db-write

name	db-write
description	Mutate data behind a transaction guard — preview a statement inside a held transaction (no commit), inspect the impact, then confirm to COMMIT or rollback to discard. The only dblab skill that writes. Use for any INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE that must be safe and reviewable.

/db-write

Single-backend skill. Calls rolepod_db_write on the rolepod-dblab MCP server and surfaces the structured result. No fallback (D-001).

Apply this mutation safely: see exactly what it does first, then commit only on explicit confirmation.

Phase: Build. This is the only tool that writes, and it never writes without a confirm. It is the reason dblab is an MCP plugin and not a prompt-only skill: it holds a transaction open across tool calls (a skill cannot).

The ritual (non-negotiable)

1. preview → opens a transaction (BEGIN), runs the statement inside it, returns affected-row count + optional before/after sample, and a txn_id. Nothing is committed.
2. confirm → COMMIT the held transaction (needs the txn_id).
3. rollback → ROLLBACK and discard (also the fate of an abandoned transaction).

⚠️ A preview holds row locks on the affected rows until you confirm, rollback, or it times out. An unconfirmed transaction auto-rolls-back after the idle timeout (default 5 min; ROLEPOD_DBLAB_TXN_IDLE_MS). Confirm or rollback promptly — don't leave a preview open.

When to use

• Any INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE you want to apply with a review step.
• A data fix in production where seeing the impact before committing matters.
• Backfills / corrections where you want a preview of affected rows.

When NOT to use

• Target is a WordPress site → rolepod-wplab owns WP writes (it has its own change ledger + panic-revert); do not use dblab on a WP database (SPEC §3).
• Schema changes (DDL migrations) — run those through your migration tool; verify the result with /db-migrate-verify.
• Read-only assertions → /db-query.

Inputs

• conn — connection string (secret; never logged).
• mode — preview | confirm | rollback.
• statement — the INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE. Required for preview; ignored otherwise.
• txn_id — returned by a preview; required for confirm / rollback.
• preview_query (optional) — a SELECT run before AND after the statement (inside the txn) to capture a before/after sample.

Process

Step 1 — preview:

{
  "conn": "postgresql://…/db",
  "mode": "preview",
  "statement": "UPDATE accounts SET tier = 'pro' WHERE id = 42",
  "preview_query": "SELECT tier FROM accounts WHERE id = 42"
}

Returns { txn_id, committed: false, preview: { affected_rows, before_sample, after_sample, returned } }.

Step 2 — confirm (after the user/agent approves the impact):

{ "conn": "postgresql://…/db", "mode": "confirm", "txn_id": "<from preview>" }

Or discard:

{ "conn": "postgresql://…/db", "mode": "rollback", "txn_id": "<from preview>" }

Outputs

• preview: txn_id, committed: false, preview (statement, affected_rows, before_sample, after_sample, returned), next.
• confirm: committed: true, affected_rows. rollback: committed: false.
• A vanished txn_id (committed, rolled back, or auto-expired) returns txn_not_found.
• manifest_path (phase build; status warn for preview/rollback, pass for confirm).

Examples

Safe single-row fix

1. preview the UPDATE with a preview_query → confirm affected_rows: 1 and the after-sample shows the intended value.
2. confirm with the txn_id → committed.

Evidence routing

• Standalone: .rolepod-dblab/artifacts/db-write_<ts>_<uuid>/
• With rolepod parent (marker <git-root>/.rolepod/parent-active): <git-root>/.rolepod/evidence/<ts>-rolepod-dblab-db-write/

Each call writes write.json + a manifest.json (Extension Protocol v1) recording the statement and outcome.

If the tool is unavailable

The /db-write skill needs the rolepod-dblab MCP server, which is not currently available. Confirm the plugin is installed and try again, or check that npx -y @rolepod/dblab is reachable.