apache/pulsar · error · RestException

Can't create topic ${topicName} with "-partition-" followed

Error message

Can't create topic ${topicName} with "-partition-" followed by numeric value if there isn't a partitioned topic ${partitionTopicName.getLocalName()} created.

What it means

Topic-name validation guard: the requested name contains the '-partition-' suffix followed by a number, but no corresponding partitioned topic exists; the broker refuses to implicitly create a partition name that would shadow a nonexistent partitioned topic.

Source

Thrown at pulsar-broker/src/main/java/org/apache/pulsar/broker/admin/impl/PersistentTopicsBase.java:4846

                        .thenAccept(metadata -> {
                            // Partition topic index is 0 to (number of partition - 1)
                            if (metadata.partitions > 0 && suffix >= (long) metadata.partitions) {
                                log.warn()
                                        .attr("topic", topicName)
                                        .attr("partitionedTopic", partitionTopicName.getLocalName())
                                        .log("Can't create topic with -partition- followed by"
                                                + " a number smaller than partition count");
                                throw new RestException(Status.PRECONDITION_FAILED,
                                        "Can't create topic " + topicName + " with \"-partition-\" followed by"
                                                + " a number smaller than number of partition of partitioned topic "
                                                + partitionTopicName.getLocalName());
                            } else if (metadata.partitions == 0) {
                                log.warn()
                                        .attr("topic", topicName)
                                        .attr("partitionedTopic", partitionTopicName.getLocalName())
                                        .log("Can't create topic with -partition- followed by"
                                                + " numeric value without a partitioned topic");
                                throw new RestException(Status.PRECONDITION_FAILED,
                                        "Can't create topic " + topicName + " with \"-partition-\" followed by"
                                                + " numeric value if there isn't a partitioned topic "
                                                + partitionTopicName.getLocalName() + " created.");
                            }
                            // If there is a  partitioned topic with the same name and numeric suffix is smaller
                            // than the number of partition for that partitioned topic, validation will pass.
                        });
            } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
                // Do nothing, if value after partition suffix is not pure numeric value,
                // as it can't conflict if user want to create partitioned topic with same
                // topic name prefix in the future.
            }
        }
        return ret;
    }

    protected void internalGetLastMessageId(AsyncResponse asyncResponse, boolean authoritative) {
        validateTopicOperationAsync(topicName, TopicOperation.PEEK_MESSAGES)

View on GitHub (pinned to 820761864e)

Solutions

1. Rename the topic to avoid the reserved -partition-N pattern
2. Create the partitioned topic first if partitions are genuinely wanted

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at pulsar-broker/src/main/java/org/apache/pulsar/broker/admin/impl/PersistentTopicsBase.java:4846 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/pulsar@820761864e (2026-09-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/87f63ff5d6f0ac65. Report an issue: GitHub.