Invalid Sql Json Subscript — SQLSTATE 22033

SQLSTATE 22033 condition invalid_sql_json_subscript class 22 — Data Exception severity ERROR
Reproduced & verified on PostgreSQL 14.23, 15.18, 16.14, 17.10 and 18.4 — identical message on every version.
Last reviewed 29 May 2025 · Reproduced live with the SQL on this page.

! Symptoms Free

The server reports SQLSTATE 22033 (invalid_sql_json_subscript), a condition in the Data Exception class.

  • The error is written to the server log and returned to the client carrying SQLSTATE 22033.
  • Any driver (libpq, JDBC, psycopg, npgsql, pgx) surfaces this code in its error object so you can branch on it programmatically.
  • PL/pgSQL can trap it by name: EXCEPTION WHEN invalid_sql_json_subscript THEN.

1 Environment & reproduce Free

Severity: ERROR  |  PostgreSQL versions: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Reproduce with the exact statement and read the full message in the server log (raise log_min_messages / set log_min_error_statement for more context).

? Root cause Free

22033 belongs to Class 22 — Data Exception. In this class, a value is invalid for its data type or the operation applied to it.

The first two characters (22) identify the error class, so application code can match the whole class via 22000 when the specific code is not needed.

3 Recovery & verify Free

Validate and clean input at the boundary: check ranges, lengths, and formats; cast safely (NULLIF(txt, ''), explicit to_date/to_timestamp); reject bad values before they reach SQL.

Reference: PostgreSQL error codes — Class 22 (Data Exception).