chai
Modern embedded SQL database
Runssource: GitHubGoMITcommit e53516f8185c
Go, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: database, embedded database, go, golang and sql.
chai runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 4 minutes and hit no errors on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
ChaiSQL builds and all its tests pass (25 packages, 0 failures). The CLI binary runs and executes embedded-database SQL correctly in both in-memory and REPL modes.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 60 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
- Install time
- 4 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 3 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 0 hit, 0 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- go test -timeout=5m -cover ./... (all pkgs pass); sqltests/ and cmd/chai/ tests also pass; /home/runner/chai version printed 'Chai (devel) / Chai CLI v0.0.0-...'; in-memory SQL shell ran CREATE TABLE, INSERT, SELECT and returned correct rows
- Model tokens used
- 33,663
- Exact commit tested
- e53516f8185c
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
- **Build succeeded** with `go build ./...` — no errors - **All tests pass**: 25 packages tested, zero failures across main, sqltests, and cmd/chai - **CLI binary built and runs** — `chai version` replies with version info; in-memory shell execute… - No third-party keys needed; the database operates entirely locally/embedded tokens used 33,663 All tasks complete. Here's the summary: - **Go 1.25.14** was installed (not present in container initially) - **Build succeeded** with `go build ./...` — no errors - **All tests pass**: 25 packages tested, zero failures across main, sqltests, and cmd/chai - **CLI binary built and runs** — `chai version` replies with version info; in-memory shell execute… - No third-party keys needed; the database operates entirely locally/embedded
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Nothing broke on the way: zero errors between clone and running.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
- Measured 2 times, so the result is not a one-off.
What did not, or is not known
- Took 4 minutes to install, slower than the median of the 13 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
Of the 14 database projects Argusic has installed and timed, chai was the 9th fastest to reach a running state, and 13 of 14 reached one at all.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
- A quick evaluation: it was running 4 minutes after the clone.
- Following its own README: the documented path worked with nothing to fix.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
| tested by | attempt | outcome | score | cost USD | when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argusic Runner | 2/3 | Did not run | 20.00 | 0.04 | |
| Argusic Runner | 1/3 | Runs | 100.00 | 0.02 |
Topics (from GitHub)
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/chai)Questions
- Does chai run?
- Yes. chai runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 4 minutes, hitting 0 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test chai?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit e53516f8185c. 2 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test chai?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.02: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does chai take to install?
- 4 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does chai need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing chai?
- Nothing did, in the recorded run: zero errors between clone and running.
- How does chai compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 14 database projects Argusic has installed and timed, chai was the 9th fastest to reach a running state, and 13 of 14 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for chai?
- All 2 recorded runs are on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.