fix: harden storage semantics (#4118)

Fixes issues in the storage system by guaranteeing immediate durability
for responses and ensuring background writers stay alive. Three related
fixes:

* Responses to the OpenAI-compatible API now write directly to
Postgres/SQLite inside the request instead of detouring through an async
queue that might never drain; this restores the expected
read-after-write behavior and removes the "response not found" races
reported by users.

* The access-control shim was stamping owner_principal/access_attributes
as SQL NULL, which Postgres interprets as non-public rows; fixing it to
use the empty-string/JSON-null pattern means conversations and responses
stored without an authenticated user stay queryable (matching SQLite).

* The inference-store queue remains for batching, but its worker tasks
now start lazily on the live event loop so server startup doesn't cancel
them—writes keep flowing even when the stack is launched via llama stack
run.

Closes #4115 

### Test Plan

Added a matrix entry to test our "base" suite against Postgres as the
store.

.github/actions/setup-test-environment/action.yml

@@ -39,6 +39,32 @@ runs:
       if: ${{ inputs.setup == 'vllm' && inputs.inference-mode == 'record' }}
       uses: ./.github/actions/setup-vllm
 
+    - name: Start Postgres service
+      if: ${{ contains(inputs.setup, 'postgres') }}
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        sudo docker rm -f postgres-ci || true
+        sudo docker run -d --name postgres-ci \
+          -e POSTGRES_USER=llamastack \
+          -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=llamastack \
+          -e POSTGRES_DB=llamastack \
+          -p 5432:5432 \
+          postgres:16
+
+        echo "Waiting for Postgres to become ready..."
+        for i in {1..30}; do
+          if sudo docker exec postgres-ci pg_isready -U llamastack -d llamastack >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "Postgres is ready"
+            break
+          fi
+          if [ "$i" -eq 30 ]; then
+            echo "Postgres failed to start in time"
+            sudo docker logs postgres-ci || true
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          sleep 2
+        done
+
     - name: Build Llama Stack
       shell: bash
       run: |

.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml

@@ -66,12 +66,12 @@ jobs:
   run-replay-mode-tests:
     needs: generate-matrix
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    name: ${{ format('Integration Tests ({0}, {1}, {2}, client={3}, {4})', matrix.client-type, matrix.config.setup, matrix.python-version, matrix.client-version, matrix.config.suite) }}
+    name: ${{ format('Integration Tests ({0}, {1}, {2}, client={3}, {4})', matrix.client, matrix.config.setup, matrix.python-version, matrix.client-version, matrix.config.suite) }}
 
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        client-type: [library, docker, server]
+        client: [library, docker, server]
         # Use Python 3.13 only on nightly schedule (daily latest client test), otherwise use 3.12
         python-version: ${{ github.event.schedule == '0 0 * * *' && fromJSON('["3.12", "3.13"]') || fromJSON('["3.12"]') }}
         client-version: ${{ (github.event.schedule == '0 0 * * *' || github.event.inputs.test-all-client-versions == 'true') && fromJSON('["published", "latest"]') || fromJSON('["latest"]') }}
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@08c6903cd8c0fde910a37f88322edcfb5dd907a8 # v5.0.0
 
       - name: Setup test environment
+        if: ${{ matrix.config.allowed_clients == null || contains(matrix.config.allowed_clients, matrix.client) }}
         uses: ./.github/actions/setup-test-environment
         with:
           python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
@@ -93,11 +94,16 @@ jobs:
           inference-mode: 'replay'
 
       - name: Run tests
+        if: ${{ matrix.config.allowed_clients == null || contains(matrix.config.allowed_clients, matrix.client) }}
         uses: ./.github/actions/run-and-record-tests
         env:
           OPENAI_API_KEY: dummy
         with:
-          stack-config: ${{ matrix.client-type == 'library' && 'ci-tests' || matrix.client-type == 'server' && 'server:ci-tests' || 'docker:ci-tests' }}
+          stack-config: >-
+            ${{ matrix.config.stack_config
+                || (matrix.client == 'library' && 'ci-tests')
+                || (matrix.client == 'server' && 'server:ci-tests')
+                || 'docker:ci-tests' }}
           setup: ${{ matrix.config.setup }}
           inference-mode: 'replay'
           suite: ${{ matrix.config.suite }}

src/llama_stack/distributions/ci-tests/ci_tests.py

@@ -13,6 +13,5 @@ from ..starter.starter import get_distribution_template as get_starter_distribut
 def get_distribution_template() -> DistributionTemplate:
     template = get_starter_distribution_template(name="ci-tests")
     template.description = "CI tests for Llama Stack"
-    template.run_configs.pop("run-with-postgres-store.yaml", None)
 
