SQLITE_READONLY_DBMOVEDERRORTier 2 — Caution⚠️ MEDIUM confidenceRead-only: database file has been moved
🔴 Production Risk Error
High — writes will fail until the connection is re-opened on the new path.
What this means
SQLITE_READONLY_DBMOVED (1032) is returned when SQLite detects that the database file has been moved or renamed since it was opened, making it impossible to safely write to the file.
Why it happens
- 1Another process renamed or moved the database file while a connection was open.
- 2Atomic file replacement pattern (rename-to-final) used while SQLite has the old file open.
How to reproduce
Write operation on a file whose path no longer matches its inode.
import os, sqlite3
conn = sqlite3.connect('my.db')
os.rename('my.db', 'my.db.bak')
try:
conn.execute('INSERT INTO t VALUES(1)')
except sqlite3.OperationalError as e:
print(e) # attempt to write a readonly databaseFix 1
Why this works
Do not rename or move a SQLite database file while connections are open.
Fix 2
Why this works
Close all connections before performing file-level operations on the database.
Fix 3
Why this works
Use WAL mode snapshots or VACUUM INTO to create copies without renaming the live file.
What not to do
Why it's wrong:
Version notes
Sources
📚 Official docs: https://www.sqlite.org/rescode.html#readonly_dbmoved
🔧 Source ref: sqlite3.h — SQLITE_READONLY_DBMOVED = 1032
Confidence assessment
⚠️ MEDIUM confidence
Stable.
See also
🔗 Related errors