3F000

At a glance

SQLSTATE 3F000 is invalid_schema_name in Class 3F. 3F000 means a schema name cannot be resolved in an established session. The selected qualified-table path receives schema "<generated>" does not exist, while fixed namespace and schema-command paths cover resolution during object creation and other SQL commands; it is not simply a search_path hint.

Meaning

The namespace lookup raises this condition when a schema name itself cannot be resolved. A qualified reference to an absent schema uses schema "%s" does not exist; an unqualified CREATE path with no usable creation namespace uses no schema has been selected to create in. Both are schema-resolution branches. An ordinary unqualified relation lookup that finds no relation is 42P01, even when the reason is an unsuitable search_path; a privilege denial follows 42501.

The first question is whether the failing name is a schema or a relation. A qualified reference such as missing_schema.repaired_table asks the namespace code for that exact schema and can produce 3F000. A CREATE with no explicit schema can produce 3F000 when no schema is selected for creation. By contrast, SELECT * FROM missing_table is an unqualified relation lookup and normally produces 42P01; search_path helps explain which relations are searched but does not change that SQLSTATE into 3F000. A role that lacks the required privilege follows 42501. These are different repairs even when the application reports them as “schema not found”.

Diagnosis

Distinguish an explicitly missing schema, a CREATE with no selected creation schema, an unqualified relation lookup, and 42501 privilege denial. The selected autocommit session is IDLE after the ERROR; the owner creates the intended schema and table, inserts one row, and verifies it under the explicit namespace. Check the same role and database used by the failing command.

Inspect the failing identifier with the same role and database, for example by checking current_schemas(true) and whether the intended schema resolves in the catalog. Then verify the command's qualification: the selected case deliberately uses a missing qualified schema. If the statement is CREATE without a schema, inspect whether search_path has any usable creation target; if it is an unqualified relation read, classify a missing relation as 42P01 rather than 3F000. In an explicit transaction, the selected ERROR can leave the transaction in INERROR; the autocommit IDLE observation is not a universal recovery result.

Response

Use the migration or owner-controlled CREATE SCHEMA, set or qualify the intended namespace, and verify the object under the same role. For no schema has been selected to create in, choose an allowed creation schema or qualify the CREATE statement. For an unqualified missing relation, repair the relation name or its intended search_path and expect 42P01 until the relation resolves. Keep schema creation separate from adding unrelated entries to search_path; if the name was intentionally removed, repair the migration or target rather than retrying unchanged.

After creating or exposing the schema, rerun the exact qualified statement and verify the resulting object with the same role. If the failed statement is inside an explicit transaction, roll back or return to a planned savepoint before issuing unrelated DDL. Do not grant broad schema privileges as a substitute for checking whether the application used the right database or identifier.

Observed diagnostics

The fixed namespace paths emit ERROR with primary schema "%s" does not exist for an explicitly missing schema and no schema has been selected to create in when an unqualified CREATE has no active creation namespace. The selected qualified-table case has no fixed DETAIL or HINT. An unqualified relation miss is the separate 42P01 relation "%s" does not exist path, while a role's lack of privilege is 42501.

The selected dynamic name is c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing, and the error occurred after session establishment with no fixed DETAIL or HINT. This is distinct from the source-defined schema-command paths and from a client startup failure.

Representative case

The SQL block qualifies a missing schema, creates the schema and table, inserts one row, verifies it, and drops the disposable schema.

CREATE TABLE missing_schema.repaired_table (id integer);
CREATE SCHEMA missing_schema;
CREATE TABLE missing_schema.repaired_table (id integer);
INSERT INTO missing_schema.repaired_table VALUES (1);
SELECT count(*) FROM missing_schema.repaired_table;
DROP SCHEMA missing_schema CASCADE;

The selected 18.6 run reports SQLSTATE 3F000, primary schema "c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing" does not exist, and the asserted recovery state is IDLE before the final probe/repair. Every assertion and cleanup passed on 18.6 and 10.21.

The downloadable case and evidence projections are 3F000 case JSON and authored evidence. The runner manifest is verify/cases/3F000/cases.json; the page SQL is checked against its shared registry before publication.

Versions

The generated facts table records the locked catalogue snapshots and earliest observed definition. The selected natural runtime scope is PostgreSQL 18.6 and 10.21; this does not infer behavior for every intermediate release.

