FROM config` as unknown as
-          Array<{ key: string; value: string | null }>;
-        const map = new Map<string, string>();
-        for (const r of rows) if (r.value != null) map.set(r.key, r.value);
-        this._configCache = map;
-        this._configCacheLoadedAt = Date.now();
-      }).finally(() => {
-        this._configCacheLoad = null;
-      });
-      await this._configCacheLoad;
-    }
-    return this._configCache!.has(key) ? this._configCache!.get(key)! : null;
+    // search mode/knobs and empty-stdout queries.
+    return this.connRetry(async () => {
+      const rows = await this.sql`SELECT value FROM config WHERE key = ${key}`;
+      return rows.length > 0 ? (rows[0].value as string) : null;
+    });
   }
 
   async setConfig(key: string, value: string): Promise<void> {
-    await this.connRetry(async () => {
+    return this.connRetry(async () => {
       await this.sql`
         INSERT INTO config (key, value) VALUES (${key}, ${value})
         ON CONFLICT (key) DO UPDATE SET value = EXCLUDED.value
       `;
     });
-    // Write-through so a long-lived process never serves stale config.
-    this._configCache?.set(key, value);
   }
 
   async unsetConfig(key: string): Promise<number> {
-    const count = await this.connRetry(async () => {
+    return this.connRetry(async () => {
       const result = await this.sql`DELETE FROM config WHERE key = ${key}` as unknown as { count: number };
       return result.count ?? 0;
     });
-    // Write-through: known-absent, so the cache doesn't serve a stale value.
-    this._configCache?.delete(key);
-    return count;
   }
 
   async listConfigKeys(prefix: string): Promise<string[]> {

test/autopilot-positional-subcommands.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for translatePositionalSubcommands() — the v0.41.x #1525 fix that
+ * prevents `gbrain autopilot status` from silently starting the daemon.
+ *
+ * IRON RULE regression guard: the exact ticket repro (`gbrain autopilot
+ * status`) MUST translate to `--status`, not fall through to the default
+ * daemon launch. Verified by the "ticket-exact repro" case below.
+ */
+
+import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
+import { translatePositionalSubcommands } from '../src/commands/autopilot.ts';
+
+describe('translatePositionalSubcommands — known aliases', () => {
+  test('IRON RULE — `autopilot status` translates to `--status` (ticket #1525 repro)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--status']);
+  });
+
+  test('`install` translates to `--install`', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['install']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--install']);
+  });
+
+  test('`uninstall` translates to `--uninstall`', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['uninstall']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--uninstall']);
+  });
+
+  test('`start` drops the positional (default daemon launch)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['start']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  test('`start --json` drops only the positional, keeps the flag', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['start', '--json']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--json']);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('translatePositionalSubcommands — flag/positional interleaving', () => {
+  test('`status --json` preserves the trailing flag', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status', '--json']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--status', '--json']);
+  });
+
+  test('`--json status` preserves the leading flag', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--json', 'status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--json', '--status']);
+  });
+
+  test('`--repo /foo status` does not mis-classify the path as positional', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--repo', '/foo', 'status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--repo', '/foo', '--status']);
+  });
+
+  test('`--interval 300 install` does not mis-classify the number as positional', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--interval', '300', 'install']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--interval', '300', '--install']);
+  });
+
+  test('`--install --target linux-cron` does not mis-classify the target as positional', () => {
+    // --target is installDaemon's value flag; its value must never be read
+    // as a positional subcommand (regression guard for the review fix).
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--install', '--target', 'linux-cron']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--install', '--target', 'linux-cron']);
+  });
+
+  test('`install --target macos` keeps the alias translation and the target value', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['install', '--target', 'macos']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--install', '--target', 'macos']);
+  });
+
+  test('value-flag at end of argv with missing value passes through (so parseArg can report it)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--repo']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--repo']);
+  });
+
+  test('value-flag whose value looks like an alias is NOT translated', () => {
+    // `--repo status` means "use repo path 'status'", not "show status".
+    // Translator must not destructure the value of --repo.
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--repo', 'status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--repo', 'status']);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('translatePositionalSubcommands — pass-through cases', () => {
+  test('empty args returns empty args', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands([]);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  test('flag-only invocation passes through unchanged', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--status', '--json']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--status', '--json']);
+  });
+
+  test('short flag `-h` passes through unchanged', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['-h']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['-h']);
+  });
+
+  test('all known bare flags pass through unchanged', () => {
+    const flags = ['--help', '--install', '--uninstall', '--status', '--json', '--inline', '--no-worker'];
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(flags);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(flags);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('translatePositionalSubcommands — rejection of unknown positionals', () => {
+  test('unknown positional `foo` fails with reason=unknown_subcommand + structured message', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['foo']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('unknown_subcommand');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Unknown subcommand: `foo`');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('status');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('install');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('uninstall');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('--help');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('unknown positional `stop` fails with reason=unknown_subcommand (NOT silently aliased)', () => {
+    // Stop is mentioned in the ticket but deliberately NOT aliased in this
+    // PR — stopping a running daemon is a new behavior, not just an alias.
+    // Until that feature lands separately, `stop` must fail loud rather
+    // than starting the daemon (the bug we're fixing).
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['stop']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('unknown_subcommand');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Unknown subcommand: `stop`');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('unknown positional `status-detail` (close-but-not-matching) fails', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status-detail']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('unknown_subcommand');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Unknown subcommand: `status-detail`');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('multiple positionals fail with reason=multiple_subcommands (`start install`)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['start', 'install']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('multiple_subcommands');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Multiple subcommands');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('multiple positionals fail even when both are known aliases (`status install`)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status', 'install']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('multiple_subcommands');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Multiple subcommands');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('known-then-unknown rejects with multiple_subcommands (first-positional-wins)', () => {
+    // First positional is known, second is not. Rejection comes from the
+    // multiple-positional rule, which fires before the unknown check; the
+    // intent is "only one subcommand allowed."
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status', 'garbage']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) expect(r.reason).toBe('multiple_subcommands');
+  });
+
+  test('unknown-then-known rejects on the unknown (unknown fires before second-positional check)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['garbage', 'status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('unknown_subcommand');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('garbage');
+    }
+  });
+});

