SQLSTATE 57000 operator_intervention appears when an administrator or the server itself aborts a backend process or query.
operator_intervention (PostgreSQL SQLSTATE 57000) means the server or an administrator cancelled your session or query. Check logs to find who/what sent the signal, clear blocking locks, raise statement_timeout only if needed, and then rerun the statement to resolve the error.
PostgreSQL Error 57000
The operator_intervention error signals that PostgreSQL terminated a backend process at an administrator’s or system’s request. It is a high-level class code; the accompanying detail or hint tells you which specific condition (query_canceled, admin_shutdown, etc.) occurred.
The error stops the current transaction immediately. Any uncommitted work is rolled back, so production workloads can fail if the condition is not handled.
Quick diagnosis keeps applications healthy and prevents data loss.
PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 57000 when it receives an external SIGINT, SIGTERM, or other cancellation signal aimed at a backend PID. The source can be a superuser, pg_cancel_backend, pg_terminate_backend, or the postmaster itself during shutdown or failover.
Long-running statements that exceed statement_timeout may be cancelled and reported with the operator_intervention class.
Conflicting locks, replication failover, or out-of-memory kills can also surface through this generic code.
First read the DETAIL and HINT fields or server logs to identify the true sub-code (57014, 57P01, 57P03, etc.). That tells you whether the cancel was user-initiated, timeout-based, or a shutdown event.
If cancellation was manual, coordinate with the DBA team and retry after the maintenance window. For timeouts, tune statement_timeout, optimize the query, or add proper indexes.
When failover or shutdown caused the error, reconnect to the new primary before rerunning the transaction.
Applications often see operator_intervention during online index creation, autovacuum conflicts, or when an impatient user cancels a long report query. Re-execute the statement in a new session once locks clear.
Batch jobs scheduled close to nightly maintenance can die with this code.
Move the cron window or disable terminate_backend in housekeeping scripts to avoid clashes.
Monitor pg_stat_activity for long queries and terminate them gracefully instead of forcing SIGTERM. Use sane statement_timeout values combined with EXPLAIN ANALYZE to keep queries efficient.
Automate lock detection in CI/CD pipelines so migrations do not collide with OLTP traffic.
Implement retry logic with exponential backoff in application code to survive transient cancellations.
SQLSTATE 57014 query_canceled indicates a user or timeout cancelled the statement. 57P01 admin_shutdown is emitted when the server is shutting down. 57P03 cannot_connect_now arises during recovery mode. Each shares the operator_intervention class but requires a tailored fix.
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No. It can also originate from timeouts, server shutdowns, or automatic conflict resolution. Check the DETAIL field.
No. PostgreSQL rolls back the entire transaction. You must rerun the full transaction.
Implement retry logic but investigate the root cause. Ignoring persistent cancellations can mask performance or maintenance issues.
Galaxy surfaces long-running queries in real time, letting you cancel or optimize them before statement_timeout fires, reducing unexpected operator_intervention errors.
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