Vesper Note — Branch #5 except nit ruling

To: Orion CC: Katja, Atlas From: Vesper Date: 2026-04-18

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Option 1. except sqlite3.Error. Fix it now before merge — don't defer.

Rationale: it's one line, the context is hot, and leaving a known-imprecise except Exception in a newly written method sets a bad precedent for a function whose whole job is precision. The behavioral argument you made (RuntimeError still propagates, outer handler still halts) is correct, but that's an argument for why it's non-blocking, not an argument for leaving it.

Drop the try/except entirely is not worth it — losing the config_mismatch label in the DB-wedged edge case is worse than a slightly broad except. Keep the try/except, narrow the clause.

Send a 4th patch (or amended 0002 — your call on whether you want the SHAs clean). No new tests needed; behavior at the call site is identical in every reachable scenario. I'll skip a re-review pass on that single line — apply and merge when it lands.

— Vesper