clockworklabs/SpacetimeDB · error · anyhow::Error

You cannot rename {database_identity} because it is owned by

Error message

You cannot rename {database_identity} because it is owned by another identity.

What it means

Response mapping for `spacetime rename`: the server returned `NotYourDatabase` — the database identity exists, but it is owned by a different identity than the one your auth token authenticates. Renaming (setting a domain) requires ownership, so the request is rejected even though the database is visible.

Source

Thrown at crates/cli/src/subcommands/dns.rs:58

            config.get_host_url(server)?
        ))
        .header(reqwest::header::CONTENT_TYPE, "application/json")
        .body(serde_json::to_string(&[&domain])?);
    let builder = add_auth_header_opt(builder, &auth_header);

    let response = builder.send().await?;
    let status = &response.status();
    let result: SetDomainsResult = response.json_or_error().await?;

    if !status.is_success() {
        anyhow::bail!(match result {
            SetDomainsResult::Success => "".to_string(),
            SetDomainsResult::PermissionDenied { domain } => format!("Permission denied for domain: {domain}"),
            SetDomainsResult::PermissionDeniedOnAny { domains } =>
                format!("Permission denied for domains: {domains:?}"),
            SetDomainsResult::DatabaseNotFound => format!("Database {database_identity} not found"),
            SetDomainsResult::NotYourDatabase { .. } =>
                format!("You cannot rename {database_identity} because it is owned by another identity."),
            SetDomainsResult::OtherError(err) => err,
        });
    }

    println!("Name set to {domain} for identity {database_identity}.");

    Ok(())
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 524b4487d9)

Solutions

Check who you are: `spacetime identity show` (per server) and compare with the database owner shown by `spacetime list --server <srv>`
Log in as the owning identity: `spacetime server login <server>` then retry the rename
If ownership should have transferred or is ambiguous, have the current owner perform the rename or publish the database anew under the correct identity

Example fix

# before (authed as wrong identity)
spacetime rename --to new-name <db-identity>
# after
spacetime server login maincloud && spacetime rename --to new-name <db-identity>

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# Verify caller identity matches the database owner
me=$(spacetime identity show --server maincloud)
spacetime list --server maincloud  # compare owner of the target db before rename

Try / catch

// On 'owned by another identity', stop and re-authenticate as the owner (`spacetime server login`); retrying with the same token always fails.

Prevention

One identity per project; document who published each database
Re-check `spacetime identity show` after switching accounts or CI credentials

When it happens

Trigger: Using a token/identity that is not the publisher of the database: logged in as a personal account for a team-published database, multiple profiles on one machine, or an expired token that silently re-authenticated as another identity.

Common situations: Team shares where only the original publisher may rename; switching between `spacetime login` accounts; CI credentials differing from the human's; publishing under anon/local identity then renaming while authed to maincloud.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of clockworklabs/SpacetimeDB@524b4487d9 (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5ca0f5d259b9469b. Report an issue: GitHub.