How to fix P2018: The required connected records were not found in Prisma

PrismaINTERMEDIATEMEDIUM

The P2018 error occurs when Prisma cannot find the records you're trying to connect in a relation operation. This typically happens when you're using connect, connectOrCreate, or disconnect operations with IDs that don't exist, or when dealing with explicit many-to-many relationships.

What this error means

This error indicates that Prisma attempted to establish or modify a relationship between records (typically using the `connect` operation), but one or more of the records you referenced don't exist in the database. When you perform operations like `create`, `update`, or `upsert` with nested relations (using `connect`, `connectOrCreate`, or `disconnect`), Prisma must verify that the related records exist before creating the relationship. If the database lookup fails to find those records, P2018 is thrown. This error is particularly common in three scenarios: 1. **Direct connect operations**: You're trying to connect to a record with an ID that doesn't exist 2. **Explicit many-to-many relations**: You're using an explicit join table and providing incorrect connection parameters 3. **Race conditions**: A record existed when your code ran but was deleted before the relation was created

How to fix "P2018: The required connected records were not found"

1Verify the record exists before connecting

The most reliable fix is to explicitly check if the record exists before attempting to connect:

typescript

// WRONG - assumes the record exists
const user = await prisma.user.update({
  where: { id: userId },
  data: {
    profile: {
      connect: { id: profileId }, // P2018 if profileId doesn't exist
    },
  },
});

// CORRECT - verify first
const profileExists = await prisma.profile.findUnique({
  where: { id: profileId },
});

if (!profileExists) {
  throw new Error(`Profile with ID ${profileId} not found`);
}

const user = await prisma.user.update({
  where: { id: userId },
  data: {
    profile: {
      connect: { id: profileId },
    },
  },
});

This approach prevents P2018 errors and gives you explicit control over error handling.

2Use connectOrCreate to handle missing records

If the record might not exist, use connectOrCreate to either connect it or create it:

typescript

const user = await prisma.user.update({
  where: { id: userId },
  data: {
    profile: {
      connectOrCreate: {
        where: { id: profileId },
        create: {
          name: "Default Profile",
          // ... other required fields
        },
      },
    },
  },
});

This is safer than connect alone because it automatically creates the record if it doesn't exist, preventing P2018 errors entirely.

3Check for explicit many-to-many join table issues

If you're using an explicit many-to-many relation (a join table model), the error might be in how you're connecting the join table:

typescript

// Schema with explicit many-to-many
model User {
  id        String    @id @default(cuid())
  posts     UserPost[]
}

model Post {
  id        String    @id @default(cuid())
  users     UserPost[]
}

model UserPost {
  userId    String
  postId    String
  user      User    @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id])
  post      Post    @relation(fields: [postId], references: [id])
  @@id([userId, postId])
}

// WRONG - this won't work
const user = await prisma.user.update({
  where: { id: userId },
  data: {
    posts: {
      connect: { id: postId }, // P2018 - this tries to find a UserPost with id: postId
    },
  },
});

// CORRECT - create the UserPost join record
const user = await prisma.user.update({
  where: { id: userId },
  data: {
    posts: {
      create: {
        postId: postId, // Explicitly set the postId
      },
    },
  },
});

The key difference is that with explicit many-to-many, you can't just connect to the related Post directly—you must manipulate the UserPost join table.

4Review your Prisma schema for relation configuration

Ensure your relation is properly defined in the Prisma schema:

prisma

// One-to-many example
model User {
  id      String   @id @default(cuid())
  profile Profile?
}

model Profile {
  id     String @id @default(cuid())
  userId String @unique
  user   User   @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id])
}

// Many-to-many example (implicit)
model User {
  id    String   @id @default(cuid())
  posts Post[]
}

model Post {
  id    String   @id @default(cuid())
  users User[]
}

Common schema issues:
- Missing @relation field specification
- Incorrect foreign key references
- Type mismatches (e.g., connecting String ID to Int ID)

5Debug with Prisma logs to see the exact query

Enable Prisma debug logging to see the exact database operation that's failing:

typescript

const prisma = new PrismaClient({
  log: ["query", "error"],
});

Or set the environment variable:

bash

DEBUG=prisma:* npm run dev

This will show you the exact SQL queries being executed, helping you identify exactly which record lookup is failing. Check the queries to verify:
- The correct ID values are being used
- The correct tables are being queried
- The records actually exist in the database

6Verify database-level foreign key constraints

Ensure your database schema matches your Prisma schema and has the proper foreign key constraints:

sql

-- For PostgreSQL
SELECT constraint_name, table_name
FROM information_schema.table_constraints
WHERE constraint_type = 'FOREIGN KEY';

-- For MySQL
SELECT CONSTRAINT_NAME, TABLE_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.REFERENTIAL_CONSTRAINTS
WHERE CONSTRAINT_SCHEMA = 'your_database';

If constraints are missing:
1. Run npx prisma migrate dev to sync your database
2. Or manually create the foreign keys in your database
3. Run npx prisma introspect to regenerate your Prisma schema if you made manual changes

How to fix P2018: The required connected records were not found in Prisma

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "P2018: The required connected records were not found"

Advanced notes

Related errors

Official resources & further reading