problem checking for legacy migration version %s

Error message

problem checking for legacy migration version %s

What it means

If a migration's full-length version is not found in schema_migration, the migrator also probes the legacy 14-char truncated version. This error wraps a failure of that legacy EXISTS lookup. It is a query failure against the tracking table, not evidence about whether the legacy row exists.

Source

Thrown at oryx/popx/migrator.go:379

				mb.l.WithError(err).Error("Problem reverting migrations.")
			}
		}()
		for i, mi := range mfs {
			if i >= attemptSteps {
				break
			}
			l := mb.l.WithField("version", mi.Version).WithField("migration_name", mi.Name).WithField("migration_file", mi.Path)
			l.Debugf("handling migration %s", mi.Name)
			exists, err := c.Where("version = ?", mi.Version).Exists(mtn)
			if err != nil {
				return errors.Wrapf(err, "problem checking for migration version %s", mi.Version)
			}

			if !exists && len(mi.Version) > 14 {
				legacyVersion := mi.Version[:14]
				legacyVersionExists, err := c.Where("version = ?", legacyVersion).Exists(mtn)
				if err != nil {
					return errors.Wrapf(err, "problem checking for legacy migration version %s", legacyVersion)
				}

				if !legacyVersionExists {
					return errors.Errorf("neither normal (%s) nor legacy migration (%s) exist", mi.Version, legacyVersion)
				}
			} else if !exists {
				return errors.Errorf("migration version %s does not exist", mi.Version)
			}

			if err := mi.Valid(); err != nil {
				return errors.WithStack(err)
			}

			if mb.shouldNotUseTransaction(mi) {
				err := mi.Runner(mi, c)
				if err != nil {
					return errors.WithStack(err)
				}

View on GitHub (pinned to 4174065ffb)

Solutions

Inspect the wrapped cause for the underlying SQL error
Verify schema_migration exists and is readable
Reconnect/retry once the database is reachable

Defensive patterns

Strategy: retry

Validate before calling

var n int
if err := db.QueryRow("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM schema_migration").Scan(&n); err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("tracking table unreadable before Down: %w", err)
}

Try / catch

if err := box.Down(ctx, 1); err != nil {
    if isTransient(err) {
        time.Sleep(time.Second)
        return box.Down(ctx, 1)
    }
    return err
}

Prevention

Check DB connectivity before starting rollback runs
Do not drop schema_migration mid-operation
Ensure consistent read access for the migration user

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Down for a migration with a version longer than 14 characters whose full version is absent, and the legacy-version EXISTS query fails (table missing, connection error, permissions).

Common situations: schema_migration dropped or corrupted between queries; transient connection failure; wrong database (table absent).

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of ory/hydra@4174065ffb (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cbe35363f865b5ee. Report an issue: GitHub.