invalid_text_representation malformed array literal: “…” — 22P02

Symptoms

A text value being parsed as an array does not follow array-literal syntax. PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 22P02 (invalid_text_representation) and points to the parse failure.

• Array literals must be wrapped in braces: {1,2,3}.
• A DETAIL line explains what was expected (e.g. “{”).
• Common when passing a comma-separated string instead of an array literal.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  malformed array literal: "1,2,3"
DETAIL:  Array value must start with "{" or dimension information.

Why PostgreSQL raises this — what the manual says

Section 8.15.2 Array Value Input:

“To write an array value as a literal constant, enclose the element values within curly braces and separate them by commas.”

Array input expects brace-delimited, comma-separated elements with proper quoting/escaping. A bare comma-separated string lacks the braces and structure, so parsing fails with 22P02.

Common causes

• Passing 1,2,3 instead of {1,2,3}.
• Unquoted elements containing commas or special characters.
• Confusing SQL ARRAY[…] syntax with the text literal form.

How to fix it

1. Use the SQL constructor: ARRAY[1,2,3] instead of a text literal.
2. If sending text, wrap in braces and quote elements as needed: '{"a","b"}'.
3. Bind arrays via the driver’s array support rather than string concatenation.

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 22P02 — Invalid Text Representation (full reference)
• Message: array subscript out of range
• Glossary: Array

Reference: PostgreSQL 18 Section 8.15 “Arrays”.