feat(cli): dev defaults to sqlite + auto-seed admin

.changeset/cli-dev-sqlite-seed-admin.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/cli": minor
+---
+
+`objectstack dev` now defaults to SQLite and auto-seeds an admin.
+
+- **Default driver → SQLite.** With no `OS_DATABASE_URL`/`OS_DATABASE_DRIVER`,
+  dev now prefers `SqlDriver(sqlite, :memory:)` over the pure-JS `InMemoryDriver`
+  for production-like SQL semantics. It probes by opening a connection (knex
+  loads `better-sqlite3` lazily at first query) and falls back to
+  `InMemoryDriver` **with a warning** if the native binary is unavailable —
+  closing a hole where the surrounding silent catch could leave the kernel with
+  no driver.
+- **`--seed-admin` defaults ON in dev.** Idempotent and non-destructive: POSTs
+  the public sign-up endpoint, creating `admin@objectos.ai` only on an empty DB
+  (then promoted to platform admin) and skipping when the email already exists
+  (422/400), so a custom password is never overwritten. Disable with
+  `--no-seed-admin`.

packages/cli/src/commands/dev.ts

@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ export default class Dev extends Command {
       default: false,
     }),
     'seed-admin': Flags.boolean({
-      description: 'After the server is ready, POST /api/v1/auth/sign-up/email to seed an admin account. Default: on when --fresh.',
+      description: 'After the server is ready, POST /api/v1/auth/sign-up/email to seed an admin account. Default: on (idempotent — creates the admin only on an empty DB, skips if the email already exists). Disable with --no-seed-admin.',
       allowNo: true,
     }),
     'admin-email': Flags.string({
@@ -206,12 +206,19 @@ export default class Dev extends Command {
       );
 
       // ── Seed admin account after the server is ready ────────────────
-      // `--seed-admin` defaults to ON when `--fresh` is set; otherwise
-      // OFF (so we don't surprise long-lived dev DBs with extra users).
-      // Uses better-auth's public sign-up endpoint, which the dev-mode
-      // bootstrap bypass (auth-manager.ts) lets through even when
-      // OS_DISABLE_SIGNUP=true for the very first user.
-      const seedAdmin = flags['seed-admin'] ?? flags.fresh;
+      // `--seed-admin` defaults to ON in dev. The seed is idempotent and
+      // NON-DESTRUCTIVE: it POSTs the public sign-up endpoint, which creates
+      // `admin@objectos.ai` only on an EMPTY DB (then `bootstrapPlatformAdmin`
+      // in @objectstack/plugin-security promotes that first user to platform
+      // admin). When the email already exists — i.e. a persistent dev DB you
+      // signed up against before — better-auth returns 422/400 and we skip
+      // (see the `r.status === 422 || 400` branch below), so a custom password
+      // is never overwritten. There's therefore no need to gate on ephemeral
+      // vs persistent: seeding an empty DB is exactly what you want, and a
+      // populated DB is left untouched.
+      // The dev-mode bootstrap bypass (auth-manager.ts) lets the very first
+      // sign-up through even when OS_DISABLE_SIGNUP=true.
+      const seedAdmin = flags['seed-admin'] ?? true;
       if (seedAdmin) {
         void this.seedAdminAccount({
           port: port ?? '3000',

packages/cli/src/commands/serve.ts

@@ -593,12 +593,52 @@ export default class Serve extends Command {
              resolvedDriverLabel = 'SqlDriver(mysql2)';
              resolvedDatabaseUrl = databaseUrl;
            } else if (isDev) {
-             // Default in dev: in-memory driver
-             const { InMemoryDriver } = await import('@objectstack/driver-memory');
-             await kernel.use(new DriverPlugin(new InMemoryDriver()));
-             trackPlugin('MemoryDriver');
-             resolvedDriverLabel = 'InMemoryDriver';
-             resolvedDatabaseUrl = '(in-memory)';
+             // Default in dev: prefer SQLite for production-like SQL semantics,
+             // falling back to the pure-JS in-memory driver (mingo) only when the
+             // native `better-sqlite3` binary is unavailable — not built, ABI
+             // mismatch after a Node upgrade, or a blocked prebuild download.
+             //
+             // knex loads its client lazily (at first query, not at construction),
+             // so the only reliable signal inside this registration window is to
+             // actually open a connection: connect() runs `SELECT 1`, which forces
+             // better-sqlite3 to load. If that throws we drop to the in-memory
+             // driver instead of letting the failure surface much later — as a
+             // missing-module crash on the first real query — or be swallowed by
+             // the silent catch below, leaving the kernel with no driver at all.
+             let sqliteDriver: any;
+             let sqliteOk = false;
+             try {
+               const { SqlDriver } = await import('@objectstack/driver-sql');
+               sqliteDriver = new SqlDriver({
+                 client: 'better-sqlite3',
+                 connection: { filename: ':memory:' },
+                 useNullAsDefault: true,
+               });
+               await sqliteDriver.connect();
+               sqliteOk = true;
+             } catch {
+               sqliteOk = false;
+               if (sqliteDriver?.disconnect) {
+                 try { await sqliteDriver.disconnect(); } catch { /* ignore */ }
+               }
+             }
+
+             if (sqliteOk) {
+               await kernel.use(new DriverPlugin(sqliteDriver));
+               trackPlugin('SqlDriver');
+               resolvedDriverLabel = 'SqlDriver(sqlite)';
+               resolvedDatabaseUrl = ':memory:';
+             } else {
+               const { InMemoryDriver } = await import('@objectstack/driver-memory');
+               await kernel.use(new DriverPlugin(new InMemoryDriver()));
+               trackPlugin('MemoryDriver');
+               resolvedDriverLabel = 'InMemoryDriver';
+               resolvedDatabaseUrl = '(in-memory)';
+               console.warn(chalk.yellow(
+                 '  ⚠ better-sqlite3 unavailable — dev falling back to InMemoryDriver (mingo, not real SQL).\n' +
+                 '    Rebuild better-sqlite3, or set OS_DATABASE_URL / OS_DATABASE_DRIVER for SQL fidelity.'
+               ));
+             }
            }
          } catch (e: any) {
            // silent