SQLITE_CORRUPT_INDEXERRORTier 3 — Handle with care⚠️ MEDIUM confidenceIndex is inconsistent with table
Category: CorruptionVersions: 3.38.0+
🔴 Production Risk Error
High — queries using the index may return incorrect results.
What this means
SQLITE_CORRUPT_INDEX (779) is returned during an integrity check when an index entry does not match the corresponding table row — the index is out of sync with the data.
Why it happens
- 1Partial write failure left index and table in an inconsistent state.
- 2Bug in SQLite or a third-party storage layer.
- 3Index rebuilt incorrectly by an external tool.
How to reproduce
PRAGMA integrity_check or PRAGMA quick_check.
trigger — this will ERROR
import sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect('my.db')
result = conn.execute('PRAGMA integrity_check').fetchall()
for row in result:
print(row) # may show "row X missing from index Y""row 42 missing from index idx_users_email on table users"
Fix 1
Why this works
Rebuild the affected index: REINDEX idx_users_email;
Fix 2
Why this works
Run a full integrity check: PRAGMA integrity_check;
Fix 3
Why this works
Restore from backup if REINDEX cannot fix the inconsistency.
Version notes
Sources
📚 Official docs: https://www.sqlite.org/rescode.html#corrupt_index
🔧 Source ref: sqlite3.h — SQLITE_CORRUPT_INDEX = 779
📖 Further reading: PRAGMA integrity_check
Confidence assessment
⚠️ MEDIUM confidence
Stable.
See also
🔗 Related errors
📄 Reference pages
PRAGMA integrity_checkREINDEX
⚙️ This error reference was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy. Examples are provided to illustrate common scenarios and may not cover every case. Always test fixes in a development environment before applying to production. Spotted an error? Suggest a correction →