fix(sqlite): handle text timestamps in scan for cross-driver compatibility

The ncruces/go-sqlite3 driver does not always auto-convert TEXT columns
to time.Time. This caused scan errors on updated_at/created_at fields,
blocking witness startup.

Fix: Scan timestamps into sql.NullString and parse with parseTimeString()
helper that handles RFC3339Nano, RFC3339, and SQLite native formats.

Fixes: bd-4dqmy

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

internal/storage/sqlite/dependencies.go

@@ -885,6 +885,8 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) scanIssues(ctx context.Context, rows *sql.Rows) ([]*type
 	// First pass: scan all issues
 	for rows.Next() {
 		var issue types.Issue
+		var createdAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
+		var updatedAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
 		var contentHash sql.NullString
 		var closedAt sql.NullTime
 		var estimatedMinutes sql.NullInt64
@@ -927,7 +929,7 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) scanIssues(ctx context.Context, rows *sql.Rows) ([]*type
 			&issue.ID, &contentHash, &issue.Title, &issue.Description, &issue.Design,
 			&issue.AcceptanceCriteria, &issue.Notes, &issue.Status,
 			&issue.Priority, &issue.IssueType, &assignee, &estimatedMinutes,
-			&issue.CreatedAt, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &issue.UpdatedAt, &closedAt, &externalRef, &sourceRepo, &closeReason,
+			&createdAtStr, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &updatedAtStr, &closedAt, &externalRef, &sourceRepo, &closeReason,
 			&deletedAt, &deletedBy, &deleteReason, &originalType,
 			&sender, &wisp, &pinned, &isTemplate, &crystallizes,
 			&awaitType, &awaitID, &timeoutNs, &waiters,
@@ -938,6 +940,14 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) scanIssues(ctx context.Context, rows *sql.Rows) ([]*type
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to scan issue: %w", err)
 		}
 
+		// Parse timestamp strings (TEXT columns require manual parsing)
+		if createdAtStr.Valid {
+			issue.CreatedAt = parseTimeString(createdAtStr.String)
+		}
+		if updatedAtStr.Valid {
+			issue.UpdatedAt = parseTimeString(updatedAtStr.String)
+		}
+
 		if contentHash.Valid {
 			issue.ContentHash = contentHash.String
 		}
@@ -1065,6 +1075,8 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) scanIssuesWithDependencyType(ctx context.Context, rows *
 	var results []*types.IssueWithDependencyMetadata
 	for rows.Next() {
 		var issue types.Issue
+		var createdAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
+		var updatedAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
 		var contentHash sql.NullString
 		var closedAt sql.NullTime
 		var estimatedMinutes sql.NullInt64
@@ -1096,7 +1108,7 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) scanIssuesWithDependencyType(ctx context.Context, rows *
 			&issue.ID, &contentHash, &issue.Title, &issue.Description, &issue.Design,
 			&issue.AcceptanceCriteria, &issue.Notes, &issue.Status,
 			&issue.Priority, &issue.IssueType, &assignee, &estimatedMinutes,
-			&issue.CreatedAt, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &issue.UpdatedAt, &closedAt, &externalRef, &sourceRepo,
+			&createdAtStr, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &updatedAtStr, &closedAt, &externalRef, &sourceRepo,
 			&deletedAt, &deletedBy, &deleteReason, &originalType,
 			&sender, &wisp, &pinned, &isTemplate, &crystallizes,
 			&awaitType, &awaitID, &timeoutNs, &waiters,
@@ -1106,6 +1118,14 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) scanIssuesWithDependencyType(ctx context.Context, rows *
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to scan issue with dependency type: %w", err)
 		}
 
+		// Parse timestamp strings (TEXT columns require manual parsing)
+		if createdAtStr.Valid {
+			issue.CreatedAt = parseTimeString(createdAtStr.String)
+		}
+		if updatedAtStr.Valid {
+			issue.UpdatedAt = parseTimeString(updatedAtStr.String)
+		}
+
 		if contentHash.Valid {
 			issue.ContentHash = contentHash.String
 		}

internal/storage/sqlite/queries.go

@@ -33,6 +33,22 @@ func parseNullableTimeString(ns sql.NullString) *time.Time {
 	return nil // Unparseable - shouldn't happen with valid data
 }
 
