fix(ci): pin Node to 24.18.0 so better-sqlite3 stops aborting test workers

[woodenconsulting]

What was broken

CI has been failing on main since the runner image moved from 20260720 to 20260810, with no code change to explain it. Three to six vitest workers die mid-run, taking their whole test files with them, so coverage lands ~1-2 points under the gate. Reproduced on an unmodified-main PR, so it was never caused by a feature branch.

Root cause

The floating node-version: '24' pin moved from 24.18.0 to 24.19.0. That release shipped nodejs/node#63642 ("src: add cleanup hooks to node::ObjectWrap"), which changes the contract for NAN-style ObjectWrap addons. better-sqlite3 is one, and its Statement destructor now calls RemoveEnvironmentCleanupHook after the Environment is already gone:

#  Assertion failed: (env) != nullptr
 1: node::Assert(node::AssertionInfo const&)
 2: node::RemoveEnvironmentCleanupHook(v8::Isolate*, void (*)(void*), void*)
 3: Statement::~Statement()  [better_sqlite3.node]

The process dies with SIGABRT. Tinypool reports only Worker exited unexpectedly, which is why this looked like flakiness rather than a crash.

How it was confirmed

Reproduced in a container matching the runner (Ubuntu, non-root, 4 CPUs, pnpm 10.34.5), then isolated by changing one variable:

Node	Workers killed	Aborts	Files
24.19.0	4-6 per run	yes	188/193
24.18.0	0	0	193/193

Ruled out along the way: OOM (cgroup oom_kill 0, peak 1.75 GB against a 16 GB limit), the runner's kernel log (no OOM or segfault entries), teardown timeouts (still failed at 60s), and any kill call in our own code (there are none in the test suite).

The fix

Pin Node to 24.18.0 across all six workflows through a single NODE_VERSION constant, so the version can't drift again one workflow at a time. Revisit when better-sqlite3 adapts to the new hook contract.

Note on the shipped daemon

build-sidecar.mjs targets node24 for the packaged binary, which is the same floating major. If pkg's Node 24 base moves past 24.19.0, the shipped daemon could hit this abort at shutdown. Worth a follow-up; out of scope here.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code