invalid_text_representation array value must start with “{” or dimension information — 22P02

Symptoms

A string being cast to an array type was not formatted as a valid array literal. PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 22P02 (invalid_text_representation).

• The array literal does not begin with a brace.
• Array literals are enclosed in curly braces.
• Common when passing comma-separated text without braces.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  array value must start with "{" or dimension information
LINE 1: SELECT '''1,2,3'''::int[];

Why PostgreSQL raises this — what the manual says

Section 8.15.2 Array Value Input:

“To represent arrays with other lower bounds, the array subscript ranges can be specified explicitly before writing the array contents.”

PostgreSQL parses array literals from a brace-enclosed grammar like '{1,2,3}' (optionally with a leading dimension spec). Input that doesn’t start with { or a dimension clause isn’t a valid array literal, so PostgreSQL reports 22P02.

Common causes

• Passing '1,2,3' instead of '{1,2,3}'.
• Omitting the curly braces around array elements.
• Building the literal in application code without the brace syntax.

How to fix it

1. Format the literal with braces: '{1,2,3}'::int[].
2. Use the ARRAY[…] constructor: ARRAY[1,2,3].
3. Quote string elements and escape special characters inside the braces.

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 22P02 — Invalid Text Representation (full reference)
• Message: malformed range literal
• Glossary: Array

Reference: PostgreSQL 18 Section 8.15 “Arrays”.