The 25P01 no_active_sql_transaction error arises when COMMIT, ROLLBACK, or another transaction-only command is executed without a surrounding BEGIN block.
PostgreSQL Error 25P01 (no_active_sql_transaction) means you tried to COMMIT or ROLLBACK while no transaction is open. Wrap your statements with BEGIN ... COMMIT, or remove the transactional command. Checking client autocommit settings usually resolves the issue.
PostgreSQL Error 25P01
Error 25P01 appears when PostgreSQL receives a transactional command such as COMMIT, ROLLBACK, or SAVEPOINT while no transaction block is currently open.
The server raises a transaction error category message to protect data consistency and to alert that the requested action has no context.
The most frequent cause is issuing COMMIT or ROLLBACK after a statement when autocommit mode is on, because each statement already runs in its own implicit transaction.
Calling SAVEPOINT, RELEASE SAVEPOINT, or SET TRANSACTION without starting a BEGIN block also triggers 25P01.
Application frameworks that mix manual transactions with connection-pool autocommit can unintentionally send stray COMMIT commands.
Start an explicit transaction with BEGIN before any transaction-only command.
Pair every BEGIN with exactly one COMMIT or ROLLBACK.
If your client uses autocommit, remove manual COMMIT and ROLLBACK statements because the driver commits automatically.
Set the psql variable AUTOCOMMIT to off when you want manual control: \set AUTOCOMMIT off.
psql users often type COMMIT after every statement. Solution: turn autocommit off or rely on implicit commits.
Django or SQLAlchemy apps sometimes call connection.commit() after running raw SQL with autocommit enabled.
Disable autocommit temporarily or wrap logic in with transaction.atomic().
Adopt a strict pattern: BEGIN at the start of a multi-statement unit, followed by COMMIT or ROLLBACK in a finally block.
Use connection pool middlewares that synchronize autocommit settings and strip redundant COMMIT calls.
Monitor application logs for 25P01 occurrences and add tests that assert transaction state transitions.
SQLSTATE 25P02: in_failed_sql_transaction occurs when subsequent statements run after an error inside an open transaction.
Rollback to clear the failed state.
ERROR 42601: syntax_error arises from malformed BEGIN or COMMIT syntax. Fix the command text.
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No. Autocommit is safe for single statements. Disable it only when grouping multiple related commands that must succeed or fail together.
Yes. SAVEPOINT, RELEASE SAVEPOINT, and ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT require an open transaction started with BEGIN.
psql runs in autocommit by default, so each statement is implicitly committed. Typing an extra COMMIT finds no live transaction, triggering 25P01.
Galaxy highlights transaction commands contextually and warns when COMMIT or ROLLBACK appear without a BEGIN block, preventing 25P01 before the query runs.
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