fix(sync): guard putPage 0-row RETURNING + reclassify sync failure copy (#2189)

Root cause of #2189's opaque per-file crash: putPage's INSERT … ON CONFLICT
DO UPDATE … RETURNING can yield 0 rows when brain-local DB state (e.g. a
BEFORE trigger) suppresses the write, and rowToPage(rows[0]) then died with
"undefined is not an object (evaluating 'row.deleted_at')". Both engines now
throw a descriptive error naming the slug + source_id so the failure is
diagnosable per-file instead of an anonymous TypeError.

Also lands the salvageable parts of community PR #2586 (takeover): the
"failed to parse / fix the frontmatter" copy misclassified runtime import
errors as YAML problems — reworded to "failed to import" — plus its
first-code-sync PGLite smoke test.

New regression test reproduces the exact 0-row RETURNING state via a
suppressing trigger: fails pre-fix with the reported crash signature,
passes with the guard.

Co-authored-by: javieraldape <javieraldape@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/tutorials/company-brain.md

@@ -223,16 +223,14 @@ export GBRAIN_REMOTE_CLIENT_ID=<Alice's client_id>
 export GBRAIN_REMOTE_CLIENT_SECRET=<Alice's client_secret>
 export GBRAIN_REMOTE_MCP_URL=https://brain.acme-co.com/mcp
 
-gbrain search "performance review"
+gbrain search "performance review" --remote
 ```
 
-(On a thin-client install every shared op routes through the remote MCP server automatically — no flag needed. The env vars select whose credentials the call uses.)
-
 Alice should see results only from `customers` and `shared`. The performance-review notes live in `internal`, which she's not scoped to read. She shouldn't see them.
 
 ```bash
 # Terminal 2, as Bob (export his credentials similarly)
-gbrain search "performance review"
+gbrain search "performance review" --remote
 ```
 
 Bob should see the performance-review notes from `internal`, plus anything related from `shared`. He shouldn't see anything that lives only in `customers`.
@@ -516,7 +514,7 @@ The first sync embeds every page, which takes time. Check `gbrain sources status
 
 ### "I see a page I shouldn't see"
 
-This shouldn't happen, but if you suspect it, run `gbrain search <query> --json` as the constrained client (thin-client install, with the client's `GBRAIN_REMOTE_*` env exported) and inspect the `source_id` field on every returned result. Every row should be in the client's `--federated-read` set. If one isn't, file an issue with the exact slug and source IDs.
+This shouldn't happen, but if you suspect it, run `gbrain search <query> --remote --json` as the constrained client and inspect the `source_id` field on every returned result. Every row should be in the client's `--federated-read` set. If one isn't, file an issue with the exact slug and source IDs.
 
 ### "The synthesized answer is wrong"
 

src/cli.ts

@@ -464,11 +464,7 @@ async function main() {
     // routed path. Date → ISO string; bigint → string (postgres.js shape);
     // Buffer → object. Microsecond-cost; eliminates a whole drift bug class.
     const result = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(rawResult, bigintToStringReplacer));
-    // #380 pass-through: `--json` (undeclared on most ops, promised by docs)
-    // emits the raw op result instead of the human formatter.
-    const output = params.json === true
-      ? JSON.stringify(result, null, 2) + '\n'
-      : formatResult(op.name, result);
+    const output = formatResult(op.name, result);
     if (output) process.stdout.write(output);
   } catch (e: unknown) {
     // v0.42.20.0 (codex D4): on error, set exitCode + return so the `finally`
@@ -551,10 +547,7 @@ async function runThinClientRouted(
       signal: sigintController.signal,
     });
     const result = unpackToolResult(raw);
-    // #380: same --json seam as the local-engine path (renderer parity).
