SQLSTATE 10608 ERROR Class 10: XQuery Error

invalid_argument_for_xquery Invalid Argument For Xquery — SQLSTATE 10608

PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 10608 (invalid_argument_for_xquery), a ERROR in the XQuery Error class. Inspect the server log for context.

PG 17, 18 Official docs
Last reviewed May 2025 Grounded in source

Symptoms

The server reports SQLSTATE 10608 (invalid_argument_for_xquery), a condition in the XQuery Error class.

  • The error is written to the server log and returned to the client carrying SQLSTATE 10608.
  • Any driver (libpq, JDBC, psycopg, npgsql, pgx) surfaces this code in its error object so you can branch on it programmatically.
  • PL/pgSQL can trap it by name: EXCEPTION WHEN invalid_argument_for_xquery THEN.

Environment

Severity: ERROR  |  PostgreSQL versions: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Reproduce with the exact statement and read the full message in the server log (raise log_min_messages / set log_min_error_statement for more context).

Root Cause

10608 belongs to Class 10 — XQuery Error. In this class, the condition invalid_argument_for_xquery was detected.

The first two characters (10) identify the error class, so application code can match the whole class via 10000 when the specific code is not needed.

Diagnostic Queries

Recovery

Identify the specific condition invalid_argument_for_xquery from the server log and address the underlying cause.

Reference: PostgreSQL error codes — Class 10 (XQuery Error).

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