---
id: 1b71b163-b56f-4226-9731-a76ef245e532
type: fix
title: "Fix: sqlx in-memory SQLite pool requires max_connections=1"
tags: [sba-scouting, rust, sqlx, sqlite, testing, fix, in-memory]
importance: 0.8
confidence: 0.8
created: "2026-03-02T02:08:46.895029+00:00"
updated: "2026-03-02T02:08:46.895029+00:00"
---

# sqlx In-Memory SQLite Pool: max_connections Must Be 1

## Problem
Integration tests using `:memory:` SQLite failed with "no such table" errors after wrapping `create_tables` in a transaction.

## Root Cause
With `max_connections > 1`, each connection in the pool gets its own separate in-memory database. A transaction on connection A (e.g. `pool.begin()` for `create_tables`) is invisible to queries on connection B. In-memory SQLite databases are per-connection — there is no shared state across connections.

## Fix
Detect `:memory:` path and force `max_connections(1)`. Also skip WAL journal mode for in-memory DBs (WAL requires a file).

```rust
let pool = if db_path == ":memory:" {
    SqlitePoolOptions::new()
        .max_connections(1)
        .connect(":memory:")
        .await?
} else {
    SqlitePoolOptions::new()
        .max_connections(5)
        .connect(&format!("sqlite:{db_path}"))
        .await?
};

// Only set WAL for file-backed DBs
if db_path != ":memory:" {
    sqlx::query("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL").execute(&pool).await?;
}
```

## Impact
All 5 integration tests were broken until this was applied. Applies to any test setup using `create_tables` inside a transaction with a shared pool.