     return template

src/llama_stack/distributions/ci-tests/run-with-postgres-store.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,293 @@
+version: 2
+image_name: ci-tests
+apis:
+- agents
+- batches
+- datasetio
+- eval
+- files
+- inference
+- post_training
+- safety
+- scoring
+- tool_runtime
+- vector_io
+providers:
+  inference:
+  - provider_id: ${env.CEREBRAS_API_KEY:+cerebras}
+    provider_type: remote::cerebras
+    config:
+      base_url: https://api.cerebras.ai
+      api_key: ${env.CEREBRAS_API_KEY:=}
+  - provider_id: ${env.OLLAMA_URL:+ollama}
+    provider_type: remote::ollama
+    config:
+      url: ${env.OLLAMA_URL:=http://localhost:11434}
+  - provider_id: ${env.VLLM_URL:+vllm}
+    provider_type: remote::vllm
+    config:
+      url: ${env.VLLM_URL:=}
+      max_tokens: ${env.VLLM_MAX_TOKENS:=4096}
+      api_token: ${env.VLLM_API_TOKEN:=fake}
+      tls_verify: ${env.VLLM_TLS_VERIFY:=true}
+  - provider_id: ${env.TGI_URL:+tgi}
+    provider_type: remote::tgi
+    config:
+      url: ${env.TGI_URL:=}
+  - provider_id: fireworks
+    provider_type: remote::fireworks
+    config:
+      url: https://api.fireworks.ai/inference/v1
+      api_key: ${env.FIREWORKS_API_KEY:=}
+  - provider_id: together
+    provider_type: remote::together
+    config:
+      url: https://api.together.xyz/v1
+      api_key: ${env.TOGETHER_API_KEY:=}
+  - provider_id: bedrock
+    provider_type: remote::bedrock
+    config:
+      api_key: ${env.AWS_BEDROCK_API_KEY:=}
+      region_name: ${env.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION:=us-east-2}
+  - provider_id: ${env.NVIDIA_API_KEY:+nvidia}
+    provider_type: remote::nvidia
+    config:
+      url: ${env.NVIDIA_BASE_URL:=https://integrate.api.nvidia.com}
+      api_key: ${env.NVIDIA_API_KEY:=}
+      append_api_version: ${env.NVIDIA_APPEND_API_VERSION:=True}
+  - provider_id: openai
+    provider_type: remote::openai
+    config:
+      api_key: ${env.OPENAI_API_KEY:=}
+      base_url: ${env.OPENAI_BASE_URL:=https://api.openai.com/v1}
+  - provider_id: anthropic
+    provider_type: remote::anthropic
+    config:
+      api_key: ${env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY:=}
+  - provider_id: gemini
+    provider_type: remote::gemini
+    config:
+      api_key: ${env.GEMINI_API_KEY:=}
+  - provider_id: ${env.VERTEX_AI_PROJECT:+vertexai}
+    provider_type: remote::vertexai
+    config:
+      project: ${env.VERTEX_AI_PROJECT:=}
+      location: ${env.VERTEX_AI_LOCATION:=us-central1}
+  - provider_id: groq
+    provider_type: remote::groq
+    config:
+      url: https://api.groq.com
+      api_key: ${env.GROQ_API_KEY:=}
+  - provider_id: sambanova
+    provider_type: remote::sambanova
+    config:
+      url: https://api.sambanova.ai/v1
+      api_key: ${env.SAMBANOVA_API_KEY:=}
+  - provider_id: ${env.AZURE_API_KEY:+azure}
+    provider_type: remote::azure
+    config:
+      api_key: ${env.AZURE_API_KEY:=}
+      api_base: ${env.AZURE_API_BASE:=}
+      api_version: ${env.AZURE_API_VERSION:=}
+      api_type: ${env.AZURE_API_TYPE:=}
+  - provider_id: sentence-transformers
+    provider_type: inline::sentence-transformers
+  vector_io:
+  - provider_id: faiss
+    provider_type: inline::faiss
+    config:
+      persistence:
+        namespace: vector_io::faiss
+        backend: kv_default
+  - provider_id: sqlite-vec
+    provider_type: inline::sqlite-vec
+    config:
+      db_path: ${env.SQLITE_STORE_DIR:=~/.llama/distributions/ci-tests}/sqlite_vec.db
+      persistence:
+        namespace: vector_io::sqlite_vec
+        backend: kv_default
+  - provider_id: ${env.MILVUS_URL:+milvus}
+    provider_type: inline::milvus
+    config:
+      db_path: ${env.MILVUS_DB_PATH:=~/.llama/distributions/ci-tests}/milvus.db
+      persistence:
+        namespace: vector_io::milvus
+        backend: kv_default
+  - provider_id: ${env.CHROMADB_URL:+chromadb}
+    provider_type: remote::chromadb
+    config:
+      url: ${env.CHROMADB_URL:=}
+      persistence:
+        namespace: vector_io::chroma_remote
+        backend: kv_default
+  - provider_id: ${env.PGVECTOR_DB:+pgvector}
+    provider_type: remote::pgvector
+    config:
+      host: ${env.PGVECTOR_HOST:=localhost}
+      port: ${env.PGVECTOR_PORT:=5432}
+      db: ${env.PGVECTOR_DB:=}
+      user: ${env.PGVECTOR_USER:=}
+      password: ${env.PGVECTOR_PASSWORD:=}
+      persistence:
+        namespace: vector_io::pgvector
+        backend: kv_default
+  - provider_id: ${env.QDRANT_URL:+qdrant}
+    provider_type: remote::qdrant
+    config:
+      api_key: ${env.QDRANT_API_KEY:=}
+      persistence:
+        namespace: vector_io::qdrant_remote
