active_sql_transaction CREATE DATABASE cannot run inside a transaction block — 25001

Symptoms

CREATE DATABASE was issued inside an explicit transaction block. It cannot run transactionally, so PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 25001 (active_sql_transaction).

• CREATE DATABASE issued after BEGIN.
• Common with tools that wrap statements in transactions.
• Must run with autocommit on.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  CREATE DATABASE cannot run inside a transaction block

Why PostgreSQL raises this — what the manual says

the CREATE DATABASE reference (Notes):

“CREATE DATABASE cannot be executed inside a transaction block.”

Creating a database copies template files and performs non-transactional filesystem work that cannot be rolled back. Therefore it cannot run inside a transaction, and PostgreSQL rejects it with 25001.

Common causes

• Running CREATE DATABASE after BEGIN.
• A migration tool wrapping each statement in a transaction.
• Autocommit disabled on the connection.

How to fix it

1. Run it standalone with autocommit on (outside any transaction).
2. In migration tools, mark this step as non-transactional.
3. Ensure the connection is in autocommit mode.

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 25001 — Active SQL Transaction (full reference)
• Message: DROP DATABASE cannot run inside a transaction block
• Glossary: Database

Reference: PostgreSQL 18 — CREATE DATABASE.