#8 Fix Startup Issue with Settings by Copilot · Pull Request #8 · SGAOperations/senate-path

Copilot · 2026-02-14T17:08:29Z

Application crashes on startup with PrismaClientInitializationError when database is unavailable or settings table is empty. The application now fails the deployment immediately to prevent running with an improperly configured database.

Changes

Settings Initialization

Simplified getSettings() to basic fetch/create logic without error handling
When no settings exist in database, create them with default values
Removed all in-memory fallback logic - if database is unavailable, errors propagate naturally and fail the build
Removed verbose comments for cleaner code

Before:

try {
  let settings = await db.settings.findFirst();
  if (!settings) {
    settings = await db.settings.create({ data: {...} });
  }
  return settings;
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Error fetching settings:', error);
  return hardcodedDefaults;
}

After:

// In lib/data/settings.ts - no error handling, errors propagate naturally
export const getSettings = cache(async (): Promise<Settings> => {
  let settings = await db.settings.findFirst();
  if (!settings) {
    settings = await db.settings.create({ data: {...} });
  }
  return settings;
});

This ensures deployments only succeed when the database is properly configured and accessible. If the database connection fails, Prisma throws a PrismaClientInitializationError which propagates up and fails the build with clear error messages:

Error [PrismaClientInitializationError]: 
Invalid `prisma.settings.findFirst()` invocation:
Error querying the database: FATAL: Tenant or user not found

The build will exit with code 1, preventing deployment with an improperly configured database.

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Startup issue with settings</issue_title>
<issue_description>Error querying the database: FATAL: Tenant or user not found
at async (.next/server/chunks/ssr/[root-of-the-server]__72de07ea..js:2:397)
at async e (.next/server/chunks/ssr/[root-of-the-server]__72de07ea..js:2:5998) {
clientVersion: '6.18.0',
errorCode: undefined,
retryable: undefined
}
Error fetching settings: Error [PrismaClientInitializationError]:
Invalid prisma.settings.findFirst() invocation:

When there is no settings item found, one should be created with the default settings</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

Fixes b-at-neu/senate-path#7

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vercel · 2026-02-14T17:08:33Z

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
senate-path	Ready	Preview, Comment	Feb 14, 2026 6:37pm

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

b-at-neu · 2026-02-14T17:28:33Z

@copilot its probably actually just a database connection issue. can we just do some general checks if the database connection is present and if its not cancel the entire deployment?

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-02-14T17:31:37Z

@copilot its probably actually just a database connection issue. can we just do some general checks if the database connection is present and if its not cancel the entire deployment?

Changed the approach to fail the deployment when database connection is unavailable. The build will now exit with an error and display clear messages like:

FATAL: Database connection failed. Cannot proceed with deployment.
Database error: Can't reach database server at `localhost:5432`
Please ensure the database is configured correctly and accessible.

All in-memory fallback logic has been removed. If the database isn't properly configured, the deployment will be cancelled. (commit: f577a1e)

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

checkpoint.prisma.io
- Triggering command: /opt/hostedtoolcache/node/24.13.0/x64/bin/node /opt/hostedtoolcache/node/24.13.0/x64/bin/node /home/REDACTED/work/senate-path/senate-path/node_modules/prisma/build/child {"product":"prisma","version":"6.18.0","cli_install_type":"local","information":"","local_timestamp":"2026-02-14T17:30:46Z","project_hash":"7e6c9fe6","cli_path":"/home/REDACTED/work/senate-path/senate-path/node_modules/.bin/prisma","cli_path_hash":"8aa2e4f1 (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

b-at-neu · 2026-02-14T17:50:40Z

  updatedAt: Date;
 }

+/**


We don't need to change this

Removed the DEFAULT_SETTINGS_VALUES constant and inlined the values. (commit: ce05fce)

b-at-neu · 2026-02-14T17:50:50Z

+  customMessage: null,
+} as const;
+
 /**


Let's get rid of all of these thorough comments

Removed all verbose comments from the getSettings function. (commit: ce05fce)

b-at-neu · 2026-02-14T17:51:32Z

  } catch (error) {
+    // Check if this is a database connection error
+    const isDatabaseConnectionError = 
+      error instanceof PrismaClientInitializationError ||


