SQLite Is All You Need for Durable Workflows

When the DBOS team argued that Postgres is all you need for durable execution , they made a solid case: if you already trust your database, you don’t need a separate orchestration tier. But the idea can be pushed further. For a large class of durable systems — especially those running AI agents — SQLite is all you need .

The Durable Part Is the State, Not the Infrastructure

Durable execution is often discussed as if it requires durable infrastructure. In many cases it doesn’t. The durable part is the workflow state . The compute can stay cheap and disposable.

This is a natural fit for workflow systems like Obelisk : workflow progress lives in an execution log, workflows replay from persisted history, and activities can be retried.…