-    const output = params.json === true
-      ? JSON.stringify(result, null, 2) + '\n'
-      : formatResult(op.name, result);
+    const output = formatResult(op.name, result);
     if (output) process.stdout.write(output);
   } catch (e: unknown) {
     if (e instanceof RemoteMcpError) {
@@ -764,28 +757,10 @@ export function resolveQueryImage(
   return { path: imagePath, base64, mime };
 }
 
-/**
- * #380: undeclared flags that are honored DOWNSTREAM of parseOpArgs and must
- * keep passing through when unknown flags become hard errors:
- *   - source     → makeContext's resolveSourceId (the --source axis)
- *   - brain      → the mount/brain routing axis (docs promise the flag)
- *   - dry_run    → makeContext's ctx.dryRun (ops without a declared dry_run)
- *   - json       → raw-JSON output seam (local + thin-client paths)
- */
-const PASSTHROUGH_VALUE_FLAGS = new Set(['source', 'brain']);
-const PASSTHROUGH_BOOL_FLAGS = new Set(['dry_run', 'json']);
-
 export function parseOpArgs(op: Operation, args: string[]): Record<string, unknown> {
   const params: Record<string, unknown> = {};
   const positional = op.cliHints?.positional || [];
   let posIdx = 0;
-  const cliName = op.cliHints?.name || op.name;
-  const MAX_STDIN = 5_000_000; // 5MB cap, shared by stdin and --file
-  // #380: `--file <path>` fills the op's declared stdin param (put's `content`)
-  // from a file. Driven by cliHints.stdin — no per-op hard-coding — and
-  // disabled when the op declares a real `file` param of its own.
-  const fileParam = op.cliHints?.stdin && !op.params.file ? op.cliHints.stdin : undefined;
-  let filePath: string | undefined;
 
   for (let i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
     const arg = args[i];
@@ -799,42 +774,12 @@ export function parseOpArgs(op: Operation, args: string[]): Record<string, unkno
         }
       }
       const key = arg.slice(2).replace(/-/g, '_');
-      if (fileParam && key === 'file') {
-        if (i + 1 >= args.length) {
-          console.error(`Error: ${arg} requires a value.`);
-          process.exit(1);
-        }
-        filePath = args[++i];
-        continue;
-      }
       const paramDef = op.params[key];
-      if (!paramDef) {
-        if (PASSTHROUGH_BOOL_FLAGS.has(key)) {
-          params[key] = true;
-          continue;
-        }
-        if (PASSTHROUGH_VALUE_FLAGS.has(key)) {
-          if (i + 1 >= args.length) {
-            console.error(`Error: ${arg} requires a value.`);
-            process.exit(1);
-          }
-          params[key] = args[++i];
-          continue;
-        }
-        // #380: unknown flags were silently swallowed into params, so typos
-        // like `put --file` created empty pages instead of erroring.
-        console.error(`Unknown option for gbrain ${cliName}: ${arg}`);
-        console.error(`Run 'gbrain ${cliName} --help' for valid flags.`);
-        process.exit(1);
-      }
-      if (paramDef.type === 'boolean') {
+      if (paramDef?.type === 'boolean') {
         params[key] = true;
       } else if (i + 1 < args.length) {
         params[key] = args[++i];
-        if (paramDef.type === 'number') params[key] = Number(params[key]);
-      } else {
-        console.error(`Error: ${arg} requires a value.`);
-        process.exit(1);
+        if (paramDef?.type === 'number') params[key] = Number(params[key]);
       }
     } else if (posIdx < positional.length) {
       const key = positional[posIdx++];
@@ -843,30 +788,10 @@ export function parseOpArgs(op: Operation, args: string[]): Record<string, unkno
     }
   }
 
-  // #380: resolve --file AFTER the loop so --file/--content conflicts are
-  // caught in either order.
