PostgreSQL Error - 2200B escape_character_conflict Error Explained and Fixed

What is the escape_character_conflict error?

PostgreSQL raises error 2200B when it detects conflicting ways to interpret backslashes in a string literal. The server cannot decide whether the sequence is an escape or a plain character, so it aborts parsing.

The error appears at parse time, before the query executes, making it a pure syntax problem.

Fixing it requires changing the literal or session settings.

When does the error occur?

It occurs in INSERT, UPDATE, SELECT, or COPY commands that include a backslash followed by characters that could be read as an escape while standard_conforming_strings is on (the default since PostgreSQL 9.1).

Database clients that generate SQL dynamically are especially prone to this error, because they may mix legacy escape rules with modern string syntax.

Why is it important to fix?

If left unresolved, the statement never reaches execution, blocking data changes and causing application downtime.

Repeated failures flood logs and slow development pipelines.

What Causes This Error?

The primary cause is using a backslash escape (for example \n) inside a regular single-quoted string while standard_conforming_strings is set to on.

PostgreSQL treats the backslash as a literal and rejects conflicting escapes.

Another trigger is restoring dumps created on older versions that relied on backslash escapes without the E'' syntax.

How to Fix escape_character_conflict

Rewrite the literal using the E'' escape string syntax, which explicitly signals PostgreSQL to apply backslash escapes.

Alternatively, double each backslash to escape itself or disable standard_conforming_strings for the session.

For bulk maintenance, run SET standard_conforming_strings = off; before executing legacy scripts, then restore the setting to avoid future ambiguity.

Common Scenarios and Solutions

Dump/restore workflows: Use pg_dump with --quote-all-identifiers and ensure dumps rely on E'' strings. This avoids conflicts during restore.

Application ORMs: Configure the driver to emit parameterized queries instead of raw SQL with embedded literals.

Galaxy's AI copilot automatically parameterizes literals, removing escape ambiguity.

Best Practices to Avoid This Error

Always use parameter placeholders or E'' syntax for strings containing backslashes. Commit a coding standard in your repo and enforce lint checks.

Enable CI tests that run statements under standard_conforming_strings = on. Galaxy Collections let teams endorse compliant queries and share them across projects.

Related Errors and Solutions

invalid_escape_sequence (22025) appears when an unsupported escape like \x is used.

Use valid sequences or decode().

nonstandard_use_of_escape is a warning that can become an error under strict settings. Replace plain quotes with E'' strings to silence it.

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