hibernate/hibernate-orm · error · TransactionException

Unable to apply requested transaction timeout

Error message

Unable to apply requested transaction timeout

What it means

setTimeOut forwards positive values to TransactionManager.setTransactionTimeout(seconds); a SystemException from the TM is wrapped as 'Unable to apply requested transaction timeout'. The TM refused or failed the timeout request (commonly a value outside the TM's accepted range, or a TM error) - it does not mean a timeout fired. Values <= 0 are silently ignored because of the seconds > 0 guard.

Source

Thrown at hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/resource/transaction/backend/jta/internal/JtaTransactionAdapterTransactionManagerImpl.java:117

	@Override
	public void markRollbackOnly() {
		try {
			transactionManager.setRollbackOnly();
		}
		catch (SystemException e) {
			throw new TransactionException( "Could not set transaction to rollback only", e );
		}
	}

	@Override
	public void setTimeOut(int seconds) {
		if ( seconds > 0 ) {
			try {
				transactionManager.setTransactionTimeout( seconds );
			}
			catch (SystemException e) {
				throw new TransactionException( "Unable to apply requested transaction timeout", e );
			}
		}
	}
}

View on GitHub (pinned to fad1729dce)

Solutions

1. Pass a value within the TM's allowed range, expressed in seconds
2. Raise the TM's maximum timeout (e.g., Narayana maximumDefaultTimeout) if the value is legitimate
3. Apply the timeout before the transaction begins; some TMs reject changes on an active transaction
4. Check TM logs for the underlying SystemException

Example fix

// before: milliseconds passed where seconds are expected
session.getTransaction().setTimeout(30_000); // 30000 s, exceeds TM limits -> SystemException

// after
session.getTransaction().setTimeout(30); // seconds

// Clamp the timeout to a sane seconds range before applying
int seconds = Math.min(Math.max(requestedSeconds, 1), tmMaxTimeoutSeconds);
if ( seconds > 0 ) {
    session.getTransaction().setTimeout(seconds);
}

try {
    session.getTransaction().setTimeout(seconds);
}
catch (TransactionException e) {
    log.warn("TM rejected timeout {}s; continuing with default", seconds, e);
}

When it happens

Trigger: session.getTransaction().setTimeout(n) with n > 0, or configuration-driven transaction timeout application, when setTransactionTimeout throws SystemException - e.g., n exceeds the TM's maximum (Narayana maximumDefaultTimeout) or the TM is in error.

Common situations: Passing milliseconds where seconds are expected (producing huge values); TM maximum-timeout limits; calling setTimeout after the transaction has begun.

Understand the failure class

• Timeouts: ETIMEDOUT, deadlines, and hung requests — what actually expires when a request times out.

Related errors

• Unable to apply requested transaction timeout
• Transaction is not accessible when using JTA with JPA-compli
• Exception pulsing TransactionCoordinator
• Explicitly joining a JTA transaction requires a JTA transact
• Unable to resume suspended transaction

AI-assisted analysis of hibernate/hibernate-orm@fad1729dce (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5e42d606040c9bd3. Report an issue: GitHub.