Related

• 3D000 — invalid_catalog_name
• 42501 — related condition

Sources

• src.namespace-missing-schema.18.6 — src/backend/catalog/namespace.c at REL_18_6 commit 724edf9bde9d356724ad384a2e196edc3c9f80f7; fixed blob SHA-256 8c9e6a99e84fa2cec8a9b1de2ecbe3966a13f4ad68c6ccfbfb8134a754d73e56 (source).
• src.namespace-missing-schema.10.23 — src/backend/catalog/namespace.c at REL_10_23 commit 02991e79f8f58bc208f05dcc8af0c62dbe0a6ea4; fixed blob SHA-256 74833354740d0e5679507d07b3c6e41aea01c2cb30adcd1e238bed3ebf96ddc6 (source).
• src.namespace-creation-no-schema.10.23 — src/backend/catalog/namespace.c at REL_10_23 commit 02991e79f8f58bc208f05dcc8af0c62dbe0a6ea4; fixed blob SHA-256 74833354740d0e5679507d07b3c6e41aea01c2cb30adcd1e238bed3ebf96ddc6 (source).
• src.parse-relation-undefined-table.10.23 — src/backend/parser/parse_relation.c at REL_10_23 commit 02991e79f8f58bc208f05dcc8af0c62dbe0a6ea4; fixed blob SHA-256 a34f40fc93fa5df0015fe5af5ee7761ccba2d16a791cda69ae07848ed27616b5 (source).
• src.calls.REL_18_6 / src.calls.REL_10_23 — fixed local call scans, SHA-256 9ee8a0e81d8f0825c5c1ae45583439859a26e602bdd4ce2f2a62aa278867ccbf / 00d16d3eb01b71ccf1b245c8f3102f9d0ec9f36fb02777b8dd1b99fcb263040c; these scans preserve the resolved call context used by the claims.

Source evidence

Evidence belongs to the frozen source and runtime versions listed here. It is not a runtime verification of the selected manual version.

• src/backend/utils/errcodes.txt · REL_18_6 ·
  724edf9bde9d356724ad384a2e196edc3c9f80f7
• raw/calls/REL_18_6.jsonl · REL_18_6 ·
• raw/calls/REL_10_23.jsonl · REL_10_23 ·
• src/backend/catalog/namespace.c · REL_18_6 ·
  724edf9bde9d356724ad384a2e196edc3c9f80f7
• src/backend/catalog/namespace.c · REL_10_23 ·
  02991e79f8f58bc208f05dcc8af0c62dbe0a6ea4
• src/backend/catalog/namespace.c · REL_10_23 ·
  02991e79f8f58bc208f05dcc8af0c62dbe0a6ea4
• src/backend/parser/parse_relation.c · REL_10_23 ·
  02991e79f8f58bc208f05dcc8af0c62dbe0a6ea4
• doc/src/sgml/xact.sgml · PG18-docs ·
  724edf9bde9d356724ad384a2e196edc3c9f80f7
• verify/cases/3F000/cases.json · workspace ·
• verify/cases/3F000/snippets.json · workspace ·

Message templates

schema "%s" does not exist

no schema has been selected to create in

Reproduction & repair cases

Recorded runtime evidence

{
  "statuses": {
    "final": "IDLE",
    "after_error": "IDLE"
  },
  "row_count": 1,
  "diagnostic": {
    "text": "schema \"c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing\" does not exist\nLINE 1: CREATE TABLE \"c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing\".\"repaired_...\n                     ^",
    "context": null,
    "severity": "ERROR",
    "sqlstate": "3F000",
    "table_name": null,
    "column_name": null,
    "schema_name": null,
    "source_file": "namespace.c",
    "source_line": "3547",
    "message_hint": null,
    "datatype_name": null,
    "exception_type": "InvalidSchemaName",
    "internal_query": null,
    "message_detail": null,
    "constraint_name": null,
    "message_primary": "schema \"c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing\" does not exist",
    "source_function": "get_namespace_oid",
    "internal_position": null,
    "statement_position": "14",
    "severity_nonlocalized": "ERROR"
  },
  "missing_schema": "c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing",
  "repaired_table": "c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing.repaired_table",
  "connection_autocommit": true
}

{
  "statuses": {
    "final": "IDLE",
    "after_error": "IDLE"
  },
  "row_count": 1,
  "diagnostic": {
    "text": "schema \"c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing\" does not exist\nLINE 1: CREATE TABLE \"c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing\".\"repaired_...\n                     ^",
    "context": null,
    "severity": "ERROR",
    "sqlstate": "3F000",
    "table_name": null,
    "column_name": null,
    "schema_name": null,
    "source_file": "namespace.c",
    "source_line": "3024",
    "message_hint": null,
    "datatype_name": null,
    "exception_type": "InvalidSchemaName",
    "internal_query": null,
    "message_detail": null,
    "constraint_name": null,
    "message_primary": "schema \"c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing\" does not exist",
    "source_function": "get_namespace_oid",
    "internal_position": null,
    "statement_position": "14",
    "severity_nonlocalized": "ERROR"
  },
  "missing_schema": "c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing",
  "repaired_table": "c3f000_invalid_schema_name_missing.repaired_table",
  "connection_autocommit": true
}