How to Fix Database Deadlock in AI-Built Apps
Concurrent database operations cause deadlocks, hanging requests and eventually timing out. AI-generated transaction code often acquires locks in inconsistent order or holds transactions open too long.
Error messages you might see
ERROR: deadlock detected. Process 1234 waits for ShareLock on transaction 5678Error: canceling statement due to lock timeoutWhy this happens in AI-generated code
Inconsistent lock ordering
Different code paths lock tables in different orders, creating circular wait conditions.
Long-running transactions
AI wraps too many operations in a single transaction, holding locks while doing slow I/O like API calls.
Missing row-level locking strategy
AI uses table-level locks or SELECT FOR UPDATE without proper WHERE clauses, locking more rows than needed.
How to fix it
Always lock tables in the same order
Establish a convention for lock ordering (e.g., alphabetical by table name) and follow it in all transactions.
Keep transactions short
Move non-database work outside transactions. Only include the minimum SQL operations needed for data consistency.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I detect deadlocks?
Monitor Postgres logs for 'deadlock detected' messages. Enable `log_lock_waits` to see which queries are waiting for locks.
Will retrying the transaction fix the deadlock?
Yes, Postgres automatically aborts one deadlocked transaction. Retrying with exponential backoff is the standard recovery strategy.
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