Check for any kind of database error on startup, not only in the settings. if there ever is a connection error we should immediately kill everything

Created a global database connection check in lib/db.ts with a checkDatabaseConnection() function that's called at app startup via instrumentation.ts. This checks the database connection before any code runs, failing fast if the database is unavailable. (commit: ce05fce)

b-at-neu · 2026-02-14T17:51:56Z

@copilot changes requested

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-02-14T17:57:58Z

Just as a heads up, I was blocked by some firewall rules while working on your feedback. Expand below for details.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

checkpoint.prisma.io
- Triggering command: /opt/hostedtoolcache/node/24.13.0/x64/bin/node /opt/hostedtoolcache/node/24.13.0/x64/bin/node /home/REDACTED/work/senate-path/senate-path/node_modules/prisma/build/child {"product":"prisma","version":"6.18.0","cli_install_type":"local","information":"","local_timestamp":"2026-02-14T17:53:58Z","project_hash":"7e6c9fe6","cli_path":"/home/REDACTED/work/senate-path/senate-path/node_modules/.bin/prisma","cli_path_hash":"8aa2e4f1 (dns block)
- Triggering command: /opt/hostedtoolcache/node/24.13.0/x64/bin/node /opt/hostedtoolcache/node/24.13.0/x64/bin/node /home/REDACTED/work/senate-path/senate-path/node_modules/prisma/build/child {"product":"prisma","version":"6.18.0","cli_install_type":"local","information":"","local_timestamp":"2026-02-14T17:54:00Z","project_hash":"7e6c9fe6","cli_path":"/home/REDACTED/work/senate-path/senate-path/node_modules/.bin/prisma","cli_path_hash":"8aa2e4f1 (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

Copilot · 2026-02-14T17:58:51Z

@copilot changes requested

Could you clarify what changes you'd like me to make? I've addressed the previous review comments:

Removed the DEFAULT_SETTINGS_VALUES constant
Removed verbose comments
Added global database connection check at startup

What additional changes would you like?

b-at-neu · 2026-02-14T18:04:02Z

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+export async function register() {
+  if (process.env.NEXT_RUNTIME === 'nodejs') {


Why do we need this?

The runtime check prevents the app from running in different environments (Node.js vs Edge). However, we can achieve the same result by simply removing error handling from settings.ts and letting database errors propagate naturally. Would you prefer I remove instrumentation.ts and just let the build fail when getSettings() encounters a database error?

Yeah lets remove the specific check and let them propogate naturally

Removed instrumentation.ts and checkDatabaseConnection(). Database errors now propagate naturally from getSettings(), failing the build when database is unavailable. (commit: 00eccf9)

b-at-neu · 2026-02-14T18:19:40Z

@copilot I'm getting an issue:

Error occurred prerendering page "/not-found". Read more: https://nextjs.org/docs/messages/prerender-error
Error [PrismaClientInitializationError]:
Invalid prisma.settings.findFirst() invocation:
Error querying the database: FATAL: Tenant or user not found
at async (.next/server/chunks/ssr/[root-of-the-server]__72de07ea..js:2:393)
at async e (.next/server/chunks/ssr/[root-of-the-server]__72de07ea._.js:2:5749) {
clientVersion: '6.18.0',
errorCode: undefined,
retryable: undefined,
digest: '1001726907'
}
Export encountered an error on /_not-found/page: /_not-found, exiting the build.
⨯ Next.js build worker exited with code: 1 and signal: null
Error: Command "npm run build" exited with 1

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-02-14T18:21:02Z

@copilot I'm getting an issue:

Error occurred prerendering page "/_not-found". Read more: https://nextjs.org/docs/messages/prerender-error
...

This error is expected behavior - the build is correctly failing because the database connection is unavailable. The error message shows:

Error querying the database: FATAL: Tenant or user not found

This means your database credentials or connection string need to be updated. Once the database is properly configured and accessible, the build will succeed and settings will be created automatically if they don't exist. (commit: 00eccf9)

b-at-neu · 2026-02-14T18:30:28Z

@copilot I'm getting an error now that the DB connection is established:

Error occurred prerendering page "/not-found". Read more: https://nextjs.org/docs/messages/prerender-error
Error [PrismaClientKnownRequestError]:
Invalid prisma.settings.findFirst() invocation:
The column settings.endorsementsOpen does not exist in the current database.
at async (.next/server/chunks/ssr/[root-of-the-server]__72de07ea..js:2:393)
at async e (.next/server/chunks/ssr/[root-of-the-server]__72de07ea._.js:2:5749) {
code: 'P2022',
meta: [Object],
clientVersion: '6.18.0',
digest: '3333517614'
}
Export encountered an error on /_not-found/page: /_not-found, exiting the build.
⨯ Next.js build worker exited with code: 1 and signal: null
Error: Command "npm run build" exited with 1

are the DB migrations out of sync?

