How to fix ERROR 1182: Got error during FLUSH_LOGS in MySQL

Determine how much disk space is available where the log files are stored.

For Linux/Unix:

df -h /var/log
df -h /var/lib/mysql

Check current log file sizes:

du -sh /var/log/mysql/
du -sh /var/lib/mysql/*.log*

If available space is critically low (< 5% free), this is likely the cause. Proceed to Step 2 to free disk space.

If disk space is low, remove old log files and binaries:

1. Purge old binary logs (if binary logging is enabled):

SHOW BINARY LOGS;
PURGE BINARY LOGS BEFORE DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 7 DAY);

2. Remove old MySQL general or slow query logs (if they're not in rotation):

sudo rm -f /var/log/mysql/mysql.log*
sudo rm -f /var/log/mysql/mysql-slow.log*

3. Clean up system logs if they share the partition:

sudo find /var/log -name "*.gz" -mtime +30 -delete
sudo journalctl --vacuum=30d

4. Expand storage if you need more capacity long-term:
- Add a new disk or extend the existing partition
- Configure MySQL to use a separate log directory on another volume

Check that the MySQL process has write access to log directories.

For Linux/Unix, check current permissions:

ls -ld /var/log/mysql
ls -l /var/log/mysql/

The MySQL user (typically 'mysql') must own the directory or have write permissions:

sudo chown -R mysql:mysql /var/log/mysql
sudo chmod 750 /var/log/mysql
sudo chmod 640 /var/log/mysql/*.log

On systems where the error log is in /var/log directly:

sudo touch /var/log/mysqld.log
sudo chown mysql:mysql /var/log/mysqld.log
sudo chmod 640 /var/log/mysqld.log

For Docker containers, ensure the entrypoint creates log files with proper ownership before MySQL starts.

If using SELinux, verify the context is correct for log directories:

ls -Z /var/log/mysql/
# Should show a context like: mysql_log_t or var_log_t

If the context is wrong, restore it:

sudo restorecon -R /var/log/mysql

If using AppArmor, check the MySQL profile:

sudo aa-status | grep mysql

Check the AppArmor denial log:

sudo grep DENIED /var/log/syslog | grep mysql | tail -10

If denials exist, the profile may need to be updated to allow the log path.

Review the MySQL error log to see the exact operating system error code:

For Linux/Unix (default locations):

tail -30 /var/log/mysql/error.log
# or
tail -30 /var/log/mysqld.log

For Windows:

type "C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\Data\hostname.err"

Look for lines like:

ERROR 1182: Got error during FLUSH_LOGS
... error 13: Permission denied
... error 28: No space left on device

The error code (13, 28, etc.) tells you the root cause.

Once you've fixed the underlying issue (disk space, permissions, or SELinux), attempt the flush again:

FLUSH LOGS;

Or using the command line:

mysqladmin flush-logs

If it still fails, check the error log again for a different OS error code. You may need to restart MySQL for some permission changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl restart mysql

Verify logging is active:

SHOW VARIABLES LIKE '%log%';