+        backend: kv_default
+  - provider_id: ${env.WEAVIATE_CLUSTER_URL:+weaviate}
+    provider_type: remote::weaviate
+    config:
+      weaviate_api_key: null
+      weaviate_cluster_url: ${env.WEAVIATE_CLUSTER_URL:=localhost:8080}
+      persistence:
+        namespace: vector_io::weaviate
+        backend: kv_default
+  files:
+  - provider_id: meta-reference-files
+    provider_type: inline::localfs
+    config:
+      storage_dir: ${env.FILES_STORAGE_DIR:=~/.llama/distributions/ci-tests/files}
+      metadata_store:
+        table_name: files_metadata
+        backend: sql_default
+  safety:
+  - provider_id: llama-guard
+    provider_type: inline::llama-guard
+    config:
+      excluded_categories: []
+  - provider_id: code-scanner
+    provider_type: inline::code-scanner
+  agents:
+  - provider_id: meta-reference
+    provider_type: inline::meta-reference
+    config:
+      persistence:
+        agent_state:
+          namespace: agents
+          backend: kv_default
+        responses:
+          table_name: responses
+          backend: sql_default
+          max_write_queue_size: 10000
+          num_writers: 4
+  post_training:
+  - provider_id: torchtune-cpu
+    provider_type: inline::torchtune-cpu
+    config:
+      checkpoint_format: meta
+  eval:
+  - provider_id: meta-reference
+    provider_type: inline::meta-reference
+    config:
+      kvstore:
+        namespace: eval
+        backend: kv_default
+  datasetio:
+  - provider_id: huggingface
+    provider_type: remote::huggingface
+    config:
+      kvstore:
+        namespace: datasetio::huggingface
+        backend: kv_default
+  - provider_id: localfs
+    provider_type: inline::localfs
+    config:
+      kvstore:
+        namespace: datasetio::localfs
+        backend: kv_default
+  scoring:
+  - provider_id: basic
+    provider_type: inline::basic
+  - provider_id: llm-as-judge
+    provider_type: inline::llm-as-judge
+  - provider_id: braintrust
+    provider_type: inline::braintrust
+    config:
+      openai_api_key: ${env.OPENAI_API_KEY:=}
+  tool_runtime:
+  - provider_id: brave-search
+    provider_type: remote::brave-search
+    config:
+      api_key: ${env.BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY:=}
+      max_results: 3
+  - provider_id: tavily-search
+    provider_type: remote::tavily-search
+    config:
+      api_key: ${env.TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY:=}
+      max_results: 3
+  - provider_id: rag-runtime
+    provider_type: inline::rag-runtime
+  - provider_id: model-context-protocol
+    provider_type: remote::model-context-protocol
+  batches:
+  - provider_id: reference
+    provider_type: inline::reference
+    config:
+      kvstore:
+        namespace: batches
+        backend: kv_default
+storage:
+  backends:
+    kv_default:
+      type: kv_postgres
+      host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
+      port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
+      db: ${env.POSTGRES_DB:=llamastack}
+      user: ${env.POSTGRES_USER:=llamastack}
+      password: ${env.POSTGRES_PASSWORD:=llamastack}
+      table_name: ${env.POSTGRES_TABLE_NAME:=llamastack_kvstore}
+    sql_default:
+      type: sql_postgres
+      host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
+      port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
+      db: ${env.POSTGRES_DB:=llamastack}
+      user: ${env.POSTGRES_USER:=llamastack}
+      password: ${env.POSTGRES_PASSWORD:=llamastack}
+  stores:
+    metadata:
+      namespace: registry
+      backend: kv_default
+    inference:
+      table_name: inference_store
+      backend: sql_default
+      max_write_queue_size: 10000
+      num_writers: 4
+    conversations:
+      table_name: openai_conversations
+      backend: sql_default
+    prompts:
+      namespace: prompts
+      backend: kv_default
+registered_resources:
+  models: []
+  shields:
+  - shield_id: llama-guard
+    provider_id: ${env.SAFETY_MODEL:+llama-guard}
+    provider_shield_id: ${env.SAFETY_MODEL:=}
+  - shield_id: code-scanner
+    provider_id: ${env.CODE_SCANNER_MODEL:+code-scanner}
+    provider_shield_id: ${env.CODE_SCANNER_MODEL:=}
+  vector_dbs: []
+  datasets: []
+  scoring_fns: []
+  benchmarks: []
+  tool_groups:
+  - toolgroup_id: builtin::websearch
+    provider_id: tavily-search
+  - toolgroup_id: builtin::rag
+    provider_id: rag-runtime
+server:
+  port: 8321
+telemetry:
+  enabled: true
+vector_stores:
+  default_provider_id: faiss
+  default_embedding_model:
+    provider_id: sentence-transformers
+    model_id: nomic-ai/nomic-embed-text-v1.5
+safety:
+  default_shield_id: llama-guard