test/e2e/helpers.ts

@@ -29,13 +29,6 @@ if (existsSync(envPath)) {
   }
 }
 
-// E2E suites seed/rewrite the config table via raw SQL and expect engine
-// reads to see it immediately; disable the process-lifetime config cache
-// (#1694) so read semantics match pre-cache behavior. Spawned CLI
-// subprocesses inherit this. Cache semantics are pinned by
-// test/postgres-engine-config-cache.test.ts.
-process.env.GBRAIN_CONFIG_CACHE_TTL_MS ??= '0';
-
 const DATABASE_URL = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
 const FIXTURES_DIR = resolve(import.meta.dir, 'fixtures');
 

test/postgres-engine-config-cache.test.ts

@@ -1,112 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Process-lifetime config cache (#1694 takeover, by @Omerbahari).
- *
- * A single search fires ~85 getConfig() reads; on a remote pooler each is a
- * round-trip. The first read now batch-loads the whole `config` table into a
- * Map; setConfig/unsetConfig write through; TTL bounds multi-writer
- * staleness; GBRAIN_CONFIG_CACHE_TTL_MS=0 restores per-key reads.
- *
- * Pure: stubs `_sql` with a call-counting fake; no real DB.
- */
-
-import { describe, it, expect } from 'bun:test';
-import { PostgresEngine } from '../src/core/postgres-engine.ts';
-import { withEnv } from './helpers/with-env.ts';
-
-const FAST_RETRY = { maxRetries: 3, delayMs: 1, delayMaxMs: 1, jitter: 'none' as const };
-
-/** Engine whose `sql` records every query's template strings and returns `rows`. */
-function makeEngine(rows: unknown[]) {
-  const e = new PostgresEngine();
-  const calls: string[] = [];
-  (e as unknown as { _connectionStyle: string })._connectionStyle = 'instance';
-  (e as unknown as { _bulkRetryOptsCache: unknown })._bulkRetryOptsCache = FAST_RETRY;
-  (e as unknown as { _sql: unknown })._sql = (strings: TemplateStringsArray) => {
-    calls.push(strings.join('?'));
-    return Promise.resolve(rows);
-  };
-  return { engine: e, calls };
-}
-
-/** Run `fn` with GBRAIN_CONFIG_CACHE_TTL_MS set (or cleared when undefined). */
-const withTtl = (ttl: string | undefined, fn: () => Promise<void>) =>
-  withEnv({ GBRAIN_CONFIG_CACHE_TTL_MS: ttl }, fn);
-
-describe('PostgresEngine config cache (#1694)', () => {
-  it('batch-loads once and serves repeat reads from the cache', () => withTtl(undefined, async () => {
-    const { engine, calls } = makeEngine([
-      { key: 'search.mode', value: 'balanced' },
-      { key: 'embedding_multimodal', value: 'true' },
-    ]);
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('search.mode')).toBe('balanced');
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('embedding_multimodal')).toBe('true');
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('search.mode')).toBe('balanced');
-    // One SELECT total — this is the whole point of the fix.
-    expect(calls.length).toBe(1);
-    expect(calls[0]).toContain('SELECT key, value FROM config');
-  }));
-
-  it('returns null for a known-absent key without an extra round-trip', () => withTtl(undefined, async () => {
-    const { engine, calls } = makeEngine([{ key: 'a', value: '1' }]);
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('missing.key')).toBeNull();
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('missing.key')).toBeNull();
-    expect(calls.length).toBe(1);
-  }));
-
-  it('setConfig writes through so subsequent reads see the new value', () => withTtl(undefined, async () => {
-    const { engine, calls } = makeEngine([{ key: 'k', value: 'old' }]);
