jackc/pgx · error

not a string and cannot be encoded as text

Error message

not a string and cannot be encoded as text

What it means

Error "not a string and cannot be encoded as text" thrown in jackc/pgx.

Source

Thrown at values.go:51

			argBuf = argBuf2
		} else {
			return nil, err
		}
	}

	if argBuf != nil {
		buf = argBuf
		pgio.SetInt32(buf[sp:], int32(len(buf[sp:])-4))
	}
	return buf, nil
}

func tryScanStringCopyValueThenEncode(m *pgtype.Map, buf []byte, oid uint32, arg any) ([]byte, error) {
	s, ok := arg.(string)
	if !ok {
		textBuf, err := m.Encode(oid, TextFormatCode, arg, nil)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, errors.New("not a string and cannot be encoded as text")
		}
		s = string(textBuf)
	}

	var v any
	err := m.Scan(oid, TextFormatCode, []byte(s), &v)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}

	return m.Encode(oid, BinaryFormatCode, v, buf)
}

View on GitHub (pinned to ec1a0befd2)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at values.go:51 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of jackc/pgx@ec1a0befd2 (2026-08-04). Data as JSON: /data/errors/8e6b30fba2f86e48.json. Report an issue: GitHub.