hibernate/hibernate-orm · error · PropertyAccessException

Null value was assigned to a property of primitive type

Error message

Null value was assigned to a property of primitive type

What it means

Error "Null value was assigned to a property of primitive type" thrown in hibernate/hibernate-orm.

Source

Thrown at hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/property/access/spi/SetterMethodImpl.java:44

	private final Method setterMethod;

	private final boolean isPrimitive;

	public SetterMethodImpl(Class<?> containerClass, String propertyName, Method setterMethod) {
		this.containerClass = containerClass;
		this.propertyName = propertyName;
		this.setterMethod = setterMethod;
		this.isPrimitive = setterMethod.getParameterTypes()[0].isPrimitive();
	}

	@Override
	public void set(Object target, @Nullable Object value) {
		try {
			setterMethod.invoke( target, value );
		}
		catch (NullPointerException npe) {
			if ( value == null && isPrimitive ) {
				throw new PropertyAccessException(
						npe,
						"Null value was assigned to a property of primitive type",
						true,
						containerClass,
						propertyName
				);
			}
			else {
				throw new PropertyAccessException(
						npe,
						"NullPointerException occurred while calling",
						true,
						containerClass,
						propertyName
				);
			}
		}
		catch (InvocationTargetException ite) {

View on GitHub (pinned to fad1729dce)

Solutions

1. Use the wrapper type instead of a primitive if the property can be null.
2. Make the column NOT NULL or supply a default.

When it happens

Trigger: Null is assigned to a primitive-typed persistent property.

Common situations: Loading a nullable database column into a primitive field, or explicitly setting null on a primitive property.

AI-assisted analysis of hibernate/hibernate-orm@fad1729dce (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b0e88f903e0512ac. Report an issue: GitHub.