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Query errors get a read-only `stack` on Node 22+

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Assessment

Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Newbie friendliness
88/100
Issue type
Bug
Clarity
Clearly specified
Activity status
Active
Tech stack
javascript, nodejs, postgresql
Domain
backend, database

Research direction

Start in src/connection.js at queryError, where Object.defineProperties replaces the error's stack. Reproduce the issue with Node 22+ using the provided strict-mode example, then verify the query-error path preserves writable and configurable stack attributes. Done means assigning a new stack no longer throws for errors produced by a query.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

queryError in src/connection.js (3.4.9; the same code is on master) appends the query origin like this:

Object.defineProperties(err, {
  stack: { value: err.stack + query.origin.replace(/.*\n/, '\n'), enumerable: options.debug },
  // ...
})

Since Node 22, stack on an Error instance is an own accessor property. Redefining it with only value turns it into a data property, and writable defaults to false. As a result every query error ends up with a read-only stack. Strict-mode code that rewrites the stack then throws, and error-normalizing frameworks do rewrite it.

Repro (Node 22.23, 24.0, 24.21)
'use strict'
const e = new Error('x')
Object.defineProperties(e, { stack: { value: e.stack } })
e.stack = 'y' // TypeError: Cannot assign to read only property 'stack' of object 'Error: x'

With postgres.js:

'use strict'
const err = await sql`select 1/0`.catch(e => e)
err.stack = 'y' // same TypeError
Suggested fix
stack: { value: /* ... */, enumerable: options.debug, writable: true, configurable: true },

This restores the attributes the property had before Node 22.

Impact

The Vercel Workflow step executor rewrites a thrown error's stack before it records a retry. That assignment threw inside its catch block, so a transient database error left the step running until its lease expired, instead of retrying it.

Dominant language
JavaScript
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Forks
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