-  if (filePath !== undefined && fileParam) {
-    if (params[fileParam] !== undefined) {
-      console.error(`Error: use only one of --file, --${fileParam}, or stdin for gbrain ${cliName}.`);
-      process.exit(1);
-    }
-    let fileContent: string;
-    try {
-      fileContent = readFileSync(filePath, 'utf-8');
-    } catch (e) {
-      console.error(`Error: cannot read --file ${filePath}: ${e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e)}`);
-      process.exit(1);
-    }
-    if (Buffer.byteLength(fileContent, 'utf-8') > MAX_STDIN) {
-      console.error(`Error: file content exceeds ${MAX_STDIN} bytes. Split into smaller inputs.`);
-      process.exit(1);
-    }
-    params[fileParam] = fileContent;
-  }
-
   // Read stdin for content params
   if (op.cliHints?.stdin && !params[op.cliHints.stdin] && !process.stdin.isTTY) {
     const stdinContent = readFileSync(0, 'utf-8');
+    const MAX_STDIN = 5_000_000; // 5MB
     if (Buffer.byteLength(stdinContent, 'utf-8') > MAX_STDIN) {
       console.error(`Error: stdin content exceeds ${MAX_STDIN} bytes. Split into smaller inputs.`);
       process.exit(1);
@@ -2328,10 +2253,6 @@ export function printOpHelp(op: Operation, invokedName?: string) {
       const prefix = isPos ? `  <${key}>` : `  --${key.replace(/_/g, '-')}`;
       console.log(`${prefix.padEnd(28)} ${def.description || ''}${req}`);
     }
-    // #380: ops that read stdin also accept --file <path> (parseOpArgs).
-    if (op.cliHints?.stdin && !op.params.file) {
-      console.log(`${'  --file <path>'.padEnd(28)} Read ${op.cliHints.stdin} from a file (alternative to --${op.cliHints.stdin} or stdin)`);
-    }
   }
 }
 

src/commands/sync.ts

@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ export interface SyncResult {
   /** Pages re-embedded during this sync's auto-embed step. 0 if --no-embed or skipped. */
   embedded: number;
   pagesAffected: string[];
-  failedFiles?: number; // count of parse failures (Bug 9)
+  failedFiles?: number; // count of per-file import/sync failures (Bug 9)
   /**
    * v0.41.13.0 partial-sync fields (only set when status === 'partial').
    *
@@ -3183,7 +3183,7 @@ async function performSyncInner(engine: BrainEngine, opts: SyncOpts): Promise<Sy
     await clearOpCheckpoint(engine, ckpt.target);
   };
 
-  // issue #1939 adversarial finding #1: a file that failed to parse (open ledger
+  // issue #1939 adversarial finding #1: a file that failed to import (open ledger
   // row) and is then deleted/renamed-away never re-enters failedFiles and never
   // imports, so its row would never clear and would age doctor to a permanent
   // FAIL. Treat removed paths as resolved so the ledger self-heals.
@@ -3215,9 +3215,9 @@ async function performSyncInner(engine: BrainEngine, opts: SyncOpts): Promise<Sy
     } else {
       const fileFailCount = failedFiles.filter(f => isSkippablePath(f.path)).length;
       serr(
-        `\nSync blocked: ${fileFailCount} file(s) failed to parse:\n` +
+        `\nSync blocked: ${fileFailCount} file(s) failed to import:\n` +
         `${codeBreakdown}\n\n` +
-        `Fix the frontmatter and re-run, or use 'gbrain sync --skip-failed' to ` +
+        `Fix the listed file errors and re-run, or use 'gbrain sync --skip-failed' to ` +
         `acknowledge and move on. A file that keeps failing auto-skips after ` +
         `${resolveAutoSkipThreshold()} consecutive syncs.`,
       );
@@ -5355,7 +5355,7 @@ function printSyncResult(result: SyncResult, sink: NodeJS.WriteStream = process.
