Database Change Streams Not Firing in Windsurf App
Your Windsurf-generated app uses database change streams or real-time subscriptions to push updates to the frontend, but events are not firing. Inserts, updates, and deletes in the database don't trigger the real-time listeners, so the UI stays stale and users have to manually refresh to see new data.
This is critical for features like live feeds, collaborative editing, real-time dashboards, and chat applications. Cascade sets up the subscription code, and it may work intermittently or only for certain operations, making the bug difficult to reproduce and diagnose.
The issue may appear as a dashboard that only updates on page refresh, a chat where new messages don't appear until you reload, or a collaborative document that doesn't reflect other users' changes in real time.
Error Messages You Might See
Common Causes
- Replica set not configured (MongoDB) — MongoDB change streams require a replica set. A standalone MongoDB instance silently ignores change stream requests
- Realtime not enabled on table (Supabase) — Supabase requires explicitly enabling real-time on each table in the dashboard or via SQL
- Subscription filter too restrictive — The change stream filter or subscription filter excludes the events you're expecting (e.g., filtering for INSERT but needing UPDATE)
- Connection closed silently — The change stream or WebSocket connection drops due to inactivity timeout, and the app doesn't reconnect
- Row Level Security blocking events — Supabase real-time respects RLS policies, so the subscription user may not have permission to see the changes
How to Fix It
- Verify database prerequisites — For MongoDB: confirm you're using a replica set (rs.status() in mongo shell). For Supabase: enable real-time on the table in Dashboard > Database > Replication
- Test with a broad subscription first — Remove all filters and subscribe to all changes on the table. If this works, narrow down filters one at a time to find what's excluding your events
- Add reconnection logic — Listen for close/error events on the change stream and automatically re-establish the subscription with exponential backoff
- Check RLS policies for real-time — For Supabase, ensure the subscribing user's role has SELECT permission and the RLS policy allows reading the changed rows
- Log stream events on the server — Add logging at the change stream listener level to determine if events are received by the server but not forwarded to the client
- Monitor connection state — Add client-side indicators showing whether the real-time connection is active, so users and developers can immediately see when it drops
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Get HelpFrequently Asked Questions
Why do MongoDB change streams require a replica set?
Change streams are built on top of the oplog (operations log), which only exists on replica sets. A standalone MongoDB instance doesn't have an oplog. For local development, start a single-node replica set: mongod --replSet rs0, then run rs.initiate() in the shell.
How do I enable real-time on a Supabase table?
Go to your Supabase dashboard > Database > Replication, and toggle on the tables you want real-time events for. Alternatively, run: ALTER PUBLICATION supabase_realtime ADD TABLE your_table_name; in the SQL editor.