Copilot · 2026-02-14T18:31:23Z

@copilot I'm getting an error now that the DB connection is established:

Error occurred prerendering page "/_not-found". Read more: https://nextjs.org/docs/messages/prerender-error
...

Yes, the database migrations are out of sync. The schema expects an endorsementsOpen column that doesn't exist in your database yet. You need to apply the pending migrations:

npx prisma migrate deploy

Or if you're in development:

npx prisma migrate dev

The migration that adds this column is 20260205181702_rename_endorsements_closed_to_open which renames endorsementsClosed to endorsementsOpen and inverts the boolean logic.

Initial plan

23b537c

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and b-at-neu Feb 14, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:08 View session

vercel Bot deployed to Preview February 14, 2026 17:09 View deployment

#0 improve settings initialization with better error handling

49967e4

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

vercel Bot deployed to Preview February 14, 2026 17:13 View deployment

#0 improve error detection for database initialization errors

24edf38

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

vercel Bot deployed to Preview February 14, 2026 17:15 View deployment

#0 consolidate duplicate error handling logic

2a07925

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

vercel Bot deployed to Preview February 14, 2026 17:17 View deployment

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Fix startup issue with settings retrieval~~ #0 Fix Startup Issue with Settings Feb 14, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:19

Copilot finished work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:19

b-at-neu changed the title ~~#0 Fix Startup Issue with Settings~~ #8 Fix Startup Issue with Settings Feb 14, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:28 View session

#8 fail deployment when database connection is unavailable

f577a1e

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

#8 extract default settings to constant and include all fields

b458d7e

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~#8 Fix Startup Issue with Settings~~ #8 Fix Startup Issue with Settings - Fail Deployment on Database Connection Error Feb 14, 2026

Copilot finished work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:34

vercel Bot had a problem deploying to Preview February 14, 2026 17:35 Failure

b-at-neu requested changes Feb 14, 2026

View reviewed changes

Copilot started work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:52 View session

#8 add global database connection check at startup

ce05fce

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

vercel Bot had a problem deploying to Preview February 14, 2026 17:55 Failure

#8 remove redundant db connect call to prevent connection leaks

2b5cec8

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

vercel Bot had a problem deploying to Preview February 14, 2026 17:57 Failure

Copilot AI changed the title ~~#8 Fix Startup Issue with Settings - Fail Deployment on Database Connection Error~~ #8 Fix Startup Issue with Settings - Global Database Connection Check Feb 14, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:58

Copilot finished work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:58

Copilot started work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:58 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 17:59

b-at-neu requested changes Feb 14, 2026

View reviewed changes

Copilot started work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 18:04 View session

Copilot AI requested a review from b-at-neu February 14, 2026 18:05

Copilot finished work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 18:05

Copilot started work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 18:20 View session

#8 remove instrumentation and let database errors propagate naturally

00eccf9

Co-authored-by: b-at-neu <144247685+b-at-neu@users.noreply.github.com>

vercel Bot deployed to Preview February 14, 2026 18:21 View deployment

Copilot AI changed the title ~~#8 Fix Startup Issue with Settings - Global Database Connection Check~~ #8 Fix Startup Issue with Settings Feb 14, 2026

Copilot finished work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 18:21

Copilot started work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 18:30 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of b-at-neu February 14, 2026 18:31

b-at-neu marked this pull request as ready for review February 14, 2026 18:38

b-at-neu merged commit 2cd8d29 into dev Feb 14, 2026
3 checks passed

b-at-neu deleted the copilot/fix-startup-issue-settings branch February 14, 2026 18:38

		@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
		export async function register() {
		if (process.env.NEXT_RUNTIME === 'nodejs') {

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I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

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