src/llama_stack/distributions/starter-gpu/run-with-postgres-store.yaml

@@ -165,20 +165,15 @@ providers:
   - provider_id: meta-reference
     provider_type: inline::meta-reference
     config:
-      persistence_store:
+      persistence:
-        type: sql_postgres
+        agent_state:
-        host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
+          namespace: agents
-        port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
+          backend: kv_default
-        db: ${env.POSTGRES_DB:=llamastack}
+        responses:
-        user: ${env.POSTGRES_USER:=llamastack}
+          table_name: responses
-        password: ${env.POSTGRES_PASSWORD:=llamastack}
+          backend: sql_default
-      responses_store:
+          max_write_queue_size: 10000
-        type: sql_postgres
+          num_writers: 4
-        host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
-        port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
-        db: ${env.POSTGRES_DB:=llamastack}
-        user: ${env.POSTGRES_USER:=llamastack}
-        password: ${env.POSTGRES_PASSWORD:=llamastack}
   post_training:
   - provider_id: huggingface-gpu
     provider_type: inline::huggingface-gpu
@@ -237,10 +232,10 @@ providers:
     config:
       kvstore:
         namespace: batches
-        backend: kv_postgres
+        backend: kv_default
 storage:
   backends:
-    kv_postgres:
+    kv_default:
       type: kv_postgres
       host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
       port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
@@ -248,7 +243,7 @@ storage:
       user: ${env.POSTGRES_USER:=llamastack}
       password: ${env.POSTGRES_PASSWORD:=llamastack}
       table_name: ${env.POSTGRES_TABLE_NAME:=llamastack_kvstore}
-    sql_postgres:
+    sql_default:
       type: sql_postgres
       host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
       port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
@@ -258,27 +253,44 @@ storage:
   stores:
     metadata:
       namespace: registry
-      backend: kv_postgres
+      backend: kv_default
     inference:
       table_name: inference_store
-      backend: sql_postgres
+      backend: sql_default
       max_write_queue_size: 10000
       num_writers: 4
     conversations:
       table_name: openai_conversations
-      backend: sql_postgres
+      backend: sql_default
     prompts:
       namespace: prompts
-      backend: kv_postgres
+      backend: kv_default
 registered_resources:
   models: []
-  shields: []
+  shields:
+  - shield_id: llama-guard
+    provider_id: ${env.SAFETY_MODEL:+llama-guard}
+    provider_shield_id: ${env.SAFETY_MODEL:=}
+  - shield_id: code-scanner
+    provider_id: ${env.CODE_SCANNER_MODEL:+code-scanner}
+    provider_shield_id: ${env.CODE_SCANNER_MODEL:=}
   vector_dbs: []
   datasets: []
   scoring_fns: []
   benchmarks: []
-  tool_groups: []
+  tool_groups:
+  - toolgroup_id: builtin::websearch
+    provider_id: tavily-search
+  - toolgroup_id: builtin::rag
+    provider_id: rag-runtime
 server:
   port: 8321
 telemetry:
   enabled: true
+vector_stores:
+  default_provider_id: faiss
+  default_embedding_model:
+    provider_id: sentence-transformers
+    model_id: nomic-ai/nomic-embed-text-v1.5
+safety:
+  default_shield_id: llama-guard

