basalt-26.3.2-rc-20260913: sql/stats: TestCacheAutoRefresh failed

sql/stats.TestCacheAutoRefresh [failed](https://mesolite.cluster.engflow.com/invocations/default/f9fa1f2b-bb9a-4046-8a3d-b7df01d8103c?testReportRun=1&testReportShard=8&testReportAttempt=1#targets-Ly9wa2cvc3FsL3N0YXRzOnN0YXRzX3Rlc3Q=) on basalt-26.3.2-rc-20260913 @ [c6a822fb5ec0b622c713fccacb82159d1b60bbcd](https://github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/commits/c6a822fb5ec0b622c713fccacb82159d1b60bbcd):

```
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/server.newGRPCServer.NewRequestMetricsInterceptor.func4({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540}, {0x9f967a0, 0xc049be02c0}, 0xc01a1fa840, 0xc01a1fa8c0)
pkg/rpc/metrics.go:589 +0x3a2
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.makeInternalClientAdapter.chainUnaryServerInterceptors.bindUnaryServerInterceptorToHandler.func5({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540}, {0x9f967a0, 0xc049be02c0})
pkg/rpc/context.go:918 +0x89
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.NewServerEx.func1.1({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540})
pkg/rpc/context.go:139 +0x6b
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/util/stop.(*Stopper).RunTaskWithErr(0xc00383dc20, {0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540}, {0xa0e31ee, 0x21}, 0xc004ba17c8)
pkg/util/stop/stopper.go:358 +0x237
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.NewServerEx.func1({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540}, {0x9f967a0, 0xc049be02c0}, 0xc01a1fa840, 0xc01a1fa8e0)
pkg/rpc/context.go:137 +0x14c
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.makeInternalClientAdapter.chainUnaryServerInterceptors.bindUnaryServerInterceptorToHandler.func5({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540}, {0x9f967a0, 0xc049be02c0})
pkg/rpc/context.go:918 +0x89
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.makeInternalClientAdapter.func2({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540}, {0x3?, 0x2?}, {0x9f967a0, 0xc049be02c0}, {0x9e1c880, 0xc028c25400}, 0x20?, {0x0, ...})
pkg/rpc/context.go:817 +0x76
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.NewContext.ClientInterceptor.func13({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540}, {0xa0e31ee, 0x21}, {0x9f967a0, 0xc049be02c0}, {0x9e1c880, 0xc028c25400}, 0x0, 0xc0190d1090, ...)
pkg/util/tracing/grpcinterceptor/grpc_interceptor.go:185 +0x4fd
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.makeInternalClientAdapter.getChainUnaryInvoker.func4({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c3540}, {0xa0e31ee, 0x21}, {0x9f967a0, 0xc049be02c0}, {0x9e1c880, 0xc028c25400}, 0x0, {0x0, ...})
pkg/rpc/context.go:1002 +0x18d
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.makeInternalClientAdapter.func3({0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c34a0}, 0xc049be0160)
pkg/rpc/context.go:887 +0x467
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/rpc.internalClientAdapter.Batch(...)
pkg/rpc/context.go:1010
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*grpcTransport).sendBatch(0xc029df3080, {0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c34a0}, 0x4e7c11?, {0xa4a5c58, 0xc01ddecd80}, 0xc049be0160)
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/transport.go:229 +0x3ac
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*grpcTransport).SendNext(0xc029df3080, {0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c34a0}, 0xc049be0160)
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/transport.go:191 +0x135
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.raceTransport.SendNext({{0xa5322c8?, 0xc029df3080?}}, {0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c34a0}, 0xc049be0160)
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/transport_race.go:70 +0x2df
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*DistSender).sendToReplicas(0xc003d46008, {0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c34a0}, 0xc049be0000, {0xc003d30700, 0xc005608300}, 0x0)
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender.go:2923 +0x2a2e
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*DistSender).sendPartialBatch(0xc003d46008, {0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c34a0}, 0xc049be0000, {{0xc01cb839a0, 0x4a, 0x4a}, {0xc01db4ce10, 0x4b, 0x4b}}, ...)
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender.go:2333 +0x925
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*DistSender).divideAndSendBatchToRanges(0xc003d46008, {0xa4dd768, 0xc0180c34a0}, 0xc049be0000, {{0xc01cb839a0, 0x4a, 0x4a}, {0xc01db4ce10, 0x4b, 0x4b}}, ...)
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender.go:1879 +0xf87
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*DistSender).Send(0xc003d46008, {0xa4dbd78, 0xc046dd84b0}, 0xc049be0000)
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender.go:1384 +0x80e
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*txnLockGatekeeper).SendLocked(0xc044516688, {0xa4dbd78, 0xc046dd84b0}, 0xc049be0000)
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/txn_lock_gatekeeper.go:77 +0x259
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*txnHeartbeater).heartbeatLocked(0xc0445161f0, {0xa4dbd78, 0xc046dd84b0})
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/txn_interceptor_heartbeater.go:487 +0x66b
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*txnHeartbeater).heartbeat(0xc0445161f0, {0xa4dbd78, 0xc046dd84b0})
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/txn_interceptor_heartbeater.go:443 +0x153
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*txnHeartbeater).heartbeatLoop(0xc0445161f0, {0xa4dbd78, 0xc046dd84b0})
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/txn_interceptor_heartbeater.go:413 +0x2b9
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/util/stop.(*Stopper).RunTask(0xc00383dc20, {0xa4dbd78, 0xc046dd84b0}, {0xa0e5bf4, 0x21}, 0xc0384c5f88)
pkg/util/stop/stopper.go:318 +0x237
github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord.(*txnHeartbeater).startHeartbeatLoopLocked.func1()
pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/txn_interceptor_heartbeater.go:366 +0x208
created by time.goFunc
GOROOT/src/time/sleep.go:215 +0x45
```

Parameters:
- attempt=1
- race=true
- run=1
- shard=8
Help

See also: [How To Investigate a Go Test Failure \(internal\)](https://cockroachlabs.atlassian.net/l/c/HgfXfJgM)

Same failure on other branches

- #174912 basalt-26.3.2-rc-20260908: sql/stats: TestCacheAutoRefresh failed [C-test-failure O-robot T-sql-queries branch-basalt-26.3.2-rc-20260908]
- #174859 sql/stats: TestCacheAutoRefresh failed [OOM] [C-test-failure O-robot T-sql-queries branch-master]

[This test on roachdash](https://roachdash.crdb.dev/?filter=status:open%20t:.*TestCacheAutoRefresh.*&sort=title+created&display=lastcommented+project) | [Improve this report!](https://github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/tree/master/pkg/cmd/bazci/githubpost/issues)

Start with sql/stats.TestCacheAutoRefresh using the linked test report and the race=true parameters. Trace the reported path through pkg/rpc/metrics.go:589, pkg/rpc/context.go, and the transaction heartbeat code in pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord. Done means reproducing the failure, identifying its cause, and making the test pass reliably.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.