invalid_cursor_name cursor “…” does not exist — 34000

Symptoms

A FETCH, MOVE, or CLOSE referenced a cursor name that is not defined in the session. PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 34000 (invalid_cursor_name).

• The named cursor was never declared or was already closed.
• Common after a transaction ended and closed the cursor.
• Non-holdable cursors close at commit.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  cursor "mycursor" does not exist

Why PostgreSQL raises this — what the manual says

the FETCH reference (Description):

“FETCH retrieves rows using a previously-created cursor.”

Cursors live within a session/transaction. Referencing a name that was never declared, was already closed, or expired when its transaction ended cannot be resolved, so PostgreSQL reports 34000.

Common causes

• A typo in the cursor name.
• The cursor was already closed (or the transaction committed, closing a non-holdable cursor).
• Declaring the cursor in a different transaction.

How to fix it

1. Declare the cursor with DECLARE before fetching, and match the name exactly.
2. Keep the transaction open while using the cursor, or declare it WITH HOLD.
3. Verify the cursor wasn’t already closed earlier in the session.

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 34000 — Invalid Cursor Name (full reference)
• Message: cursor already exists
• Glossary: Cursor

Reference: PostgreSQL 18 — FETCH.