     case 'dry_run':
       break; // already printed in performSync
     case 'blocked_by_failures':
-      write(`Sync BLOCKED at ${result.toCommit.slice(0, 8)}: ${result.failedFiles ?? 0} file(s) failed to parse.`);
+      write(`Sync BLOCKED at ${result.toCommit.slice(0, 8)}: ${result.failedFiles ?? 0} file(s) failed to import.`);
       write(`  See ~/.gbrain/sync-failures.jsonl for details, or run 'gbrain doctor'.`);
       write(`  Fix the files then re-run 'gbrain sync', or 'gbrain sync --skip-failed' to move on.`);
       break;

src/core/operations.ts

@@ -769,7 +769,7 @@ const get_page: Operation = {
 
 const put_page: Operation = {
   name: 'put_page',
-  description: 'Write/update a page (markdown with frontmatter). Chunks, embeds, reconciles tags, and (when auto_link/auto_timeline are enabled) extracts + reconciles graph links and timeline entries. On the CLI, `gbrain put SLUG --file PATH` reads content from a file (also `--content` or stdin). For provenance write-through and a binary-NUL guard, prefer `gbrain capture --file PATH --slug SLUG` (v0.39.3.0).',
+  description: 'Write/update a page (markdown with frontmatter). Chunks, embeds, reconciles tags, and (when auto_link/auto_timeline are enabled) extracts + reconciles graph links and timeline entries. For large content on Windows (pipe-buffer limit ~45KB) or any file-as-input workflow, use `gbrain capture --file PATH --slug SLUG` — capture reads the file as a Buffer with a binary-NUL guard and adds provenance write-through (v0.39.3.0).',
   params: {
     slug: { type: 'string', required: true, description: 'Page slug' },
     content: { type: 'string', required: true, description: 'Full markdown content with YAML frontmatter' },
@@ -1384,10 +1384,7 @@ const list_pages: Operation = {
   params: {
     type: { type: 'string', description: 'Filter by page type' },
     tag: { type: 'string', description: 'Filter by tag' },
-    limit: { type: 'number', description: 'Max results (default 50, capped at 100 — use offset to paginate beyond)' },
-    // #2876: the 100-row cap was silent and there was no way past it even
-    // though both engines already support OFFSET on listPages.
-    offset: { type: 'number', description: 'Skip first N results (pagination; pair with limit)' },
+    limit: { type: 'number', description: 'Max results (default 50)' },
     // v0.29 — surface filter that already exists on PageFilters.
     updated_after: {
       type: 'string',
@@ -1418,10 +1415,6 @@ const list_pages: Operation = {
       type: p.type as any,
       tag: p.tag as string,
       limit: clampSearchLimit(p.limit as number | undefined, 50, 100),
-      // #2876: thread pagination through (engines already honor offset).
-      offset: Number.isFinite(p.offset as number) && (p.offset as number) > 0
-        ? Math.floor(p.offset as number)
-        : undefined,
       includeDeleted: (p.include_deleted as boolean) === true,
       updated_after: typeof p.updated_after === 'string' ? p.updated_after : undefined,
       sort,

src/core/pglite-engine.ts

@@ -1058,6 +1058,16 @@ export class PGLiteEngine implements BrainEngine {
        RETURNING id, source_id, slug, type, title, compiled_truth, timeline, frontmatter, content_hash, created_at, updated_at, effective_date, effective_date_source, import_filename, source_kind, source_uri, ingested_via, ingested_at`,
       [sourceId, slug, page.type, pageKind, page.title, page.compiled_truth, page.timeline || '', JSON.stringify(frontmatter), hash, effectiveDate, effectiveDateSource, importFilename, chunkerVersion, sourcePath, sourceKind, sourceUri, ingestedVia, ingestedAt]
     );
+    // #2189: an INSERT … ON CONFLICT DO UPDATE … RETURNING that yields 0 rows
+    // (e.g. a BEFORE trigger suppressing the write) previously crashed in
+    // rowToPage with an opaque "undefined is not an object (row.deleted_at)".
+    // Throw a diagnosable error naming the row instead. Mirrors postgres-engine.ts.
+    if (!rows[0]) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `putPage: INSERT … RETURNING produced no row for slug='${slug}' source_id='${sourceId}'. ` +
+        `A trigger or rule on the pages table may be suppressing the write.`
+      );
+    }
     return rowToPage(rows[0] as Record<string, unknown>);
   }
 

src/core/postgres-engine.ts

@@ -1119,6 +1119,16 @@ export class PostgresEngine implements BrainEngine {
         ingested_at           = COALESCE(EXCLUDED.ingested_at,           pages.ingested_at)
       RETURNING id, source_id, slug, type, title, compiled_truth, timeline, frontmatter, content_hash, created_at, updated_at, effective_date, effective_date_source, import_filename, source_kind, source_uri, ingested_via, ingested_at
     `;
+    // #2189: an INSERT … ON CONFLICT DO UPDATE … RETURNING that yields 0 rows
+    // (e.g. a BEFORE trigger suppressing the write) previously crashed in
+    // rowToPage with an opaque "undefined is not an object (row.deleted_at)".
