hasura/graphql-engine · error

%v not applied on database

Error message

%v not applied on database

What it means

Thrown during a down-migration when the CLI rewinds migrations: after applying version `from`, it asks the database driver for the previous applied version (Prev). If the database has no previous version but the migration source does report one (and the target isn't -1), the database and filesystem migration histories have diverged and the migration is aborted with '<version> not applied on database'. It protects against rolling back migrations the database doesn't know about.

Source

Thrown at cli/migrate/migrate.go:2199

				ret <- migr
				go func(migr *Migration, m *Migrate) {
					err := migr.Buffer()
					if err != nil {
						m.Logger.Error(err)
					}
				}(migr, m)

				from = database.NilVersion

				continue
			} else if err != nil {
				ret <- err

				return
			}

			ret <- fmt.Errorf("%v not applied on database", prev)

			return
		}

		migr, err := m.newMigration(suint64(from), int64(prev.Version))
		if err != nil {
			ret <- err

			return
		}

		ret <- migr
		go func(migr *Migration, m *Migrate) {
			err := migr.Buffer()
			if err != nil {
				m.Logger.Error(err)
			}
		}(migr, m)

View on GitHub (pinned to 724551b9ae)

Solutions

1. Compare `hasura migration status` output with files in migrations/ and fix the divergence (delete stray files or re-insert missing version rows)
2. If the database is truly behind, run `hasura migrate apply` to bring it up to date before downgrading
3. As a last resort, delete the migrations directory's extra versions or squash migrations and re-baseline the database (drop/recreate schema_migrations entries)
4. Avoid editing hdb_catalog.schema_migrations by hand; use CLI commands only

Example fix

# before
hasura migrate downgrade --to 12  # database history diverged from migrations/

# after
hasura migration status          # inspect divergence first
hasura migrate apply              # sync database, then downgrade

// Before migrating, compare applied versions with source versions
status, err := m.GetStatus() // or `hasura migration status`
// ensure every version <= target exists in both source and database

if err := migrateInstance.Down(ctx, to); err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "not applied on database") {
        // database/source histories diverged: run migration status and reconcile
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running `hasura migrate downgrade`/`rollback` (Migrate.Down path in cli/migrate/migrate.go) when the versions recorded in hdb_catalog.schema_migrations / catalog state don't match the migrations present in the migrations/ directory — e.g. someone deleted rows from the migrations table or copied migrations files from another project.

Common situations: Manually editing or truncating the schema_migrations table; restoring a database dump without the migrations metadata; copying the migrations folder between environments; running downgrade after a partial/failed migration run.

Related errors

• unable to marshal run_sql args in %s: %w
• unable to unmarshal run_sql args in %s: %w
• creating Version table failed %s
• cannot create migration: %w
• database driver: unknown driver %v

AI-assisted analysis of hasura/graphql-engine@724551b9ae (2026-08-28). Data as JSON: /api/errors/97b6303bd93f0689. Report an issue: GitHub.