src/llama_stack/distributions/starter/run-with-postgres-store.yaml

@@ -165,20 +165,15 @@ providers:
   - provider_id: meta-reference
     provider_type: inline::meta-reference
     config:
-      persistence_store:
+      persistence:
-        type: sql_postgres
+        agent_state:
-        host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
+          namespace: agents
-        port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
+          backend: kv_default
-        db: ${env.POSTGRES_DB:=llamastack}
+        responses:
-        user: ${env.POSTGRES_USER:=llamastack}
+          table_name: responses
-        password: ${env.POSTGRES_PASSWORD:=llamastack}
+          backend: sql_default
-      responses_store:
+          max_write_queue_size: 10000
-        type: sql_postgres
+          num_writers: 4
-        host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
-        port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
-        db: ${env.POSTGRES_DB:=llamastack}
-        user: ${env.POSTGRES_USER:=llamastack}
-        password: ${env.POSTGRES_PASSWORD:=llamastack}
   post_training:
   - provider_id: torchtune-cpu
     provider_type: inline::torchtune-cpu
@@ -234,10 +229,10 @@ providers:
     config:
       kvstore:
         namespace: batches
-        backend: kv_postgres
+        backend: kv_default
 storage:
   backends:
-    kv_postgres:
+    kv_default:
       type: kv_postgres
       host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
       port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
@@ -245,7 +240,7 @@ storage:
       user: ${env.POSTGRES_USER:=llamastack}
       password: ${env.POSTGRES_PASSWORD:=llamastack}
       table_name: ${env.POSTGRES_TABLE_NAME:=llamastack_kvstore}
-    sql_postgres:
+    sql_default:
       type: sql_postgres
       host: ${env.POSTGRES_HOST:=localhost}
       port: ${env.POSTGRES_PORT:=5432}
@@ -255,27 +250,44 @@ storage:
   stores:
     metadata:
       namespace: registry
-      backend: kv_postgres
+      backend: kv_default
     inference:
       table_name: inference_store
-      backend: sql_postgres
+      backend: sql_default
       max_write_queue_size: 10000
       num_writers: 4
     conversations:
       table_name: openai_conversations
-      backend: sql_postgres
+      backend: sql_default
     prompts:
       namespace: prompts
-      backend: kv_postgres
+      backend: kv_default
 registered_resources:
   models: []
-  shields: []
+  shields:
+  - shield_id: llama-guard
+    provider_id: ${env.SAFETY_MODEL:+llama-guard}
+    provider_shield_id: ${env.SAFETY_MODEL:=}
+  - shield_id: code-scanner
+    provider_id: ${env.CODE_SCANNER_MODEL:+code-scanner}
+    provider_shield_id: ${env.CODE_SCANNER_MODEL:=}
   vector_dbs: []
   datasets: []
   scoring_fns: []
   benchmarks: []
-  tool_groups: []
+  tool_groups:
+  - toolgroup_id: builtin::websearch
+    provider_id: tavily-search
+  - toolgroup_id: builtin::rag
+    provider_id: rag-runtime
 server:
   port: 8321
 telemetry:
   enabled: true
+vector_stores:
+  default_provider_id: faiss
+  default_embedding_model:
+    provider_id: sentence-transformers
+    model_id: nomic-ai/nomic-embed-text-v1.5
+safety:
+  default_shield_id: llama-guard

src/llama_stack/distributions/starter/starter.py

@@ -17,11 +17,6 @@ from llama_stack.core.datatypes import (
     ToolGroupInput,
     VectorStoresConfig,
 )
-from llama_stack.core.storage.datatypes import (
-    InferenceStoreReference,
-    KVStoreReference,
-    SqlStoreReference,
-)
 from llama_stack.core.utils.dynamic import instantiate_class_type
 from llama_stack.distributions.template import DistributionTemplate, RunConfigSettings
 from llama_stack.providers.datatypes import RemoteProviderSpec
@@ -154,10 +149,11 @@ def get_distribution_template(name: str = "starter") -> DistributionTemplate:
             BuildProvider(provider_type="inline::reference"),
         ],
     }
+    files_config = LocalfsFilesImplConfig.sample_run_config(f"~/.llama/distributions/{name}")
     files_provider = Provider(
         provider_id="meta-reference-files",
         provider_type="inline::localfs",
-        config=LocalfsFilesImplConfig.sample_run_config(f"~/.llama/distributions/{name}"),
+        config=files_config,
     )
     embedding_provider = Provider(
         provider_id="sentence-transformers",
@@ -187,7 +183,8 @@ def get_distribution_template(name: str = "starter") -> DistributionTemplate:
             provider_shield_id="${env.CODE_SCANNER_MODEL:=}",
         ),
     ]
-    postgres_config = PostgresSqlStoreConfig.sample_run_config()
+    postgres_sql_config = PostgresSqlStoreConfig.sample_run_config()
+    postgres_kv_config = PostgresKVStoreConfig.sample_run_config()
     default_overrides = {
         "inference": remote_inference_providers + [embedding_provider],
         "vector_io": [
@@ -244,6 +241,33 @@ def get_distribution_template(name: str = "starter") -> DistributionTemplate:
         "files": [files_provider],
     }
 