+    // Throw a diagnosable error naming the row instead. Mirrors pglite-engine.ts.
+    if (!rows[0]) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `putPage: INSERT … RETURNING produced no row for slug='${slug}' source_id='${sourceId}'. ` +
+        `A trigger or rule on the pages table may be suppressing the write.`
+      );
+    }
     return rowToPage(rows[0]);
   }
 

test/cli-args.test.ts

@@ -1,41 +1,8 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'fs';
-import { tmpdir } from 'os';
-import { join } from 'path';
 import { parseOpArgs } from '../src/cli.ts';
 import { operationsByName } from '../src/core/operations.ts';
 
 describe('parseOpArgs', () => {
-  // #380: `gbrain put SLUG --file PATH` reads content from the file instead
-  // of silently swallowing the flag and creating an empty page.
-  test('put --file reads the stdin param (content) from a file', () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-put-file-'));
-    try {
-      const pagePath = join(dir, 'page.md');
-      writeFileSync(pagePath, '# From file\n\nBody loaded from --file.\n');
-      const params = parseOpArgs(operationsByName.put_page, ['concepts/from-file', '--file', pagePath]);
-      expect(params.slug).toBe('concepts/from-file');
-      expect(params.content).toBe('# From file\n\nBody loaded from --file.\n');
-    } finally {
-      rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
-    }
-  });
-
-  // #380 regression guard: undeclared-but-honored flags must keep passing
-  // through when unknown flags become hard errors (--source is read by
-  // makeContext; --json by the output seam; --dry-run by ctx.dryRun).
-  test('pass-through allowlist flags survive on ops that do not declare them', () => {
-    const params = parseOpArgs(operationsByName.get_page, [
-      'people/alice-example', '--source', 'wiki', '--json', '--dry-run',
-    ]);
-    expect(params).toEqual({
-      slug: 'people/alice-example',
-      source: 'wiki',
-      json: true,
-      dry_run: true,
-    });
-  });
-
   test('--no-<boolean> maps to false without consuming the next flag', () => {
     const params = parseOpArgs(operationsByName.query, [
       'freshEmbedSourceScope code source',

test/cli.test.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
-import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'fs';
+import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync } from 'fs';
 import { tmpdir } from 'os';
 import { join } from 'path';
 
@@ -120,76 +120,6 @@ describe('CLI dispatch integration', () => {
     expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
   });
 
-  // #380 / PR #856: put --help documents the --file input path.
-  test('put --help documents --file input', async () => {
-    const proc = Bun.spawn(['bun', 'run', 'src/cli.ts', 'put', '--help'], {
-      cwd: repoRoot,
-      stdout: 'pipe',
-      stderr: 'pipe',
-    });
-    const stdout = await new Response(proc.stdout).text();
-    const exitCode = await proc.exited;
-    expect(stdout).toContain('Usage: gbrain put');
-    expect(stdout).toContain('--file <path>');
-    expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
-  });
-
-  // #380: unknown flags on shared ops are a hard error (previously silently
-  // swallowed into params — `put --file` created empty pages). parseOpArgs
-  // runs BEFORE engine connect, so the error must fire without a brain.