+// parseTimeString parses a time string from database TEXT columns (non-nullable).
+// Similar to parseNullableTimeString but for required timestamp fields like created_at/updated_at.
+// Returns zero time if parsing fails, which maintains backwards compatibility.
+func parseTimeString(s string) time.Time {
+	if s == "" {
+		return time.Time{}
+	}
+	// Try RFC3339Nano first (more precise), then RFC3339, then SQLite format
+	for _, layout := range []string{time.RFC3339Nano, time.RFC3339, "2006-01-02 15:04:05"} {
+		if t, err := time.Parse(layout, s); err == nil {
+			return t
+		}
+	}
+	return time.Time{} // Unparseable - shouldn't happen with valid data
+}
+
 // parseJSONStringArray parses a JSON string array from database TEXT column.
 // Returns empty slice if the string is empty or invalid JSON.
 func parseJSONStringArray(s string) []string {
@@ -292,6 +308,8 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetIssue(ctx context.Context, id string) (*types.Issue,
 	defer s.reconnectMu.RUnlock()
 
 	var issue types.Issue
+	var createdAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
+	var updatedAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
 	var closedAt sql.NullTime
 	var estimatedMinutes sql.NullInt64
 	var assignee sql.NullString
@@ -356,7 +374,7 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetIssue(ctx context.Context, id string) (*types.Issue,
 		&issue.ID, &contentHash, &issue.Title, &issue.Description, &issue.Design,
 		&issue.AcceptanceCriteria, &issue.Notes, &issue.Status,
 		&issue.Priority, &issue.IssueType, &assignee, &estimatedMinutes,
-		&issue.CreatedAt, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &issue.UpdatedAt, &closedAt, &externalRef,
+		&createdAtStr, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &updatedAtStr, &closedAt, &externalRef,
 		&issue.CompactionLevel, &compactedAt, &compactedAtCommit, &originalSize, &sourceRepo, &closeReason,
 		&deletedAt, &deletedBy, &deleteReason, &originalType,
 		&sender, &wisp, &pinned, &isTemplate, &crystallizes,
@@ -373,6 +391,14 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetIssue(ctx context.Context, id string) (*types.Issue,
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get issue: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// Parse timestamp strings (TEXT columns require manual parsing)
+	if createdAtStr.Valid {
+		issue.CreatedAt = parseTimeString(createdAtStr.String)
+	}
+	if updatedAtStr.Valid {
+		issue.UpdatedAt = parseTimeString(updatedAtStr.String)
+	}
+
 	if contentHash.Valid {
 		issue.ContentHash = contentHash.String
 	}
@@ -581,6 +607,8 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetCloseReasonsForIssues(ctx context.Context, issueIDs [
 // GetIssueByExternalRef retrieves an issue by external reference
 func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetIssueByExternalRef(ctx context.Context, externalRef string) (*types.Issue, error) {
 	var issue types.Issue
+	var createdAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
+	var updatedAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
 	var closedAt sql.NullTime
 	var estimatedMinutes sql.NullInt64
 	var assignee sql.NullString
@@ -625,7 +653,7 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetIssueByExternalRef(ctx context.Context, externalRef s
 		&issue.ID, &contentHash, &issue.Title, &issue.Description, &issue.Design,
 		&issue.AcceptanceCriteria, &issue.Notes, &issue.Status,
 		&issue.Priority, &issue.IssueType, &assignee, &estimatedMinutes,
-		&issue.CreatedAt, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &issue.UpdatedAt, &closedAt, &externalRefCol,
+		&createdAtStr, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &updatedAtStr, &closedAt, &externalRefCol,
 		&issue.CompactionLevel, &compactedAt, &compactedAtCommit, &originalSize, &sourceRepo, &closeReason,
 		&deletedAt, &deletedBy, &deleteReason, &originalType,
 		&sender, &wisp, &pinned, &isTemplate, &crystallizes,
@@ -639,6 +667,14 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetIssueByExternalRef(ctx context.Context, externalRef s
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get issue by external_ref: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// Parse timestamp strings (TEXT columns require manual parsing)
+	if createdAtStr.Valid {
+		issue.CreatedAt = parseTimeString(createdAtStr.String)
+	}
+	if updatedAtStr.Valid {
+		issue.UpdatedAt = parseTimeString(updatedAtStr.String)
+	}
+
 	if contentHash.Valid {
 		issue.ContentHash = contentHash.String
 	}

