t8y2/dbx · error

failed to read enum values: %w

Error message

failed to read enum values: %w

What it means

This error wraps a failure of the metadata query that reads enum member values (enumsortorder/enumlabel) from the catalog for an enum custom type. It is returned by customTypeEnumMembers when the query itself fails to execute (connection, permissions, SQL syntax against the catalog). It is not a 'type not found' error — the enum row was already located; only reading its values failed.

Source

Thrown at agents/drivers/vastbase-go/vastbase_metadata.go:726

	properties.AnalyzeFunction = nullStringPtr(analyzeFn)
	if typlen.Valid && typlen.Int64 > 0 {
		value := int32(typlen.Int64)
		properties.Internallength = &value
	}
	properties.PassedByValue = &typbyval
	if typalign != "" {
		properties.Alignment = &typalign
	}
	if typstorage != "" {
		properties.Storage = &typstorage
	}
	return properties
}

func (s *server) customTypeEnumMembers(sqlTemplate string, oid int64) ([]customTypeMember, error) {
	rows, err := s.metadataQuery(fmt.Sprintf(sqlTemplate, oid))
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read enum values: %w", err)
	}
	defer rows.Close()
	var members []customTypeMember
	index := 0
	for rows.Next() {
		var label string
		var sortOrder float64
		if err := rows.Scan(&label, &sortOrder); err != nil {
			return nil, err
		}
		// enumsortorder is float4; ALTER TYPE ... ADD VALUE BEFORE/AFTER can
		// yield fractional values. Use the ORDER BY position for a unique key.
		index++
		members = append(members, customTypeMember{Ordinal: int32(index), EnumValue: &label})
	}
	return members, rows.Err()
}

View on GitHub (pinned to c0390bff16)

Solutions

1. Check DB connectivity and re-run the introspection; inspect the wrapped cause (%w) for the root error.
2. Grant the connecting user SELECT on the catalog enum views (pg_enum/sys_catalog equivalents).
3. Confirm s.mode.postgresCatalog matches the actual server catalog flavor so the correct catalog queries are used.
4. Retry after transient network errors; escalate if the wrapped error is a SQL syntax/permission error.

Example fix

// before
// introspecting with a user lacking catalog access
srv, _ := New(serverCfg) // user 'app_ro' without catalog SELECT
_, err := srv.CustomTypeDetails("public", "color_enum")
// failed to read enum values: permission denied ...

// after
// grant catalog read access to the introspection role
// GRANT SELECT ON pg_enum TO app_ro;

// verify connectivity and privileges up front
if err := db.Ping(); err != nil { return err }
var n int
if err := db.QueryRow("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM pg_enum LIMIT 1").Scan(&n); err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("no catalog enum access: %w", err)
}

details, err := srv.CustomTypeDetails(schema, name)
if err != nil {
    var wrapped error
    if errors.As(err, &wrapped) && isTransient(wrapped) {
        // retry with backoff
    }
    return fmt.Errorf("enum introspection failed: %w", err)
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling custom type details for an enum type when the underlying metadataQuery for enum members errors: connection dropped mid-session, insufficient privileges on sys_catalog/pg_catalog enum views, or catalog query incompatibility (e.g. postgresCatalog mode flag mismatch with actual server catalog).

Common situations: Network interruption while introspecting an enum; restricted monitoring account lacking catalog read privileges; driver mode configured for pg_catalog on a server that only exposes sys_catalog (or vice versa).

Related errors

• failed to read composite fields: %w
• routine source is not supported for %s connections
• failed to read enum values: %w
• list custom types in schema %q: %w
• failed to locate custom type %s.%s: %w

AI-assisted analysis of t8y2/dbx@c0390bff16 (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/70dd0941d8db29c8. Report an issue: GitHub.