dotnet/efcore · error · InvalidOperationException

Unsupported direction '{direction}' was specified for the pa

Error message

Unsupported direction '{direction}' was specified for the parameter '{parameter}' of the stored procedure '{sproc}'.

What it means

Thrown by StoredProcedureParameter.SetDirection when the requested ParameterDirection is not valid for that parameter. IsValid rejects ParameterDirection.ReturnValue for all parameters, and ParameterDirection.Output for original-value parameters (ForOriginalValue == true), because output original-value parameters have no meaningful semantics.

Source

Thrown at src/EFCore.Relational/Metadata/Internal/StoredProcedureParameter.cs:214

    /// <summary>
    ///     This is an internal API that supports the Entity Framework Core infrastructure and not subject to
    ///     the same compatibility standards as public APIs. It may be changed or removed without notice in
    ///     any release. You should only use it directly in your code with extreme caution and knowing that
    ///     doing so can result in application failures when updating to a new Entity Framework Core release.
    /// </summary>
    public virtual ParameterDirection SetDirection(ParameterDirection direction, ConfigurationSource configurationSource)
    {
        if (ForRowsAffected)
        {
            throw new InvalidOperationException(
                RelationalStrings.StoredProcedureParameterInvalidConfiguration(
                    nameof(Direction), Name, ((IReadOnlyStoredProcedure)StoredProcedure).GetStoreIdentifier()?.DisplayName()));
        }

        if (!IsValid(direction))
        {
            throw new InvalidOperationException(
                RelationalStrings.StoredProcedureParameterInvalidDirection(
                    direction, Name, ((IReadOnlyStoredProcedure)StoredProcedure).GetStoreIdentifier()?.DisplayName()));
        }

        _direction = direction;

        _directionConfigurationSource = configurationSource.Max(_directionConfigurationSource);

        return direction;
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///     This is an internal API that supports the Entity Framework Core infrastructure and not subject to
    ///     the same compatibility standards as public APIs. It may be changed or removed without notice in
    ///     any release. You should only use it directly in your code with extreme caution and knowing that
    ///     doing so can result in application failures when updating to a new Entity Framework Core release.
    /// </summary>
    public virtual bool IsValid(ParameterDirection direction)

View on GitHub (pinned to dbf9771522)

Solutions

1. For original-value parameters, keep Direction as Input (the default) or InputOutput — never Output.
2. Never use ParameterDirection.ReturnValue; use ReturnsRowsAffected() / the rows-affected API for return-value semantics.
3. If you need an output parameter, add it via AddParameter (not AddOriginalValueParameter).

Example fix

// before
var p = s.AddOriginalValueParameter("RowVersion");
p.Direction = ParameterDirection.Output; // throws - original value can't be output

// after
var p = s.AddOriginalValueParameter("RowVersion");
p.Direction = ParameterDirection.Input;

static void SetDirectionValidated(StoredProcedureParameter p, ParameterDirection direction)
{
    if (direction == ParameterDirection.ReturnValue)
        throw new InvalidOperationException("ReturnValue is not allowed; use the rows-affected API.");
    if (direction == ParameterDirection.Output && p.ForOriginalValue == true)
        throw new InvalidOperationException("Original-value parameters cannot be Output.");
    p.Direction = direction;
}

static bool IsValidDirection(StoredProcedureParameter p, ParameterDirection d)
    => d != ParameterDirection.ReturnValue && !(d == ParameterDirection.Output && p.ForOriginalValue == true);

When it happens

Trigger: StoredProcedureParameter.cs:212-217: IsValid(direction) is false. Produced by setting an original-value parameter's Direction to Output, or setting any parameter's Direction to ReturnValue.

Common situations: Configuring a concurrency token's original-value parameter as Output; trying to use ReturnValue via the Direction facet instead of the dedicated rows-affected/return-value API; scaffolding then nudging directions.

Related errors

• The parameter for the property '{property}' cannot be added
• The original value parameter for the property '{property}' c
• '{facet}' cannot be configured for the parameter '{parameter
• The stored procedure '{sproc}' cannot be configured to retur
• The rows affected parameter cannot be added to the stored pr

AI-assisted analysis of dotnet/efcore@dbf9771522 (2026-08-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/bffa6142158edcab. Report an issue: GitHub.