The query is too large or complex for MySQL's parser memory, so it aborts with "Parser bailed out for this query."
MySQL error ER_CAPACITY_EXCEEDED_IN_PARSER (3186) means the server's SQL parser ran out of internal memory and aborted analysis. Simplify or split the statement, reduce IN lists, or upgrade to a newer MySQL version with higher limits to resolve the issue.
ER_CAPACITY_EXCEEDED_IN_PARSER
ER_CAPACITY_EXCEEDED_IN_PARSER fires when the MySQL SQL parser runs out of internal stack or buffer space while analyzing a statement. The server returns the generic text "Parser bailed out for this query" and stops processing.
This error appears from MySQL 5.7.12 onward and prevents statement execution, so no data is read or modified until the query is corrected.
Very large or deeply nested SQL statements consume more parser memory than the compiled limits allow. The internal yacc stack overflows and the parser exits early.
Typical triggers are auto generated SQL with thousands of IN list elements, huge OR chains, deeply nested subqueries, and excessively long JSON path expressions.
Break oversized statements into smaller pieces or batch parameters. Refactor application code or ORM settings to limit list expansion. Consider temporary tables to hold bulk values instead of giant IN lists.
Upgrading to a newer MySQL major version often increases parser limits. For managed services, open a support ticket to confirm available memory and parser patch levels.
Bulk deletion with a single DELETE ... WHERE id IN (100k ids) often fails. Load the ids into a temporary table and join instead.
ORMs that eagerly expand filters can be tuned via configuration flags such as Hibernate's batch_size or Django's in_bulk chunking to emit smaller statements.
Establish hard caps on list parameter length in API gateways. Monitor slow query logs for extremely long statements. Use prepared statements with array binds where the driver supports it.
Galaxy's SQL editor highlights statement length and warns when a query approaches parser limits, letting engineers refactor before execution.
Error 1118 Row size too large occurs at execution time when row format limits are exceeded. Error 1206 The total number of locks may exceed lock table size arises during large batch updates. Both are distinct from parser capacity but benefit from similar query size reductions.
Gigantic IN or VALUES lists generated by application code.
Deeply nested parentheses from complex boolean logic or cascading CASE expressions.
ORMs concatenating thousands of OR predicates instead of batching.
Programmatically built queries that do not enforce length limits.
Occurs when a table row exceeds storage limits, unrelated to parsing but often seen with large schemas.
Raised when a query joins more tables than the server permits; simplifying the query resolves it.
Indicates the server memory allocator failed; can surface during overly large queries.
No server parameter dynamically enlarges the parser stack. Upgrading MySQL is the only way to raise the hardcoded limit.
The statement never starts, so no transactional changes occur and no rollback is needed.
It was introduced in 5.7.12 but can appear in 8.0 if queries exceed the larger limit.
Galaxy flags extremely long queries during editing and suggests refactorings or temp table patterns, preventing parser exhaustion before execution.
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