test(rivetkit): stabilize actor db driver tests

[NathanFlurry]

Description

Please include a summary of the changes and the related issue. Please also include relevant motivation and context.

Type of change

• Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
• Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
• This change requires a documentation update

How Has This Been Tested?

Please describe the tests that you ran to verify your changes.

Checklist:

• My code follows the style guidelines of this project
• I have performed a self-review of my code
• I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
• I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
• My changes generate no new warnings
• I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works
• New and existing unit tests pass locally with my changes

[NathanFlurry]

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• fix(pegboard): stabilize actor2 validation and lifecycle #4804 : 2 dependent PRs (#4805 , #4808 )
• fix(pegboard): decode envoy actor eviction keys #4803
• fix(pegboard-envoy): subscribe before registering envoy #4802
• fix(envoy-client): clear processed_command_idx after ack send #4812
• fix(envoy-client): dedupe replayed commands by index #4811
• fix(envoy-client): complete command and request lifecycles #4801
• fix(envoy-protocol): advertise current protocol version #4800
• fix(guard): serialize gateway actor keys correctly #4655
• fix(rivetkit-native): expose full hibernation metadata to JS #4657
• chore(rivetkit): remove inline tests #4668
• fix(api): subscribe before namespace workflow dispatch #4654
• fix(rivetkit): restore hibernatable sockets and hydrate serverless starts #4658
• fix(pegboard): persist and replay hibernating requests #4656
• fix(rivetkit): keep internal error exposure behavior consistent #4661
• test(rivetkit): stabilize actor db driver tests #4664 👈 (View in Graphite)
• fix(test): stabilize lifecycle, sleep, queue, and run edge cases #4660 : 1 other dependent PR (#4665 )
• test(rivetkit): re-enable gateway URL and direct-registry coverage #4659
• fix(rivetkit): add lifecycle error retry and gateway HTTP routing #4666
• fix(rivetkit-core): remove legacy timeouts #4799
• docs: add replay guidance notes #4796
• fix(inspector): stream patched state updates #4795
• fix(rivetkit): refresh stale actor handles #4794
• test(rivetkit-napi): move private tests to crate root #4793
• test(rivetkit-core): move private tests to crate root #4792
• test(runner-configs): assert envoy protocol version #4791
• fix(serverless): split metadata protocol errors #4789 : 1 other dependent PR (#4790 )
• chore(sqlite): add open close lifecycle for envoy actors #4788
• fix(rivetkit): share lifecycle shutdown grace #4810
• fix(pegboard): move sqlite v1 migration into actor workflow #4787 : 1 other dependent PR (#4797 )
• test(rivetkit): cover c.db access from onWake/onSleep/onDestroy #4786
• fix(rivetkit-napi): run onMigrate before createState/onCreate/createVars #4785
• refactor(rivetkit-core): merge ready+started into lifecycle_started, drop redundant napi calls #4784
• fix(rivetkit): drain native sleep side tasks reliably #4782 : 1 other dependent PR (#4783 )
• fix(rivetkit): route raw request fetches to actors #4781
• fix(pegboard): refresh runner config after envoy connect #4778 : 2 other dependent PRs (#4779 , #4798 )
• chore(kitchen-sink): configurable endpoint #4766 : 2 other dependent PRs (#4754 , #4777 )
• refactor(rivetkit-core): rename StopReason to ShutdownKind and kill enum fallthroughs #4765
• chore(envoy-client): log command and event payloads #4751
• fix(rivetkit): minor sleep-cleanup follow-ups #4761
• docs(rivetkit): clean up stale setPreventSleep references in docs and JSDoc #4760
• docs(rivetkit): document keepAwake/waitUntil counter-arm race and surface bridge errors #4759
• test(engine): force overdue branch in alarm-during-sleep test with negative offset #4758
• fix(rivetkit-core): return stopping not starting when sleep/destroy called mid-shutdown #4757
• test(rivetkit): remove sleepWithPreventSleep fixture and tests #4756
• test(engine): add regression test for alarm-during-sleep-transition race #4755
• test(rivetkit-core): cover sleep/destroy guards and prevent_sleep no-op #4750
• docs: add keepAwake vs waitUntil table and internal sleep-sequence invariants #4749
• feat(rivetkit): expose c.keepAwake(promise) through native path #4748
• refactor(rivetkit): deprecate setPreventSleep to no-op in TypeScript #4747
• fix(rivetkit-core): enumerate non-drained counters in grace deadline warn log #4746
• fix(rivetkit-core): abort graceful cleanup task when grace deadline elapses #4745
• fix(rivetkit-core): error on sleep/destroy before startup or already-requested #4743
• fix(rivetkit-core): cap SerializeState shutdown timeout at 15s #4742
• refactor(rivetkit-core): remove prevent_sleep field and deprecate set_prevent_sleep to no-op #4741
• fix(api-public): remove orphan import_export actors module #4764
• main

