What causes "no schema" in golang-migrate/migrate?

Set config.SchemaName explicitly (e.g. "public" or your target schema) in the pgx.Config

no schema

Error message

no schema

What it means

ErrNoSchema means pgx could not determine the PostgreSQL schema for migrations. It is raised when config.SchemaName is empty AND the session's CURRENT_SCHEMA() returns an empty string (pgx.WithInstance line 108-110; same check in WithConnection and Open, and in pgx/v5). Normally CURRENT_SCHEMA() falls back to 'public', so this error indicates an unusual session state.

Source

Thrown at database/pgx/pgx.go:50

func init() {
	db := Postgres{}
	database.Register("pgx", &db)
	database.Register("pgx4", &db)
}

var (
	multiStmtDelimiter = []byte(";")

	DefaultMigrationsTable       = "schema_migrations"
	DefaultMultiStatementMaxSize = 10 * 1 << 20 // 10 MB
	DefaultLockTable             = "schema_lock"
	DefaultLockStrategy          = LockStrategyAdvisory
)

var (
	ErrNilConfig      = fmt.Errorf("no config")
	ErrNoDatabaseName = fmt.Errorf("no database name")
	ErrNoSchema       = fmt.Errorf("no schema")
	ErrDatabaseDirty  = fmt.Errorf("database is dirty")
)

type Config struct {
	MigrationsTable       string
	DatabaseName          string
	SchemaName            string
	LockTable             string
	LockStrategy          string
	migrationsSchemaName  string
	migrationsTableName   string
	StatementTimeout      time.Duration
	MigrationsTableQuoted bool
	MultiStatementEnabled bool
	MultiStatementMaxSize int
}

type Postgres struct {

View on GitHub (pinned to 01a9643f14)

Solutions

Set config.SchemaName explicitly (e.g. "public" or your target schema) in the pgx.Config
Ensure the connection has a valid search_path (do not override it to empty in the DSN)
Confirm the role can access the schema and the schema exists (CREATE SCHEMA if needed)

Example fix

// before
cfg := &pgx.Config{ DatabaseName: "app" } // SchemaName empty
// after
cfg := &pgx.Config{ DatabaseName: "app", SchemaName: "public" }

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if cfg.SchemaName == "" {
    var s string
    if err := db.QueryRow("SELECT CURRENT_SCHEMA()").Scan(&s); err != nil || s == "" {
        cfg.SchemaName = "public" // or fail fast with a clear message
    }
}

Try / catch

drv, err := pgx.WithInstance(db, cfg)
if errors.Is(err, pgx.ErrNoSchema) {
    return fmt.Errorf("no schema: set cfg.SchemaName explicitly or fix search_path: %w", err)
}

Prevention

Always set SchemaName explicitly instead of relying on CURRENT_SCHEMA()
Do not blank the search_path via DSN options
After Postgres 15 upgrades, verify the role's CREATE/USAGE privileges on the public schema

When it happens

Trigger: Calling pgx.WithInstance/WithConnection/Open with an empty config.SchemaName while the connection's current schema is unset or empty — e.g. search_path cleared via options, a revoked public schema, or a stripped-down connection role.

Common situations: Connecting with a restricted role where public schema was dropped (Postgres 15+ default behavior change); setting search_path='' in DSN options; cloning connections in pooled environments without a search_path.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of golang-migrate/migrate@01a9643f14 (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5a5863a486fbbb5e. Report an issue: GitHub.