GreptimeTeam/greptimedb

Allow ALTER TABLE to modify the skip_wal option dynamically

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#7,544 opened on Jan 8, 2026

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C-featuregood first issuehelp wanted

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Description

What problem does the new feature solve?

Currently, we use the skip_wal option to control whether WAL is enabled (true means WAL is disabled). However, this option can only be specified when creating a table, e.g. CREATE TABLE ... WITH ('skip_wal'='true');.

We’d like to allow users to modify this option dynamically—setting it to true or false via ALTER TABLE SET <option> = <value>—so they can toggle WAL on or off at runtime.

What does the feature do?

Allow users to modify skip_wal table option dynamically

Implementation challenges

Disabling WAL likely doesn’t require special handling, but enabling it may involve WAL-related resource allocation.

@v0y4g3r may be able to provide more context about this feature.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Examine how the 'skip wal' option is handled during table creation in GreptimeDB. Then implement ALTER TABLE SET logic to modify this option dynamically, ensuring proper WAL resource allocation when enabling WAL.
Tech stack
rust
Domain
databasebackend
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
RustGit
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60