turso
A SQL database in Rust: SQLite-compatible, now also speaking Postgres (experimental). The LLVM of databases.
Runssource: GitHubRustMITcommit 554ae1b4190a
Rust, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: database, embedded database, sql, sqlite3 and webassembly.
turso runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 35 minutes and hit 4 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
tursodb CLI binary exists at /work/repo/target/debug/tursodb (366 MB, Turso 0.8.0-pre.9) and executes SQL queries correctly. Core database engine library passes 2383 unit tests. SQLite C API binding and SQL parser also pass their test suites.
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 86.7 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.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- libpython3.12.so missing: py-turso (Python binding) crate cannot link15 minutes
- libclang missing + protobuf-c compilation errors: pg_query crate (Postgres parser) fails to build15 minutes
- memory-benchmark: #[global_allocator] conflict with turso crate1 minute
- 86 MVCC tests failed on rerun (all in experimental mvcc:: namespace)
- Install time
- 35 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 72 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 4 hit, 4 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- tursodb binary executes CREATE TABLE t (x INT), INSERT INTO t VALUES (10),(20),(30), SELECT * FROM t WHERE x > 15 returns 2 rows; cargo test -p turso_core --lib passed 2383/2383; cargo test -p turso_sqlite3 --lib passed 8/8; cargo test -p turso_parser passed 28/28
- Exact commit tested
- 554ae1b4190a
- 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
- Model tokens used
- not recorded for this run
- 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
Watch the session
The whole run, from a clean machine, at the speed it actually happened. Nothing is cut and nothing is sped up.
A recording of attempt 1, run . The verdict above comes from a different attempt, so read this as one session and not as the current result. The terminal recording it was made from is the evidence, stored with a sha256 fingerprint; the video is a rendering of it. Nothing loads from the video host until you press play.
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
2026-09-15T02:35:38.837679Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread-store… 2026-09-15T02:35:41.584623Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread-store… 2026-09-15T02:35:41.585547Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread-store… 2026-09-15T02:35:48.621886Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread-store… tee: /work/agent-output.txt: No space left on device 2026-09-15T02:35:48.622792Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread-store… 2026-09-15T02:35:48.623372Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread-store… 2026-09-15T02:35:48.623830Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread-store… warning: Failed to save the conversation transcript; Argusic Agent will continue retrying. Error: t… 2026-09-15T02:35:48.634569Z ERROR codex_core::session: failed to record rollout items: thread-store… tokens used 178,477
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.
- Recovered from all 4 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
- Measured 3 times, so the result is not a one-off.
What did not, or is not known
- Took 35 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, turso was the 14th 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.
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
Topics (from GitHub)
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/turso)Questions
- Does turso run?
- Yes. turso runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 35 minutes, hitting 4 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test turso?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 554ae1b4190a. 3 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test turso?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.29: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does turso take to install?
- 35 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 turso need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing turso?
- 4 things broke in the recorded run, and 4 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does turso compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 14 database projects Argusic has installed and timed, turso was the 14th fastest to reach a running state, and 13 of 14 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for turso?
- All 3 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.