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[claude]

PR Review: test(rivetkit): stabilize actor db driver tests

Overview

This PR adds retry helpers and sequential execution to actor DB driver tests to reduce flakiness caused by "Actor stopping: database accessed after actor stopped" race conditions.

---

❌ Critical: Violates the "no retry-loop flake papering" policy

CLAUDE.md explicitly prohibits this approach:

Never paper over flakes with retry loops or bumped waits. When a test flakes, (1) root-cause the race, (2) write a deterministic repro using vi.useFakeTimers() or event-ordered Promise resolution, (3) fix the underlying ordering in core/napi/typescript, (4) delete any flake-workaround note.

Both runWithActorStoppingRetry and expectIntegrityCheckOk are retry loops whose only purpose is to swallow a specific error and try again. This masks a real race — actor.runMixedWorkload or actor.integrityCheck is racing with the actor's stop sequence — rather than fixing it.

The correct resolution is to find the ordering gap in rivetkit-core / rivetkit-napi / rivetkit (TypeScript) that allows the DB to be accessed after the actor has stopped, and fix it there so the test never sees this error in the first place.

---

✅ Good: describe.sequential

Switching to describe.sequential is a legitimate stabilization. If tests within the block shared an actor instance (same key) or relied on ordering, parallel execution would cause interference. This is an appropriate Vitest configuration change.

---

⚠️ Design issue: duplicated retry logic

runWithActorStoppingRetry and expectIntegrityCheckOk share identical structure — only the inner call and the retry count differ. The latter wraps an assertion, the former wraps a void operation. If the retry pattern is kept (pending fixing the root cause), these should be unified into a single generic helper:

async function withActorStoppingRetry<T>(
    driverTestConfig: DriverTestConfig,
    maxAttempts: number,
    fn: () => Promise<T>,
): Promise<T> { ... }

---

⚠️ Unnecessary double async/await wrapping at call sites

The call sites use async () => await actor.integrityCheck() where () => actor.integrityCheck() suffices — the outer async/await wrapper is redundant since the result is already a Promise<string>.

---

⚠️ Retry count asymmetry without explanation

runWithActorStoppingRetry uses 3 attempts; expectIntegrityCheckOk uses 6. The reason for the difference is not documented. If there is a principled reason (e.g., the integrity check races a longer recovery window), add a comment. If not, pick one value.

---

Summary

Change	Assessment
describe.sequential	✅ Appropriate fix
runWithActorStoppingRetry retry helper	❌ Violates project policy — masks race, does not fix it
expectIntegrityCheckOk retry helper	❌ Violates project policy — masks race, does not fix it
Duplicate retry structure	⚠️ Should be a single generic helper if kept

The describe.sequential change should land. The retry helpers should be replaced with a root-cause fix in core/napi/typescript that eliminates the "database accessed after actor stopped" race from the test path entirely.