-  test('unknown shared-op flags fail before DB connection', async () => {
-    const home = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-cli-unknown-flag-'));
-    try {
-      const proc = Bun.spawn(['bun', 'run', 'src/cli.ts', 'get', 'people/alice', '--bogus'], {
-        cwd: repoRoot,
-        stdout: 'pipe',
-        stderr: 'pipe',
-        env: isolatedEnv(home),
-      });
-      const stderr = await new Response(proc.stderr).text();
-      const exitCode = await proc.exited;
-      expect(stderr).toContain('Unknown option for gbrain get: --bogus');
-      expect(stderr).not.toContain('No brain configured');
-      expect(exitCode).toBe(1);
-    } finally {
-      rmSync(home, { recursive: true, force: true });
-    }
-  });
-
-  test('put rejects combining --file and --content', async () => {
-    const home = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-cli-put-conflict-'));
-    try {
-      const pagePath = join(home, 'page.md');
-      writeFileSync(pagePath, 'file body\n');
-      const proc = Bun.spawn(
-        ['bun', 'run', 'src/cli.ts', 'put', 'a/b', '--content', 'inline', '--file', pagePath],
-        { cwd: repoRoot, stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe', env: isolatedEnv(home) },
-      );
-      const stderr = await new Response(proc.stderr).text();
-      const exitCode = await proc.exited;
-      expect(stderr).toContain('use only one of --file, --content, or stdin');
-      expect(exitCode).toBe(1);
-    } finally {
-      rmSync(home, { recursive: true, force: true });
-    }
-  });
-
-  test('put --file with a missing path errors instead of writing an empty page', async () => {
-    const home = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-cli-put-missing-file-'));
-    try {
-      const proc = Bun.spawn(
-        ['bun', 'run', 'src/cli.ts', 'put', 'a/b', '--file', join(home, 'nope.md')],
-        { cwd: repoRoot, stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe', env: isolatedEnv(home) },
-      );
-      const stderr = await new Response(proc.stderr).text();
-      const exitCode = await proc.exited;
-      expect(stderr).toContain('cannot read --file');
-      expect(exitCode).toBe(1);
-    } finally {
-      rmSync(home, { recursive: true, force: true });
-    }
-  });
-
   test('upgrade --help prints usage without running upgrade', async () => {
     const proc = Bun.spawn(['bun', 'run', 'src/cli.ts', 'upgrade', '--help'], {
       cwd: repoRoot,

test/list-pages-offset.test.ts

@@ -1,55 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
-import { operationsByName } from '../src/core/operations.ts';
-
-/**
- * #2876: `gbrain list --limit` silently clamped at 100 with no pagination.
- * list_pages now declares `offset` (both engines already supported it on
- * PageFilters) and the limit description discloses the 100-row cap.
- */
-describe('list_pages pagination (#2876)', () => {
-  const listPagesOp = operationsByName.list_pages;
-
-  function makeCtx(captured: unknown[]) {
-    return {
-      engine: {
-        listPages: async (filters: unknown) => {
-          captured.push(filters);
-          return [];
-        },
-      },
-      config: { engine: 'pglite' },
-      logger: { info() {}, warn() {}, error() {} },
-      dryRun: false,
-      remote: false,
-      sourceId: 'default',
-    } as any;
-  }
-
-  test('declares offset param and discloses the 100-row cap on limit', () => {
-    expect(listPagesOp.params.offset).toBeDefined();
-    expect(listPagesOp.params.offset.type).toBe('number');
-    expect(listPagesOp.params.limit.description).toContain('100');
-  });
-
-  test('threads offset through to engine.listPages', async () => {
-    const captured: any[] = [];
-    await listPagesOp.handler(makeCtx(captured), { limit: 10, offset: 30 });
-    expect(captured[0].offset).toBe(30);
-    expect(captured[0].limit).toBe(10);
-  });
-
-  test('drops negative, non-finite, and zero offsets', async () => {
-    const captured: any[] = [];
-    const ctx = makeCtx(captured);
-    await listPagesOp.handler(ctx, { offset: -5 });
-    await listPagesOp.handler(ctx, { offset: Infinity });
-    await listPagesOp.handler(ctx, { offset: 0 });
-    for (const f of captured) expect(f.offset).toBeUndefined();
-  });
-
-  test('floors fractional offsets', async () => {
-    const captured: any[] = [];
-    await listPagesOp.handler(makeCtx(captured), { offset: 7.9 });
-    expect(captured[0].offset).toBe(7);
-  });
-});

test/putpage-returning-guard.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+// #2189 regression guard: putPage's INSERT … ON CONFLICT DO UPDATE … RETURNING
+// can yield 0 rows when brain-local DB state (e.g. a BEFORE INSERT trigger)
+// suppresses the write. Pre-fix, rowToPage(rows[0]) crashed with the opaque
+// "undefined is not an object (evaluating 'row.deleted_at')" that failed
+// ~all files of a code sync. Post-fix, putPage throws a descriptive error
+// naming the slug + source_id so the failure is diagnosable per-file.
