mattermost-community/focalboard · error

SearchBoardsForUserInTeam unable to replace unionSQL placeho

Error message

SearchBoardsForUserInTeam unable to replace unionSQL placeholders: %w

What it means

In SearchBoardsForUserInTeam, sq.Dollar.ReplacePlaceholders failed converting '?' placeholders to '$N' for Postgres/SQLite on the final union SQL. Pure string-rewrite failure over the rendered query, indicating malformed rendered SQL.

Source

Thrown at server/services/store/mattermostauthlayer/mattermostauthlayer.go:882

	unionQ := openBoardsQ.
		Prefix("(").
		Suffix(") UNION ("+memberBoardsSQL, memberBoardsArgs...).
		Suffix(") UNION ("+channelMemberBoardsSQL+")", channelMemberBoardsArgs...)

	unionSQL, unionArgs, err := unionQ.ToSql()
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("SearchBoardsForUserInTeam error getting unionSQL: %w", err)
	}

	// if we're using postgres or sqlite, we need to replace the
	// question mark placeholder with the numbered dollar one, now
	// that the full query is built
	if s.dbType == model.PostgresDBType || s.dbType == model.SqliteDBType {
		var rErr error
		unionSQL, rErr = sq.Dollar.ReplacePlaceholders(unionSQL)
		if rErr != nil {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("SearchBoardsForUserInTeam unable to replace unionSQL placeholders: %w", rErr)
		}
	}

	rows, err := s.mmDB.Query(unionSQL, unionArgs...)
	if err != nil {
		s.logger.Error(`searchBoardsForUserInTeam ERROR`, mlog.Err(err))
		return nil, err
	}
	defer s.CloseRows(rows)

	return s.boardsFromRows(rows, false)
}

func (s *MattermostAuthLayer) boardsFromRows(rows *sql.Rows, removeDuplicates bool) ([]*model.Board, error) {
	boards := []*model.Board{}
	idMap := make(map[string]struct{})

	for rows.Next() {

View on GitHub (pinned to a84bbb65e3)

Solutions

1. Log unionSQL on failure and scan for non-placeholder '?' characters.
2. Escape literal '?' in any hand-written SQL fragments.
3. Upgrade the squirrel dependency.
4. Verify s.dbType detection so the rewrite branch only runs for postgres/sqlite.

boards, err := store.GetBoardsForUserAndTeam(userID, teamID, term)
if err != nil {
	if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "unable to replace unionSQL placeholders") {
		logger.Error("$N placeholder rewrite failed; check literal '?' in SQL", "err", err)
		return nil, ErrInternalSearch
	}
	return nil, err
}

When it happens

Trigger: s.dbType is postgres or sqlite and the union SQL string can't be placeholder-rewritten — malformed '?' usage or broken SQL text from the union build.

Common situations: Literal '?' characters in injected SQL fragments; corrupted union SQL from build bugs; old squirrel versions; wrong dbType detection.

Related errors

• SearchBoardsForUser unable to replace unionSQL placeholders:
• getBlockHistoryNewestChildren unable to replace sql placehol
• SearchBoardsForUser error getting teamMembersSQL: %w
• SearchBoardsForUser error getting channelMembersSQL: %w
• SearchBoardsForUser error getting unionSQL: %w

AI-assisted analysis of mattermost-community/focalboard@a84bbb65e3 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ab0e39945d505a8e. Report an issue: GitHub.