Incident brief
Function ended without RETURN
A function declared to return a value must execute a RETURN on every path; a code path that falls off the end without RETURN raises this SQL-routine exception at call time.
What lands in your log
ERROR: control reached end of function without RETURN
In 10 seconds
- What triggers it
- Call a value-returning function whose control flow can reach the end without executing RETURN.
- Fix
- Ensure every path executes RETURN (add a final RETURN or cover all branches).
- Proof
- Reproduced on PostgreSQL 18.4 → A function call reproduces SQLSTATE 2F005; a path that reaches the end without RETURN fails, naming the function in the CONTEXT.
Fix
What to do right now
Application-level steps for this error.
- Ensure every path executes RETURN (add a final RETURN or cover all branches).
- For functions that may legitimately produce nothing, RETURN NULL explicitly.
-- Ensure every path returns a value.
SELECT compute_total_fixed();For this error
See this error live on the server
Run these against the affected instance to confirm the diagnosis before you act.
Function ended without RETURN comes from PL/pgSQL control flow. Inspect the exact stored function body and line reported in CONTEXT before changing server settings.
Stored PL/pgSQL source for the failing function
Replace the function signature from CONTEXT; this preserves overload identity.
SELECT pg_get_functiondef(to_regprocedure('<schema.function(argument_types)>'));PL/pgSQL assertion setting
Relevant to assertion failures; harmless context for the other PL/pgSQL control-flow errors.
SELECT current_setting('plpgsql.check_asserts', true) AS plpgsql_check_asserts;Why it happens
What PostgreSQL is telling you
The mechanism behind the error, grounded in the official manual, not paraphrased.
PostgreSQL 18 Documentation, Appendix A. PostgreSQL Error Codes (Table A.1, Class 2F, SQL Routine Exception)
2F005 → function_executed_no_return_statementRead the full section on postgresql.org →
Falling off the end without RETURN
The function is declared to return a value but a path reaches the end with no RETURN, so PostgreSQL raises 'control reached end of function without RETURN'.The session continues normally
The function body failed outside a transaction block, so session B's next statement runs as if nothing happened.Reproduce & verify
A real, single-session PostgreSQL reproduction
A literal transcript of SQL run against a live PostgreSQL instance in an isolated lab. The commands below are exactly what was executed.
- 1Call a value-returning function whose control flow can reach the end without executing RETURN.
- 2The function body runs and falls off the end with no value to return.
- 3The call aborts with SQLSTATE 2F005 and names the function in the CONTEXT.
A function returned a value only inside a conditional, and an input that skipped that branch fell off the end without returning.
CREATE FUNCTION compute_total() RETURNS int LANGUAGE plpgsql AS $$ BEGIN PERFORM 1; END $$; CREATE FUNCTION compute_total_fixed() RETURNS int LANGUAGE plpgsql AS $$ BEGIN RETURN 42; END $$;SELECT compute_total();SELECT 'ok' AS session_after_error;What PostgreSQL actually returned
CREATE FUNCTION
CREATE FUNCTIONERROR: control reached end of function without RETURN
CONTEXT: PL/pgSQL function compute_total() session_after_error
---------------------
ok
(1 row)The corrected function always returns on every path.
Without this
Before: a path falls off the end
With this, tested
After: the fixed function returns
- A second operational test: exact SQL, raw output, measured result, and engineer notes
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Connected
Everything this error touches
Every page this SQLSTATE connects to: the concept that explains it, the runbooks that fix it, the parameters you tune to prevent it, and the sibling errors it travels with. All real cross-references. Jump straight in, or open the full interactive map.
Verification
- Last verified
- 2026-07-24 (isolated lab, PostgreSQL 18.4)
- Verification scope
- Verified against PostgreSQL 18.4 in an isolated lab environment
- Audit status
- reviewed
Went further?
Pro unlocks the second lab proof
Free page stops the bleeding. Pro adds the operational test, SQLSTATE audit, and deeper evidence, same error, more certainty.