prestodb/presto · error · IllegalArgumentException

Can not grow array beyond '%s'

Error message

Can not grow array beyond '%s'

What it means

UnnestOperatorBlockUtil.calculateNewArraySize grows internal block builder arrays geometrically, capping growth at MAX_ARRAY_SIZE. If the current array is already at the cap and a larger size is still requested, growth is impossible and an IllegalArgumentException is thrown.

Source

Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/operator/unnest/UnnestOperatorBlockUtil.java:39

    private static final int DEFAULT_CAPACITY = 64;
    // See java.util.ArrayList for an explanation
    static final int MAX_ARRAY_SIZE = Integer.MAX_VALUE - 8;

    // Copied from io.prestosql.spi.block.BlockUtil#calculateNewArraySize
    static int calculateNewArraySize(int currentSize)
    {
        // grow array by 50%
        long newSize = (long) currentSize + (currentSize >> 1);

        // verify new size is within reasonable bounds
        if (newSize < DEFAULT_CAPACITY) {
            newSize = DEFAULT_CAPACITY;
        }
        else if (newSize > MAX_ARRAY_SIZE) {
            newSize = MAX_ARRAY_SIZE;
            if (newSize == currentSize) {
                throw new IllegalArgumentException(format("Can not grow array beyond '%s'", MAX_ARRAY_SIZE));
            }
        }
        return (int) newSize;
    }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Reduce unnest fan-out: add a LIMIT, filter rows, or unnest smaller arrays.
2. Split the work into multiple smaller queries/batches instead of one giant unnest.
3. Increase query max memory limits so results can be spooled differently, or restructure to aggregate instead of replicate.

-- bound unnest fan-out before running:
-- SELECT count(*) * max(cardinality(arr)) over () FROM t;  ensure far below 2^30

When it happens

Trigger: Unnesting extremely large collections such that an internal block builder array already at MAX_ARRAY_SIZE (~2^30-ish elements) is asked to grow further — e.g. unnesting billions of total replicated elements in one operator.

Common situations: Cross-joining many rows with huge arrays/maps, amplifying total element counts past the array cap; queries with missing LIMIT or heavy fan-out.

Related errors

• HIVE_EXCEEDED_SPLIT_BUFFERING_LIMIT
• GENERIC_INSUFFICIENT_RESOURCES
• GENERIC_SPILL_FAILURE
• Cannot unnest type:
• INVALID_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/73c46095b063a139. Report an issue: GitHub.