Subject: [PATCH 3/3] Distinguish properly when database-specific transaction list should be used.

From: Antonin Houska <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 6 May 2026 09:38:11 +0200

Currently, decoding session that relies on database-specific xl_running_xacts
WAL records can also use some information of cluster-wide records and vice
versa. Although this approach might reduce the total number of
xl_running_xacts records, it's simply not correct.

SnapBuildProcessRunningXacts() now decides at the very beginning whether
particular record can be used or not.
---
 src/backend/replication/logical/snapbuild.c | 55 +++++++++++++--------
 1 file changed, 34 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/backend/replication/logical/snapbuild.c b/src/backend/replication/logical/snapbuild.c
index c8309b96ed4..b9661b7d70a 100644
--- a/src/backend/replication/logical/snapbuild.c
+++ b/src/backend/replication/logical/snapbuild.c
@@ -1157,6 +1157,39 @@ SnapBuildProcessRunningXacts(SnapBuild *builder, XLogRecPtr lsn, xl_running_xact
 	ReorderBufferTXN *txn;
 	TransactionId xmin;
 
+	/*
+	 * Each decoding session should use either cluster-wide snapshots or
+	 * database-specific ones, but not both. Since the latter can have more
+	 * recent value of oldestRunningXid, builder->xmin could go backwards if
+	 * it was followed by cluster-wide snapshot - see the ->xmin adjustment
+	 * below.
+	 */
+	if (!db_specific && OidIsValid(running->dbid))
+		return;
+
+	if (db_specific)
+	{
+		/*
+		 * Make sure that we have the snapshots needed for startup, as well as
+		 * those for regular cleanup: each time the cluster-wide snapshot is
+		 * created (typically on slot creation or by checkpointer), the
+		 * database-specific snapshot is requested here if the current session
+		 * needs it.
+		 */
+		if (!OidIsValid(running->dbid))
+		{
+			LogStandbySnapshot(MyDatabaseId);
+
+			return;
+		}
+		/*
+		 * Snapshots issued for other databases do not contain the information
+		 * about transactions in our database.
+		 */
+		else if (running->dbid != MyDatabaseId)
+			return;
+	}
+
 	/*
 	 * If we're not consistent yet, inspect the record to see whether it
 	 * allows to get closer to being consistent. If we are consistent, dump
@@ -1171,17 +1204,7 @@ SnapBuildProcessRunningXacts(SnapBuild *builder, XLogRecPtr lsn, xl_running_xact
 		 */
 		if (db_specific)
 		{
-			/*
-			 * If we must only keep track of transactions running in the
-			 * current database, we need transaction info from exactly that
-			 * database.
-			 */
-			if (running->dbid != MyDatabaseId)
-			{
-				LogStandbySnapshot(MyDatabaseId);
-
-				return;
-			}
+			Assert(running->dbid == MyDatabaseId);
 
 			/*
 			 * We'd better be able to check during scan if the plugin does not
@@ -1198,16 +1221,6 @@ SnapBuildProcessRunningXacts(SnapBuild *builder, XLogRecPtr lsn, xl_running_xact
 	else
 		SnapBuildSerialize(builder, lsn);
 
-	/*
-	 * Database specific transaction info may exist to reach CONSISTENT state
-	 * faster, however the code below makes no use of it. Moreover, such
-	 * record might cause problems because the following normal (cluster-wide)
-	 * record can have lower value of oldestRunningXid. In that case, let's
-	 * wait with the cleanup for the next regular cluster-wide record.
-	 */
-	if (OidIsValid(running->dbid))
-		return;
-
 	/*
 	 * Update range of interesting xids based on the running xacts
 	 * information. We don't increase ->xmax using it, because once we are in
-- 
2.47.3

--tbdehtstrqwksfdh--