MySQL raises Error 1324 (ER_SP_CURSOR_MISMATCH) when a stored program refers to a cursor that is not declared or is out of scope.
MySQL Error 1324: ER_SP_CURSOR_MISMATCH appears when a stored procedure, function, or trigger references an undefined or out-of-scope cursor. Re-check DECLARE CURSOR placement, ensure the OPEN/FETCH/CLOSE statements use the correct cursor name, and move declarations to the proper block to resolve the issue.
Undefined CURSOR: %s
Error 1324 fires when MySQL executes a stored procedure, function, trigger, or event that calls OPEN, FETCH, or CLOSE on a cursor name that the immediate routine block cannot see. The server treats the cursor identifier as undefined and raises ER_SP_CURSOR_MISMATCH with message “Undefined CURSOR: %s.”
The problem is strictly a scope mismatch: the cursor was either never declared, declared in a different BEGIN … END block, or was dropped due to flow-control.
The error surfaces at execution time, not creation time. MySQL validates cursor references only when the statement runs, so a routine can compile successfully yet fail the first time a cursor operation executes.
Developers notice it most often after refactoring nested BEGIN blocks, adding condition handlers, or copy-pasting cursor code between procedures without updating names.
Unhandled ER_SP_CURSOR_MISMATCH aborts the entire stored program, rolls back active transactions (if using InnoDB autocommit = 0), and may disrupt application workflows. Fixing it prevents runtime outages and supports reliable automation.
Primary cause is referencing a cursor name that has not been declared in the same scope level. A secondary cause is attempting to OPEN the cursor after LEAVE or RETURN made the cursor block unreachable.
First, verify that every OPEN, FETCH, and CLOSE statement uses a cursor declared with DECLARE cursor_name CURSOR FOR … inside the same BEGIN … END block. Second, move the DECLARE statements to the top of that block if they accidentally appear in an inner block. Third, check spelling and case; identifiers are case-sensitive on Unix-like systems.
Nested loops: declare the outer and inner cursors in distinct names; do not reuse the same cursor identifier. COPY-PASTE mistakes: after copying code, update the DECLARE line or rename the cursor in OPEN/FETCH/CLOSE. Conditional blocks: if the cursor is declared inside an IF block, OPEN must also be inside the block or the compiler cannot see it.
Always place DECLARE CURSOR statements at the top of the main BEGIN block of the routine. Use consistent naming conventions like cur_user, cur_order. Run unit tests for each stored routine. Galaxy’s SQL editor highlights undeclared identifiers, preventing the mismatch before execution.
ER_SP_WRONG_NO_OF_FETCH_ARGS (1310) occurs when FETCH has wrong variable count. ER_SP_FETCH_NO_DATA (1325) fires when FETCH reads past resultset. Both are fixed by aligning FETCH syntax and adding exit handlers.
OPEN or FETCH is executed outside the BEGIN … END block where the cursor was declared, so the identifier is unknown.
A typo or case mismatch between DECLARE curOrders and OPEN curorders leads MySQL to treat them as different objects.
If DECLARE occurs inside an IF branch that did not run, subsequent OPEN fails with undefined cursor.
Developers sometimes delete the DECLARE while leaving related OPEN/FETCH/CLOSE statements intact during routine cleanup.
Triggered when FETCH column count differs from variable list. Fix by aligning counts.
Raised when FETCH reads beyond resultset. Add CONTINUE HANDLER to exit loop on NOT FOUND.
Occurs when LEAVE or ITERATE uses an undefined loop label. Ensure label names match.
Runtime. The procedure can create successfully, but MySQL checks cursor scope only when OPEN/FETCH/CLOSE executes.
Yes on Unix-like systems with case-sensitive filesystems. Always use identical casing.
You can, but OPEN must also be inside the same IF block or ER_SP_CURSOR_MISMATCH will occur outside that scope.
Galaxy’s real-time linting flags undeclared identifiers and provides AI suggestions to relocate DECLARE statements, preventing the mismatch before code is run.
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