+    base_run_settings = RunConfigSettings(
+        provider_overrides=default_overrides,
+        default_models=[],
+        default_tool_groups=default_tool_groups,
+        default_shields=default_shields,
+        vector_stores_config=VectorStoresConfig(
+            default_provider_id="faiss",
+            default_embedding_model=QualifiedModel(
+                provider_id="sentence-transformers",
+                model_id="nomic-ai/nomic-embed-text-v1.5",
+            ),
+        ),
+        safety_config=SafetyConfig(
+            default_shield_id="llama-guard",
+        ),
+    )
+
+    postgres_run_settings = base_run_settings.model_copy(
+        update={
+            "storage_backends": {
+                "kv_default": postgres_kv_config,
+                "sql_default": postgres_sql_config,
+            }
+        },
+        deep=True,
+    )
+
     return DistributionTemplate(
         name=name,
         distro_type="self_hosted",
@@ -253,71 +277,8 @@ def get_distribution_template(name: str = "starter") -> DistributionTemplate:
         providers=providers,
         additional_pip_packages=list(set(PostgresSqlStoreConfig.pip_packages() + PostgresKVStoreConfig.pip_packages())),
         run_configs={
-            "run.yaml": RunConfigSettings(
+            "run.yaml": base_run_settings,
-                provider_overrides=default_overrides,
+            "run-with-postgres-store.yaml": postgres_run_settings,
-                default_models=[],
-                default_tool_groups=default_tool_groups,
-                default_shields=default_shields,
-                vector_stores_config=VectorStoresConfig(
-                    default_provider_id="faiss",
-                    default_embedding_model=QualifiedModel(
-                        provider_id="sentence-transformers",
-                        model_id="nomic-ai/nomic-embed-text-v1.5",
-                    ),
-                ),
-                safety_config=SafetyConfig(
-                    default_shield_id="llama-guard",
-                ),
-            ),
-            "run-with-postgres-store.yaml": RunConfigSettings(
-                provider_overrides={
-                    **default_overrides,
-                    "agents": [
-                        Provider(
-                            provider_id="meta-reference",
-                            provider_type="inline::meta-reference",
-                            config=dict(
-                                persistence_store=postgres_config,
-                                responses_store=postgres_config,
-                            ),
-                        )
-                    ],
-                    "batches": [
-                        Provider(
-                            provider_id="reference",
-                            provider_type="inline::reference",
-                            config=dict(
-                                kvstore=KVStoreReference(
-                                    backend="kv_postgres",
-                                    namespace="batches",
-                                ).model_dump(exclude_none=True),
-                            ),
-                        )
-                    ],
-                },
-                storage_backends={
-                    "kv_postgres": PostgresKVStoreConfig.sample_run_config(),
-                    "sql_postgres": postgres_config,
-                },
-                storage_stores={
-                    "metadata": KVStoreReference(
-                        backend="kv_postgres",
-                        namespace="registry",
-                    ).model_dump(exclude_none=True),
-                    "inference": InferenceStoreReference(
-                        backend="sql_postgres",
-                        table_name="inference_store",
-                    ).model_dump(exclude_none=True),
-                    "conversations": SqlStoreReference(
-                        backend="sql_postgres",
-                        table_name="openai_conversations",
-                    ).model_dump(exclude_none=True),
-                    "prompts": KVStoreReference(
-                        backend="kv_postgres",
-                        namespace="prompts",
-                    ).model_dump(exclude_none=True),
-                },
-            ),
         },
         run_config_env_vars={
             "LLAMA_STACK_PORT": (

src/llama_stack/providers/utils/inference/inference_store.py

@@ -66,14 +66,6 @@ class InferenceStore:
             },
         )
 
-        if self.enable_write_queue:
-            self._queue = asyncio.Queue(maxsize=self._max_write_queue_size)
-            for _ in range(self._num_writers):
-                self._worker_tasks.append(asyncio.create_task(self._worker_loop()))
-            logger.debug(
-                f"Inference store write queue enabled with {self._num_writers} writers, max queue size {self._max_write_queue_size}"
-            )
-
     async def shutdown(self) -> None:
         if not self._worker_tasks:
             return
@@ -94,10 +86,29 @@ class InferenceStore:
         if self.enable_write_queue and self._queue is not None:
             await self._queue.join()
 
+    async def _ensure_workers_started(self) -> None:
+        """Ensure the async write queue workers run on the current loop."""
+        if not self.enable_write_queue:
+            return
+
+        if self._queue is None:
+            self._queue = asyncio.Queue(maxsize=self._max_write_queue_size)
+            logger.debug(
+                f"Inference store write queue created with max size {self._max_write_queue_size} "
+                f"and {self._num_writers} writers"
+            )
+
+        if not self._worker_tasks:
+            loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+            for _ in range(self._num_writers):
+                task = loop.create_task(self._worker_loop())
+                self._worker_tasks.append(task)
+
     async def store_chat_completion(
         self, chat_completion: OpenAIChatCompletion, input_messages: list[OpenAIMessageParam]
     ) -> None:
         if self.enable_write_queue:
+            await self._ensure_workers_started()
             if self._queue is None:
                 raise ValueError("Inference store is not initialized")
             try:

src/llama_stack/providers/utils/responses/responses_store.py

@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 #
 # This source code is licensed under the terms described in the LICENSE file in
 # the root directory of this source tree.
-import asyncio
-from typing import Any
 
 from llama_stack.apis.agents import (
     Order,
@@ -19,12 +17,12 @@ from llama_stack.apis.agents.openai_responses import (
 )
 from llama_stack.apis.inference import OpenAIMessageParam
 from llama_stack.core.datatypes import AccessRule
-from llama_stack.core.storage.datatypes import ResponsesStoreReference, SqlStoreReference, StorageBackendType
+from llama_stack.core.storage.datatypes import ResponsesStoreReference, SqlStoreReference
 from llama_stack.log import get_logger
 
 from ..sqlstore.api import ColumnDefinition, ColumnType
 from ..sqlstore.authorized_sqlstore import AuthorizedSqlStore
-from ..sqlstore.sqlstore import _SQLSTORE_BACKENDS, sqlstore_impl
+from ..sqlstore.sqlstore import sqlstore_impl
 
 logger = get_logger(name=__name__, category="openai_responses")
 
