# 2203A — sql_json_member_not_found

> Source-backed reference for PostgreSQL SQLSTATE 2203A.
---

# 2203A

## At a glance {#at-a-glance}
A named JSON object member cannot be read from the current item. Fixed jsonpath member access distinguishes a missing key from a non-object receiver.

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

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| SQLSTATE | `2203A` |
| Condition | `sql_json_member_not_found` |
| Status | `active` |
| Known present by | `12.0` |
| Locked snapshots | `12.22, 13.23, 14.24, 15.19, 16.15, 17.11, 18.6, 19beta3` |
| Macros | `ERRCODE_SQL_JSON_MEMBER_NOT_FOUND` |
| Aliases | `—` |

<!-- source facts: data/errcodes/2203A.json -->
<!-- END SQLSTATE FACTS -->

## Messages {#messages}
Representative primary texts are:

| Guard | Primary |
| --- | --- |
| Named key is absent from an object | `JSON object does not contain key "%s"` |
| Member accessor receives a non-object | `jsonpath member accessor can only be applied to an object` |

## Meaning {#meaning}
The `jpiKey` branch searches the current JSON object for the requested key. A missing key raises 2203A in a throwing context; a scalar or other non-object receiver uses the same SQLSTATE with the object-type primary. If structural errors are ignored, the mismatch can be skipped, and if the context is non-throwing the path returns an error result for its caller to handle. This is the named-member boundary; wildcard member access and `.keyvalue()` use the object-only 2203C path.

## Diagnosis {#diagnosis}
Keep the requested key, the item immediately before the member accessor, and the path mode. A missing key may reflect document shape, while a non-object receiver means the path reached the wrong type. Do not turn a missing member into 22035 no-item or a wildcard/object-method mismatch into 2203C without reading the primary.

## Response {#response}
Correct the key or normalize/branch on the document shape. Use the path's documented lax or error behavior only when a missing member is an intended input case. If an ERROR occurred in an explicit transaction, roll back or roll back to the existing savepoint before retrying; autocommit can retry the corrected action.

## Versions {#versions}
The locked catalogue records this condition from 12.0; the fixed named-member guards are PostgreSQL 18.6. No natural runtime observation is claimed for this page.

## Related {#related}
[`22039`](../22039/), [`2203C`](../2203c/), [`22035`](../22035/)

## Sources {#sources}
The fixed named-member lookup, missing-key, non-object, and structural-error branches are [`jsonpath_exec.c#L1012-1055`](https://github.com/postgres/postgres/blob/724edf9bde9d356724ad384a2e196edc3c9f80f7/src/backend/utils/adt/jsonpath_exec.c#L1012). The shared strict/lax and throw-return macros are [`jsonpath_exec.c#L235-249`](https://github.com/postgres/postgres/blob/724edf9bde9d356724ad384a2e196edc3c9f80f7/src/backend/utils/adt/jsonpath_exec.c#L235). The structured [evidence record](../data/evidence/2203a.json) binds both exact primaries; no natural runtime was run.