prestodb/presto · error · IllegalStateException

invalid evaluation state

Error message

invalid evaluation state

What it means

readWithFilter tracks per-position filter evaluation state; each position must be in one of three known states. Reaching the default branch means the internal state machine invariant was violated, so an IllegalStateException is thrown — typically a library bug rather than user error.

Source

Thrown at presto-orc/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/orc/reader/SliceDictionarySelectiveReader.java:263

                else {
                    switch (evaluationStatus[index]) {
                        case FILTER_FAILED: {
                            break;
                        }
                        case FILTER_PASSED: {
                            if (context.isOutputRequired()) {
                                values[outputPositionCount] = index;
                            }
                            outputPositions[outputPositionCount] = position;
                            outputPositionCount++;
                            break;
                        }
                        case FILTER_NOT_EVALUATED: {
                            evaluationStatus[index] = evaluateFilter(position, index, length);
                            break;
                        }
                        default: {
                            throw new IllegalStateException("invalid evaluation state");
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
            streamPosition++;

            if (filter != null) {
                outputPositionCount -= filter.getPrecedingPositionsToFail();
                int succeedingPositionsToFail = filter.getSucceedingPositionsToFail();
                if (succeedingPositionsToFail > 0) {
                    int positionsToSkip = 0;
                    for (int j = 0; j < succeedingPositionsToFail; j++) {
                        i++;
                        int nextPosition = positions[i];
                        positionsToSkip += 1 + nextPosition - streamPosition;
                        streamPosition = nextPosition + 1;
                    }
                    skip(positionsToSkip);

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Note the exact query, file, and Presto version and file a bug with the stack trace.
2. Retry after upgrading Presto to a version containing reader fixes.
3. Work around by rewriting the query to avoid the specific filter shape (e.g. simplify or reorder predicates).
4. As a last resort read the column without dictionary-selective path by rewriting the file with direct encoding.

try {
    return reader.read();
} catch (IllegalStateException e) {
    if (e.getMessage().equals("invalid evaluation state")) {
        log.error("Reader internal state bug; report with stack trace", e);
    }
    throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling read() with a filter on a dictionary-encoded string column when a position's evaluationStatus value is none of FILTER_NOT_EVALUATED, and the other handled states (an internal enum/int state not produced by the reader's own logic).

Common situations: Library bug or stale/Presto version mismatch where reader internals and filter plumbing disagree; extremely rare at runtime, usually surfaced by fuzzing or a regression in a filter implementation.

Related errors

• CLICKHOUSE_PUSHDOWN_UNSUPPORTED_EXPRESSION
• Response does not contain a JSON value
• path is empty
• Invalid field position selection after nulls removed: " + se
• Map key is null at position: " + position

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0fed427b3ed23d63. Report an issue: GitHub.