Re: BUG #18281: Superuser can rename the schema with the prefix "pg_" (Applies to all versions of postgresql)

On Wednesday, January 10, 2024, PG Bug reporting form <
noreply(at)postgresql(dot)org> wrote:

> The following bug has been logged on the website:
>
> Bug reference: 18281
> Logged by: Maciej Szeliga
> Email address: szyjek9302(at)gmail(dot)com
> PostgreSQL version: 16.1
> Operating system: centos 8
> Description:
>
> Hi,
> I renamed the schema pg_toast
> moja=# alter schema pg_toast rename to x_pg_toast
> moja-# ;
> ALTER SCHEMA
>
> and can't undo it because :
>
> moja=# alter schema x_pg_toast rename to pg_toast;
> ERROR: unacceptable schema name "pg_toast"
> DETAIL: The prefix "pg_" is reserved for system schemas.
>
> I think this is a serious problem that should be fixed by developers. The
> superuser should not be able to rename system schemas.
>

This isn’t a bug - there is very little effort spent on trying to prevent
the superuser from doing stuff, even stuff that directly breaks their
system.

I do agree that there seems to be some room for improvement here, at least
as far as recovering from the initial bad decision goes. Seems like there
should be a way, maybe with the alter catalogs GUC, to bypass the error.

David J.