@@ -55,28 +53,12 @@ class ResponsesStore:
 
         self.policy = policy
         self.sql_store = None
-        self.enable_write_queue = True
-
-        # Async write queue and worker control
-        self._queue: (
-            asyncio.Queue[tuple[OpenAIResponseObject, list[OpenAIResponseInput], list[OpenAIMessageParam]]] | None
-        ) = None
-        self._worker_tasks: list[asyncio.Task[Any]] = []
-        self._max_write_queue_size: int = self.reference.max_write_queue_size
-        self._num_writers: int = max(1, self.reference.num_writers)
 
     async def initialize(self):
         """Create the necessary tables if they don't exist."""
         base_store = sqlstore_impl(self.reference)
         self.sql_store = AuthorizedSqlStore(base_store, self.policy)
 
-        # Disable write queue for SQLite since WAL mode handles concurrency
-        # Keep it enabled for other backends (like Postgres) for performance
-        backend_config = _SQLSTORE_BACKENDS.get(self.reference.backend)
-        if backend_config and backend_config.type == StorageBackendType.SQL_SQLITE:
-            self.enable_write_queue = False
-            logger.debug("Write queue disabled for SQLite (WAL mode handles concurrency)")
-
         await self.sql_store.create_table(
             "openai_responses",
             {
@@ -95,33 +77,12 @@ class ResponsesStore:
             },
         )
 
-        if self.enable_write_queue:
-            self._queue = asyncio.Queue(maxsize=self._max_write_queue_size)
-            for _ in range(self._num_writers):
-                self._worker_tasks.append(asyncio.create_task(self._worker_loop()))
-            logger.debug(
-                f"Responses store write queue enabled with {self._num_writers} writers, max queue size {self._max_write_queue_size}"
-            )
-
     async def shutdown(self) -> None:
-        if not self._worker_tasks:
+        return
-            return
-        if self._queue is not None:
-            await self._queue.join()
-        for t in self._worker_tasks:
-            if not t.done():
-                t.cancel()
-        for t in self._worker_tasks:
-            try:
-                await t
-            except asyncio.CancelledError:
-                pass
-        self._worker_tasks.clear()
 
     async def flush(self) -> None:
-        """Wait for all queued writes to complete. Useful for testing."""
+        """Maintained for compatibility; no-op now that writes are synchronous."""
-        if self.enable_write_queue and self._queue is not None:
+        return
-            await self._queue.join()
 
     async def store_response_object(
         self,
@@ -129,31 +90,7 @@ class ResponsesStore:
         input: list[OpenAIResponseInput],
         messages: list[OpenAIMessageParam],
     ) -> None:
-        if self.enable_write_queue:
+        await self._write_response_object(response_object, input, messages)
-            if self._queue is None:
-                raise ValueError("Responses store is not initialized")
-            try:
-                self._queue.put_nowait((response_object, input, messages))
-            except asyncio.QueueFull:
-                logger.warning(f"Write queue full; adding response id={getattr(response_object, 'id', '<unknown>')}")
-                await self._queue.put((response_object, input, messages))
-        else:
-            await self._write_response_object(response_object, input, messages)
-
-    async def _worker_loop(self) -> None:
-        assert self._queue is not None
-        while True:
-            try:
-                item = await self._queue.get()
-            except asyncio.CancelledError:
-                break
-            response_object, input, messages = item
-            try:
-                await self._write_response_object(response_object, input, messages)
-            except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001
-                logger.error(f"Error writing response object: {e}")
-            finally:
-                self._queue.task_done()
 
     async def _write_response_object(
         self,

src/llama_stack/providers/utils/sqlstore/authorized_sqlstore.py

@@ -45,8 +45,13 @@ def _enhance_item_with_access_control(item: Mapping[str, Any], current_user: Use
         enhanced["owner_principal"] = current_user.principal
         enhanced["access_attributes"] = current_user.attributes
     else:
-        enhanced["owner_principal"] = None
+        # IMPORTANT: Use empty string and null value (not None) to match public access filter
-        enhanced["access_attributes"] = None
+        # The public access filter in _get_public_access_conditions() expects:
+        # - owner_principal = '' (empty string)
+        # - access_attributes = null (JSON null, which serializes to the string 'null')
+        # Setting them to None (SQL NULL) will cause rows to be filtered out on read.
+        enhanced["owner_principal"] = ""
+        enhanced["access_attributes"] = None  # Pydantic/JSON will serialize this as JSON null
     return enhanced
 