internal/storage/sqlite/ready.go

@@ -346,6 +346,8 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetStaleIssues(ctx context.Context, filter types.StaleFi
 	var issues []*types.Issue
 	for rows.Next() {
 		var issue types.Issue
+		var createdAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
+		var updatedAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
 		var closedAt sql.NullTime
 		var estimatedMinutes sql.NullInt64
 		var assignee sql.NullString
@@ -378,7 +380,7 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetStaleIssues(ctx context.Context, filter types.StaleFi
 			&issue.ID, &contentHash, &issue.Title, &issue.Description, &issue.Design,
 			&issue.AcceptanceCriteria, &issue.Notes, &issue.Status,
 			&issue.Priority, &issue.IssueType, &assignee, &estimatedMinutes,
-			&issue.CreatedAt, &issue.UpdatedAt, &closedAt, &externalRef, &sourceRepo,
+			&createdAtStr, &updatedAtStr, &closedAt, &externalRef, &sourceRepo,
 			&compactionLevel, &compactedAt, &compactedAtCommit, &originalSize, &closeReason,
 			&deletedAt, &deletedBy, &deleteReason, &originalType,
 			&sender, &ephemeral, &pinned, &isTemplate,
@@ -388,6 +390,14 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetStaleIssues(ctx context.Context, filter types.StaleFi
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to scan stale issue: %w", err)
 		}
 
+		// Parse timestamp strings (TEXT columns require manual parsing)
+		if createdAtStr.Valid {
+			issue.CreatedAt = parseTimeString(createdAtStr.String)
+		}
+		if updatedAtStr.Valid {
+			issue.UpdatedAt = parseTimeString(updatedAtStr.String)
+		}
+
 		if contentHash.Valid {
 			issue.ContentHash = contentHash.String
 		}
@@ -564,6 +574,8 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetBlockedIssues(ctx context.Context, filter types.WorkF
 	var blocked []*types.BlockedIssue
 	for rows.Next() {
 		var issue types.BlockedIssue
+		var createdAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
+		var updatedAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
 		var closedAt sql.NullTime
 		var estimatedMinutes sql.NullInt64
 		var assignee sql.NullString
@@ -575,13 +587,21 @@ func (s *SQLiteStorage) GetBlockedIssues(ctx context.Context, filter types.WorkF
 			&issue.ID, &issue.Title, &issue.Description, &issue.Design,
 			&issue.AcceptanceCriteria, &issue.Notes, &issue.Status,
 			&issue.Priority, &issue.IssueType, &assignee, &estimatedMinutes,
-			&issue.CreatedAt, &issue.CreatedBy, &issue.UpdatedAt, &closedAt, &externalRef, &sourceRepo, &issue.BlockedByCount,
+			&createdAtStr, &issue.CreatedBy, &updatedAtStr, &closedAt, &externalRef, &sourceRepo, &issue.BlockedByCount,
 			&blockerIDsStr,
 		)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to scan blocked issue: %w", err)
 		}
 
+		// Parse timestamp strings (TEXT columns require manual parsing)
+		if createdAtStr.Valid {
+			issue.CreatedAt = parseTimeString(createdAtStr.String)
+		}
+		if updatedAtStr.Valid {
+			issue.UpdatedAt = parseTimeString(updatedAtStr.String)
+		}
+
 		if closedAt.Valid {
 			issue.ClosedAt = &closedAt.Time
 		}

internal/storage/sqlite/transaction.go

@@ -1291,6 +1291,8 @@ type scanner interface {
 // consistent scanning of issue rows.
 func scanIssueRow(row scanner) (*types.Issue, error) {
 	var issue types.Issue
+	var createdAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
+	var updatedAtStr sql.NullString // TEXT column - must parse manually for cross-driver compatibility
 	var contentHash sql.NullString
 	var closedAt sql.NullTime
 	var estimatedMinutes sql.NullInt64
@@ -1336,7 +1338,7 @@ func scanIssueRow(row scanner) (*types.Issue, error) {
 		&issue.ID, &contentHash, &issue.Title, &issue.Description, &issue.Design,
 		&issue.AcceptanceCriteria, &issue.Notes, &issue.Status,
 		&issue.Priority, &issue.IssueType, &assignee, &estimatedMinutes,
-		&issue.CreatedAt, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &issue.UpdatedAt, &closedAt, &externalRef,
+		&createdAtStr, &issue.CreatedBy, &owner, &updatedAtStr, &closedAt, &externalRef,
 		&issue.CompactionLevel, &compactedAt, &compactedAtCommit, &originalSize, &sourceRepo, &closeReason,
 		&deletedAt, &deletedBy, &deleteReason, &originalType,
 		&sender, &wisp, &pinned, &isTemplate, &crystallizes,
@@ -1348,6 +1350,14 @@ func scanIssueRow(row scanner) (*types.Issue, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to scan issue: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// Parse timestamp strings (TEXT columns require manual parsing)
+	if createdAtStr.Valid {
+		issue.CreatedAt = parseTimeString(createdAtStr.String)
+	}
+	if updatedAtStr.Valid {
+		issue.UpdatedAt = parseTimeString(updatedAtStr.String)
+	}
+
 	if contentHash.Valid {
 		issue.ContentHash = contentHash.String
 	}