PostgreSQL raises query_canceled (SQLSTATE 57014) when a running query is interrupted by a user action, statement_timeout, lock timeout, or server shutdown.
PostgreSQL query_canceled error (SQLSTATE 57014) occurs when the server aborts a query due to a manual cancel, statement_timeout, lock timeout, or shutdown. Identify the trigger, raise or disable the timeout, clear blocking locks, or avoid manual cancellation to fix the problem quickly.
PostgreSQL query_canceled Error
PostgreSQL returns SQLSTATE 57014 with condition name query_canceled when it forcibly stops a running statement. The server sends this response to the client, ending the transaction block.
The error surfaces during long-running queries, blocked queries, or when users explicitly press the cancel button in a client such as psql or Galaxy.
Addressing it is critical because canceled work rolls back, wasting time and compute.
statement_timeout expires when a query runs longer than the configured threshold, triggering an automatic cancel.
LOCK_TIMEOUT or deadlock detection cancels a statement that waits too long on row or table locks held by other sessions.
A user, monitoring script, or admin call to pg_cancel_backend() ends a query manually, returning the same SQLSTATE.
Server shutdown, failover, or network interruptions may abort queries, surfacing as query_canceled on the client side.
First, confirm the cancel source in pg_stat_activity by inspecting wait_event, wait_event_type, and state fields.
If statement_timeout fired, increase the value or set it to 0 (no limit) for the current session, then rerun the query.
When locks block progress, identify the blocker using pg_locks and terminate or commit the conflicting transaction.
For user-initiated cancels, educate team members and adjust monitoring tools so that only legitimate long-running queries are stopped.
Analytics queries on large tables exceed the default 60-second timeout.
Raising the timeout or adding indexes stops cancellations.
ETL jobs hang waiting on an exclusive lock from a migration script. Terminate the migration session or run ETL in a low-traffic window.
Automated health checks mistakenly cancel queries over a certain runtime. Update alerting rules to ignore expected heavy queries.
Interactive users cancel each other in shared environments.
Use Galaxy’s role-based permissions so only owners can stop critical jobs.
Set statement_timeout per role or workload class instead of globally.
Heavy batch jobs can run with a higher limit.
Add the right indexes and avoid sequential scans on multi-GB tables to keep queries under timeout thresholds.
Schedule heavy jobs during off-peak hours and run schema migrations inside maintenance windows to reduce lock contention.
Galaxy’s editor highlights query runtime and permits safe cancellation by owners only, reducing accidental aborts.
SQLSTATE 55P03 (lock_not_available) signals a lock wait timeout rather than a cancel; increasing lock_timeout or reducing contention helps.
SQLSTATE 40P01 (deadlock_detected) terminates one participant in a deadlock; redesign transactions to lock objects in a consistent order.
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Yes, PostgreSQL cancels the current statement and marks the transaction as aborted, so you must ROLLBACK.
Check pg_stat_activity and PostgreSQL logs. The log_statement and log_min_error_statement settings reveal the cancel source.
Raising the limit is safe but watch for runaway queries. Use workload-specific timeouts instead of a high global value.
Galaxy lets workspace owners control who may cancel a running query and shows warnings before aborting production workloads.
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