# 2200H — sequence_generator_limit_exceeded

> Source-backed reference for PostgreSQL SQLSTATE 2200H.
---

# 2200H

## At a glance {#at-a-glance}
A sequence allocation reached its configured limit while trying to obtain the next value. PostgreSQL 18.6’s `sequence.c` path reports source templates for both maximum and minimum limits. The endpoint value itself can be legal, and the numeric value uses the C `PRId64` format macro, so the source spelling is `nextval: reached maximum value of sequence "%s" (%" PRId64 ")` (and the corresponding `minimum` form), not a literal `(%s)` placeholder. The limit is a sequence property, not a generic integer overflow.

<!-- BEGIN SQLSTATE FACTS: generated by scripts/generate.py; do not edit -->

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| SQLSTATE | `2200H` |
| Condition | `sequence_generator_limit_exceeded` |
| Status | `active` |
| Known present by | `10.0` |
| Locked snapshots | `10.23, 11.22, 12.22, 13.23, 14.24, 15.19, 16.15, 17.11, 18.6, 19beta3` |
| Macros | `ERRCODE_SEQUENCE_GENERATOR_LIMIT_EXCEEDED` |
| Aliases | `—` |

<!-- source facts: data/errcodes/2200H.json -->
<!-- END SQLSTATE FACTS -->

## Meaning {#meaning}
This condition means the `nextval` fetch loop cannot allocate the next value past a configured sequence minimum or maximum. In the ascending path, PostgreSQL checks the maximum boundary; in the descending path, it checks the minimum. At a boundary, `rescnt > 0` stops the fetch loop so already fetched legal values can be returned; only when no result remains does the non-cycling branch raise 2200H. With `CYCLE`, the fixed source wraps to the opposite configured endpoint. This is sequence boundary policy, not a generic integer overflow.

## Messages {#messages}

The non-cycling ascending guard raises `ERROR` with primary source template `nextval: reached maximum value of sequence "%s" (%" PRId64 ")`; the descending guard uses `nextval: reached minimum value of sequence "%s" (%" PRId64 ")`. The endpoint itself is not inherently an error: if the fetch loop already has a legal result, it stops fetching before the error branch. `PRId64` is a C format macro concatenated into the compiled numeric placeholder, so the displayed number is a runtime limit value. The cited branches have no separate DETAIL or HINT.

## Diagnosis {#diagnosis}
Inspect the named sequence, increment, MINVALUE/MAXVALUE, CYCLE setting, and whether the call was `nextval`. Determine whether the endpoint is maximum or minimum, whether a legal endpoint or cached value was still available, and whether cycling deliberately wraps. CYCLE is a sequence policy, not a universal repair for generated identifiers: changing it can create values that collide with dependent keys or violate an application’s allocation contract. If cycling is not intended, choose a new range, alter the sequence, or rotate to a new sequence after checking dependent keys.

## Response {#response}
Repair the sequence policy deliberately: adjust a safe limit, enable or disable CYCLE only after checking key semantics, or migrate allocation to a new sequence. Repeating the same `nextval`, casting its result, or treating this as an integer overflow cannot advance past a fixed endpoint.

When this branch raises `ERROR`, an explicit transaction must first be recovered with `ROLLBACK` or `ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT` for a savepoint established before the statement; in autocommit, retry only the corrected action after the failed statement completes. See the [transaction and retry guide](../guides/) for this boundary rule.

## Versions {#versions}
The locked catalogue records this condition from 10.0; fixed source coverage is PostgreSQL 18.6.

## Related {#related}
[`22003`](../22003/), [`22000`](../22000/)

## Sources {#sources}
Fixed source: [`src/backend/commands/sequence.c#L731-769`](https://github.com/postgres/postgres/blob/724edf9bde9d356724ad384a2e196edc3c9f80f7/src/backend/commands/sequence.c#L731-L769). The structured [evidence record](../data/evidence/2200h.json) retains both limit messages and scope boundaries. The fixed source confirms the ascending and descending guards, CYCLE wrap, and C `PRId64` format macro; the exact sequence name and limit are runtime values. Source presence begins at 10.0 in the locked catalogue, without asserting the precise implementation introduction commit.