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('k')).toBe('old');
-    await engine.setConfig('k', 'new');
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('k')).toBe('new');
-    expect(calls.length).toBe(2); // batch load + upsert; no re-read
-  }));
-
-  it('unsetConfig writes through so subsequent reads see absence', () => withTtl(undefined, async () => {
-    const { engine } = makeEngine([{ key: 'k', value: 'v' }]);
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('k')).toBe('v');
-    await engine.unsetConfig('k');
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('k')).toBeNull();
-  }));
-
-  it('concurrent cold reads share a single batch load (single-flight)', () => withTtl(undefined, async () => {
-    const { engine, calls } = makeEngine([{ key: 'k', value: 'v' }]);
-    const [a, b, c] = await Promise.all([
-      engine.getConfig('k'),
-      engine.getConfig('k'),
-      engine.getConfig('other'),
-    ]);
-    expect([a, b, c]).toEqual(['v', 'v', null]);
-    expect(calls.length).toBe(1);
-  }));
-
-  it('GBRAIN_CONFIG_CACHE_TTL_MS=0 disables the cache (per-key reads)', () => withTtl('0', async () => {
-    const { engine, calls } = makeEngine([{ value: 'v' }]);
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('k')).toBe('v');
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('k')).toBe('v');
-    expect(calls.length).toBe(2);
-    expect(calls[0]).toContain('SELECT value FROM config WHERE key =');
-  }));
-
-  it('an expired TTL reloads from the database', () => withTtl('1', async () => {
-    const { engine, calls } = makeEngine([{ key: 'k', value: 'v' }]);
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('k')).toBe('v');
-    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 5));
-    expect(await engine.getConfig('k')).toBe('v');
-    expect(calls.length).toBe(2); // two batch loads
-  }));
-
-  it('the batch load keeps the connRetry reconnect posture (#1603/#1891)', () => withTtl(undefined, async () => {
-    const e = new PostgresEngine();
-    (e as unknown as { _connectionStyle: string })._connectionStyle = 'instance';
-    (e as unknown as { _sql: unknown })._sql = null; // torn-down pool → retryable
-    (e as unknown as { _bulkRetryOptsCache: unknown })._bulkRetryOptsCache = FAST_RETRY;
-    let reconnects = 0;
-    (e as unknown as { reconnect: () => Promise<void> }).reconnect = async () => {
-      reconnects++;
-      (e as unknown as { _sql: unknown })._sql = () =>
-        Promise.resolve([{ key: 'k', value: 'v' }]);
-    };
-    expect(await e.getConfig('k')).toBe('v');
-    expect(reconnects).toBe(1);
-  }));
-});

test/postgres-engine-config-reconnect.test.ts

@@ -43,9 +43,7 @@ function makeTornDownEngine(poolResult: unknown): { engine: PostgresEngine; reco
 
 describe('PostgresEngine non-batch config accessors self-heal (PR #1891 takeover)', () => {
   it('getConfig reconnects + retries a null instance pool, then returns the value', async () => {
-    // Rows carry `key` too: getConfig's default cached path batch-loads
-    // `SELECT key, value FROM config` (#1694) through the same connRetry.
-    const { engine, reconnects } = makeTornDownEngine([{ key: 'some.key', value: 'live-value' }]);
+    const { engine, reconnects } = makeTornDownEngine([{ value: 'live-value' }]);
     expect(await engine.getConfig('some.key')).toBe('live-value');
     expect(reconnects()).toBe(1); // exactly one reconnect closed the gap
   });