 
@@ -188,8 +193,9 @@ class AuthorizedSqlStore:
             enhanced_data["owner_principal"] = current_user.principal
             enhanced_data["access_attributes"] = current_user.attributes
         else:
-            enhanced_data["owner_principal"] = None
+            # IMPORTANT: Use empty string for owner_principal to match public access filter
-            enhanced_data["access_attributes"] = None
+            enhanced_data["owner_principal"] = ""
+            enhanced_data["access_attributes"] = None  # Will serialize as JSON null
 
         await self.sql_store.update(table, enhanced_data, where)
 
@@ -245,14 +251,24 @@ class AuthorizedSqlStore:
             raise ValueError(f"Unsupported database type: {self.database_type}")
 
     def _get_public_access_conditions(self) -> list[str]:
-        """Get the SQL conditions for public access."""
+        """Get the SQL conditions for public access.
-        # Public records are records that have no owner_principal or access_attributes
+
+        Public records are those with:
+        - owner_principal = '' (empty string)
+        - access_attributes is either SQL NULL or JSON null
+
+        Note: Different databases serialize None differently:
+        - SQLite: None → JSON null (text = 'null')
+        - Postgres: None → SQL NULL (IS NULL)
+        """
         conditions = ["owner_principal = ''"]
         if self.database_type == StorageBackendType.SQL_POSTGRES.value:
-            # Postgres stores JSON null as 'null'
+            # Accept both SQL NULL and JSON null for Postgres compatibility
-            conditions.append("access_attributes::text = 'null'")
+            # This handles both old rows (SQL NULL) and new rows (JSON null)
+            conditions.append("(access_attributes IS NULL OR access_attributes::text = 'null')")
         elif self.database_type == StorageBackendType.SQL_SQLITE.value:
-            conditions.append("access_attributes = 'null'")
+            # SQLite serializes None as JSON null
+            conditions.append("(access_attributes IS NULL OR access_attributes = 'null')")
         else:
             raise ValueError(f"Unsupported database type: {self.database_type}")
         return conditions

tests/integration/ci_matrix.json

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 {
   "default": [
     {"suite": "base", "setup": "ollama"},
+    {"suite": "base", "setup": "ollama-postgres", "allowed_clients": ["server"], "stack_config": "server:ci-tests::run-with-postgres-store.yaml"},
     {"suite": "vision", "setup": "ollama-vision"},
     {"suite": "responses", "setup": "gpt"},
     {"suite": "base-vllm-subset", "setup": "vllm"}

tests/integration/fixtures/common.py

@@ -233,10 +233,21 @@ def instantiate_llama_stack_client(session):
         raise ValueError("You must specify either --stack-config or LLAMA_STACK_CONFIG")
 
     # Handle server:<config_name> format or server:<config_name>:<port>
+    # Also handles server:<distro>::<run_file.yaml> format
     if config.startswith("server:"):
-        parts = config.split(":")
+        # Strip the "server:" prefix first
-        config_name = parts[1]
+        config_part = config[7:]  # len("server:") == 7
-        port = int(parts[2]) if len(parts) > 2 else int(os.environ.get("LLAMA_STACK_PORT", DEFAULT_PORT))
+
+        # Check for :: (distro::runfile format)
+        if "::" in config_part:
+            config_name = config_part
+            port = int(os.environ.get("LLAMA_STACK_PORT", DEFAULT_PORT))
+        else:
+            # Single colon format: either <name> or <name>:<port>
+            parts = config_part.split(":")
+            config_name = parts[0]
+            port = int(parts[1]) if len(parts) > 1 else int(os.environ.get("LLAMA_STACK_PORT", DEFAULT_PORT))
+
         base_url = f"http://localhost:{port}"
 
         force_restart = os.environ.get("LLAMA_STACK_TEST_FORCE_SERVER_RESTART") == "1"

tests/integration/suites.py

@@ -71,6 +71,26 @@ SETUP_DEFINITIONS: dict[str, Setup] = {
             "embedding_model": "ollama/nomic-embed-text:v1.5",
         },
     ),
+    "ollama-postgres": Setup(
+        name="ollama-postgres",
+        description="Server-mode tests with Postgres-backed persistence",
+        env={
+            "OLLAMA_URL": "http://0.0.0.0:11434",
+            "SAFETY_MODEL": "ollama/llama-guard3:1b",
+            "POSTGRES_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
+            "POSTGRES_PORT": "5432",
+            "POSTGRES_DB": "llamastack",
+            "POSTGRES_USER": "llamastack",
+            "POSTGRES_PASSWORD": "llamastack",
+            "LLAMA_STACK_LOGGING": "openai_responses=info",
+        },
+        defaults={
+            "text_model": "ollama/llama3.2:3b-instruct-fp16",
+            "embedding_model": "sentence-transformers/nomic-embed-text-v1.5",
+            "safety_model": "ollama/llama-guard3:1b",
+            "safety_shield": "llama-guard",
+        },
+    ),
     "vllm": Setup(
         name="vllm",
         description="vLLM provider with a text model",