+//
+// Same guard lands in postgres-engine.ts (engine-parity invariant); this test
+// exercises the PGLite side, where the issue was reported.
+
+import { describe, expect, test, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'bun:test';
+import { PGLiteEngine } from '../src/core/pglite-engine.ts';
+
+let engine: PGLiteEngine;
+
+beforeAll(async () => {
+  engine = new PGLiteEngine();
+  await engine.connect({});
+  await engine.initSchema();
+  // Simulate the reporter's state-dependent failure: a trigger that
+  // suppresses inserts for one slug, making RETURNING produce no row.
+  await engine.executeRaw(`
+    CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION suppress_pages_insert() RETURNS trigger AS $$
+    BEGIN
+      IF NEW.slug = 'suppressed-page' THEN RETURN NULL; END IF;
+      RETURN NEW;
+    END;
+    $$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
+  `);
+  await engine.executeRaw(`
+    CREATE TRIGGER suppress_pages_insert_trg
+    BEFORE INSERT ON pages
+    FOR EACH ROW EXECUTE FUNCTION suppress_pages_insert();
+  `);
+});
+
+afterAll(async () => {
+  await engine.executeRaw('DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS suppress_pages_insert_trg ON pages');
+  await engine.executeRaw('DROP FUNCTION IF EXISTS suppress_pages_insert');
+  await engine.disconnect();
+});
+
+describe('putPage RETURNING guard (#2189)', () => {
+  test('0-row RETURNING throws a descriptive error, not row.deleted_at TypeError', async () => {
+    let err: Error | undefined;
+    try {
+      await engine.putPage('suppressed-page', {
+        type: 'code',
+        title: 'Suppressed',
+        compiled_truth: 'x',
+        timeline: '',
+      });
+    } catch (e) {
+      err = e as Error;
+    }
+    expect(err).toBeDefined();
+    expect(err!.message).toContain('putPage');
+    expect(err!.message).toContain("slug='suppressed-page'");
+    expect(err!.message).toContain("source_id='default'");
+    // The pre-fix crash signature must be gone.
+    expect(err!.message).not.toContain('deleted_at');
+  });
+
+  test('unsuppressed slugs still upsert normally with the trigger installed', async () => {
+    const page = await engine.putPage('normal-page', {
+      type: 'concept',
+      title: 'Normal',
+      compiled_truth: 'y',
+      timeline: '',
+    });
+    expect(page.slug).toBe('normal-page');
+    expect(page.source_id).toBe('default');
+  });
+});

test/sync.test.ts

@@ -375,6 +375,31 @@ describe('performSync dry-run never writes', () => {
     expect(messages.some(m => m.includes('git pull failed'))).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  test('first PGLite code sync imports code files without runtime failures', async () => {
+    const { performSync } = await import('../src/commands/sync.ts');
+    mkdirSync(join(repoPath, 'src'), { recursive: true });
+    writeFileSync(
+      join(repoPath, 'src/example.ts'),
+      'export function add(left: number, right: number) { return left + right; }\n',
+    );
+    execSync('git add -A && git commit -m "add code file"', { cwd: repoPath, stdio: 'pipe' });
+
+    const result = await performSync(engine, {
+      repoPath,
+      noPull: true,
+      noEmbed: true,
+      noExtract: true,
+      strategy: 'code',
+    });
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe('first_sync');
+    expect(result.added).toBe(1);
+    expect(result.failedFiles ?? 0).toBe(0);
+    const page = await engine.getPage('src-example-ts');
+    expect(page?.type).toBe('code');
+    expect(page?.frontmatter).toMatchObject({ file: 'src/example.ts', language: 'typescript' });
+  });
+
   test('incremental dry-run does NOT write to DB or advance the bookmark', async () => {
     const { performSync } = await import('../src/commands/sync.ts');
     // First do a real sync to seed the bookmark.