ERROR 42501: Must be owner of table in Postgres

Code	Name	Class
`42501`	`insufficient_privilege`	Syntax Error or Access Rule Violation (Class 42)

Error Message#

ERROR: must be owner of table mytable

Description#

This error occurs when a user attempts to perform an operation that requires ownership privileges on a table, such as altering the table structure, dropping the table, or changing ownership.

Causes#

User is not the owner of the table
Tables created by different users (e.g., admin, migration tools)
Ownership issues after database restoration or cloning
Role membership changes

Solutions#

1. Check current ownership#

-- Check table ownership
SELECT tablename, tableowner
FROM pg_tables
WHERE tablename = 'mytable';

2. Switch to the owner role#

-- If you have permission to switch roles
SET ROLE owner_username;

-- After operations, switch back
RESET ROLE;

3. Transfer ownership#

-- Must be executed by superuser or current owner
ALTER TABLE table_name OWNER TO new_owner;

4. Bulk change ownership#

-- Transfer all objects owned by old_owner to new_owner
REASSIGN OWNED BY old_owner TO new_owner;

5. Use EVENT TRIGGER for automation#

-- Create function to automatically change ownership of new tables
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION fn_change_table_ownership()
RETURNS event_trigger LANGUAGE plpgsql AS $$
DECLARE obj record;
BEGIN
    FOR obj IN SELECT * FROM pg_event_trigger_ddl_commands()
               WHERE command_tag = 'CREATE TABLE'
    LOOP
        EXECUTE 'ALTER TABLE ' || obj.schema_name || '.' ||
                obj.object_name || ' OWNER TO new_owner';
    END LOOP;
END; $$;

-- Create trigger
CREATE EVENT TRIGGER trg_change_table_ownership
ON ddl_command_end WHEN TAG IN ('CREATE TABLE')
EXECUTE FUNCTION fn_change_table_ownership();

Cloud database providers typically don't allow superuser privileges. Check with your provider about their specific permission model.

For more details on Postgres permission management, see How to Manage Postgres Users and Roles.

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