Common SQL Errors

MySQL Error 1188: ER_MASTER - Causes, Fixes, and Prevention

Galaxy Team
August 6, 2025

Error 1188 is raised on a MySQL replica when the master server returns a generic error message during binary log replication.

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What is MySQL error 1188 (ER_MASTER)?

MySQL Error 1188 (ER_MASTER) signals that a replica received “Error from master” while applying the binary log—often because of an invalid SQL statement, missing privilege, or network hiccup. Check the master’s error log, correct the underlying problem, then restart replication to resolve the issue.

Error Highlights

Typical Error Message

Error from master: '%s'

Error Type

Replication Error

Language

MySQL

Symbol

ER_MASTER

Error Code

1188

SQL State

HY000

Explanation

Table of Contents

Exact MySQL Error 1188 Message

Error 1188: ER_MASTER - "Error from master: '%s'" appears on a replica whenever the IO or SQL thread receives an error packet from the master server.

The placeholder %s is the literal error text generated on the master. MySQL simply relays that text to the replica, so troubleshooting always starts on the master node.

What Does Error 1188 Mean?

The replica stopped because the master encountered a problem executing or writing a statement to its binary log.

Replication halts at that log position to avoid data divergence.

The error can surface during initial cloning, normal row updates, or schema migrations.

Ignoring it risks silent data drift between primary and secondary databases.

What Causes This Error?

Privileges, SQL syntax, storage limits, and network instability commonly trigger the master to abort and send an error packet, which the replica reports as 1188.

Version mismatches between master and replica, especially involving generated columns or new SQL modes, also provoke the fault.

How to Fix MySQL Error 1188

First inspect the master’s error log and the binary log entry at the recorded position.

Fix the root issue—often a bad DDL, missing table, or lack of SUPER privilege—then restart replication threads.

If the statement is non-critical, you can skip it on the replica with CHANGE MASTER TO MASTER_AUTO_POSITION=0 plus SQL_SLAVE_SKIP_COUNTER, but only after confirming data consistency.

Common Scenarios and Solutions

• Bad ALTER TABLE on master: Re-run corrected DDL, then START REPLICA.

• LOAD DATA lacking FILE privilege: Grant FILE on master, re-execute, then START REPLICA.

• Disk full on master during large transaction: Free space, commit transaction, and resume replication.

Best Practices to Avoid This Error

Always test DDL in staging, enforce identical MySQL versions, and monitor master error logs.

Continuous replication lag monitoring catches issues before applications feel impact.

Use Galaxy’s lightning-fast SQL editor to review and share validated migration scripts, reducing the chance of faulty statements reaching production.

Related Errors and Solutions

Error 1189 (ER_MASTER_NET_READ) occurs when the replica cannot read from the master’s network socket. Error 1236 (ER_MASTER_FATAL_ERROR_READING_BINLOG) surfaces when a binlog file becomes corrupt or missing. Troubleshooting flows are similar: investigate the master, validate binlog integrity, and restart replication.

.

Common Causes

Privilege mismatch

The master executes a statement that requires SUPER, FILE, or TRIGGER privileges that the replication user lacks, causing the master to raise an error relayed as 1188.

Invalid SQL or DDL

A malformed ALTER TABLE, DROP DATABASE, or plugin-specific command fails on the master and propagates the failure downstream.

Resource exhaustion

Out-of-disk, quota limits, or exceeding max_allowed_packet on the master abort the transaction, triggering the replica error.

Version incompatibility

Using newer SQL features on the master than the replica understands forces the replica SQL thread to stop with error 1188.

Network interruption mid-transaction

Transient network loss while writing to the binlog can corrupt the event, leading the master to send an error packet.

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Related Errors

FAQs

Does Error 1188 always stop replication?

Yes. MySQL halts the SQL thread to prevent inconsistent data when the master reports an error.

Can I safely skip the failing event?

Only if you are certain the event is non-essential or already applied. Always validate data consistency first.

Will upgrading MySQL fix Error 1188?

Upgrading alone will not fix it, but running identical versions eliminates feature incompatibility that can trigger the error.

How does Galaxy help reduce replication errors?

Galaxy’s versioned query sharing lets teams peer-review DDL and migrations, minimizing faulty statements that would reach the master and cause Error 1188.

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