Incredibly slow setting of key

[richjames0]

For the last while I've seen setting the key take incredible amounts of time - like over an hour suck at the output below (and same again when doing init with my secret key). This happens reliably on cloud Linux VMs and on my local macbook. Happy to help debug if I can

:~$ curl https://hishtory.dev/install.py | python3 -
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100  2700    0  2700    0     0   5125      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--  5123
Setting secret hishtory key to 7b37f1c8-2cca-4884-959e-88923c99f94e

[richjames0]

I started a new tab and it said "loading history from other devices" but -- even after ten minutes of running init -- it was empty. After a bit I got 4 items. So something is super slow there. But that doesn't explain why install is slow also (with nothing to transfer from other devices)

[richjames0]

I had Claude Code analyze this and it looks like backend may be overloaded. LMK if I can contribute to server costs! I'll include its notes below but note that in my experience it's not that the API never responds - it just takes a long time and Claude was impatient

Claude Analysis

Summary: Hishtory Installation Hang

I've identified the cause of the long pause during hishtory installation.

The Problem

The installation hangs at the /api/v1/bootstrap API endpoint. Here's what happens:

1. The Python install script downloads and runs successfully
2. The hishtory binary runs hishtory-client install
3. The install process:
   - Creates the config directory (~/.hishtory/)
   - Prints "Setting secret hishtory key to ..."
   - Registers the device with the server (this works - ~443ms)
   - Calls the /api/v1/bootstrap endpoint - THIS HANGS

Evidence

• The /api/v1/ping endpoint responds in ~250ms
• The /api/v1/register endpoint responds in ~280ms
• The /api/v1/bootstrap endpoint never responds - I tested with timeouts up to 120 seconds with no response

Looking at the server code in hishtory/backend/server/internal/server/api_handlers.go:76-89:

func (s *Server) apiBootstrapHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
userId := getRequiredQueryParam(r, "user_id")
deviceId := getRequiredQueryParam(r, "device_id")
// ...
historyEntries, err := s.db.AllHistoryEntriesForUser(r.Context(), userId) // <-- LIKELY CULPRIT
// ...
}

The bootstrap endpoint calls AllHistoryEntriesForUser() which queries the database. Even for a fresh user ID with no entries, this query is not responding.

Root Cause

This is a server-side issue with the hishtory backend at api.hishtory.dev. The database query in the bootstrap handler appears to be hanging indefinitely. This could be due to:

1. Database connection pool exhaustion
2. Database lock contention
3. Missing index on the user_id column
4. Server resource issues

[mkey]

I'm seeing this exact same on initial install. I don't even need the sync thing, I'd just like a better way to manage shell history on my local machine.

EDIT: it finished up after about 30-45 minutes, I'm not sure about how long it took.

[queeup]

Very slow. Can't delete any entry from TUI with Ctrl+k. It hangs. Loading from other machines indicator is taking ages to disappear. I hope it will be fast again. I need to use this.

[Ashutosh0x]

Hey @ddworken, I’ve noticed this issue and since it’s severely affecting the UX with the /api/v1/bootstrap endpoint hanging and the TUI freezing during deletion I’m going to take a stab at investigating and fixing it. It seems like it might be related to SQLite DB lock contention or possible server resource exhaustion during the initial sync. I’ll dig into it and send a PR your way if I’m able to track down the root cause.