58P01ERRORTier 2 — Caution✅ HIGH confidence

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Category: System ErrorVersions: All Postgres versions

What this means

SQLSTATE 58P01 is a Postgres-specific error raised when Postgres tries to access a file (e.g., a data file, library file, or configuration file) that does not exist on the filesystem.

Why it happens

1A shared library referenced in CREATE FUNCTION ... LANGUAGE C does not exist
2A data file expected by the system is missing from the data directory
3COPY FROM referencing a file path that does not exist on the server

How to reproduce

COPY FROM a non-existent file.

trigger — this will ERROR

COPY orders FROM '/tmp/nonexistent_file.csv';

ERROR: could not open file "/tmp/nonexistent_file.csv": No such file or directory

Fix 1: Verify the file path exists on the server

When using COPY FROM with a file path.

fix

Why this works

COPY FROM (without STDIN) accesses the file on the Postgres server filesystem. Ensure the file exists at the specified path and the postgres user has read permission.

Fix 2: Use COPY FROM STDIN or psql metacommand for client-side files

When the file is on the client machine, not the server.

fix

-- In psql:
\copy orders FROM '/local/path/file.csv' CSV;

Why this works

The psql \copy metacommand streams the file from the client, avoiding the need for the file to exist on the server.

Sources

📚 Official docs: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/errcodes-appendix.html

🔧 Source ref: Class 58 — System Error (Postgres-specific)

Confidence assessment

✅ HIGH confidence

Postgres-specific. Stable across all versions.